Made a new test indicator clamp

[Ian]

Went to adjust my test indicator tonight and the clamp snapped and bound up. Got through what I was doing with my other indicator base and grabbed some mild steel round bar bits and made another. Only took three hours but fixed what had been a very poorly-made part to begin with. Note to self, spend extra money to buy a second Noga instead of cheaping out on yongsingpow brand or whatever it was. Thanks again Keith for the drops.

 

[KeithB]

Beautiful work Ian. Probably a lot smoother to adjust, I know you fit things up properly.

 

[Ian]

I could have finished it better but it's 1 am and function took priority. In any event it's a 200% improvement over the oversized stamped cup and broached pin POS it replaced. I'll probably oxpho blue it tomorrow to help keep it from rusting.

Installed the right way:

 

[Brad]

Isn’t it nice to be able to fix things like this?

Well done Ian.

 

[Bret4207]

Nice job. And may I say, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who every broke one of those!

 

[Kevin Stenberg]

Only in my dreams. Could i make something that nice!

 

[Ian]

Kevin, I couldn't either until I bought a hobby lathe and with the help of books, utoob, and some kind folks here started learning how to use it.

 

[fiver]

could you see through the old one before you broke it?
t looks like it was overengineered to break from the beginning.

 

[Pistolero]

Remember when several of us here were urging you to get a lathe, Ian?

Seeing what you were doing with a hacksaw, file and cold chisel (only a slight
exaggeration), I knew you would hit the ground sprinting when you got a lathe.

Very nice. And, for those of us with the "make it/fix it" genetic defect, it is a great deal of
fun and satisfaction.

Bill

 

[Brad]

He had a “lathe”, it just didn’t know it was actually a drill press.

 

[Ian]

Yeah, I blame you guys

I would have a mini-mill and some tooling too, but I couldn't pass up the half-price deal on half a mile of high-tensile game fence that came up earlier this year. Glad I decided to let go of mill money for the fence, the new price has gone up 30% since then. Of course the mill price has gone up too, but only 25%.

 

[Pistolero]

Yeah. A friend asked if I was still happy with my Griz 4003G lathe, and I said, more happy
the more I use it. He was asking for a friend looking for something in that range. I
recommended it. Mine cost $3400, and he said they went up. I checked and the
same lathe is up over $4000 a bit, about 18% increase. Really glad I got it when
I did.

I really enjoy seeing the stuff you are making, Ian., almost as much as I enjoy my
own little projects, too.

Made a 0.055 pin, .325 long yesterday for a 1877 Colt that I am trying to get back working. Heat treated
4140. Had to first make a punch to get out the broken stub from the hand. Need to make
a screw for the front of the ejector housing. Need to have a friend build up an end of
the cylinder lock, too short. Probably a used one, not broken can't be the original.
That is the first Colt double action revolver, and a stranger and more mickey mouse design
would be dificult to imagine. Cyl lock works on the back face of the cylinder.

Bill