Restoring stakes

[Neverenoughwatches]

Evening / afternoon watch people. What would be a standard method for the very accurate reshaping of round end stakes.  Lapping in a steel doming block/ making a wooden doming blocking to finish and polish ? Needs to be accurately shaped as i want to close a plate bearing for a balance with minimal distortion.

[HectorLooi]

I don't think it's critical. As long as it's not eccentric. 

When I got my staking set, I just chucked them my lathe and used a piece of oil-soaked steel wool to clean them up.

Then I put a piece of VCI paper in the wooden box and they have not rusted since. 

I do the same thing for my lathe chucks. I don't have a wooden box for them, so I put my chucks in a big Tupperware box, in a acrylic holder bought from eBay. With a piece of VCI paper, of course.

[Neverenoughwatches]

The previous owner of the staking set damaged some of the ends of the stakes.... in particular the smallest dome stake...the one i need.... is quite badly distorted. The hole i want to reduce is a plate bearing.....the 0.1 pivot is rattling around in a 0.18 hole. Any roughness/mishape on the stake end will transfer to the hole so i want the best finish i can get. I would jewel the bearing but its shaped for the coned pivot of the staff, i dont think there would be enough material on plate to add a jewel. I  think that lapping the stake end in a cup would achieve the best finish.

[caseback]

A wooden block with a small dimple and diamond paste would be my choice.

[Neverenoughwatches]

5 hours ago, caseback said:

A wooden block with a small dimple and diamond paste would be my choice.

Thats exactly what i had in mind caseback, I was looking at ordering a steel doming block, all but poorly manufactured ones fetch a good whack, some with dapping punches in the  hundreds £s . No reason not to go the whole hogg and make steel and brass versions as well. Run the stakes in a lathe  ( i dont have collets large enough ) or a bench mount drill and apply a lap cup....keeping the cup moving about the stake end.

[AndyGSi]

26 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Thats exactly what i had in mind caseback, I was looking at ordering a steel doming block, all but poorly manufactured ones fetch a good whack, some with dapping punches in the  hundreds £s . No reason not to go the whole hogg and make steel and brass versions as well. Run the stakes in a lathe  ( i dont have collets large enough ) or a bench mount drill and apply a lap cup....keeping the cup moving about the stake end.

Have you looked on Cousins?

https://www.cousinsuk.com/category/blocks-cubes-punches-dapping

[tomh207]

1 hour ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Thats exactly what i had in mind caseback, I was looking at ordering a steel doming block, all but poorly manufactured ones fetch a good whack, some with dapping punches in the  hundreds £s . No reason not to go the whole hogg and make steel and brass versions as well. Run the stakes in a lathe  ( i dont have collets large enough ) or a bench mount drill and apply a lap cup....keeping the cup moving about the stake end.

I’ve got one if you want it Rich

 

Tom

[caseback]

Hardwood block + ballbearing ball + good solid whack = block with dimple 

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 hours ago, AndyGSi said:

Have you looked on Cousins?

https://www.cousinsuk.com/category/blocks-cubes-punches-dapping

Thanks Andy , yes i looked at cousins, some look identical to the ebay stuff and a little cheaper.  If anything i would go for the Durston ones at nearly a hundred quid for a large doming block. The value stuff will be Indian, i wont buy that level of quality in this case, i need to make the stake ends as accurate as i can.

1 hour ago, tomh207 said:

I’ve got one if you want it Rich

 

Tom

What it like Tom ? I'm preparing to make something.....make a tool to repair a tool to do a job.    Make a tool to make a tool to make a tool to make a tool......made by a tool

30 minutes ago, caseback said:

Hardwood block + ballbearing ball + good solid whack = block with dimple 

Beat me to it, but I like the idea caseback ....the tip of a ball point pen is the same diameter as my smallest dome stake....a little rounder. Return tip matey....dental diamond polishing strips super glued to the angled end of a coffee stirrer for fine filing and polishing.....just made one 1x1mm to flatten the burr created from the peening of the hole.

Simplest way was to use the next size stake up too that was in good shape to form the wooden cup.

[tomh207]

@Neverenoughwatches I think it has been milled out of high density delrin/acetal Rich. Likely someone made it to make something

 

Tom

[caseback]

A dimple wouldn't need to exactly max the punches shape. By moving it / holding it at an angle, you can basically shape the tip the way you want.

Thnx for the tip. I have been using paper superglued to feeler gauge blades. That allowed me to work wheel teeth flanks as well.

[Neverenoughwatches]

28 minutes ago, tomh207 said:

@Neverenoughwatches I think it has been milled out of high density delrin/acetal Rich. Likely someone made it to make something

 

Tom

Unusual item Tom

25 minutes ago, caseback said:

A dimple wouldn't need to exactly max the punches shape. By moving it / holding it at an angle, you can basically shape the tip the way you want.

Thnx for the tip. I have been using paper superglued to feeler gauge blades. That allowed me to work wheel teeth flanks as well.

The next size punch worked a treat, just punched it into a hardwood block that was mixed in among a joblot of stuff ages ago, i kept it....because thats our main purpose is not to throw anything away (  hell i have a hard time flushing my toilet ) 

31 minutes ago, caseback said:

I have been using paper superglued to feeler gauge blades. That allowed me to work

This stuff is definitely worth a try, it has a plastic backing to it so it's a bit more rigid....thickness of 0.1 so thinner than ally oxide paper. It still wears out but not as fast as AOP....which is different from OAP.....which I'm fast approaching