Restoring Holes in Stakes

[ClaudioCavalli]

Not sure if this has been discussed before.  I recently came in possession of a staking set, and I am vey satisfied with it.  I noticed a couple of punches that had problems (one was not true and another has chips of the face and the seller immediately sent me replacements).

Anyhow, I did an initial cleaning but later on I found out a few of the punches with holes had their holes plugged.  To me it is really hard to determine if a hole is present or is plugged even under a microscope.  Anyhow, after careful examination I determined that four punches were plugged (stakes 73A, 72A, 103A, 38A in the K&D catalog).  They were otherwise pristine and I thought that asking for replacements would run the risk of getting punches with the same problem.  It looked like there was dirt and perhaps rust inside the holes and I started to think on how to get it out.  My smallest drill bit was humongous when compared to the holes and besides, I really did not want to use something that could cut in the walls of the hole.

After a bit of thinking, I remembered that a while back I had bought a few pin gages to make sure my caliper and my micrometer were accurate.  I took a look and unfortunately the smallest one was too big for the smallest hole (0.13mm).  So I went ahead and ordered a 0.12mm pin gauge and last night I went to work under the microscope.  After testing a few methods (like spinning the gauge in my fingers and keeping the punch stationary) I came up with the following solution:  I placed the gauge in a set of tweezers and spun the punch in my other hand.  It is a tedious job, but it works surprisingly well, not only to "drill" the hole, but to actually see if there is a hole at all.

I actually tested all the punches with holes, and although all of them other than the four above had holes, a lot of them had crud inside that got dislodged by the gauge spinning inside the hole.  After using the gauge in all of the punches holes, I place them in an ultrasonic cleaner for 40 minutes (20 with the holes facing up, and 20 with the holes facing down) in 99% isopropyl.  I was surprised by the amount of crud that came out of those tiny holes!!  Now the set is absolutely beautiful and lighly oiled to keep it from rusting.  I attach an image of the completely restored set and of the video of the hole cleaning process.

BTW  Make sure that the punch does not go all the way to the tweezer.  The gauge will break at some point.  I was lucky that the first time it broke there was some space between the tweezer and the stake.  There was enough gauge sticking out of the hole so that I could grab it and pull it out.  If the gauge broke when there was no clearance, I do not think I would have been able to pull it out.

claudio

P.S. Let me know if video shows.

Video

 

Edited November 17, 2024 by ClaudioCavalli
Rearranged some text

[RichardHarris123]

The video shows. 

[gpraceman]

I'm curious on the one balance staff remover.  Is not the rod for it threaded on one end?  Here's one of mine with the rod unscrewed.

[ClaudioCavalli]

Gpraceman,

the rod does not seem to be threaded.  It seems it is a friction fit.

 

 

Edited November 19, 2024 by ClaudioCavalli

[gpraceman]

17 hours ago, ClaudioCavalli said:

Gpraceman,

the rod does not seem to be threaded.  It seems it is a friction fit.

 

 

Is the hole threaded?  If not, maybe use some red loctite and firmly tap it into place with a hammer.

[ClaudioCavalli]

Nope the hole is not threaded.  I do have some Loctite red, so I could give it a try.

[Neverenoughwatches]

On 11/16/2024 at 11:54 PM, ClaudioCavalli said:

Not sure if this has been discussed before.  I recently came in possession of a staking set, and I am vey satisfied with it.  I noticed a couple of punches that had problems (one was not true and another has chips of the face and the seller immediately sent me replacements).

Anyhow, I did an initial cleaning but later on I found out a few of the punches with holes had their holes plugged.  To me it is really hard to determine if a hole is present or is plugged even under a microscope.  Anyhow, after careful examination I determined that four punches were plugged (stakes 73A, 72A, 103A, 38A in the K&D catalog).  They were otherwise pristine and I thought that asking for replacements would run the risk of getting punches with the same problem.  It looked like there was dirt and perhaps rust inside the holes and I started to think on how to get it out.  My smallest drill bit was humongous when compared to the holes and besides, I really did not want to use something that could cut in the walls of the hole.

After a bit of thinking, I remembered that a while back I had bought a few pin gages to make sure my caliper and my micrometer were accurate.  I took a look and unfortunately the smallest one was too big for the smallest hole (0.13mm).  So I went ahead and ordered a 0.12mm pin gauge and last night I went to work under the microscope.  After testing a few methods (like spinning the gauge in my fingers and keeping the punch stationary) I came up with the following solution:  I placed the gauge in a set of tweezers and spun the punch in my other hand.  It is a tedious job, but it works surprisingly well, not only to "drill" the hole, but to actually see if there is a hole at all.

I actually tested all the punches with holes, and although all of them other than the four above had holes, a lot of them had crud inside that got dislodged by the gauge spinning inside the hole.  After using the gauge in all of the punches holes, I place them in an ultrasonic cleaner for 40 minutes (20 with the holes facing up, and 20 with the holes facing down) in 99% isopropyl.  I was surprised by the amount of crud that came out of those tiny holes!!  Now the set is absolutely beautiful and lighly oiled to keep it from rusting.  I attach an image of the completely restored set and of the video of the hole cleaning process.

BTW  Make sure that the punch does not go all the way to the tweezer.  The gauge will break at some point.  I was lucky that the first time it broke there was some space between the tweezer and the stake.  There was enough gauge sticking out of the hole so that I could grab it and pull it out.  If the gauge broke when there was no clearance, I do not think I would have been able to pull it out.

claudio

P.S. Let me know if video shows.

Video

 

This is why the pivot should be mostly ground off before you start punching the staff out....you can't have a stuck pivot if there's no pivot to become stuck.....and do you really want to punch the staff out anyway ?

[ClaudioCavalli]

18 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

This is why the pivot should be mostly ground off before you start punching the staff out....you can't have a stuck pivot if there's no pivot to become stuck.....and do you really want to punch the staff out anyway ?

Yeah, but you also have to stake the new staff in right?  Or am i missing something?

 

On 11/19/2024 at 12:43 PM, gpraceman said:

Is the hole threaded?  If not, maybe use some red loctite and firmly tap it into place with a hammer.

Success!

 

[gpraceman]

1 hour ago, ClaudioCavalli said:

Success!

 

Thanks.  That was bothering my OCD.

[Neverenoughwatches]

5 hours ago, ClaudioCavalli said:

Yeah, but you also have to stake the new staff in right?  Or am i missing something?

Slightly different scenario when forming the rivet to grip the balance wheel. The hole in the stake to perform that operation is bigger and has no direct interference with the staff's pivot.

If you decide to punch out the staff the stake chosen should have a hole that will allow the pivot to enter but stop at the shoulder or cone where the driving force is applied. So the hole is smaller and has more risk of becoming blocked if the pivot breaks. If the majority of the pivot is ground removed then there is  nothing to break off. Choosing the correct hole size is important when performing any staking task. 

[ClaudioCavalli]

16 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Slightly different scenario when forming the rivet to grip the balance wheel. The hole in the stake to perform that operation is bigger and has no direct interference with the staff's pivot.

If you decide to punch out the staff the stake chosen should have a hole that will allow the pivot to enter but stop at the shoulder or cone where the driving force is applied. So the hole is smaller and has more risk of becoming blocked if the pivot breaks. If the majority of the pivot is ground removed then there is  nothing to break off. Choosing the correct hole size is important when performing any staking task. 

Yep,

did not think that one through, did I?