Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions

Hello Metal Guys,
I'm running a garage business selling like like a dozen parts a month
of a very specialized clamp for a musical instrument application. The
parts are on the order of 1.25" long, have no detail, but have both
rounded surfaces and flat areas. I get the raw parts from a cnc guy,
and then have a lot of shaping and finishing I do myself. Although
mechanical in nature, they need to look nice, so the dominant expense
is this finishing labor. I shape with a small belt sander and a 6"
abrasive rubber wheel. I use tripoli on a 6" hard felt wheel, and then
rouge with a 6" cloth wheel. Everything goes along, but I'm wondering
if I can't cut my shop time on two issues:

1. The 6" hard felt wheel clogs up quickly. I scrape it with a burred
chisel, but I need to keep putting a fresh burr on the chisel. I have
some brown tripoli, red tripoli, and lately I've been trying the white
diamond dust compound. That seems to clog the least, but it leaves
more work for the rouge wheel. I also have some kind of black cutting
compound which I haven't used in awhile, but I don't remember being
impressed. Is there some cut/color buffing bar I haven't tried that I
should?

2. After polishing, I spend a whole lot of time cleaning the parts by
hand. A lot of compound builds up in the threaded holes. I've decided
to invest in an ultrasonic cleaner. I have used them in the past and
wasn't terribly impressed. Perhaps I was using the wrong cleaning
medium What kind of liquid works best in the bath for removing tripoli
and rouge?

Thanks for any help!

  #2   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 195
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions

wrote:
Hello Metal Guys,
I'm running a garage business selling like like a dozen parts a month
of a very specialized clamp for a musical instrument application. The
parts are on the order of 1.25" long, have no detail, but have both
rounded surfaces and flat areas. I get the raw parts from a cnc guy,
and then have a lot of shaping and finishing I do myself. Although
mechanical in nature, they need to look nice, so the dominant expense
is this finishing labor. I shape with a small belt sander and a 6"
abrasive rubber wheel. I use tripoli on a 6" hard felt wheel, and then
rouge with a 6" cloth wheel. Everything goes along, but I'm wondering
if I can't cut my shop time on two issues:

1. The 6" hard felt wheel clogs up quickly. I scrape it with a burred
chisel, but I need to keep putting a fresh burr on the chisel. I have
some brown tripoli, red tripoli, and lately I've been trying the white
diamond dust compound. That seems to clog the least, but it leaves
more work for the rouge wheel. I also have some kind of black cutting
compound which I haven't used in awhile, but I don't remember being
impressed. Is there some cut/color buffing bar I haven't tried that I
should?

2. After polishing, I spend a whole lot of time cleaning the parts by
hand. A lot of compound builds up in the threaded holes. I've decided
to invest in an ultrasonic cleaner. I have used them in the past and
wasn't terribly impressed. Perhaps I was using the wrong cleaning
medium What kind of liquid works best in the bath for removing tripoli
and rouge?

Thanks for any help!


A picture of the components would help in giving advice.
Ive followed your method and there a missing link there.
After belt sanding and your rubber wheel, you neeed to go then to a
compressedescotchbright wheel. Madeby 3M.
comes in various grades 6in by 1 in a brown grey colour.
not a hardone.
This will eliminate your felt wheel part and theres no clogging. then
you go to a white cotton mop with your whi compo.
this will be the fastest way.
hope this helps.
For some of the things I make I go straight from the belt sander to the
scotch wheel, then to the cotton mop.

Ted
Dorset
UK.
silver smith and minter.
  #3   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions


A picture of the components would help in giving advice.
Ive followed your method and there a missing link there.
After belt sanding and your rubber wheel, you neeed to go then to a
compressedescotchbright wheel. Madeby 3M.
comes in various grades 6in by 1 in a brown grey colour.
not a hardone.
This will eliminate your felt wheel part and theres no clogging. then
you go to a white cotton mop with your whi compo.
this will be the fastest way.
hope this helps.
For some of the things I make I go straight from the belt sander to the
scotch wheel, then to the cotton mop.

Ted
Dorset
UK.
silver smith and minter.


Ok. My site is www.basscapos.com. I think we might be talking about
the same thing on the wheel. I don't remember exactly what it is, but
it quickly removes all the sanding scratches and still shapes
aggressively. From there I can quickly bring a shine with the hard
felt wheel with much less dust that a regular cotton buff. I then
finish with the red rouge on a spiral cotton wheel, which I find makes
the shine last much longer than when I stop with the white stuff.

I am working in a small space, so the dust issue is a motivator for
the felt wheel. But, I remember when I used to use tripoli on regular
wheels I was constantly cleaning them too. Maybe I'm just anal?

  #4   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 244
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions

On Dec 19, 2:27 pm, "
wrote:
Hello Metal Guys,
I'm running a garage business selling like like a dozen parts a month
of a very specialized clamp for a musical instrument application. The
parts are on the order of 1.25" long, have no detail, but have both
rounded surfaces and flat areas. I get the raw parts from a cnc guy,
and then have a lot of shaping and finishing I do myself. Although
mechanical in nature, they need to look nice, so the dominant expense
is this finishing labor. I shape with a small belt sander and a 6"
abrasive rubber wheel. I use tripoli on a 6" hard felt wheel, and then
rouge with a 6" cloth wheel. Everything goes along, but I'm wondering
if I can't cut my shop time on two issues:

1. The 6" hard felt wheel clogs up quickly. I scrape it with a burred
chisel, but I need to keep putting a fresh burr on the chisel. I have
some brown tripoli, red tripoli, and lately I've been trying the white
diamond dust compound. That seems to clog the least, but it leaves
more work for the rouge wheel. I also have some kind of black cutting
compound which I haven't used in awhile, but I don't remember being
impressed. Is there some cut/color buffing bar I haven't tried that I
should?

2. After polishing, I spend a whole lot of time cleaning the parts by
hand. A lot of compound builds up in the threaded holes. I've decided
to invest in an ultrasonic cleaner. I have used them in the past and
wasn't terribly impressed. Perhaps I was using the wrong cleaning
medium What kind of liquid works best in the bath for removing tripoli
and rouge?

Thanks for any help!


You need a vibrating tumbler. You throw the parts in the tumbler with
some grit, run it over night, empty it and change to a finer grit and
repeat. Do this in steps all the way through polish. Find someone who
reloads his own ammo and he can show you the process and tell where to
get the supplies
  #5   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
Bob Bob is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 22
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions

On Dec 19, 2:06 pm, Gerry wrote:
On Dec 19, 2:27 pm, "





wrote:
Hello Metal Guys,
I'm running a garage business selling like like a dozen parts a month
of a very specialized clamp for a musical instrument application. The
parts are on the order of 1.25" long, have no detail, but have both
rounded surfaces and flat areas. I get the raw parts from a cnc guy,
and then have a lot of shaping and finishing I do myself. Although
mechanical in nature, they need to look nice, so the dominant expense
is this finishing labor. I shape with a small belt sander and a 6"
abrasive rubber wheel. I use tripoli on a 6" hard felt wheel, and then
rouge with a 6" cloth wheel. Everything goes along, but I'm wondering
if I can't cut my shop time on two issues:


1. The 6" hard felt wheel clogs up quickly. I scrape it with a burred
chisel, but I need to keep putting a fresh burr on the chisel. I have
some brown tripoli, red tripoli, and lately I've been trying the white
diamond dust compound. That seems to clog the least, but it leaves
more work for the rouge wheel. I also have some kind of black cutting
compound which I haven't used in awhile, but I don't remember being
impressed. Is there some cut/color buffing bar I haven't tried that I
should?


2. After polishing, I spend a whole lot of time cleaning the parts by
hand. A lot of compound builds up in the threaded holes. I've decided
to invest in an ultrasonic cleaner. I have used them in the past and
wasn't terribly impressed. Perhaps I was using the wrong cleaning
medium What kind of liquid works best in the bath for removing tripoli
and rouge?


Thanks for any help!


You need a vibrating tumbler. You throw the parts in the tumbler with
some grit, run it over night, empty it and change to a finer grit and
repeat. Do this in steps all the way through polish. Find someone who
reloads his own ammo and he can show you the process and tell where to
get the supplies- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Yep -- definitely. You can probably do this in 3 steps, using plastic
polishing media. I'd use a coarse cut-down plastic pyramid for the
first step, go to a fine plastic media to leave a matte surface, then
rouge on walnut for high polish. One place to get the media (and
tumbler for that matter) is RioGrande. If you call them, you can talk
to their mass-finishing tech specialist for specific media
recommendations. I think if you send them a couple of parts, they'll
even do a trial run for you. Other places for media include Gesswein
and Otto Frei.

Regards,

Bob



  #6   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 55
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions


wrote in message
...
Hello Metal Guys,
I'm running a garage business selling like like a dozen parts a month
of a very specialized clamp for a musical instrument application. The
parts are on the order of 1.25" long, have no detail, but have both
rounded surfaces and flat areas. I get the raw parts from a cnc guy,
and then have a lot of shaping and finishing I do myself. Although
mechanical in nature, they need to look nice, so the dominant expense
is this finishing labor. I shape with a small belt sander and a 6"
abrasive rubber wheel. I use tripoli on a 6" hard felt wheel, and then
rouge with a 6" cloth wheel. Everything goes along, but I'm wondering
if I can't cut my shop time on two issues:

1. The 6" hard felt wheel clogs up quickly. I scrape it with a burred
chisel, but I need to keep putting a fresh burr on the chisel. I have
some brown tripoli, red tripoli, and lately I've been trying the white
diamond dust compound. That seems to clog the least, but it leaves
more work for the rouge wheel. I also have some kind of black cutting
compound which I haven't used in awhile, but I don't remember being
impressed. Is there some cut/color buffing bar I haven't tried that I
should?

2. After polishing, I spend a whole lot of time cleaning the parts by
hand. A lot of compound builds up in the threaded holes. I've decided
to invest in an ultrasonic cleaner. I have used them in the past and
wasn't terribly impressed. Perhaps I was using the wrong cleaning
medium What kind of liquid works best in the bath for removing tripoli
and rouge?

Thanks for any help!


Nice looking bits.

I happened to notice you are using Phillips head screws and the screws on
the instrumeet are blade type.

Would it be a seling point to use blade screws? or offer a choice?

Just a casual observation from out in the weeds......


  #7   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 195
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions

wrote:
A picture of the components would help in giving advice.
Ive followed your method and there a missing link there.
After belt sanding and your rubber wheel, you neeed to go then to a
compressedescotchbright wheel. Madeby 3M.
comes in various grades 6in by 1 in a brown grey colour.
not a hardone.
This will eliminate your felt wheel part and theres no clogging. then
you go to a white cotton mop with your whi compo.
this will be the fastest way.
hope this helps.
For some of the things I make I go straight from the belt sander to the
scotch wheel, then to the cotton mop.

Ted
Dorset
UK.
silver smith and minter.



Ok. My site is
www.basscapos.com. I think we might be talking about
the same thing on the wheel. I don't remember exactly what it is, but
it quickly removes all the sanding scratches and still shapes
aggressively. From there I can quickly bring a shine with the hard
felt wheel with much less dust that a regular cotton buff. I then
finish with the red rouge on a spiral cotton wheel, which I find makes
the shine last much longer than when I stop with the white stuff.

I am working in a small space, so the dust issue is a motivator for
the felt wheel. But, I remember when I used to use tripoli on regular
wheels I was constantly cleaning them too. Maybe I'm just anal?


Nice work, and nice product.

Guess we are usinng the same wheel!!.
You say confined space? in which to work,
dry sanding and cutting IS a health /lung risk.
youll need to use a proper cuff type micron dust filter respirator,
or install proper vacumn dust extraction.
Otherwise you will pay dearly with your health.
Do this properly!!

  #8   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,852
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions

I wouldn't use blade or Phillips - Torq for me. Less slipping.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
TSRA, Life; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal.
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
http://lufkinced.com/


Mark Dunning wrote:
wrote in message
...
Hello Metal Guys,
I'm running a garage business selling like like a dozen parts a month
of a very specialized clamp for a musical instrument application. The
parts are on the order of 1.25" long, have no detail, but have both
rounded surfaces and flat areas. I get the raw parts from a cnc guy,
and then have a lot of shaping and finishing I do myself. Although
mechanical in nature, they need to look nice, so the dominant expense
is this finishing labor. I shape with a small belt sander and a 6"
abrasive rubber wheel. I use tripoli on a 6" hard felt wheel, and then
rouge with a 6" cloth wheel. Everything goes along, but I'm wondering
if I can't cut my shop time on two issues:

1. The 6" hard felt wheel clogs up quickly. I scrape it with a burred
chisel, but I need to keep putting a fresh burr on the chisel. I have
some brown tripoli, red tripoli, and lately I've been trying the white
diamond dust compound. That seems to clog the least, but it leaves
more work for the rouge wheel. I also have some kind of black cutting
compound which I haven't used in awhile, but I don't remember being
impressed. Is there some cut/color buffing bar I haven't tried that I
should?

2. After polishing, I spend a whole lot of time cleaning the parts by
hand. A lot of compound builds up in the threaded holes. I've decided
to invest in an ultrasonic cleaner. I have used them in the past and
wasn't terribly impressed. Perhaps I was using the wrong cleaning
medium What kind of liquid works best in the bath for removing tripoli
and rouge?

Thanks for any help!


Nice looking bits.

I happened to notice you are using Phillips head screws and the screws on
the instrumeet are blade type.

Would it be a seling point to use blade screws? or offer a choice?

Just a casual observation from out in the weeds......


  #9   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions



I happened to notice you are using Phillips head screws and the screws on
the instrumeet are blade type.

Would it be a seling point to use blade screws? or offer a choice?

Just a casual observation from out in the weeds......


There would be an aesthetic advantage to blade screws, but I can't
find suitable ones. They need to be strong, with a large flat under-
surface. I'm using a 18-8 truss head screw and lacquering it gold.
I've thought of getting them brass-plated. Some customers use brass
screws, which look better, but I discourage this because of strength
issues.

  #10   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions


I wouldn't use blade or Phillips - Torq for me. Less slipping.

I'm with you, but as I said, it's an aesthic issue. Luthiers and
string players didn't go to mechanical engineering school!


  #11   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions


You say confined space? in which to work,
dry sanding and cutting IS a health /lung risk.
youll need to use a proper cuff type micron dust filter respirator,
or install proper vacumn dust extraction.
Otherwise you will pay dearly with your health.
Do this properly!!


Yes, I hear you. I only use a paper painter's mask. Since I do this
only a day or two a month, I figure I won't kill myself, but I would
like to reduce the dust.

You need a vibrating tumbler.

That's an idea, but I'm not sure I want to polish the threads.
Wrapping/plugging them before tumbling would likely cancel out the
labor savings of tumbling, and I still have to do a lot of shaping
before the parts could go into the tumbler!
  #12   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
DT DT is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 340
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions

Nice looking capos. I just have one comment on the web site. On your
installation page you refer to the body of the capo as a "yolk" (as in egg),
shouldn't that be "yoke"?


--
Dennis

  #13   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions

On Dec 20, 5:22 pm, (DT) wrote:
Nice looking capos. I just have one comment on the web site. On your
installation page you refer to the body of the capo as a "yolk" (as in egg),
shouldn't that be "yoke"?

--
Dennis


You are absolutely right! Thanks...
  #14   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 558
Default Small brass parts - Polishing questions

On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:19:31 -0800 (PST),
" wrote:

You say confined space? in which to work,
dry sanding and cutting IS a health /lung risk.
youll need to use a proper cuff type micron dust filter respirator,
or install proper vacumn dust extraction.
Otherwise you will pay dearly with your health.
Do this properly!!


Yes, I hear you. I only use a paper painter's mask. Since I do this
only a day or two a month, I figure I won't kill myself, but I would
like to reduce the dust.


Look in woodworking catalogs for dust extraction gear. Use standard
foil flex or knockdown metal dryer duct for the collection system, 3"
or 4", and you can use standard air conditioning tee-Y's and register
boxes behind the grinder to get the airflow going that way.

Do NOT use plastic pipe for dust collection unless it's designed for
the use (semiconductive static dissipative agents built in) - air
moving at high velocity creates static electricity, and some metal
dusts are flammable or otherwise reactive, especially when mixed.
(Aluminum dust plus steel dust = Thermite.)

Bad things happen inside the dust collector, or at the corners of
the piping, and then the fire melts right through the plastic, or all
the static built up in the pipes discharges inside the cloth collector
bag...

You need a vibrating tumbler.


That's an idea, but I'm not sure I want to polish the threads.
Wrapping/plugging them before tumbling would likely cancel out the
labor savings of tumbling, and I still have to do a lot of shaping
before the parts could go into the tumbler!


What are the threads on the capo arms? If it's a standard thread,
you can buy socket head set-screws and spin them into the bodies with
a tee wrench in a few seconds each, then toss in the vibratory
tumbler. For the arms, there are standard sizes of dip-molded vinyl
sleeves that can slide on over the threads, to keep them from getting
dulled in the tumbler. And they both should be reusable hundreds of
times.

And nobody I know has an extension on their bass, and there are a
few. Darn. Unless I should talk them into doing it...

-- Bruce --

Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Polishing long parts with a tumbler [email protected] Metalworking 3 September 24th 07 11:12 PM
Polishing Brass Knockers! Thomarse UK diy 21 December 15th 06 05:07 PM
interference fit on small brass parts megoodsen Metalworking 10 February 8th 06 12:49 AM
How Hard is Brass CDA 360?? and Related Questions JWho Metalworking 33 November 12th 05 12:35 AM
Seeking shop that can make some small brass parts. (USA) nob'dy Metalworking 3 August 25th 04 11:19 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:22 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 DIYbanter.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about DIY & home improvement"