A Gadget Too Many, part two of three.

[Dennis]

Ha Lilia, I had not meant to get into that. It sort of sneaked in.

On the plus side they are brilliant at cutting off the ends of wires where you can’t support them for sawing, or the saw won’t reach. They will also cut a row of jump rings and will split tubes lengthways.

On the minus side they require skill and speed control to succeed at all. They are excruciatingly fragile and even putting down your hand piece will shatter one. They break if the material is thicker than about 2.0 mm and they cannot flex if your path is not straight. In fact they behave much like an 8/0 saw blade. Added to this, they are quite expensive at about £50 for a box of a hundred with VAT.

If you are still not put off, they are from Chaperlin and Jacobs dental technician supplies and are called: CJS 134b Dedeco NM Slims. Eye protection is essential.

Regards, Dennis.

[lilia]

Ouch that's steep. On the other hand they do sound very useful. Thank you very much for the info, I have been looking for something like this for a long time.

[Dennis]

In part one, http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/hot...one-three.html, I revealed the contents of my burr boxes. I can never be bothered to put the burrs back in the right place, so they are usually in more of a mess. Here are some further items which live in my small parts box:

Grinding and Separating. Separating disks (lower right) cut metal cleanly and can be used in multiples as grind stones, or to widen a set gap evenly. They do tend to shatter, so wear eye protection.

Diamond disks (top) have limited use for cutting metal, as the edge soon becomes blunt. But by using the flat part they will adjust the ends of ring shanks before closing them for soldering.
If the handpiece is supported horizontally, while a disk is running, then touching a twist drill against it lightly at the correct angle will re-sharpen it.
Lastly, hand held against a rotating rubber point, or wheel they can also be used to dress or re-shape the rubber. Bargain diamond disks found in cheap sets tend to be thick and coarse, so I’m afraid it is better to go for a more expensive option.

Grinding Stones (left)will quickly grind edges back to a scribed line, for file-challenged people like me, using the file only for finishing. This is particularly useful near the end of construction when you can’t put your piece in a vice. The more useful coarse one is called ‘Heatless’ and the smoother one ‘Silent’.

Tools for Acrylic. The pink carborundum stones are particularly good for resin, as they stay cool. The coarse burrs can sometimes become wrapped up in melted resin, in which case they have to be scraped down with the point of a knife, or old graver.

Rubber and Scotchbrite. At the top I have shown various rubber wheels and points for polishing. The colour codes vary according to the maker, but I find three grades of each quite sufficient. The coarse ones wear most quickly.

Scotchbrite mops (left) rapidly remove light scratches and blemishes on small areas, leaving a brushed finish. The coarse ones are green and the gentler ones brown. Take care to run them slowly and press lightly, or they will soon unravel.

The excellent radial wheels (bottom) taken in order will quickly polish a small piece without fuss or mess. Take care to stay with the same make, or you will be confused by the different colour coding. It is marginally cheaper to buy the rubbers loose and mount them on a screw mandrel yourself, but buy one already made up first, to find out how.

On the bottom right I have inserted a diamond covered tool for dressing stones and rubbers. This I bought recently at S&M tools in Leather Lane, off Hatton garden. On line I have only seen one from the USA, but this is only for swank, because for rubber at least, any largish diamond burr or disk will serve.

Part three to follow, Dennis.

This post has been repeated to show images deleted in error.

[cary1961]

A year and a half since you posted this Dennis and I can' see any pictures. Is there something I don't know? I do find forums quite confusing sometimes.

[medusa]

you should be able to see the pictures right above your post.

ETA: I just tried quoting Dennis' last post but the pictures wouldn't go in. Odd.

[Dennis]

One night as I idly perused my settings, I found all my pictures listed in one place. I can't even remember where now. 'Oh', thinks I, 'these are probably slowing down my forum actions. Lets delete them.'

No sooner had I done this than I realised that I had permanently deleted all the pictures attached my threads from the day I joined. I still have them on my computer, so if you want them repeated, please say which. Dennis.