TOOLS FOR VARIOUS USES.
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Some Valuable Contributions from Our Driver and Mechanic Readers.
runE SUBJECT of tools by which JL. work can be performed with greater expedition and ease is one of never-ending interest to the mechanic and driven Consequently, the information contaiued in the letters with which we deal this week will certainly prove of value to at least a fair proportion of cur leaders.
The first is from S.R.H.," of Leicester, to whom we award this week's prize of 15s. He treats with four useful devices of simple construction.
The first is a scraper of the curved, hollow-ground type, but of somewhat unusual shape. A. feature of this tool is that it is made from the outer ring of a large worn-out ball race, which, states our informant, is a most suitable steel for the purpose, providing that the ball race id not one of the case-hardened variety.
To make the tool it is necessary to heat and cut the ring and forge it while hot, after which it must be ground to shape and made dead hard by quenching it when cherry red, the cutting edges being finally ground with a fine stone and finished on an oil-stone.
Screw-driver blades have a habit of slipping out of the slots in the screw heads, and thus frequently spoiling the appearance of the screw—sometimes scratching the surrounding surface, which, if it be on fine work, such as a dashboard, is, to say the least of it, annoying.
Consequently, the second tool is a nonslipping screw-driver, which, instead of being tapered right down to the end, is so ground that at the tip the sides are parallel.
The idea can best he seen by referring to the accompanying illustration. The grinding must, of course, not be carried to excess, otherwise the tool will be unduly weakened.
The third tool is a useful form of adjustable C spanner for use with ring nuts. One arm of this spanner is fillcrammed to the shank, and a spring, riveted to the shank, presses against this loose arm and holds it while the spanner is being brought into position on the
nut. If necessary a Y spanner can be made on similar lines, except that in this case the rivet should be tight, and the spring is unnecessary.
The last item is an easily made valve grinding tool for Fords. The valves used on these vehicles have two small drilled sockets in place of the usual screw-driver slot, and the tool consists of a wooden handle rrovided with small pegs to fit these sockets.
In conclusion, " S.R.H." gives a recipe for silver solder, which may be of interest. It is made by placing a silver coin on a piece of asbestos millboard, and upon this an equal weight of fine brass wire cut into short lengths. This is fused into a globule (using a blow-lamp or blow-pipe), beaten into a thin sheet and cut off as required.
• A. CONTRIBUTION from " J.R.N.," of Stamford, deals with vice clamps, which, he states, will be found especially
• useful for general garage and repairshop work as a protective measure against damaging finished parts.
By using special forms of clamp work can be greatly facilitated. The ordinary type is formed as an angle piece made of sheet copper, brass, steel or even lead.
One a the sketches shows a suitable mould, in which lead clamps can be cast, this being made of two pieces of -1in steel secured together by two it
clips which are sprung on.
For holding round stock, damps made in one piece and suitably curved have been found most useful. These are best made from -j.E in. sheet steel, • and of various sizes to meet the usual range of shaft diameters. For small round stock, to be held either vertically or horizontally in the vice, a special clamp can be made from a piece of in. square steel thinned down in the centre and bent round until the ends almost meet, and lie practically parallel to each
other. The sides of the fork thus formed should he gripped in the vice of the drilling machine, and a range of holes drilled down the dividing line between the sides. When released from the vice, the clamp will spring open and can then be used for gripping various ,sizes of round mathrial.
.A split nut will often prove of great service in holding threaded articles, and it is an easy matter to make a little stock of such nuts.
CHISEL punch and scraper-making forms the subject of a letter sent by of London. He points out that the ordinary chipping and grooving chisels are the two, .perhaps, most popular for motor work.
To make either of these a suitable piece of cast-steel, about 6 ins, long,
should be selected and slowly heated to a dull red, care being taken to prevent it becoming too hot. The metal should be tapered to the required shape on an anvil and allowed to cool, the taper being finished in the vice with a good 12-in. file. It should then be hardened, polished and tempered to a medium straw.
The best material for punches is silver steel, which, in the case of centrepunches, should be tempered to a light straw. Flat-nosed punches, however, can be allowed to go to a dark straw. Short pieces of hard brass are useful for
driving off obstinate shafts and other machined parts which might be damaged by the use of a harder material.
A useful key-drift can be made from a piece of square key steel, which, after being heated and bent, should be filed taper on one side for a short distance at the end ; it need not be hardened or tempered.
Iffith regard to scrapers, the writer described three which are widely used and which can be made from old files, off which the teeth are ground, as in the case of the triangular type. With a flat scraffer, as this is forged first, it does not require softening, but the triangular type should be softened before the teeth are ground off. When hardening, instead of using water, employ oil, and temper to a light straw.