Silver steel or stainless?

[Chris R 1Participant @chrisr1]

Well you wanted a picture – it doesn't look much after 3 pages

Those screws are para/weakly magnetic so A2/304 stainless perhaps, I've some HT ones coming.

I managed to break a plug tap, then discovered I could have held the tap in the tailstock and hand turned the bar in the head chuck to pull/push the tailstock along. Not sure of my terms here.

Is that a normal way to do it?

 

Hardest part was parting off the bar. Tool too high and it just reduced it then rubbed, too low and it pushed the tool down and the tool went under the bit that was left. It's a cheap lathe, and I don't know what I'm doing.

 

Edited By Chris R 1 on 31/01/2019 21:43:05

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Microscope grease are very specific to task, they tend to be a bit, 'Tacky' in use and they also tend to creep.

If you can afford the real stuff contact the Microscope division of Leica in Milton keynes, it is sold in 25 gram. pots.

Dont ask the price of a Kilo tin, you will fall off your chair.

Clive

[Simon Williams 3Participant @simonwilliams3]

Hi Chris, looks like you've got the hang of this.

If you are tapping a hole in the end of a rod, there is a down and dirty short cut you can try. Instead of asking the tap to drag the tailstock along the bed of the lathe, just catch the tap in a drill chuck in the tailstock, then release the taper so the drill chuck spins in the tail stock. Start the lathe ( low speed is good) and grab the drill chuck with your hand so you stop it from rotating. Press the tap against the hole in the rod being tapped, it will feed itself until it meets the bottom of the hole. You can hold the chuck just enough that the tap when it bottoms out takes the chuck out of your hand. Maybe try this first with something a bit more robust than M3!

Needless to say you need a chuck with no scags or sharp edges or you cut your hand, and not too heavy as the snatch as you meet the bottom of the hole mustn't break the tap. You also need a key operated chuck as the internal mechanism of the chuck mustn't let go of the tap shank as you now stop the lathe and back the tap out of the finished hole by hand. Rumour has it that keyless chucks do exist which will hold on in both directions – none of mine do.

The Stealth and Pastry Police would have conniptions at this suggestion – but give it a go, it's very quick and effective.

So are your newly completed operating rods the magic fix?

Best rgds Simon

[Chris R 1Participant @chrisr1]

Clive – yes, £30 /10g is a figure I remember. Nye make a range.

These rods will do the job, but I've found another, or perhaps the original, problem, The carriers the cubes are on, are way too tight….. "Sliders too tight"

I'll post another thread.

[Author]

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