A Progress Thread

[Serafino]

So I've been procrastinating on finishing a project. I figured the best way to get a fire under my, uh, posterior is to place my progress right out in public for everyone to see.

Please note: these are not for sale or available, this is not a teaser thread.

I am tweaking and perfecting 11 aluminum gears (REs, the best to date.), they've all been shortened and reshaped on the lathe and now I'm doing the handwork. I had hoped to do these using a Foredom tool but the control wasn't good enough, so I'm roughing out the rounding of the ends with a file. The one on the left has had the hand-filing done, the one on the right is half filed.

Out of 11 I have 5.5 more to file, then they all get sanded and sent off to be anodized grey. My goal is to finish the file work on one a day. I'll be posting updates every two days. I can't wait to see them when they're done (and just to BE done).

[image]http://img272.echo.cx/img272/4623/gears5184mb.jpg[/image]

 

[Sumatra]

Looking good. I know this project is probably taking more time than you thought, but I'm sure everyone is grateful you're the one doing this since you have such an eye for detail on this saber. This will be the ultimate gear.

Can't wait to add it to my saber.

 

[laszlo]

nice one andres.

look forward to it.

 

[Killdozer]

:confused

That's a beautiful sight.


Well done.

KD

 

[Yorpheus]

*whistling*

Just tending the fire.

 

[Serafino]

Thank you. :$

I'm now working on #7, so that would be, uh, one down.

I'm thinking of posting a sort of 'filing tutorial' from pics I take as I go along in case someone out there could use some help with doing similar work.

More later tonight.

 

[J.Max]

Nice. They look great so far.

 

[adamata]

Dang. Those look sweet.

Get to work.

 

[Serafino]

Ok, 7 filed, 4 to go.

[image]http://img8.echo.cx/img8/5224/7filed9bt.jpg[/image]

 

[Killdozer]

They look so lonely.


The tutorial comes later, right? I have a gear in desperate need of reworking:

KD

 

[Serafino]

What in Hades is THAT? :lol It looks like Parks' shape but machined instead of extruded. (btw I laugh only because leave it to YOU to show me a 'gear' I've never seen before...)

[image]http://img275.echo.cx/img275/821/gearside0mf.jpg[/image]

First you mount the gear on a lathe and file the profile to match this pic. I did it by isolating the black line from the picture and printing it a bit over life size so I could lay it behind the gear and use it as a ‘visual template’ while I did the filing of the profile.

You could probably rig it up on a drill press to do the same work. With those thin teeth IÂ’d be very careful not to press too hard though.

The rest is filing one side so the roundness of the 'edge' continues around the corner (clamp side), and softening the edges of the cut on the pommel side.

IÂ’ll try to get pictures of how I approach the filing process over the new couple days.

 

[Killdozer]

Wow, thanks for this. I may have to negotiate access to the uni shop to effect any of it, though-- My own workshop is only equipped with handtools. I look forward to a picture walkthrough.

I bought my "gear" here some years ago (the first time I was a member)-- I don't recall from whom, tho'. It came in this unfinished stepped state seen on the right side in this photo:

I filed half of it by hand, basing it on the Parks gear (well spotted.). I think what I'll end up having to do now is some epoxy backfill work on the filed side... :unsure

They sure are pretty.

KD

 

[Yorpheus]

Alrighty. How we doin'?

 

[Serafino]

1 more down, 3 left. I'll do another tonight, and do the filing tutorial pics then also.

6-1-05 Update: 1 more down, 2 left to file. Pics:

[image]http://img76.echo.cx/img76/6998/9and22yv.jpg[/image]

 

[Serafino]

...and here's the how-to. I know this will be obvious to many of you, but maybe it will help someone out. This is how I do the rounded end which goes under the clamp. The other end is a little different but the principles are the same.

[image]http://img76.echo.cx/img76/4134/gearfiling5fx.jpg[/image]

 

[Killdozer]

Well done. :cheers

Are you going to individualize the pommel-end edges? Or is that the far reaches of your obsession?

Nice job... so nice.

KD

 

[Serafino]

Thanks very much KD. I am indeed differentiating the pommel end. You can see the differences here, taken from the topmost pic in the thread.

. . . . . .[image]http://img100.echo.cx/img100/3829/geardetail4nz.jpg[/image]

 

[Howard]

That's superb Andres. Many thanks for the tutorial - that will come in handy when I start work on my gear (hopefully sometime this year, if time and tide permit).

I'm looking forward - as I'm sure you are. - to laying to rest the emitter research for this saber. Will this be your next project once the gears are complete?

All the best,

Howard.

 

[Serafino]

Howard, in all honesty, I'm not sure. Once the smoke clears from this project it will be much easier to say. I would certainly love to own a perfected emitter, and I find I'm feeling a tad less burnt out than I was.

Originally posted by Howard@Jun 2 2005, 11:17 AM
I'm looking forward - as I'm sure you are. - to laying to rest the emitter research for this saber. Will this be your next project once the gears are complete?

All the best,

Howard.

[snapback]1002470[/snapback]​

 

[Killdozer]

Originally posted by Serafino@Jun 2 2005, 03:08 PM
Thanks very much KD.  I am indeed differentiating the pommel end.  You can see the differences here, taken from the topmost pic in the thread.

[snapback]1002461[/snapback]​

Oh, I figured you'd make them different from the clamp end-- I was actually wondering if you were going to make each one different from the rest, as on the original... or is that just too crazy? :lol

Again, great job.

KD