Juicy brass lever cap

[Richard T]

In the dark days before Christmas we made a trip to Brum to Keatley's Non Ferrous and scored some 3/4" brass to make some lever caps.

Having arrived on the off - chance it turned out that the only bit of 3/4 they had was in the form of a large off cut chunk, so I had them cut it into two strips; one just over 2 - 1/8" and the other was left at just over 2 - 1/2".

I started on a lever to fit the plane that I am furthest along with, using the narrower bar.

I had divided it into thirds and while these are dissapointingly just short of the standard Norris length, I resolved to cut the first two at 45 degrees through the line thus gaining length on each and reducing the file work.

Not a bad cut and it cut like butter with an 18tpi hacksaw.

Here I fitted it into its plane after taking it down to width. It was too small a slither to saw so I had to file it. It was at this point that I realised that it was so soft that only the most vicious (and 'bristly' if you will) tools would make any significant cut. I soon found that the curved Dreadnought was the only realistic thing to use.

Fortunately the saw is sufficiently bristly and makes short work of everything that can be done with it. Here I have rough marked it and can cut away the majority of the shoulders.

Then approach the shape with the curved Dreadnought again.

Before getting too close I put a pilot hole through to give me an idea of centre.

Then I started the real slog of shaping the front - and found it didn't take long at all. This stuff is spoiling me. It will be a nasty shock to go back to working steel.

Then shaping the back. A tad trickier. I had sawn two diagonals across the underside of the bit the screw goes through. It would be very much easier to have used a hole saw to do this but I don't have one small enough. Must investigate if such a thing exists.

Then I went along cutting slots ( a la metal dovetail cutting) and cold chiselled them out. Again, cut like butter.

Then in again with the Dreadnought.

Until there was nothing for it but to use smoother files. It's weird filing brass, it feels so unresponsive but when this close to finishing it's not so soul destroying.

Here it is up to date.

It's far from finished but I couldn't resist a test fitting.

Now all I have to do is drill it, tap it, drill its pivot holes and make sure it sits straight. :shock: [-o<

 

[Paul Chapman]

Looking good, Richard

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Racers]

Hi, Richard

I love Dreadnought files, I seen to have collected lots from car boot sales for pence.

Its a hansom cap!

Pete

 

[AndyT]

We have the metalwork section already! Lovely stuff - and without a milling machine. Will it be strong enough in use? Is there a way to harden brass by heating and cooling? Will it bend in use like the one on Jim's old Scottish plane?

 

[Richard T]

Thanks Paul

Pete - I have a collection of bootsale Dreadnoughts too but all flat except the one pictured. I wish I could find more curved ones in case it ever meets with an accident.

Andy - I think it's safe not to bend. It's very short and stocky. I'm pretty sure that the nature of brass cannot be changed by heat treatment ( except by melting it ... as a friend once did while she was trying to demonstrate brass work to me in my forge ...)
If I ever feel the urge to make a long, slender Spiers type I will rethink the material. A long neck one would be easier to forge from iron or steel anyway. Hmmm... that's got me thinking now. :-k

 

[Dangermouse]

This is the only posting / blog I've seen that makes such a clear and understandable job of describing how to make a brass cap. Well done! I'm in the process of getting together the materials to make a dovetail jointer. Probably wont have the time until the summer to start it. But looking forward to the challenge immensely. We now have a metal working section, so will be able to post such stuff on there now .

 

[jimi43]

Nice one Richard!!!

My one is still in the blue stage...

....but Christmas and New Year put pay to getting much further along with other projects :wink:

This should prove interesting as I am going to be making mine a lot thinner than yours....I think this stuff is strong enough...I am now convinced that the Scottish smoother one was made like that...I am sure it didn't bend.

Worse case scenario I could start again with some thicker stock.

Cheers for posting mate...great inspiration to get it going again and those infills look gorgeous!!

Cheers

Jim

 

[Klaus Kretschmar]

[-o<

Very classy indeed. The lever cap looks very nice so far and the plane seems to be a special one with the slightly tilted front bun. I'm rather curious to see it finished. It promises to become a beauty.

Cheers
Klaus

 

[Richard T]

Thanks DM - starting with a jointer eh??? Ooo you're going to get sick of filing.

Thing is, I don't think anyone else does make lever caps like this. Karl H makes his own but machines them of course (he's also made some for Bill C but Bill mostly makes wedged mitres) and Konrad S has them machined I suspect, I have tried forging steel ones in the past but could never get them short enough - some are still cast from bronze like the old ones were. So there are really no how tos when looking at making them by hand, not that I know of anyway. That's why I have procrastinated so long myself.

Jim - if you are worried about it being too thin how about redrawing the side profile but sweeping right up to the top? I think you said that your lump was 3/4"? There's more than enough to play with there. So if you have the same sort of shape but as thick as it can be ... then (as they say) you can always take more off but you can't put it back on again etc.

When you start to work on the brass I'm sure it will be immediately apparent how soft it is compared to bronze. Just to clarify, I'm not saying that brass is too soft; it's quite tough really, it just can't be expected to do what bronze, steel or iron can. ie long, slender necked levers. Karl H uses brass a lot and his are quite chunky for eg.

 

[Richard T]

Thanks Klaus

I like the idea of the front bun being able slide around in the hand easily. And resemble a real bun.

 

[matthewwh]

If you get it finished by Easter you could put a boxwood cross in the top of it!

Brass can be hardened, it's the reverse process of hardening steel i.e. slow cooling to harden, rapid cooling to soften. Shouldn't think it would be necessary in this instance though.

 

[Richard T]

I don't think I'll go quite that far Matthew ....

Didn't know that about brass. I know that soft metals and alloys can become work - hardened and can be softened by heating but not the hardening part.


I bought an Acme tap the other week - 7/16" and 10 tpi.

Now to find out the drill size. I know I saw a handy work - out system somewhere. I have the two bits I cut off the shoulders to have a practice on first.

 

[xy mosian]

Try this site Richard.:-http://www.gewinde-normen.de/en/acme-thread.html

I am fascinated by your get up and do it approach, fantastic. Certainly a man " With brains in his fingers. ", quoting a friend of mine.
xy

 

[jimi43]

A tip on cutting that very course thread Richard.

If you have a drill press...put the tap in that and feed the table up to touch. Put insulating tape around the chuck to protect it and then clamp Mole wrenches to it and use that as your tap handle. Use cutting fluid whatever they say about brass being self lubricating it works better with some thin oil.

How are you going to cut the brass knob thread?

Jim

 

[Richard T]

Thanks for that Xy - I will have to get me tables out.

"I am fascinated by your get up and do it approach" ... If I can get up, sometimes I manage to do it.


Jim - I've seen Mr. Holtey do it the same way with the tap in the (mill) chuck. Don't know what it will be like to cut yet but as I said I have the scrap chunks to practice on first.
I plan to do the screw cutting on the Myford. Never done any before but have read a lot. What I have the least confidence in is grinding the tool right but I will have some learned, hairy biker type help hopefully. Maybe I'll wait until it's a bit warmer - I don't want to inflict the cold of that shed onto a guest, even if he is very hairy.

An age ago, I planed to cut long screws and turn the thread off in the appropriate places then make the heads separately and rivet them on. A square shank with a shoulder into a filed out square hole in the centre of the head. That way they would match the riveted/dovetailed ethos of the rest of the plane and could be bi colour too. Also it would save a lot of metal versus turning down the entire bolt.