| Blog series by Dan Krager | updated 02-29-2020 11:07 PM | 3 parts | 2647 reads | 45 comments total |
Part 1: Liberty Bell nib
This is a little project that takes advantage of my new to me metalworking capabilities. A few pictures along the way to making some Liberty Bell nibs and nuts. Not only are these hard to come by, they were made in an era where standardization was very local. Even matching the average of a range of sizes measured to a best fit international standard doesn’t make the nibs and nuts, new and old, interchangeable. The short of this is that while a new nib or nut might be close, the fit to...
Part 2: Next step =half way on "nibs"
The flats on the “nibs” (for lack of a better term) are done on one end. I didn’t show the whole index setup. Had I allowed more material per part, I think I could have cut the flats on the other end, but being stingy here didn’t pay off. I’ll have to do another setup. It will probably work out better because the uncut web between the flats is only 0.075” thick and not strong enough to support the opposing cut. So I’m inside getting warm while I thin...
Part 3: Final Step = making donuts
The final step in this project is well underway. It involves drilling and tapping the hole to match the nibs, and then slicing off the nuts from hex stock. Pretty straightforward. One side of the nut is ever so slightly rounded (edges eased) while the other side is flat. Makes for a nice looking finished nut when installed, I hope. The parting tool is working perfectly, leaving a nice flat back with a tiny burr where it breaks into the thread. It is easily removed with a chamfer tool and ...
