Filing Buttons

[Colin Jacobs 1Participant @colinjacobs1]

How do u make them please

[Colin Jacobs 1Participant @colinjacobs1]

Hi, how does one make filing buttons,

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Hi Colin,

They are usually made by drilling a hole in the end of a silver steel bar and then parting off. You can off course turn the bar down to get the desired diameter if you only have a bigger size. After parting off they should be hardened and then tempered to a straw colour. Being small, you might find the tempering easier in a bed of dry sand.

 

You could probably also make them from mild steel and then case harden.

 

regards

John

[Bruce VoelkerdingParticipant @brucevoelkerding91659]

Colin,

 

let’s say you are making a Forked Block to screw to the end of a Valve Spindle (typical LBSC design, say 3/8″ square stock). I would make the entire part except for the rounded end. Let’s say the Pivot Pin hole is 1/8″. I would turn two Rollers 3/8″ diameter x 1.8″ thick with a 1/8″ hole. I would then measure the width of the 3/8″ Fork + both Rollers and cut a piece of 1/8″ round stock to that legth PLUS say .025″. I then place a Roller on each side of the Fork, place the Pin thru it, and clamp the Pin horizontally in the Bench Vice close to one of the top corners. I would thread a long screw into the Fork. Now you should be able to rotate the Fork while it is securely held in the Vice. Now you can run a File over the Fork untill the Rollers stop the File from cutting. NOTE the File is moved such that it will turn the Rollers – NOT crosswise across the Rollers. In no time you will have a perfect rounded end. Note you will need the screw to keep the Fork from rotating too far. Depnding on the size of the part, the screw and the Vice, you might have to turn the Fork/Roller assembly around in the Vice to do a complete 180 deg rouded end.

 

I use plain free-cutting (leaded) steel and never heat treat them, SINCE I respect my files too much to pass them crosswise across hardened Rollers. These Rollers and Pins are collected in a box and slowly grow to quite a collection. After a while they appear to hav a very light knurling on them, but that matters not.

 

Bruce

[Bruce VoelkerdingParticipant @brucevoelkerding91659]

Colin,

 

another note. I have made forked ends up to 1″ square using the Filing Buttons. I do have a Rotary Table, but they are just faster. On large jobs, I place a Pin in the Pivot Pin hole in the Fork, use that as a vertical stop in the Mill Vice. A series of flats can then be milled very quickly around the forked end to minimize the filing required.

 

Bruce

[Colin Jacobs 1Participant @colinjacobs1]

Thanks all I am learning fast and hope no question is daft.

CJ.

 

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Hi Colin,

 

Afraid I use hardened and untempered (glass hard) buttons. The file just bounces off, I don’t feel it wears them the way it would if they were able to bite into tempered ones.

 

Maybe I’m wrong…

 

Neil

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

I agree with you Neil, although I do temper mine. I find if I leave things glass hard they tend to get broken too easily. They are still hard enough that a file just skids over the surface. Provided one is sensible enough to stop filing once the button has been reached, the file does not need to touch the button very much anyway.

 

regards

John

[Kerrin GalvinParticipant @kerringalvin72662]

Hi Colin,
I make my filing buttons unhardened, basically cause I haven’t bothered, how ever what I do instead is Make them free spinning by threading a rod both ends that is either the dia of the hole thru the part being made, button to suit, or make a standard rod….to suit the smallest button you are going to use(suggest if you are using say 3mm that once your button dia gets up then use a bigger one) buy a couple of nyloc nut, they MUST be loc nuts! The rod needs to be long enough to take both nuts both buttons the part being made PLUS the cunning bit, a spring, the bore of which slips on the rod.
Assemble 1 nut on the rod, make the thread just long enough to accommodate the nu, 1 button, the part, the 2nd button, the spring, put on the 2nd nut & tighten until the spring is under enough load to hold the buttons snug against the part but free to turn. File away, once you get down to the buttons they spin, job done.
The reason for the nyloc nut becomes obvious as a standard nut will come loose, & being spring loaded will disappear a a great rate of knots in to the darkest corner of the workshop! Will happen with a nyloc if it’s not tight too!

Cheers Kerrin

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