{"id":166,"date":"2016-10-21T11:14:03","date_gmt":"2016-10-21T16:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/?p=166"},"modified":"2016-10-21T11:14:03","modified_gmt":"2016-10-21T16:14:03","slug":"working-with-brass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/working-with-brass\/","title":{"rendered":"Working with Brass"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scratchbuilding Tips<\/em><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0–\u00a0<\/span>\u201cCutting\u00a0Brass\/Metal\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

*Remember to always use eye protection and other appropriate safety gear when using power tools and working with metal.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is\u00a0great to see more of you discovering the fun of scratchbuilding (nothing better\u00a0than seeing your own handiwork scoot around the track) and the intention of this\u00a0article is twofold<\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. T<\/em><\/span>o\u00a0provide a few tips\/techniques to the new or inexperienced builders<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    2.\u00a0<\/strong>T<\/em><\/span>o\u00a0encourage those still looking in by showing you that it is easier than it looks.<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    I have\u00a0had a few PM\u2019s asking about brass cutting and this article will focus on just\u00a0that. Additionally, most of you (me included) do not have a shear or any other\u00a0hi<\/span>gh\u00a0<\/span>tech metal cutting machines, so we a<\/span>re\u00a0<\/span>talking about easy, low cost methods to cut the bits for our amazing little\u00a0creations.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Tools<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

    All of\u00a0the chassis that I have posted on this forum have had the metal (brass\/wire) cut\u00a0with the following tools<\/span>.
    \n<\/span>
    \n(<\/span>A<\/span>ctually\u00a0a short list, most of which you probably already have)<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"chassis2\"<\/p>\n

    1\/ Dremel\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>(Many\u00a0 other Brands as well)<\/span><\/p>\n

    I <\/span>personally prefer corded models (I hate recharging stuff), and the corded ones\u00a0don\u2019t fade. That said, many love the rechargeable units, and I can\u2019t argue their\u00a0merits.<\/span><\/p>\n

    It is\u00a0really nice to have a variable speed unit (different speeds for different jobs),\u00a0but, when cutting metal, the high speed setting should always be used.<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

    2\/Cutting discs<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \"dremeldiscs\"<\/p>\n

    I use a\u00a0standard dremel cut-off disc (#409)<\/strong> and have used these for\u00a0years (I prefer not to tell you exactly how many years!!). I do not recommend\u00a0the fiberglass or reinforced discs, as they provide a much coarser cut\u00a0<\/span>hey hack through quickly, but do not provide the precision of a standard disc.\u00a0The diamond discs are perfectly fine, but there is absolutely no need to use\u00a0anything but the standard discs.<\/span><\/p>\n

    You are\u00a0going to break discs!!!!<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"discs\"
    \n<\/span>
    \nI have broken hundreds<\/span>.
    \nD<\/span>ropping\u00a0my dremel, dropping tools onto my dremel, twisting the disc, etc,etc. it is\u00a0going to happen\u00a0<\/span>so it’s a<\/span>nother\u00a0reason I love the standard discs!<\/span><\/p>\n


    \n3\/ Files<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    A\u00a0couple of good quality files (flat, and a small square file), are needed fortouching up\/removing burrs from the cut edges, The square file is very useful\u00a0for finishing square notches that are often found on\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>many chassis designs, although, the flat\u00a0file can also be used. Round, curved, and odd shaped files are a bonus, but, are\u00a0just that\u2026.a bonus.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4\/ Emery\/Sand paper<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    400 and\u00a0800 grit paper is all that is needed for a final finish for the cut edges. The\u00a0800 grit is also very useful to clean the brass\/metal prior to\u00a0soldering, but this is another story!!<\/span><\/p>\n

    5\/Pliers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    A\u00a0<\/span>mid sized pr. of needle nose pliers are just fine for holding the bits (flat\u00a0stock only) to be cut. A much more secure way to hold the bits, and useful in\u00a0minimizing the screams that occur from holding hot brass.<\/span><\/p>\n

    6\/ Masking tape<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Applied\u00a0to the brass prior to cutting. It eliminates the marrs caused by the pliers,\u00a0provides a non slip surface between the pliers\/metal, and is a good surface for\u00a0the Sharpie when \u00a0<\/span>marking the lines to be\u00a0cut.<\/span><\/p>\n

    7\/ Sharpie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Obviously used to mark the cut lines.<\/span><\/p>\n

    8\/ Small \u201cC\u201d clamps<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    When\u00a0doing a long straight cut, C\u00a0 <\/span>clamps\u00a0can be used to secure a spare bit of brass along your sharpie cut line to act as a\u00a0guide\/fence.<\/span><\/p>\n

    9\/ Xacto<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    You can\u00a0use the tip of an old blade to clean\/remove the burrs from the inside of the\u00a0tubing you cut. Using an xacto is also a very neat way to cut small diameter\u00a0brass\/aluminum tubing.<\/span><\/p>\n

    10\/ Steady Hands!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    If you\u00a0follow the upcoming procedures, these are not absolutely necessary, but, they\u00a0sure do help!!<\/span><\/p>\n

    Cutting Procedures<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Round<\/span>S<\/span>tock\/Tubing<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

    1\/ Measure\/mark your required length with a <\/strong><\/span>S<\/strong><\/span>harpie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    R<\/span>emember\u00a0that the cutting disc may be wider than your sharpie line, so, if you cut in the\u00a0center of your sharpie line, the piece may be a fraction too short. It is better\u00a0to err on the long side<\/span>.\u00a0Y<\/span>ou\u00a0can use the flat side of the cutting disc\/files to trim to the perfect length.\u00a0You may choose to wrap a piece of masking tape around the tubing, and then mark\u00a0with the sharpie.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2\/ With the dremel on high speed (don\u2019t forget to tighten the Dremel\u00a0chuck), hold the Dremel in one hand, and the tubing in the other<\/strong><\/span>.
    \n<\/span><\/p>\n

    With\u00a0the Dremel steady, touch the tubing to the disc, and rotate the tubing in your\u00a0fingers, making a score line all the way round. Continue rotating\/scoring the\u00a0tubing until the complete cut is made. You can just slice straight through the\u00a0tubing, but, on larger diameter tubing there is the distinct possibility that\u00a0unless you attack the tubing at a perfect 90 degrees, the disc will bind, and
    \nbreak.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"tubecut\"\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    3\/ Clean and finish the end with a file\/sandp<\/span>aper<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    You can\u00a0take an old Xacto blade and insert the tip into the end of the tubing and twist\u00a0to remove any internal burrs<\/span>.
    \nT<\/span>his\u00a0looks a little more finished and if you are inserting an axle into this tube,\u00a0this process will ensure the axle will turn freely.<\/span><\/p>\n

    *There\u00a0is really no need to hold tubing with pliers when cutting<\/span>.\u00a0T<\/span>he\u00a0walls are generally thin enough that they cut before heating up too much and\u00a0<\/span>excess\u00a0<\/span>plier pressure can easily crush the tubing.\u00a0<\/span>B<\/span>esides,\u00a0without a few blisters, you really can\u2019t call yourself a scratchbuilder<\/span>-:)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Cutting\u00a0thin brass\/aluminum tubing with a<\/span>n\u00a0<\/span>Xacto\u00a0<\/span>knife<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

    This\u00a0procedure works great with small dia (up to 3\/32) brass and aluminum (up to 1\/4)\u00a0tubing.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"tubecut2\"<\/p>\n

    Find an\u00a0axle\/piece of piano wire\/brass that slides snuggly into the tubing you are\u00a0planning to cut. Find a hard flat surface (counter top), and while pressing the\u00a0Xacto, (use an old blade) roll the tubing back and fort<\/span>h
    \na h<\/span>alf\u00a0a dozen rolls and presto!<\/span><\/p>\n

    While\u00a0this does not improve the life of your blades, it is a very easy way to cut\u00a0small dia. tubing<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>A<\/span>nd\u00a0an old blade should be good for many many cuts<\/span>,\u00a0p<\/span>referably\u00a0only the tubing!<\/span><\/p>\n

    Squarestock tubing<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

    1\/<\/strong> As with tubing, measure and mark with a sharpie<\/span>.\u00a0E<\/span>rr\u00a0on the long side.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2\/ <\/strong>With the Dremel on high speed (it is always on high for\u00a0metal cutting)\u00a0<\/span>make a score line on all 4 sides of the piece. Continue until the complete cut\u00a0is made. Again, you can go straight through, but any misalignment in the cut\u00a0will cost you a disc.<\/span><\/p>\n

    *Most\u00a0square stock has thicker walls than round tubing and its shape is less\u00a0susceptible to crushing<\/span>.\u00a0S<\/em><\/span>o\u00a0wrapping with masking tape and holding with pliers is not a bad idea.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Flat\u00a0Stock<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

    As most\u00a0of the flat stock you will be using is relatively thin and therefore flexible,\u00a0it has a tendency<\/span>…<\/span>no,I should say it definitely will\u00a0<\/span><\/em>
    \nflex when you cut it. This flexing will grab the disc and<\/span>?\u00a0Right<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>A<\/span>nother\u00a0broken disc. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The longer the piece you are attempting to cut, the better chance\u00a0you have of this happening.<\/span><\/p>\n

    So\u00a0<\/span>a slightly different approach is advisable<\/span><\/p>\n

    1\/<\/strong> Cover the piece you are cutting with a layer or two of\u00a0masking tape.\u00a0<\/span>Y<\/span>ouwill be using pliers\u00a0<\/span>and\/or\u00a0<\/span>clamping on another piece of brass to act as a guide\/fence<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    S<\/span>o\u00a0the tape\u00a0<\/span>prevents: M<\/span>arr<\/span>ing\u00a0<\/span>from the pliers\/clamps<\/span>.\u00a0I<\/span>s\u00a0easier to grip with pliers than the bare metal<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and is easier to mark with the sharpie.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"2\"<\/p>\n

    \u00a02\/\u00a0<\/strong>Mark the cut lines with a sharpie\u00a0<\/span>and a<\/span>gain,\u00a0remember, it is easier to remove a sliver than add one.<\/span><\/p>\n

    * If\u00a0you need to make a cut that is a couple of inches long, I would strongly\u00a0recommend that you use the C clamps to attach a spare piece of metal along the\u00a0cut line to be used as a guide\/fence.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

    If you\u00a0go this route, you can hang onto the C clamps while cutting, and don\u2019t need the\u00a0pliers.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3\/<\/strong> Make your first cut a shallow score, with the dremel\u00a0smoothly and continually moving down the fence\/cut line, and repeat with
    \nadditional shallow cuts until done. With practice you will quickly get the hang\u00a0of it, and will be able to increase the pressure\/depth\/ speed of the cut.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"clampbrass\"<\/p>\n

    4\/ File\u00a0and sand the edges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Y<\/span>ou are now a scratchbuilder!<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    To\u00a0those who already knew all this, sorry that this was a wasted read.\u00a0T<\/span>o everyone else, if you picked up just one tip, I am happy.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

    Cheers,<\/em>
    \nChris Walker<\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0Copyright \u00a9 2016 Home Racing World<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Scratchbuilding Tips\u00a0–\u00a0\u201cCutting\u00a0Brass\/Metal\u201d *Remember to always use eye protection and other appropriate safety gear when using power tools and working with metal. It is\u00a0great to see more of you discovering the fun of scratchbuilding (nothing better\u00a0than seeing your own handiwork scoot around the track) and the intention of this\u00a0article is twofold: To\u00a0provide a few tips\/techniques to … Continue reading Working with Brass<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-scratch"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/brasstitle.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p81Ba5-2G","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":175,"href":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions\/175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}