Scratch Build – In Progress Metaversa 02: Ada

A somewhat unrelated question for you: what typeface did you use for the labels in the level schematic? It looks familiar, but for some reason I can't quite place it.

I figured the levers would end up operating the power and reset switches, but I had imagined them in a more vertical orientation, similar to the levers in - well - old steam works. The way you've oriented them works quite well with the broader design. It looks like you're having too much fun with the lathe, too!

 

Thanks, guys!

The font is Garamond Italic (which looks quite different --and I think, better-- than the straight vanilla version).

I thought of vertical levers but this arrangement felt like a better fit. I have now partly knurled them in a diamond pattern. You're right: it is addictive. As I acquire more tools and (slowly) more skill I am constantly refining the design. Currently I'm working on the adapter from reservoir to flow sensor, and learning the finer art of cutting 3mm brass. Interestingly the best method is with a jeweller's piercing saw, the design of which hasn't changed since Victorian times. It's all turning an interesting mix of modern CNC work and old skool lathe and hand work.

 

Just a teaser...







Log of the production of these parts to follow this weekend.

 

Delicious knurling.

 

Where will the wire for the LED run in/on that handle? P.s. loving it so far.

 

Fun with piercing saws

Ada, you will have noticed, involves working with brass. It is a great material for engineering: it cuts cleanly is fairly rigid and hard, but not so much that you cannot reasonably work with it, and it is corrosion resistant and non-magnetic, which is why you see a lot of it being used in clockworks. By varying the proportions of copper and zinc, the properties of the brass can be changed, allowing hard and soft brasses.

Brass behaves quite differently from aluminium however. Whereas aluminium chips under high-speed cutting, brass kind of smears. It is 'stickier' than aluminium and has a propensity to grab the tool. Hard-core model engineers sharpen their lathe turning tools with a different rake and angle for brass than for aluminium and soft metals. Forget cutting brass sheet with a Dremel cutting disk: it's a mess. It heats up quickly, grabs the disk (causing the Dremel to struggle) and smears the cut. Which made me wonder: how did Victorian clock makers do it?

One of the fundamental tools of the trade for the Victorian (and earlier!) clock/instrument maker and jeweller was the piercing saw:



Interestingly, the design of this saw, which is still one of the clockmaker's primary tools, has not changed up to today, even though there are several modern (and expensive!) variations with titanium frames that aim to improve the rigidity necessary to get a good tension on the blade:



Luckily I remember wielding one on wood in my primary school arts class days, and was pretty skilled at not breaking the blade very often. The classic model saw is more than sufficient and cheap: about £16,-- plus a few quid for the blades. I selected fairly large-toothed blades especially made for cutting metal sheets. Of course a bench peg is also useful, and they are not expensive either (especially if you can borrow your wife's ).



So first: marking out the part:



Setting it up on the bench peg. That round tablet by the way is another Victorian tool: bees wax, which stops the blade from sticking to the brass and allows for a smoother cut. That wax BTW comes from our own bee hive.



The trick is to get a good tension on the blade and to saw downwards with even strokes, at an angle perpendicular to the metal sheet. Once you get a good rhythm going, it is amazingly fast, even on 3mm brass. An experienced clock maker could cut a complex clock part in 10 minutes (and with aluminium you literally whiz through. I'm never cutting sheet with a Dremel again...).

And here you see how precise you can cut. I deliberately stayed a bit outside the lines, but actually I could have gone much closer. That's how much control you have.



And then you resort to the clockmaker's second most important tool: the file. Metal files are a whole new world. You have single cut and cross cut patterns; and rough cut, b@stard cut (yes, really), second cut, smooth cut --unless you use a Swiss cut which comes in grades from 00 (rough) to 4 (very smooth). A good metalworker can, working progressively from rough to fine cuts, get a finish that is literally mirror smooth, without needing to resort to polishing.

It pays to go for a quality make, such as Vallorbe, which are not too expensive: £5,-- for an engineering cut, £15,-- for a Swiss cut (which has teeth set at a lower angle). And then you file...



And file...



And file...



...until this is the end result:



Note: the holes have been marked out with an automatic punch --another cheap but nifty little tool. The part was lightly sanded with 240 grit sandpaper, then 400, and then finished with some 1200 grit to get a nice brushed finish.

Pilot holes were drilled with the thrusty hand drill again, as this gives optimal control and stops the bit from wandering. Because of the function that this arm shall have, the holes need to be exactly right.



And then you do the whole thing again, for the second arm. Which has to be exactly the same.

And here the result, as seen in the teaser above:





As you can see, I have also finished off the handles with a knurling tool, which is a new addition to my lathe (forgot to take pictures of that, sorry).

Today I have been finishing the power cable. More on that soon. I will also test-fit the levers so you can see how they will fit on the case. And on to the next stage...

 

Well that looks awesome. Did you consider maybe using the same wood on them as the sides of the case? Brass looks awesome, I'm just wondering how that would look

 

Awesome!
I have a #2 swiss cut file. I had no idea they went finer. I'm not sure I'd need finer, though. I had to oil the file up to keep it from fouling with plastic.

@Rainmaker - Shh! Knurling wood borders on being an art form. Nexxo's progress would... Well, some subscribers might go insane.

 

Well, I had a thought about making myself a fan grill out of wood the other day. I figured I would carve it out by hand and add groves and such in the shapes I wanted Don't think I have the skill yet though

 

Sorry; long working days means modding in the weekend only... There is stuff going on behind the scenes but none of it is finished, and it would become disjointed if I just posted bits out of context as they happen. I've actually got the mobo, the main waterblock...



...all the nixie circuitry, the flow sensor for which I'm now turning the adapters. But I'm not the kind of guy who just posts pictures of boxes and parts. I show work in progress.

 

That's a pretty big hint. I happen to like disjointed if you haven't noticed by my logs.

 

Reference your b@stard cut file. My favourite file. Hogs material off like crazy!

 

Got to get myself one of those just for the label.

Power cable: finished! To insulate the inner wall of the brass plug and provide the screw holes, I machined some nylon to size (it's a bugger to machine; very grippy and sticky).



machined to an exact fit:



And glued in with JB Weld. That stuff is tough!



The finished product, with a black bakelite mains plug:





Next is the adapter that connects a 3/8" BSP flow sensor to the G1/4 reservoir port... stay tuned.

 

Oh, Lordy! It only just hit me you can do your own plumbing now.
...And I don't mean some kind of Rambo-esqe sex change.
I never thought I'd see JBweld used in a non-ghetto way. Usually it's one step above duct tape.

Swiss b@stard brings up other stuff in gooble to throw money at. I really don't like finding high quality sword smiths online.

 

I actually used some two component epoxy for something I made earlier (I assume that is what JB Weld is, or it's what the site says anyway). I filled in a crac that occured while cutting in acrylic. It's not that nice to look at, but since the acrylic was going to be painted anyways I figured I would give it a shot. It worked quite well and some filing, anding and four coats of paint over it and you couldn't even notice it (I always do one coat primer and three coats of paint with two clear coats if I use that). So it works far better then what one would assume

Oh and @Nexxo, that is one sexy power plug

 

Well, I was going to post another small update, but I cannot upload any pics at the moment. Server move must have broken something.

Normal service will resume soon...

 

Hi Nexxo,

yeah had the same prob, update will need to wait till tomorrow or Monday

Well I don't know if it's just me but I can't see the pics of your last update of 15th
and on you second Update I can just see the saw pics ( the old once and newer), but any further are no pics

 

Yup, all pictures that are hosted by Bit-Tech have disappeared. Some other threads have the same problem. Mods have been made aware and it's being looked at.

 

thanks for the info

Will than wait for you pics before i start drooling

 

Pics are working again!

You will recall from the previous update that I am turning my own plumbing. The reason whyeth:



The flow sensor that I will be using is a Gentech Swissflow. It is an accurate axial flow sensor designed for a.o. automatic drinks dispensers, that has very little pressure drop and high accuracy. It works from 5-24V and puts out 6000 pulses per litre flow. It is possible to more or less hook it straight to a motherboard fan header, where it is fed the standard 12V and returns RPM pulses just as a fan would do. Use Speedfan and/or Samurize or Rainmeter to divide this RPM value by 6000 and presto: litres per minute flow.

But there is a snag. It comes with 3/8" BSP fittings only, while the watercooling standard these days is G1/4" (interestingly, the hole ID is 10mm just as with G1/4", so this step down will not cause any constriction). Adapters must be fitted. Unfortunately plumbing adapters are all fugly, and although Bitspower does an adapter, it is unfortunately for a male 3/8" BSP to female G1/4" fitting, while --typically-- I need a female 3/9" BSP adapter. To the lathe!

Here are the pieces turned (I could do a more detailed log of the whole turning process if people want; I'm not sure whether it is of interest. Please let me know).





The challenge is to make the outer collar and hole diameters just the right size for tapping. Male G1/4" demands an OD of 13.03mm and female G1/4" demands an ID of 10.8mm. Female 3/8" BSP requires an ID of 15.25mm. Measure twice, cut once! Tapping is also bloody hard work and requires cutting fluid to prevent things getting stuck.

Below the assembly:



And fitted (rubber gaskets to be added):





I've also been doing some washers and screw caps for the levers. Next step is the pump housing.