Recent content by walnotr

A sharp trist drill will grab and often break the plexiglas. I learned that when drilling holes in a $1300 aircraft part once. It was not a good day! The method I have used since then is to grind the point angle to nearly 180 degrees from the normal 118 degrees. The other trick which I have no...

One other thing I just noticed. It doesn't appear you are using a clamp block to hold the tubing. Part of the cause for the "hump" is the tubing slipping during the bend and not being completely drawn along the mandrel. In other words, the tubing should be pulled along the mandrel and not just...

I have bent aluminum, 304 stainless and titanium on machines with a mandrel, wiper die and follower. The mandrels all had between 1 and 4 "balls" that would allow the mandrel to extend past the tangent point of the radius. Even with that it was at times pretty difficult to avoid the hump. The...

What comes to my mind is a a device like a toilet flush system. Once a treadle is pressed, the tank would empty into the bowl and refill until the float turned off the valve. Not quite a cat powered pump but does use hydraulics to operate. Dogs seem to like water bowls operated in a simular...

Yup, been there! Stiil can't be beat for strength to weight if that is what's needed.

Or find some graphite sheet. Much stiffer and lighter. It was used extensively on 1/12 scale RC cars and was usually in the .0625" range of thickness. Steve C.

The clothes pin trick is great! This would make a great thread for people to share their favorite tips and tricks. Anyone have any others they would care to share? As soon as I can remember one, I'll post it! Steve C.

This is a drawing for a simple hand tapper suitable for small taps in the range of 0-80 through 6-32. http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/downloads/files/Mini_Hand_Tapper.pdf Steve C.

Several years back we had a high pressure tank shear off it's bottom plate. It turned into an instant rocket going through a concrete floor above it, through that room and out the ceiling and traveled several hundred feet up before returning to earth. Fortunately no one was in the path but the...

A simple hand tapping stand.? Feel free to make what works for you.

A simple hand tapping stand.? Feel free to make what works for you.

Drawings for the small boring head made for my Taig mill.? It can be adapted for other machines as you see fit.

Drawings for the small boring head made for my Taig mill.? It can be adapted for other machines as you see fit.

I snow bird in South Texas and would enjoy meeting up with other model engineers. Steve C.

Marv, I totally agree! He must have bowed to the pressure of the "What does it do?" question. :D Steve C.