My friend the jeweler did me a real solid on my wife's Christmas gift
, and I want to do something for him . Jewelers can never have too many
bench blocks , and I'd like to make him a sorta special one . My idea is
to make one that's steel on one side and brass on the other . Probably
around 2 1/2 to 3" in diameter and around 3/4 - 1" thick . My concern is
the bond between brass and steel . My first idea was to cast the brass
to the steel , then machine to final size . This will mean preheating
the steel so the brass doesn't chill and solidify too soon . The only
way I can see this working is to machine a recess in the steel or to
clamp a band around the preheated steel disc . Probably need to flux and prime with some brass brazing rod too . This thing will be hammered on ,
so I doubt any kind of epoxy or other chemical bond will hold up for
long . The brass side will have vee and maybe half-round grooves plus
various size holes for pin punch operations . The steel side is for
stamping or flattening type stuff .
Ideas on forming a lasting bond are welcome ...
On 12/26/2023 6:39 PM, Snag wrote:
My friend the jeweler did me a real solid on my wife's Christmas
gift , and I want to do something for him . Jewelers can never have
too many bench blocks , and I'd like to make him a sorta special one .
My idea is to make one that's steel on one side and brass on the other
. Probably around 2 1/2 to 3" in diameter and around 3/4 - 1" thick .
My concern is the bond between brass and steel . My first idea was to
cast the brass to the steel , then machine to final size . This will
mean preheating the steel so the brass doesn't chill and solidify too
soon . The only way I can see this working is to machine a recess in
the steel or to clamp a band around the preheated steel disc .
Probably need to flux and prime with some brass brazing rod too . This
thing will be hammered on , so I doubt any kind of epoxy or other
chemical bond will hold up for long . The brass side will have vee and
maybe half-round grooves plus various size holes for pin punch
operations . The steel side is for stamping or flattening type stuff .
Ideas on forming a lasting bond are welcome ...
Brass and steel? You almost certainly have to solder. Maybe you can
get by with something like Silphous 15, but I would bet on an acid paste
flux and a separate silver solder. Atleast you aren't upside down and sideways behind a condenser. You can do it on the bench. You might be able to use generic plumbing solder, but you did say "stay together."
Nah, ignore all that' I don't know nuthin'!
My friend the jeweler did me a real solid on my wife's Christmas gift
, and I want to do something for him . Jewelers can never have too many
bench blocks , and I'd like to make him a sorta special one . My idea is
to make one that's steel on one side and brass on the other . Probably
around 2 1/2 to 3" in diameter and around 3/4 - 1" thick . My concern is
the bond between brass and steel . My first idea was to cast the brass
to the steel , then machine to final size . This will mean preheating
the steel so the brass doesn't chill and solidify too soon . The only
way I can see this working is to machine a recess in the steel or to
clamp a band around the preheated steel disc . Probably need to flux and >prime with some brass brazing rod too . This thing will be hammered on ,
so I doubt any kind of epoxy or other chemical bond will hold up for
long . The brass side will have vee and maybe half-round grooves plus
various size holes for pin punch operations . The steel side is for
stamping or flattening type stuff .
Ideas on forming a lasting bond are welcome ...
On 12/26/2023 8:36 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
On 12/26/2023 6:39 PM, Snag wrote:
My friend the jeweler did me a real solid on my wife's Christmas
gift , and I want to do something for him . Jewelers can never have
too many bench blocks , and I'd like to make him a sorta special one
. My idea is to make one that's steel on one side and brass on the
other . Probably around 2 1/2 to 3" in diameter and around 3/4 - 1"
thick . My concern is the bond between brass and steel . My first
idea was to cast the brass to the steel , then machine to final size
. This will mean preheating the steel so the brass doesn't chill and
solidify too soon . The only way I can see this working is to machine
a recess in the steel or to clamp a band around the preheated steel
disc . Probably need to flux and prime with some brass brazing rod
too . This thing will be hammered on , so I doubt any kind of epoxy
or other chemical bond will hold up for long . The brass side will
have vee and maybe half-round grooves plus various size holes for pin
punch operations . The steel side is for stamping or flattening type
stuff .
Ideas on forming a lasting bond are welcome ...
Brass and steel? You almost certainly have to solder. Maybe you can
get by with something like Silphous 15, but I would bet on an acid
paste flux and a separate silver solder. Atleast you aren't upside
down and sideways behind a condenser. You can do it on the bench.
You might be able to use generic plumbing solder, but you did say
"stay together."
Nah, ignore all that' I don't know nuthin'!
I just happen to have a few sticks of silfos 15 out in the shop ...
and some boric acid flux . But now ya got me thinkin' , how about
phosphor bronze TIG filler ? I've got some silver solder here somewhere
, but I haven't seen it in a couple or five years now - got it to
repair/make some bandsaw blades and misplaced it almost immediately .
I've also got regularbrass brazing rod on hand .
I'll still have to
cast a slug for the brass side , which is why I was thinking about
casting it right onto the steel .
On 12/26/2023 9:27 PM, Snag wrote:
On 12/26/2023 8:36 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
On 12/26/2023 6:39 PM, Snag wrote:
My friend the jeweler did me a real solid on my wife's Christmas
gift , and I want to do something for him . Jewelers can never have
too many bench blocks , and I'd like to make him a sorta special one
. My idea is to make one that's steel on one side and brass on the
other . Probably around 2 1/2 to 3" in diameter and around 3/4 - 1"
thick . My concern is the bond between brass and steel . My first
idea was to cast the brass to the steel , then machine to final size
. This will mean preheating the steel so the brass doesn't chill and
solidify too soon . The only way I can see this working is to
machine a recess in the steel or to clamp a band around the
preheated steel disc . Probably need to flux and prime with some
brass brazing rod too . This thing will be hammered on , so I doubt
any kind of epoxy or other chemical bond will hold up for long . The
brass side will have vee and maybe half-round grooves plus various
size holes for pin punch operations . The steel side is for stamping
or flattening type stuff .
Ideas on forming a lasting bond are welcome ...
Brass and steel? You almost certainly have to solder. Maybe you can
get by with something like Silphous 15, but I would bet on an acid
paste flux and a separate silver solder. Atleast you aren't upside
down and sideways behind a condenser. You can do it on the bench.
You might be able to use generic plumbing solder, but you did say
"stay together."
Nah, ignore all that' I don't know nuthin'!
I just happen to have a few sticks of silfos 15 out in the shop ...
and some boric acid flux . But now ya got me thinkin' , how about
phosphor bronze TIG filler ? I've got some silver solder here
somewhere , but I haven't seen it in a couple or five years now - got
it to repair/make some bandsaw blades and misplaced it almost
immediately . I've also got regularbrass brazing rod on hand .
Silphos 15 is supposedly self fluxing. I found I was able to solder
copper on the bench with it without flux anyway. I didn't have so much
luck with out of position soldering.
I was thinking brazing might not be that great since you will be running brass on brass. Brazing is more like soldering (should be) than
welding. Same on same is generally welding. even with a torch. I used to torch weld mufflers with coat hangers.
I'll still have to cast a slug for the brass side , which is why I was
thinking about casting it right onto the steel .
I totally missed that. If you find the right preheat temperature for
the steel and maybe a flux it might be the best result. Maybe even
machine the steel to keylock with the brass when its cast.
All of that being said, I was wondering if a simple mechanical
connection might be as good as anything. He's not going to be beating
on a bench block with a 3lb machinist hammer, and he's not to likely to
be heating it directly either. You might be able to get away with
pinning the two pieces together with some sleeve and bearing locker.
I have a small bench block I use for tapping out pins on firearms, and
the heaviest hammer I have ever used on it is about 3 ounces. The same hammer I used with a punch to peen screw slots back into a usable
condition for removal.
You aren't making a blacksmith swage. You are making a jewelers bench block.
On Tue, 26 Dec 2023 19:39:12 -0600, Snag <Snag_one@msn.com> wrote:
My friend the jeweler did me a real solid on my wife's Christmas gift
, and I want to do something for him . Jewelers can never have too many
bench blocks , and I'd like to make him a sorta special one . My idea is
to make one that's steel on one side and brass on the other . Probably
around 2 1/2 to 3" in diameter and around 3/4 - 1" thick . My concern is
the bond between brass and steel . My first idea was to cast the brass
to the steel , then machine to final size . This will mean preheating
the steel so the brass doesn't chill and solidify too soon . The only
way I can see this working is to machine a recess in the steel or to
clamp a band around the preheated steel disc . Probably need to flux and
prime with some brass brazing rod too . This thing will be hammered on ,
so I doubt any kind of epoxy or other chemical bond will hold up for
long . The brass side will have vee and maybe half-round grooves plus
various size holes for pin punch operations . The steel side is for
stamping or flattening type stuff .
Ideas on forming a lasting bond are welcome ...
Given the differences in thermal coefficients of linear expansion, I'd
do this mechanically, by machining a threaded post and threaded recess
into which the post screws, and fix it all together with stud locking locktite.
Joe
This guy has been really good to me , bought a few pieces of silver ,
a couple of jewelry purchases for my wife . And a jeweler can't have too
many bench blocks . That'd be like a mechanic having too many wrenches
or a blacksmith too many hammers and tongs !
On Wed, 27 Dec 2023 17:42:27 -0600
Snag <Snag_one@msn.com> wrote:
<snip>
This guy has been really good to me , bought a few pieces of silver ,
a couple of jewelry purchases for my wife . And a jeweler can't have too
many bench blocks . That'd be like a mechanic having too many wrenches
or a blacksmith too many hammers and tongs !
If you're feeling really generous... offer to make an improved version
after he has had time to work with this one and see where changes could
be made...
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