July 20, 20214 yr It wouldn't have been a disaster you just can't make a smooth cut on a copper alloy with a bit sharpened for steel. I don't recall the angles but Dad used to brush the point on a sharpening stone blunting it SLIGHTLY. There are specific angles for all three faces, that're more obtuse so the shavings come free without tearing. I know there are a couple guys here who know the specifics, hopefully they'll speak up. Frosty The Lucky.
July 21, 20214 yr Author Thanx. I found a reference on the internet that gives angles for many different kinds of metals. It being the internet, I'm planning on a test bit or two and a test piece or two before digging into the real thing. It's not like I'm a pro at this ...
July 21, 20214 yr If it doesn't cut cleanly a little sand paper will fix it. It can just be really frustrating when the cuts come out rough no matter how slowly you feed if you don't know what's happening. Don't follow the old illustrations made around the turn of the last century the steel in the bits is better and you don't need such extreme relief. Frosty The Lucky.
July 22, 20214 yr You want more of a flat cutting edge for brass type alloys. The tool more or less scrapes it off. With a drill you put a small flat straight up and down on the edge, otherwise it can grab, and literally suck the drill into the part.
November 28, 20214 yr Author Finished turning the sheaves. Had to make the mast first so I'd know what diameter to make the masthead sheave ... Not the smoothest machining in the world, but they should work. The largest of the three is from the billet I hammered out in July.
November 28, 20214 yr I have used a charcoal forge for both forging and brazing with bronze, pretty easy to control the heat with air flow. Incandescent color is a function of tempiture, so getting the core of the fire to the same color as the desired forging temp is all you need. The first heat is slow but it dose make it a bit easier to not melt the stock.
March 28, 20224 yr Author Got all the hardware installed - she's finished! Couldn't raise the sails in the driveway due to overhead power lines. Sea trials in May when the waters warm up a bit.
March 28, 20224 yr That is beautiful, it'd be tempting to make a piece of furniture out of it rather than get it all wet. I hope you'll post some pics of her first trial so we can believe she's actually a boat rather than a fancy coffee table. Frosty The Lucky.
March 28, 20224 yr Author Frosty - Wilco. I want to see her with the sail up! Thomas - You're right, of course. But I have to call it "finished" or I'll fiddle with it forever.
March 29, 20224 yr What does calling a boat finished have to do with fiddling with it forever? Has something fundamental about boats changed recently? Frosty The Lucky.
March 29, 20224 yr That's an easy one; you call a boat builder "finished" when they tell their spouse they are going to build *another* one!
March 29, 20224 yr How about when one tells the missus he'll jack the house up so he can get the boat out of the basement? I'll bet it's declared finished before the keel is delivered. Frosty The Lucky.
March 29, 20224 yr Thanks John, great story! it's almost a bummer the war ended before they got to give it a try. Frosty The Lucky.
March 30, 20224 yr I saw a thing on TV a while back (Nova on PBS, maybe?) about a team that built a full-size replica of the Colditz glider and flew it successfully (albeit not off the roof of a castle in Saxony).
March 30, 20224 yr One of my search hits was the NOVA on PBS but there wasn't much of a write up and I didn't want to buy the DVD. ESPECIALLY if they didn't launch off a castle roof using a bathtub full of concrete weighted catapult. Frosty The Lucky.
April 1, 20224 yr Oh, we are in luck! This is from a VHS recording of the BBC Channel 4 documentary "Escape From Colditz" (2000):
April 2, 20224 yr Thanks for the link John it's quite a story. Anybody for a cup of jam alc? Beet jam alc to be specific. Frosty The Lucky.
April 2, 20224 yr A piece of steel round bar of the appropriate diameter bent either to fit in the hardy hole or forged into a “Z” will allow you to clean up your padeyes, that is if you want them consistent. we tent to make tools to make tools to make stuff in this trade.... cant wait to see the Chain and anchor....
April 2, 20224 yr Author Thanks for the tip. Fortunately my audience is so wowed by the bling factor of the bronze that they don't notice it's been amateur hour at the anvil. I'm looking forward to doing some methodical skills-building now that the boat is out of the shop.
June 11, 20223 yr Author Sea trials complete. She didn't sink under the weight of all that bronze! (plus me )
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