I bought the $25 nut off ebay, figuring that I'd need to turn it down from larger stock to properly fit the bore, and I didn't want to bother rigging the lathe without a compound... As it turns out,

If you like restoring old machine (and who doesn't) then my vote is to buy the $17 tap and round stock. I just bought that tap to make a new brass nut for my Atlas 7B shaper. John

For sure Nick. We make burnishes out of old parallel files. Payson.

I'm a flutemaker. Our instruments are made of sterling silver and 14k gold. No plating. From the beginning of flutes made with metal key work, the file, burnishers, sandpaper and scrapers have been

I use old screwdriver handle. Junk screwdriver are available at swap meets. I picked up a coffee can full of them for a couple bucks. Heat the screwdriver shank with a torch. Pull it out. Heat the

Golf balls work as handles also .             animal

Maybe, just maybe, you could become a volunteer teaching assistant. And subsequently have more or less free reign to use the shop...

I skipped the Gingery lathe since I'm seriously bad at follow-through, and went for a 7x10 mini-lathe. Upgraded that to an Atlas TH42, and I have a restoration project South Bend Heavy 10L sitting

Maybe, we're in a lot of the same groups, too! I still need to make a forge burner for the casting setup, and crucible tongs. SO glad I have a bigger, better lathe and mill now. It would've taken

I got a few more aggressive files from Aircraft Spruce when I ordered some 4140 seamless steel tubing for a work project years back. And since I wasn't going to be paying shipping then, I got myself

Hmmm. Are we twins separated at birth or something? I have an anvil I've been dragging around since 1985, a set of DIY tongs from Amazon, purchased a year or so ago. Need holes drilled, and either

yeah, I resemble that remark! I have a drawer organizer thingie that is 2" wide, about the same again deep, and 11 or 12" long, and it is full of very oily files that need degreased, handled, and put

Aaaaaaand an old, crapped-out file can be round smooth and turned into a scraper tool as well, or made into something else by them blacksmithing types. No, I really don't need another hobby.

I seriously need to do handles for the rest of mine. They are all stacked more or less in the same toolbox drawer... I recently used a file card to remove much contamination from a bunch of my estate

Not to mention the enjoyment of not stabbing yourself in the palm or wrist while trying to use the thing! He writes, as he nods and notes that 2/3 of his files do not have handles, even after

Westward is an import from India. "nuff said. Besides, I want to lay hands on it before I buy. ;) Bill in OKC William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.) Aphorisms to live by: SEMPER GUMBY! Improvise,

here is one:

If you have a card file, and keep your files clean, it's not so much a problem, if you have only a few files. If you have a bunch of files, it's a great idea to have different files for different

I suppose you all know that you should keep separate files for steel and brass / bronze? Once a file has been used on steel, it tends to just skid over brassy stuff without cutting. Still works on

And you can use copper pipe to make a ferrule to keep the wooden handle from splitting. Golf balls make a good file handles, too. You could even (gasp!) buy handles. My local toolohaulic enabler,