Cutting disks of 1/16 hard brass

[Tony MartyrParticipant @tonymartyr14488]

I have to make the hinged lids for the water filler points in the side tanks of my 3 1/2″ loco. I need to make three neat edged disks from hard brass plate 18-20 gauge thick. At work, long ago, I used to cut out much lager disks for windage baffles by fixing the brass plate to a wooden board mounted in a 4 jaw chuck and then slicing them out with a sort of parting-off blade (trepanning?)

Is this the standard method or is there an easier method that does not require a hole in the centre of the disk?

[Tony MartyrParticipant @tonymartyr14488]

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Your first thought is the right one for you Tony, it should be quite easy to mount the brass sheet on a piece of prepared wood. Plywood would be OK. Securely fix the brass and turn your discs with a trapanning tool.

The other alternative is if you have a local engraver he may be able to cut your discs for you on an engraving machine. It is only a matter of making a master with a circle that the stylus can follow and cut the discs. I have done this many times.

 

Clive

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I’ve done it with a bit of double sided tape on a scrap of MDF and a small pressure pad held in place with the live centre and just used a standard turning tool. Just cut the work into an octagon first to save having to turn a lot away

 

All these access plates were done as above, small ar 16″ large one 3/32″

Edited By JasonB on 03/04/2011 13:18:08

Edited By JasonB on 03/04/2011 13:49:23

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