My New Stepdrill for Slimlines.

[Penpal]

My 30 yr plus Stepdrill for Slimlines . I thought I had lost it after thousands of pens so I had Guhring Australia carve one out of carborundum steel,arrived today,fits so well.

Peter.

 

[Penpal]

Note how it reams and cleans inside the brass.

Peter.

 

[fortress]

Does a great job Peter, very practical.

 

[21William]

Very nice Peter, was it expensive?

 

[Penpal]

Yes being a one off.

Peter.

 

[21William]

These sort of tools are nice to have. I bought a large drill bit like that for M8 cap screws at one of the model engineering shows as it was only a couple of quid.

 

[Phil Dart]

Are you using that for barrel trimming Peter? Not sure I understand otherwise.

 

[Penpal]

A mate of mine Don lives just near Seattle where the Boeing Company used to have an outlet like an enormous garage sale selling surplus? machinery,especially used in the aircraft industry. In past times I used the Fuller Company in America who guaranteed a poofteenth of a miniscule error and failed four times making one of these drills in my post,failed miserably three times in spite of getting Slim brasses for a go,no go check. I dealt with one of the owners who was without shame,at the time with the bit between my teeth and all sails fully extended that was real expensive with twenty phone calls to the US. I finally called it quits with them,also tried two so called expert makers of drills here in australia with failures there.These days I pay a premium with my internet provider that includes free calls to 26 countries making it fun to direct calling. With our Peso in freefall we are in the doldrums especially since the main suppliers out of say THe Peoples Republic costs are soaring over here.

So It was a relief to get this second drill, I even sent the newly found old drill to assist in accuracy. With the new equipment etc at Guhring success was sweet. I failed to give the cost as one offs are an investment with the set up necessities etc,any runs of many can bring the overall prices down to reasonable but in the past running bulk buys have been too costly especially with overseas freight etc. I had one of out son in laws hand deliver the original one where he has moved to near the Guhring Factory in Melbourne for some time with his company.

Peter.

 

[wm460]

Very nice.

 

[Penpal]

Are you using that for barrel trimming Peter? Not sure I understand otherwise.

Emphatic No I use it after squaring the ends using a disk sander et al. By this time I have used it as a go no go guage if the brass was tight it was discarded initially. In glueing the brass there is always dross so this device cleans out the brass and as the other pic shows reams the entry into the blank brass another IMHO vital step. I am sure by now most makers have stopped viewing thinking how anal all of this fuss. Au Contrare to me it has to be done before I am happy that I have gone the extra ten yards making my pens. I learned from day one to never rely on reamers to give a beaut square ended blank.It involves going in each end into the blank so I value the shorter than the blank drill part that saves a hole or more in my hand in use,many longer stemmed units are in use that I regard as potentially dangerous. I believe the costs when amortised over the total number of successes to be minimal,the same as I get fantastic life out of my drills and throw them away with abandon knowing they serve well and the same economics apply,cheap as in the long run.

Peter.