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Cleveland drills are the ones I buy. I have some Greenlee also that I inherited. The drills I modified for brass are Harbor Freight. I see no difference in the HF and Cleveland and Greenlee. Do a search for " Drill America". This is a reputable company that carries any drills you may need at a...

You do not need special drills for brass. Buy a set and dub the leading ( cutting edge) edge with a stone or diamond file. When you look straight down on a new drill you see two sharp edges. Hold the diamond file so it goes straight across the edge. The hone will be at 90° to the drill. Usually...

Let me know if you need more ribbon. I have ribbon in aluminum and steel. Can also supply ribbon in Acetal, black only. mike

I made a wood lathe years ago. Went well, and tried a bit of turning. Being left handed I thought if the headstock was to my right instead of the usual left it would be more practical for me. I turned the lathe 180° and reversed the motor so it would turn toward me. This worked fine till I...

I have ground an allen wrench , the short leg for a boring bar. Works well. I ground it like a carbide tipped one . I used it on both steel and brass .

From what I gather gun metal is 88% copper, 10% tin & 2% zinc The color is a dark gray . I have used phosphor bronze or aluminum bronze for bearings, bushings and twice for gears. mike

I have built Elmers Grasshopper beam engine. I run this engine and all my engines on air. I have run two wobblers on steam, usually I run these on air. I have run 6 engines at the same time on air with a manifold. Tried more than six but my compressor is a 30 gallon tank and could not keep up...

I used to mill lumber and made a separator. Plywood box on wheels. 3" PVC toilet floor flange adaptors for the inlet and outlet hoses. 4" hose fits perfectly on these adaptors and a hose clamp . I have not used a separator for metal, I do not get dust, just swarf. When the separator was full of...

Make barbed fittings like 1/4" air fittings that you get in a hardware store. Plastic 1/2" OD hose is forced on the barb. The barb does not have to be perfect, just a slight taper to help start the hose. A heat gun will soften the hose if it is hard to start the hose on the fitting. mike If the...

I use tooth paste as a lapping compound. Do not know how it compares to manufactered lapping compounds. I clean the tooth paste off completely whenthe lapping is done. mike

I would add that a half round against the moving jaw helps when the stock is not square. Half round pushes against the center of the stock , this usually keeps the work from moving up or down until another face is flat. Wood or metal will work . mike

I recently installed new I gauging DRO's on the lathe and mill. The lathe went without a hitch the 24" scale was used on the X axis. The Z axis already had the scale installed. The mill had the Z axis already installed. I then installed the X axis first. The display was all over the place. I...

I have done similar things, what is worse I did it twice in a row. Luckily no blisters. mike

My original post was over a year ago. Not til now did I realize that I did not post the outcome. The next morning I replaced the broken parts and the carriage stop works perfectly now. mike

My grandfather told me how the family put an iron band on wagon wheels. He was Polish but lived in Ukraine til he was 16. They made wagons, carts buggys etc. I recall him telling me that the band was wrapped around a wheel and held in place with clamps akin to a clothespin. Then the over...

I made an adjustable angle plate. I bolted 1/2" 6061 stock to a 90° with 10/24 cap screws. This made a right angle. I then milled an arc on one side of the right angle. A hinged piece was bolted to the base. This was 1/2" 6061 stock and a door hinge bolted . Then milled a sacrificial steel...

I bought several sizes of threaded rod. 2/56 , 3/48, 4/40, and 10/32. Threading a couple of inches or less is no problem. I turn the stock for 65% of thread instead of 75%. This helps a lot. I would rather buy 36" lengths of threaded rod than threading with a die. Do not recall the costs but...

The piston should run without wobble when the piston and rod are chucked in the lathe. If needed take a facing cut on each side to run true. This may solve the problem. Not sure about the gland. Usually a steam chest has a gland , not the cylinder. I imagine you are referring to the stuffing...

Glad your back Joe. Last summer I was doing poorly myself .I made a list of my tools and Prices I hoped to get. I wanted to save my wife the pain of selling my tools. In the meantime I had a doctors appointment, routine six month checkup. I was told to contact my cardiologist , as my heart beat...

I happened to read an article this morning in one of my machining books that addresses this question in a way I have never heard of. The author said to start with a large drill, then progressively smaller drills til the depth is reached. Then install the size drill you want to finish with and...