Briangoldcoast
29th January 2015, 05:29 PM
I have had a little job outstanding for several years. Without delving too deep into the long story, it's nothing too important but at this time of life, I enjoy setting myself the occasional little challenge.
After several hours searching the good old internet I found a sketch of the part, which to this point I had not seen.
I set out to make a prototype out of aluminium that was easy to saw and file and after about 5 hours hand work, it fitted and worked well enough for me to use it as a template for a 'real' steel part.
The part has to work under load, and so has to be hardened.
I had no idea where I could lay my hands on a 1/2" X 1/8" piece of toolsteel bar so I searched around my scrap bin, and happened across a small worn out file that was just a little oversize.
So I set up a little forge made from a LP gas torch and after heating to red and allowing to air cool, it was 'soft' enough to file and drill.
I've spent 5 hours on it this morning, and I suspect it will be another 5 hours before its ready to harden again. (all going well)
Most of the work has been done with a well set up 200mm grinder I use for sharpening lathe bits, a bench drill, and plenty of marking out and filing with needle files.
The point of my post is to at least share with kindred spirits some of the pleasure this is affording me, even though to the untrained eye, the result so far is a tiny bit of dirty steel.
Brian338446
After several hours searching the good old internet I found a sketch of the part, which to this point I had not seen.
I set out to make a prototype out of aluminium that was easy to saw and file and after about 5 hours hand work, it fitted and worked well enough for me to use it as a template for a 'real' steel part.
The part has to work under load, and so has to be hardened.
I had no idea where I could lay my hands on a 1/2" X 1/8" piece of toolsteel bar so I searched around my scrap bin, and happened across a small worn out file that was just a little oversize.
So I set up a little forge made from a LP gas torch and after heating to red and allowing to air cool, it was 'soft' enough to file and drill.
I've spent 5 hours on it this morning, and I suspect it will be another 5 hours before its ready to harden again. (all going well)
Most of the work has been done with a well set up 200mm grinder I use for sharpening lathe bits, a bench drill, and plenty of marking out and filing with needle files.
The point of my post is to at least share with kindred spirits some of the pleasure this is affording me, even though to the untrained eye, the result so far is a tiny bit of dirty steel.
Brian338446