65535
Flashlight Enthusiast
What are you soldering that you would have a ball built up? Copper pipe?
Seriously though if you solder sloppily then the best solution is a ceramic plate under your work surface.
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What are you soldering that you would have a ball built up? Copper pipe?
Seriously though if you solder sloppily then the best solution is a ceramic plate under your work surface.
+1
I've soldered over my mat for years (old & new one) & I can't say that I've ever dropped a ball of solder on it to cause damage to it. I'm sure a good size blob of solder would cause some very minor melting but even on an ESD mat it would.
I get solder splatter / balls when trying to solder larger wire as in superflex 12ga. You just feed the solder as fast as you can to try to transfer the heat
It does not harm my ESD Mat.Mac
precisionworks
Flashaholic
After launching two parts from the standard jaws on the lathe chuck I decided to machine custom jaws to fit the part. Initial machining took 6 hours & 2 additional hours were needed for final shaping. Since the parts will run for 30 hours on the lathe, the soft jaws weren't hard to justify. And the customer only pays one time for them, so the cost is not recurring.
The part is about 6" diameter, made of HDPE. There are two outside turns, two bevels, one bore & one counter bore, plus two parting cuts. It takes 6 hours to make 10 of these.
Now if someone can figure out how to make the chips break
The part is about 6" diameter, made of HDPE. There are two outside turns, two bevels, one bore & one counter bore, plus two parting cuts. It takes 6 hours to make 10 of these.
Now if someone can figure out how to make the chips break
wquiles
Flashaholic
Those are very nice soft jaws you have there dude!
precisionworks
Flashaholic
TYVM
I told the customer these were necessary to run his job & he said "will it cost more?" I replied no, that since the job could not be run without the soft jaws it would cost no more ... if I did not run his parts :nana: He understood. Many of the jobs that are run in my shop are similar, requiring specialized fixturing, tooling & setup.
FWIW, those jaws were cut from a piece of 1"x4" aluminum flat bar, but not the ordinary material that is most often seen. This material is Mic-6 cast aluminum tooling plate, Blanchard ground on both sides & really nice to work with. Using a fine point Sharpie marker the design was laid out on the flat bar which was 10" long. The rear slots were cut, first the "long" slot that runs in a radial direction on the chuck. Then the rest of the back side machining, including drilling a 3/8" hole for the bolt. The parts were rough cut on the Delta band saw & then milled to near net shape.
A compression disc of the correct diameter was gripped tightly at the very back of the jaws & the jaws were bored to match the radius of the parts to be held. With the compression disc still in place, the angle was cut on the front of the jaws to allow clearance for an angle bevel operation.
Only one bolt secures each jaw, as the second bolt hole could not be drilled because of the jaw design. The jaws cant slightly inward when relaxed, but flatten out under compression.
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wquiles
Flashaholic
Where do you get/buy this "neat" tooling material?
rmteo
Flashlight Enthusiast
Try your local metals supplier. I have used a lot of K100S (same thing, different name). They are available in sizes up to 12x4ft. and thickness from 0.25-4.00in. Here is more info http://www.speedymetals
.com/information/Material8.html
Don't have any fancy machinery so...until I have time to buy a replacement, how can I explain to my wife why I've re-purposed the Toilet Paper Dispenser Rod?
Awesome work guys! I love to tinker and love cool tools. I wish there was a machine shop you could by membership to learn and use the equipment like a gym.
Actually, there are some places like that. They are commonly refered to as "hackerspaces". They have cropped up all over the country with the upsurge in inexpensive DIY components in electronics, machining, and rapid prototyping. I have a hackerspace near me that has numerous machines, electronics supplies, and 3D printers available to members. They have multiple payment options, depending on how often you plan on using the facilities, and what you want to use.
One of the downsides to living on an island, it's almost certain a hackerspace will not be cropping up anytime soon.
precisionworks
Flashaholic
$1. 50/# at the local metals scrapyard. He had only 100# of Mic-6 but I also bought 300# of round, square & rectangular stock.
wquiles
Flashaholic
precisionworks
Flashaholic
The cost of Mic-6 plate at the recycler is 1/4 the price of either the online sellers or my regular metals supplier. Because it is continuous cast there are no residual stresses. Milling & drilling are not difficult but tapping is a bear. The best former I've used is the Balance BX-Cast.
wquiles
Flashaholic
I love my Metabo angle grinder !!!
For the ER40 collet on my knee-mill, I have been using a very large mouth Crescent wrench, but the setup was less than ideal, and the mouth keep moving, so I had to open it up everytime I picked it, etc... After doing this for 8-10 months, I tried to find locally a cheap wrench, but nothing big enough. So I bought this cheap wrench (like $8-9) at Northerm tool (finally one close by that opened 4-6 months ago), with the idea of grinding it somewhat to fit the collar on my ER40 collet. But, the wrench is HUGE, so I decided to trim it, with the help of my Metabo grinder (thanks Barry!).
It needed to be around 40-41mm wide, mine is about 42 and 1/2mm or so:
After a very easy couple of minutes:
Here it is, next to my old wrench:
Since the end of the wrench is slippery, specially after working around machinery, I decided to coat the end of it:
This is after the first heavy coat (3x back to back immersions):
And after it dried up, 4-5 hours later:
This is after the second heavy coat (3x back to back immersions):
And after it dried up, 4-5 hours later:
The second project where I used my Metabo grinder was to cut/trim a fully hardened steel knife (RC 61-62). Here it is "before":
So here I started:
Even the hardened steel was no match:
I have been using my "trow away" restored vise a lot since I finished its restoration:
and for those interested, here (on top) is the final "shorty" version of the Spyderco Mule (MT11 - M390 steel):
Will
For the ER40 collet on my knee-mill, I have been using a very large mouth Crescent wrench, but the setup was less than ideal, and the mouth keep moving, so I had to open it up everytime I picked it, etc... After doing this for 8-10 months, I tried to find locally a cheap wrench, but nothing big enough. So I bought this cheap wrench (like $8-9) at Northerm tool (finally one close by that opened 4-6 months ago), with the idea of grinding it somewhat to fit the collar on my ER40 collet. But, the wrench is HUGE, so I decided to trim it, with the help of my Metabo grinder (thanks Barry!).
It needed to be around 40-41mm wide, mine is about 42 and 1/2mm or so:
After a very easy couple of minutes:
Here it is, next to my old wrench:
Since the end of the wrench is slippery, specially after working around machinery, I decided to coat the end of it:
This is after the first heavy coat (3x back to back immersions):
And after it dried up, 4-5 hours later:
This is after the second heavy coat (3x back to back immersions):
And after it dried up, 4-5 hours later:
The second project where I used my Metabo grinder was to cut/trim a fully hardened steel knife (RC 61-62). Here it is "before":
So here I started:
Even the hardened steel was no match:
I have been using my "trow away" restored vise a lot since I finished its restoration:
and for those interested, here (on top) is the final "shorty" version of the Spyderco Mule (MT11 - M390 steel):
Will
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I'm also a fan of PlastiDip, moreso the stuff that comes in the can & not the spray. Dipping provides a much better & thicker coating. I've coated numerous of tools & surprising the coating held up very well in the auto/race shop. My can always dries up before I can use it all though. 
Although it looks like you've already got it covered, Armstrong & Proto make very nice large single ended opened end wrenches. Not sure if Enco carries them, I got my Armstrong wrench that I use for my tool post from MSC. I like using this wrench much more than a combination wrench or ratchet with a socket.
BTW, nice rework on that Spyderco.
Although it looks like you've already got it covered, Armstrong & Proto make very nice large single ended opened end wrenches. Not sure if Enco carries them, I got my Armstrong wrench that I use for my tool post from MSC. I like using this wrench much more than a combination wrench or ratchet with a socket.
BTW, nice rework on that Spyderco.
precisionworks
Flashaholic
I also started with an inexpensive combination wrench but used a solid carbide end mill ... not as good a method to use. Even the cheap wrenches are sometimes very hard & it took forever to open it up. I would grind the next one :devil:
Although PlastiDip is used for some handles in my shop I wanted a thicker & more cushioned handle on the collet wrench. I welded a piece of 1/8" mild steel on each side of the rear of the handle & then wrapped that with Rubber Splicing Tape.
That material is really durable & lasts a long time. Mine came from Ace Hardware.
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wquiles
Flashaholic
Thanks for the heads-up on the spray version. I actually bought one can which I plan to use to give a light coating to my soft-jaws on my restored Wilson viseI'm also a fan of PlastiDip, moreso the stuff that comes in the can & not the spray. Dipping provides a much better & thicker coating. I've coated numerous of tools & surprising the coating held up very well in the auto/race shop. My can always dries up before I can use it all though.
Thanks much. It is not "pretty", but the shorty version feels MUCH better in the hand, and a lot more balanced (still a little bit handle heavy). Usually short handled knives have a smallish blade size, but my shorty Mule has a shorty handle and a relatively big blade - nice combo. I should have started this project before putting handles, I would had picked a different handle material, maybe use mosaic pins instead of the screws, etc., but honestly the idea came to me "after" I had expoxied the handles in placeBTW, nice rework on that Spyderco.
That was exactly my first idea as well - to use a carbide end mill, but after I though it through some more, including how to hold the wrench securely, etc., I figured grinding it would be much easier and safer - and sure enough, it was slow, but easy to do. Now after the PlastiDip, the wrench is a welcome addition to my tool box
Will
Clark
Newly Enlightened
Best flashlight accessory, bar none...A "must have" shop tool
NiteIze Fiber Optic Adapter
I take mine on vacation with me.
wquiles
Flashaholic
OK, bumping a GREAT thread with my latest, super useful tool, not only for the machining area of my "shop", but also for my electronics bench.
Most of us have a cheap set of loupes, typically a 2x, a 4 or 5x, and a 10x. I have tried for a couple of years to use the 10x for close up work, but I always felt it was crap. Thanks to one of my threads in the Spyderco forum, I learned about this little beauty from Europe - the Belomo Triplet 10x loupe:
Without exaggeration, it is literally a night and day difference between the image and clarity on the Belomo and the 10x "cheap" one from the kit, and even compared to a more fancy 10x one that I got at a coin collector's store (which was supposed to be a more premium unit). This thing is awesome and a true joy to use
Most of us have a cheap set of loupes, typically a 2x, a 4 or 5x, and a 10x. I have tried for a couple of years to use the 10x for close up work, but I always felt it was crap. Thanks to one of my threads in the Spyderco forum, I learned about this little beauty from Europe - the Belomo Triplet 10x loupe:
Without exaggeration, it is literally a night and day difference between the image and clarity on the Belomo and the 10x "cheap" one from the kit, and even compared to a more fancy 10x one that I got at a coin collector's store (which was supposed to be a more premium unit). This thing is awesome and a true joy to use
