Thinning 4mm washer

[Peter BellParticipant @peterbell11509]

Hi,

Its as the title really, searched but it only came up with bell chucks and gluing or soldering onto a former.

I need to thin a number of  4mm washers from 0.9mm thick to 0.35mm. Tried superglue onto a former and turning but failed with the glue I have, perhaps I have the wrong stuff or its gone off.

Anyone any recommendations?

Thanks

 

Peter

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

A bell chuck is likely only to dome a disc that thin.

Unless there is something particularly critical about them, it may be easiest to make them from rod, or by stamping them from shim material.

Soft-soldering to a former will work if the metal is amenable to that.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Two alternative suggestions

1. use Shellac instead of superglue, OR
2. do the job [quite literally] by hand … get a suitably flat oilstone or diamond hone; put the washer on your fingertip and rub it on the stone … index it round occasionally as you work, so that the grinding marks remove the previous set. … check for thickness and taper as you proceed.

Depending upon the material, and the quantity involved [2] is quite achievable.

MichaelG.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I think I would start from scratch. Drill holes in some 1/64″ or 0.35mm sheet, cut out roughly, screw several to an arbour and turn the OD of the stack.

[Peter BellParticipant @peterbell11509]

Many thanks for the inspiration.

I’ve previously rubbed them down with a file but it takes ages and they often are slightly tapered.

Thanks Jason. Think I’ll make them out of some sheet and put them on a mandrel to finish as I can surface grind something to the right thickness before I start.

Peter

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

0.35 shim stock cut inside dia hole with step/cone drill then rough cut (snips) the od. Turn a mandrel from material larger dia than required od plus a thick washer then sandwich blanks with bolt and proceed to turn shim od and your done. I have made shim washers down to 3 thou like this .

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

If you can surface grind something to the right thickness why not surface grind the thick washers?

[Peter BellParticipant @peterbell11509]

Tried surface grinding but they dont really stick to the magnetic chuck and fly off never to be seen again.

Looked fpr some shim steel on ebay and see that exactly what I want is available for model cars….

 

Thanks everyone

[Brian Baker 2Participant @brianbaker2]

Greetings, I have had some success by banging into the end grain of a piece of softwood, and filing them, wood and all to the depth required.  works better than you would think.

Regards

Brian B

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

Shellac has always worked well for me. An even better solution is a mixture of shellac and beeswax. Going back in time this was the accepted method of holding thin work for machining.

Andrew.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

If you have the surface grinder then I’d be tempted to drill a sheet or strip of thicker material and then grind that down to thickness before cutting it up, being larger it should hold.

Will save having to remove burrs or the drill distorting thin material.

[JasonB]

On JasonB Said:

I think I would start from scratch. Drill holes in some 1/64″ or 0.35mm sheet, cut out roughly, screw several to an arbour and turn the OD of the stack.

That’s what I’d do. In fact I just made some 2mm thick M6 washers that way.

[mark costello 1Participant @markcostello1]

You do know about blocking in a part on the surface grinder? Just asking………..

[Peter BellParticipant @peterbell11509]

Thanks,

Just made 10 as suggested by Jason, drilling then grinding to thickness before very carefully cutting (dremel) to an oversize and finishing on a M4 arbour.

Pleased I asked!

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, I made some brass washers the same way JasonB has said, way back in 2019, although I needed a larger diameter and the thickness wasn’t critical.

Regards Nick.

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

Find someone local with a surface grinder and magnetic chuck and the job will be done in 10mins. If you get stuck and are within travelling distance I will do them for you. If not, post them to me. PM me if you are interested.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Buy some shim stock the right thickness and make up a simple pair of punch dies by drilling and reaming a hole through two pieces of mild steel plate, plus two dowel holes to locate the two together. Then turn up a punch to fit the hole. Two dies for the OD and ID will do the job. For short production run you wont need to even harden the cutting edges etc.

Or try different glue or shellac as suggested above. I have found superglue tends to come apart easily under a light blow. I use it for gluing parts together to drill them to align the resulting holes, then find the bits easily come apart with a bit of a tap on one edge etc. So not that great of an adhesive really. Maybe better brands work better, eg the Loctite brand.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Made from shimstock as per my post

[VicParticipant @vic]

I not only made some the other day because I wanted 2mm thick (M6) washers, but because ordinary washers seem to have a huge clearance hole and often don’t look very neat on a project. The issue for me is often having the right thickness material in stock or I’d make them more often.

[Vic]

On Vic Said:

I not only made some the other day because I wanted 2mm thick (M6) washers, but because ordinary washers seem to have a huge clearance hole and often don’t look very neat on a project. The issue for me is often having the right thickness material in stock or I’d make them more often.

Yes that seems to be a thing these days. I have resorted to using the next size smaller washers and drilling the hole in the middle out to fit the bigger bolt.

[Hopper]

On Hopper Said:

Or try different glue or shellac as suggested above. I have found superglue tends to come apart easily under a light blow. I use it for gluing parts together to drill them to align the resulting holes, then find the bits easily come apart with a bit of a tap on one edge etc. So not that great of an adhesive really. Maybe better brands work better, eg the Loctite brand.

One trick that the real Tubal Cain suggested was to stick several washers on a faceplate so they are touching each other and provide mutual support.  TC was using turner’s cement, a mixture of beeswax and shellac, but cyanoacrelate glue is more convenient.  Squeezeout around the washers also helps provide resistance to shearing the glue.  Care is needed to take light cuts so as not to overheat the glue.

Rod

[Peter Bell]

On 21 June 2024 at 12:17 Peter Bell Said:

…
I need to thin a number of  4mm washers from 0.9mm thick to 0.35mm. Tried superglue onto a former and turning but failed with the glue I have, perhaps I have the wrong stuff or its gone off.

…

I’ve successfully thinned washers by sticking them to a former with Superglue but the method isn’t bullet-proof; care required.

Problem is that glue bonds are stronger vertically than horizontally, and a cutter facing them off in a lathe is whacking them sideways.  With that weakness in mind, the operator can”t plough in regardless!   Light cuts with a sharp tool only please, and bear in mind a tough stainless steel washer will need extra gentle treatment.

Always use new superglue because it starts going off the moment the package is opened.   Plus, the joint needs to be absolutely clean before glue is applied.    I’m pretty sure Shellac is considerably weaker than new Superglue, but. being thermal, it might do better than old Superglue.

Dave

[SillyOldDuffer]

On SillyOldDuffer Said:

[…] I’m pretty sure Shellac is considerably weaker […]

I don’t have any numbers to hand, Dave … but you are probably correct

The crucial difference is that Shellac is tougher [in the engineering sense] than many grades of cyanoacrylate.

MichaelG.

.

Edit: __ it is also, of course, easy to manipulate when heated.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

You could make a “one off” bell chck.

Make a bush to just take the washers, in a stepped bore.

Saw the bush so that it it can be collapsed by the pressure of the chuck jaws.

Grip the first washer in the “collet” and face, taking very light ciuts until the reqired thickness is reached  (Knowing the original thickness will indicate how much to face off, in total).

It won’t matter if the first cuts sacrifice some of the collet material. To tell when you make contact with the washer, mark it with blue from a marker pen. This then becomes your Zero point.

Ideally, fit a stop, or a DTI, to prevent over reducing.

HTH

Howard

 

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