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| By Stoker RN (Retired) |
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| Having made a few tools and other bits and pieces over the years I felt it would be in keeping to make my 'mark' on them, I have a pantograph engraver and various sizes of letter stamps but somehow the effect wasn't right so I figured I would have to learn to hand engrave. I have a few gravers so made some trial cuts, not with a great deal of success. My thinking then was that if I have the right tools it will be a bit easier to learn the skills required. After a bit of research I found that what I needed was an Engraver's Ball vice. These consist of a holding device which rotates on a base. Now they can be bought for ‘muckle siller’ (as my Scottish Father in Law would have said) but being a poor old pensioner I decided to go down the DIY route.
The scrap box turned up a 5" length of 4" dia. mild steel so I spoke nicely to a mate with a real machine shop and a proper band saw who cut off the required lengths. On to the Myford and I spent a day nibbling the lumps to size, machining the spigot & recess and turning up a mandrel to hold the bits.
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Whilst my mate was cutting the lumps, the conversation went something along the lines of – “How are you cutting the radius?” he asked. “Oh I will have to make a bigger ball turner” said I. “Bring it here” said he “A few lines of code on the CNC lathe and it’s done”. “Whoopee” said I “I was hoping you’d say that.” (Thanks Andy).
All the bits were mounted on a mandrel. I have to admit that the first mandrel was a bit on the thin side and sheared off so I had to make a bigger one.
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| Turning the ball on the CNC lathe my only contribution was to turn the handle for the first 40 cuts (reducing the time taken for the partial cuts) with the last couple of cuts on auto and flood coolant.
Then back home to the Myford to hand turn away the spigot left by the mandrel nut. After several hours with emery, wet and dry and chrome cleaner I gave up and took a photo!
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| The top plate is held in alignment with dowels and countersunk cap screws. The rotating part has a recess and is located on a spigot on the base part. A pin through the lot holds it all together but allow the two parts to rotate. The rotating part and top plate were machined to form the T-slot in which the vice jaws travel. |
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| The next task was to make the vice jaws. Two pieces of mild steel were soft soldered together, machined and scraped to fit the T-slot in the rotating part of the ball. The vice jaws move by means of a left and right hand lead screw in matching threaded slugs so the piece was set up in the 4-jaw to bore the holes for the slugs and the lead screw. |
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| With the pieces, still soldered together, mounted in the 4-jaw by the T-slot end, the final shape could be turned. The vice jaws have a series of holes with close fitting pins to enable various shapes to be held. There are also 2 BA threaded holes for the fitment of other holding fixtures. |
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| The Oily Rag Front Cover shows the completed vice. So far my plan to learn hand engraving has not resulted any success to speak of. All I have accomplished so far is to scratch some nicely polished metal plates & make numerous triangular holes in my hands. Still, like Lone Waddy said 'I will endeavor to persevere'.
This is considered quite small for a Ball Vice and if I want to engrave my name on it I suppose I shall have to make a bigger one to hold it!
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| My thanks to Andy especially and to the guys at The Engraver’s Café for help and encouragement.
Mark
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