A gold mine in recycled tools

[Steve Adams]

Hi everyone, this is my first posting. I have scanned through many of the previous posts and saw that someone has already mentioned sharpening used burs for engraving tips. I use many different tools to engrave coining dies, and over the years have gone through thousands of carbide and HSS ( high speed steel ) burs. Die engraving uses up a lot of burs and can be expensive, however by utilizing these tools for other operations they become quite a little gold mine. Here are some typical uses for both carbide and HSS burs ( It does help to mention that I use a diamond wheel for grinding the carbide ). They can be used as gravers, punches, chasing tools, scribes, scrapers, sculpting tools, micro sculpting tools, burnishing tools and regrinding them to two, three and four edge cutting burs. Mounting these tools permently in a handle is relatively easy, or you can use a pin vise with a collet that holds the shaft size you are using. Micro sculpting tools are a Godsend to my nickel carving. It is more like sculpting the metal rather than engraving, you pulll the tool more often than push it. One more tip before going. When you are using small steel burnishing tools to remove material (and not polish) on a small scale, try glass beading the tool. This gives the tool a more abrasive tip, just don't sacrifice your favorite polished tips. Now I am curious, does anyone else out there have a hard time throwing away used burs and have creative uses for them? Steve Adams, die engraver

 

[Billzach]

Steve, it,s good to see you here..For members that may not know Steve, if you think my carved coins are good, wait until you see Steve,s carved coins...when people see Steve,s carved coins they say " How did he do that "

 

[Magnus Jensen]

Please Steve, give us an example of your "Hobos".
And by the way submit pictures of the modified tools if it´s possible.

Magnus

 

[jimzim75]

Hi Steve,

The one shop I work in has around ten pounds of bur and around a pound
of beading tools. Excellent post by the way. I was buying burs for the
new shop and ran across the new carbide tip burs from FOX
at Armstrong Tools in Michigan. The shaft were normal tool steel 3/32
in diameter, but the cutting heads were carbides.

By the way, I use my old beader for setting punches, burnishers,
texture punches, and now round gravers. They also get use for small stone dops with crazy glue for cutting small cabs. Clean old cup burs
really well for this sort of thing also. Both shafts are used in peg jigs, as
pin drives for watch stuff, and rotary engraving tip for signing your
name inside ring, if you don't engrave. There are a few jewellers that
don't engrave.

When I finally wear out one of the fox burs, I'm going to use your
burnisher idea.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Billzach]

Steve,s carved coins are "eye candy " to us coin carvers..

 

[Mike Cirelli]

I also grind down my old burs for all kind of things. I've even caught myself using them for tooth picks. I also use old worn cup burs for beading tools when pave setting sometimes. Your so right Steve they make all kind of great little not available anywhere tools. I use jett sett sometimes for handles, if I use 1/8" drill rod I will grind the back side like 90 degree graver to fit into the dual sharpening fixture and I can repeat the geometry of a grind. I wish there was a square pin vise available to do this. Good post Steve don't be a stranger we can all benefit from your skill and knowledge.
Mike

 

[Sam]

Hello Steve, and welcome to the Cafe! I'm really pleased that you're here. Billzach is right...Steve's coin and die work is simply unbelievable. (Keep your eyes peeled for a future Cafe interview with Steve)

Like you, I can't throw burs away. My absolute best sculpting punches are made for discarded Busch burs. I keep a small tin for used burs just for making special purpose punches and other things. / ~Sam

 

[Steve Adams]

micro engraving/sculpting tools

Here are some of the modified burs. Each is mounted in an aluminum handle. Some of my work will be included in an interview on this site in a few weeks.

 

[Lee]

If I hang around this place long enough I might someday learn enough to do something worthwhile. I've discovered some similarities between engravers and farmers, neither can throw anything away and both are really creative or desparate to turn anything into something.

 

[Dave London]

Lee
Old do I dare say Yankee saying use it up wear it out make it do.

 

[Ken Hurst]

Sam, I'd like to see you do a tip on your sculpturing punches and their uses . Ken

 

[John B.]

To Sam and all.
Some of you might like to try this.
Cut a short length of 3/32" X 3/32" square brass tube.
Cut it to a length to suit the type of gripping surfaces of your sharpening fixture.
This gives you four sided, indexable surfaces.
The tube I use is made by K&S Engineering, Chicago, Illinois. Stock #1503.
This tubing is also available from Micro-Mark Co, www.micromark.com #82634
The inside if the square tube is a perfect fit for 1/16" round stock.
For punches I soldier in used 1/16" burrs with StayBrite soldier.
You can then index them in your sharpening fixture for any shape you want.
I also buy 6 inch long cobalt aircraft drills from Enco for $3.01 each.
These have only 7/8" flutes and are hardened from end to end, unlike carbon steel drills.
Cut the shank portion into 1-1/4 inch sections using a diamond wheel in a rotary handpiece.
This will provide four pieces of blank stock.
Then soldier it into a 1 inch piece of the square tube.
Now you have a nice small, indexable graver blank without too much surplus metal to grind away to produce a very useful small graver.
These can also be made into small scrapers, scribes or burnishers.
And the price is right.
Hope you give it a try and like the results.
Best wishes to all, John B.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

John has sent me some of the tools he's just descibed. They work brilliantly and are also very useful for making small bulino gravers.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Sam]

John, that's a fantastic tip! I've added it the Tips archive and will give this a try. I like the idea that it can be indexed in a sharpening fixture. I'll order some brass tubing. Thanks John!

 

[Steece]

John,

Thanks for the great tool tip. Those are the kind of ideas that can rarely be found but are priceless. Keep'em coming.

Steece

 

[Steve Adams]

mounting the micro sculpting tools

Here's a photo of some of the ways I've mounted the micro tools. Wood is the easiest for drilling. You can use dowel rod or buy pegs from a woodcrafting store. The Starrett pins vises are shown - they come with different size collets for different size shafts. A Starrett scribe holder also makes a good tool holder. Most of my tools are mounted in aluminum, as it is easy to drill and easy to lathe. I have a few brass ones, not pictured, but I find the aluminum better because the tools are lighter in the hand. It is worth mentioning that the Starrett pin vises are hollow inside, thus making them lighter. A good trick for any metal tool handle is knurling the handle on a lathe (or for softer metals, try wire brushing on a buffer) to create a texture on the handle. This will create a better grip on the handle. If you don't have a lathe or a buffing machine, but do have a drill press, you can lock your tool handle in a drill press and use a coarse file to add texture while the tool handle is spinning.

 

[Jim-Iowa]

That sounds like a great Idea John,I'll give it a try.
For anyone looking for the Brass tubing locally( or brass,Steel, Copper or even stainless steel) Just about any competent Hobby Shop that caters to model railroading, Flying model aircraft, or model racing cars will have a pretty complete KS display with assorted metals . In Des Moines I get the stuff at Hobby Haven about a mile from the office and know of three other Hobby shops that carry it within 4 miles of work.
I try to keep a fair stock of Music Wire and Brass in the shop at all times. I don't have the tubing John describes so will have to go back. A stick of such tubing should not be much over a buck, but it will probably cost me $20 before I get out of there(I'll pick up a few other things for sure).

 

[Sam]

Hey Steve, can you make your photos larger? I'm straining to see your tools!

 

[Sam]

Jim-Iowa: As far as I'm concerned, hobby shops have a $50 cover charge. I can't leave one without spending at least that much.

 

[Jim-Iowa]

Jim-Iowa: As far as I'm concerned, hobby shops have a $50 cover charge. I can't leave one without spending at least that much.

Sam that probably just means this Scot is more Frugal(I detest the word CHEAP).