Member postings for Sonic Escape

I bought one of these knurling tools that seems to be everywhere. They came with three sets of wheels. When I merged together the wheels with the largest teeth I noticed that they only partially overlap. Then I counted them and one wheel has 33 teeth and the other 34! Is this normal? What can be the purpose?

This is where the pin should be. It is indeed very close to the edge:

But I think there is a better way to fix the tool post. I can simply keep always one tool holder on the right side, like this:

And in the tool holder I can put some kind of L shaped piece of metal that will prevent the tool post to rotate. It can spin only in one direction anyway. And since this holding point is relatively far from the center of rotation the force will be small. It is also not such a permanent solution like drilling. How would this work?

About the contact surface, everything is oily. The cutting fluid used by previous users entered everywhere. I keep cleaning it but it still spreading. My goal is to degrease everything and to put fresh way oil only where is needed.

I think I'll drill a blind hole for the tool post pin. I will do it on the bench drill. I measured it with a caliper and its diameter is 9.91mm. With a micrometer is 9.97mm. So a 10mm reamer should do it. I read that the hole diameter should be 0.2-0.3mm smaller for the reamer to work. Also I supposed that since it is a blind hole I will need a straight reamer.
The compound is made of cast iron or some harder material? A HSS drill bit and reamer will work or I'll need a carbide one?

This is the tool post I have now: Rapid fontana Type A
And the original I think it was something like this . So this modification was an upgrade or downgrade?

I also found here my lathe using a tool post similar to mine, but smaller:

So now I'm confused, where does that pin go? 

Edited By Sonic Escape on 04/04/2023 22:12:18

The tool post is indeed large. Now I also realized this:

In the end I was able to remove that washer. Here is the bottom of the tool post with the pin and washer:

The compound has no hole for that pin. So now is clear that somebody replaced the original tool post. I think that there are two options now, to search for an original tool post or to make a hole for that pin. This hole should be made very precise, with a reamer. And in the right location. 

Also the tool post screw was abused. And it is a little bend. But that is not a big issue:

Edited By Sonic Escape on 04/04/2023 21:54:17

It is a thicker washer and it fits exactly in the tool post. It clearly is part of the tool post. I was able to lift it a few mm by rotating it like a nut. But now it is stuck. I would have to use a plier to rotate it further. But it doesn't look right.

Edited By Sonic Escape on 04/04/2023 19:41:15

Now I noticed that I don't have the original QCTP:

Today I tried a knurling tool and I noticed that the tool post is rotating. I didn't pushed the knurling tool to much. But there is something wrong with this QCTP. There is no locking mechanism. That central screw has a big nut (removed in the picture) and that's it. There is a large pin marked by the arrow in the left. I can pull it out. But there is no corresponding hole in the compound where that pin to enter to stop the QCTP from spinning.

What is even more strange is that I can't lift the tool post. I remove the nut but the washer (right arrow) can't pass over the threaded part of the screw! How was this tool post mounted in the first place?!

Here I can't find tempered plates this size. But this shop from where I bought everything has also cold rolled plates. They are treated with an acid. I'm not sure how to translate their name, maybe pickled plates. Unfortunately the plates are up to 2mm thickness. But it could be an option to glue one on top of the 5mm plate. I'll go to the shop to see them again. It should be resistant to rust.

Meanwhile I painted one more layer of yellow paint. It looks better now.

Edited By Sonic Escape on 02/04/2023 18:58:36

Edited By Sonic Escape on 02/04/2023 18:59:44

Phosphoric acid solution produce an uneven effect. In some parts it is indeed black but in others it creates a white crust that can be easily removed. I'll try to see how does it look after I apply some oil or vax.

Today I painted the workbench frame with a primer:

And this is how it looks after the first layer of yellow Hammerite:

I painted also one side of the plate with a rust converter. This is the side that will be glued to the frame. After I will remove that white crust and paint it.

I'm not sure what to do with the top of the plate. I wanted to polish it and then to apply some Autosol paste. It will create a thin layer of wax. So it will not rust and it will not be greasy. But then it will be like a mirror and will reflect the light. Maybe I'll paint it with a spay with some matte color. When it gets scratched, it will be easy to repair.

It looks very nice!

Blondihacks has a lot of interesting stuff. She has also a video where she is building a knurling tool:

I never tried to knurl something yet but I recognized that pattern from Machining Fundamentals book. It is called double-cut knurl. It has something to do with the alignment of the wheel bellow or above the center.

Edited By Sonic Escape on 31/03/2023 11:44:34

Edited By Sonic Escape on 31/03/2023 11:45:24

What method did you used in the end? How does it look like? Acetone is a nice non toxic degreaser and is widely available.

This method seems to produce very good results. The parts are put in hydrogen peroxide to make them rust quickly. And then they are boiled in water.

I have a green wheel. Is interesting that to grind carbide you need actually a softer material that regular grinding wheels. I used it to fix a brazed tool that had a small dent. There is a picture in a previous post in this tread. I was looking also for a diamond wheel but I couldn't find any reason to justify the price. The green wheel was enough to make the tool sharp again.

The metal frame welding is 90% complete. Is feels very rigid. Next week-end I'm going to cut four square plates to cover each leg. And then I will glue a rubber sheet on each. The legs looks so ugly because of the rust converter liquid I used yesterday. But the surface is flat. I cleaned them with a rotating wire brush. I'm very pleased with the results so far.

Thank you for the info about the inserts. Those types look like a good starting point. I'm not discouraged, actually I found interesting the complexity of so many variables when it comes to inserts. But I'll dig into it later. So far I got some 20mm brazed tools. I picked P30 carbide type since I understood that this is less prone to break. But even so one tool was poorly packed and is missing a small piece.

I couldn't help myself and bought another 2m/40mm unknown steel bar. And a 0.5m/60mm one. To my excuse, they were only 1km away. I wanted to quickly cut one slice to try it just before going to sleep. But it took me at least 15 min to cut the 40mm one with a miter saw! There were 2m of sparks, my ears were ringing and I almost set the garage on fire in the process with a nearby plastic bag. And I supposed I woke up everybody again. But this metal is not so bad.

That looks like a very solid bench. But 5mm is the thickest plates available here. For 10mm or more I should order it and then the transport becomes more complicated. I will also add some diagonal tubes if the result is not rigid enough.

The maximum weight that will sit on the desk is 150-200kg. I have a few old vacuum tubes military radios that weight 100kg each. Every time I was fixing something on them I was working on the floor. Also I'm working on a milling machine that might be heavier.

I still don't know what to do with the surface. Now that black coating is very dirty and it sticks to everything. I want to remove it but then I suppose the plate will rust.