Frosty Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I figured it was some sort of sprocket. The matching chain might still be around at the salvage yard. There's a whole pile of chains, anywhere from ship's anchor chains on down.... Oh Froggy, I'd be tempted to move into the yard! How do you resist? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 For the first ring, I'd definitely go with a clock for the shop. It would need to have some large, beefy hands but you can get cheap clock movements at just about any hobby shop. Then it's just a matter of printing out a nice picture for the face. Add some brass bolts to the holes and you'd have a doozy of a steampunk wall clock. The second ring looks like it's ready made for turning into a glass-topped table. Attach the legs to the stand-offs and make the glass large enough that it covers the teeth. Nothing worse than running a shin into one of those sprockets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 VT, I had the same thought about adding fake bolts coming through the holes and nuts on the front.Of course doing BRASS bolts and nuts for 20 holes adds quite a bit of cost to the project!1/2" brass bolts and nuts are not cheap....Would 20 holes, or having 20 fake bolts/nuts, look odd for a clock that normally sees 12 divisions around the face? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 pour your own Al bronze ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Just got home and measured, make that 3/4" bolts! Beefy stuff, and brass ones would look cool no doubt... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 A quick model to give me a better idea of what it would look like, I'm a visual guy.....I have some choices as far as the brass bolts and nuts, so I modeled the choices which I liked best.The first is 1.75" bolts and normal hex nuts (1-1/8" wide and .641" deep).Second is 1.75" bolts and wide-thin nuts (1-1/4" wide and .422").Third is 2" bolts and heavy hex nuts (1-1/4" wide and .734" deep).I guess it depends on how much bolt you'd like to see sticking up out of the nut, and how high the bolts should be proturding from the ring.The vertical step in the ring is 1" from the hole rim up to the letting surface. So the 1.75" bolts sit down below the lettering surface a bit. And the heavier 2" bolts would be up as high as the lettering surface.I'm thinking I like the bolts set down a bit and let the lettering surface be the outermost highlight....I sort of like the wide thin nuts, I just wish there wouldn't be quite as much bolt thread showing.Whaddya think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 OR....The other option is to have the fake bolts going the OTHER direction, and instead of seeing the thread and nut all you would see is the head of a hex head bolt?That would look like the first, and the wide-thin nuts and threads is the second: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 If the bolts do not have to be functional, cut slices from a piece of hex brass stock and glue them (bolt head) to the ring. You can mix functional and nonfunctional if you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Yup, that's a good idea if the bolt head look is what I'm after. I'm thinking I sort of prefer the nut exposed thread look..... Wouldn't the original way this kind of ring would've been attached was setting it on a ring of threaded studs, and then tightening with nuts? Similar to this application below. In fact, that lower ring in the pic below also has the same 20 holes around the circumference so it would be a very similar look.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 If you use unplated bolts or strip the plating you can plate them with anything you'd like. As a kid my folks got me a plating set to go with my chemistry set from the local toy store. Copper is an easy example. Dissolve copper in sulphuric acid or buy copper sulphate place the bare steel and CLEAN bolts in the solution attached to the positive pole of a DC source, be it a car battery, or my favorite a trickle charger. If you use a piece of copper or whatever you're plating with as the negative pole it'll go faster. After a while the target piece will be plated. If you want a polished finish you have to polish it before plating it AND after. A short cut is to just use a negative pole made from whatever you want to plate the subject with and a simple electrolyte solution though sulphuric acid really speeds things up. this alternate method takes considerably longer but what the hey you could do it in a plastic bucket in the front yard powered with a solar cell and check every Friday afternoon when you get home from work. If you're trying to derust old iron using electrolytic action and use a copper wire for the negative pole it will derust and copper plate your subject. Just saying. Go ahead, ask me how I know. IF you have the time to read THAT post. <grin> Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I'd go with plain steel bolts and spray paint them with brass metal paint. Anodizing the bolts will also work and is easy to do. It's just reversing the polarity on your electrolysis rust removal set-up. Blacksmithbolt.com sells square head machine bolts for a dollar ten a piece. Wouldn't be too pricey even with the cost of a can of spray paint. If you go with the bolt-head showing, it will look like the ring is bolted to the wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 I think I like the bolt and thread showing as well. It adds a bit more detail (The circle bolt and the hex nut) As far as clock face ideas, if you really wanted to go steampunk, you could have a small motor to run the hands of the clock, and another to run some simple gears to show movement. I did this once for a skeleton clock Halloween display, the gears don't really have to do anything, most people have no idea how a clock works, it's just cool to see all the action! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 Thanks for all the input! I think the clock idea is being overidden by the mirror concept....I still think this will look fantastic as a mirror, and adding a large bevel around the mirror adds a nice touch.This ring is 26" across outside diameter, it will be around 80 pounds all completed I'm guessing.I need to finish this one before moving on to the gear wheel project, still liking the clock for that.Here's the latest model with all the lettering details added: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Good morning all Oh good; you mentioned the chain sprocket again. I was looking for an excuse to post this picture. It may incent you to scrounge through the chain pile. -grant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 What a great picture!I saved that in my future reference file.... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Frog, I saw a mirror similar to what you've come up with, though a lot smaller and mass-produced. The thing I thought was neat was that they etched designs into the bevel. The design didn't stand out and take over the look, but it was still a neat accent. I think a mirror of that size will come in very handy around the house. What type of support mechanism are you considering? I'm thinking a simple nail in the wall might not be enough. Maybe a cleat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 I'm more concerned with the mount on the ring itself moreso than what to do in the wall.I do not want to rely on just the ring egde for holding it in position. If someone bumps it, or kids are around and that thing falls... yikes. 80+ pounds crashing down wouldn't be nice.There's plenty of meat in the thick part of the ring between the holes, I was thinking of drilling two holes (one each side) radially into the interior diameter of the cast iron. Thread the holes and install some decent sized eye bolts. That way the ring can lay flat against the wall, like it was bolted right to the wall. Since the brass "bolts" will be fake (I'll use some threaded brass rod), they will not protrude from the rear of the ring.Then get some rated cable and string it between the eye bolts, securing cable loops with cable clamps. Then on the wall, I might open up the drywall in the desired area and install a cross brace 2x4 between studs so the 3.5" face is against the drywall. Patch it up and then I can install some nice lag bolt(s) into the stud or 2x4 brace, giving some wiggle room on lefty/righty placement.Other option might be to weld/braze a flat bar on the back of the ring, so that it is flush with the rear surface of the ring.Not sure if I want to take a chance on developing any cracks in the cast iron with welding or brazing though.But I will check the wall first, just in case I get lucky and there is a stud in the perfect location.... But we all know there won't be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 With the 36 inch diameter, it should span two studs minimum (as long as your house is built using the standard 16 inch spacing). So you should be able to use the lag bolts into two studs. Even if they aren't perfectly centered, they should still provide the needed support. You could drill, tap and bolt a bar into the frame instead of welding it or using eyebolts and cable. Then you could use a z-bracket style hanger bolted to the studs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 LR, it is 26" outside dia.... 36" would be quite a piece! The ring width is 2.5", so an internal dia of 21". If you'd place the support bar or eye bolts about 1/3 of the way down the vertical height you're looking at about a 18"-19" span . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 I added some 16"-on-center studs to the model: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Ooops... I misread. I do look forward to pics of the final product, whatever it ends up being. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 A french cleat would be more than sufficient to hold it to the wall so long as you've got the cleat fixed to the wall studs. The metal ones like you can buy from Grainger are super-thin and would hold the ring very close to the wall. You could probably fabricate something out of thin plywood that would work, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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