"bits" of a larger project....

[evil510]

Shortly after I started project Skeletool, I ordered the bit kit to expand its usefulness. While there were many bits I could make use of, I also found there were some I would probably never use at all. I do quite a bit of detailed work. I was disappointed that besides the eyeglasses bit, the smallest size for the flat was 3/32" and the smallest for the phillip was #0. Both of which were still too big for my needs. The eyeglasses bit was also too small for some jobs and not compatible with the Skeletool to begin with. I set out to fabricate a set of precision screwdrivers to fit the large bit driver. This was all before I even got a Wave and a Surge with the small bit driver. These bits turned out to be a blessing in disguise as they made the small bit driver obsolete on both tools, so I removed them, leaving me room to install something more useful and practical.....

~ evil ~

1.0mm, 1.5mm, 2.0mm flat head drivers
#00, #000, #0000 phillip head drivers



These bits are part of a project to fill both cards of the bit kit with bits I would actually put to use on a regular basis. I will post more of them here when I get a chance.....

[Neil]

Credit to you for the workmanship but I personally find that when you get down to these kind of sizes that having a multitool as a handle is just too cumbersome.  I'd also be terrified of breaking a bit after having spent so long making it

[evil510]

Credit to you for the workmanship but I personally find that when you get down to these kind of sizes that having a multitool as a handle is just too cumbersome.  I'd also be terrified of breaking a bit after having spent so long making it

Thank you. True, it can be a bit cumbersome and I do have dedicated tools for such things that I will bring with me if I know I will be needing them. I just believe in being prepared for just about anything that I typically come across, if possible... without having to lug around my toolbox   I will often use the bit extender as a screwdriver handle minus the multitool and feels quite natural this way when dealing with such small screws. They are made of a good grade of metal and have been holding up very well. The flats were easy to make... the phillips, not so much lol

~ evil ~

[Neil]

I understand where you're coming from   and on the little screws I can see that just using the extender should work OK

[Sparky415]

Amazing work Mate! 

[J-sews]

Those look professionally done E Are you milling away the excess metal, or grinding?

[nuphoria]

Kudos 

How about designing some one piece tools or something? You could certainly make them

[evil510]

Those look professionally done E Are you milling away the excess metal, or grinding?

Thanks buddy. Old school and low tech here... grinding

Kudos 

How about designing some one piece tools or something? You could certainly make them

I have yet to get into the one piece tools. I know the atwoods are popular. Speaking for myself, if I had that much to spare for a tool, it'd be for a multitool as opposed to a one piece tool. I fabricate custom emblems/badges for show cars and race cars, so making one would not be so different other than the quality of the metal. If everyone pitches in ideas for the ultimate one piece tool, I would gladly try to make one when time permits.....

~ evil ~

[evil510]

Small but effective awl/reamer that also fits into the bit card. Double edged and blade sharp.....


The damage it can do. 1/4 inch plywood.....


 ~ evil ~

[J-sews]

Those look professionally done E Are you milling away the excess metal, or grinding?

Thanks buddy. Old school and low tech here... grinding

Okay, I'm just thinking "go slow, keep it cool, and don't ruin the temper"

But you probably already thought of that

[sawman]

Why didn't LM think of that.....

[evil510]

Those look professionally done E Are you milling away the excess metal, or grinding?

Thanks buddy. Old school and low tech here... grinding

Okay, I'm just thinking "go slow, keep it cool, and don't ruin the temper"

But you probably already thought of that

Indeed I have    But thank you very much in case I didn't know any better  . Although I will admit that I had to learn those things the hard way over the years lol

[MultiMat]

How do you know if you have ruined the metals temper 
Can you re-temper metal if you have over heated it 

I am about to do a bit of 'grinding' myself 

[Zed]

very nice work evil 

[ryan1835]

How do you know if you have ruined the metals temper 
Can you re-temper metal if you have over heated it 

I am about to do a bit of 'grinding' myself 

tempering toughens metal, so im guessing he s going to ruin that by heating it too much (annealing?) and make the metal hard and brittle if he isnt careful

correct me if im wrong ive only been studying this briefly

[Sparky415]

I think you are more or less right
By heating and letting it cool it 'softens' the metal (as you say annealing) you need to re-temper it by heating  and quenching (you have to get this temperature correct)
but I am open to suggestions 

[porteiro]

Tempering is basically un-doing a tiny part of the heat treatment -- you're making it a little bit softer and less brittle. 

Annealing is like tempering taken all the way -- it completely removes all of the heat treatment, making it a lot softer and less brittle.

[MultiMat]

So how hot can you subject a hardened bit of metal before it looses its temper 
Is there an easy way of re treating the metal to regain its hardening if you have over heated it

When grinding/drilling hardened metal is water good enough as a coolant 

Sorry for hijacking your excellent thread Evil but I have finally found a place I can buy some Carbide drill bits.
I have some old SAK blades that I am keen to reinvent 

[ryan1835]

what are you thinking of working on matt ?

[MultiMat]

what are you thinking of working on matt ?

I am hopping to pop a SAK saw into my LM Pulse & also hopping to modify some old SAK blades & make some crazy Micras  .

Unfortunately 4mm & 5mm carbide drill bits cost $40us each in Oz & are special order items  .
There was a trade speSmurfpillst, from Sutton drill bits, at the proper tool shop I went to & he suggested I use carbide tipped masonry drill bits 'just round the bits wings off a bit'  . The masonry bits only cost $5 so I will try to mod them  , the speSmurfpillst said he used to do it all the time(he used to be a tool maker though  ). Not sure if my Dremal will be able to grind the bits wings  .

[Neil]

...
Unfortunately 4mm & 5mm carbide drill bits cost $40us each in Oz & are special order items  .
...

Please tell me that's for a pack    .. each 

[MultiMat]

The fella did not say anything about a pack of bits  .
I found a 'Formula Cobalt' drill bit that MIGHT work , it is a high speed drill bit though  , I will see how it goes before grinding the masonry bit  .

I wonder why you can only seem to get carbide drills bits ,on the net , in very small sizes

[evil510]

How do you know if you have ruined the metals temper  
Can you re-temper metal if you have over heated it  

I am about to do a bit of 'grinding' myself  

In regard to temper, etc... what they have all been saying is pretty spot on. My advice is to avoid ruining the temper to begin with at all costs, if possible. Even if it means taking five times as long to get the job done. To me, the time and effort spent to re-temper such small accessories for a multitool just wouldn't be worth it. I would just start from scratch and make another. However, if it were a blade, that might be different....

Sorry for hijacking your excellent thread Evil but I have finally found a place I can buy some Carbide drill bits.

no worries Mat, it keeps the thread alive lol. Stainless steel can be quite the beast. I have been getting by with Ridgid cobalt drill bits. Economical and do a decent job. I'd be crying if I broke a $40 drill bit lol. I use various diamond and carbide bits for misc drilling, machining, cutting and shaping.....

I found a 'Formula Cobalt' drill bit that MIGHT work , it is a high speed drill bit though

Just remember, you don't want to drill at too high a speed. Are you using just a regular dremel? While they have the speed, they lack torque. You'd want something slower with more torque. A drill press would be ideal to keep holes straight and true.....

Did you ever get your airbrush Mat?

[MultiMat]

Evil is it obvious when you have over heated something & it has lost its temper , how do you tell 
Yesterday I lopped part of  a SAK saw's tang off , the offcut was very hot  I had a damp rag which I was putting on the SAK saw & used my Dremal to do it.

Yep $40 is too much for me for 1 drill bit & a brittle one at that  . I hope the cobalt I got works out they are a lot cheaper 

I have a drill press I am dying to put through its paces  . How fast should I run the Cobalt drill bit  & what cooling agent should I use  , guy at the shop mentioned kerosene 

Airbrush  I have the funds squirreled away, know which one to get (thanks mate  ) & a rough plan.
Missing the courage  .Current plan involves me getting the Pulse & a couple of Micras under my belt , if I am happy with my work I will tart them up with a bit of pimping 

[Sparky415]

Lot s of things can be used as a coolant
In engineering workshops on lathes an stuff they use a white water based coolant
you can buy proper cutting grease/oil (I will go see If I can find some names, temaxol springs to mind)
I have used three in one oil, car engine oil and even WD40 in an emergency
When I use my bench grinder/belt sander I have a cup of water next to it and dunk the metal often
As said above its better to take your time and not bugger up the steel 

[Neil]

Set your drill to the lowest speed it will run at.  If its a cheap job like mine that means lifting its lid and changing the belt position.  I use Ruko Universal Drill Paste... looks like used brown lard to me

[Sparky415]

I used the stuff Neil uses years ago  

I use this now (but I have run out)  
http://www.parkertools.co.uk/Product/0417211

I have used this sort of thing in the past with a drill
http://www.toolbank.com/p/D5998/ROC53072

So there are a lot of different makes and types out there I guess it doesn't matter so long as you use something and some must have made it down there to you Mat  

Lard will also work! 

[ryan1835]

i used a tin of green stuff when i did workshop stuff works well it has a similar consistency to gel

[evil510]

Evil is it obvious when you have over heated something & it has lost its temper , how do you tell  

Some signs are more obvious than others. Discoloration is often a tell-tale sign. If you are just going to constantly dip to keep the metal cool every so often, then water should suffice. If you are going to cool the metal as you are cutting there are many options as mentioned above. I always try to work cost-effectively. What I use is a mixture of water, oil and soap circulating through a cheap parts washer that I work over. The soap allows the oil to mix with the water... and for less than about 50 cents a gallon. Your mileage may vary.....

Like Neil said. If you have a drill press you will want to really crank down the speed. I have an old school drill press too where I have to lift the lid and change belt positions. I have even slowed mine down even more with an inline electronic speed control for when I work with other materials. While many will tell you that you need to let the tool do the work and this holds true the majority of the time, I have found that this is not always so when drilling through stainless. It takes considerable downward pressure in order to get the bit to bite and continually cut. You can have a new, sharp drill bit... without enough downward pressure you'll be there forever just spinning. Keep in mind these are just my opinions and things that have worked for me.....

Airbrush   I have the funds squirreled away, know which one to get (thanks mate  ) & a rough plan.
Missing the courage   .Current plan involves me getting the Pulse & a couple of Micras under my belt , if I am happy with my work I will tart them up with a bit of pimping  

Depending on which airbrush you end up with... if we ever do a sale or trade on here, I will throw in some accessories for you. I reprofile my own needles and fab my own crown tips, even custom handles for some of them.....

[evil510]

This is a 1/4" socket driver bit that I made to fit into the bit card. I could of just ground the end of a standard 1/4" drive bit but the goal here was to have it fit into the bit card. If you ground the tip of a standard one flat, you would ruin the ball bearing/spring mechanism that holds a socket in place. I had found that some SOG's actually had something very similar to what I had in mind. I also found that it was a common complaint that the spring on it was prone to falling off fairly easy. After some trial and error, I came up with a stronger, thicker spring design that won't come off without using two implements to pry it off from both sides. I like it well enough that I just may make a permanent fold out version for my wave and my surge.....

~ evil ~


Close-up of spring mechanism.....


Here it is in the bit card.....


With a socket.....