Barrel spinner/ polishing aid

DSM said:
Making progress and then two steps back!

I was tapping 8-32 holes for a button head to retain the bearing and my hand slipped off the stinking tap wrench and broke off my tap! Any suggestions as to removing this broken off tap? I have way too much time into one of these to just scrap it. Worse comes to worse, I'll drill and tap another hole...or just use the one hole that's tapped!

Frustrating when this kinda stuff happens...I simply stopped working when the tap broke!
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I can't see your backing plate but would re-indexing it at 45 degrees work? Will it cover the holes?

I've never managed to remove the tap in your situation altho when you say "hand slipped" if you mean you bumped it sideways and snapped it off then maybe it's not actually bound up???

Next step for me would be to make a cover plate.... cover the busted tap with a removable "mount" for the bearing mount and make it look like ya' meant it :)

al
 
Those Harbor Freight cheapo diamond Dremel bits will remove a busted tap, just takes a while to grind it out. Pointy cone shape one, or small ball shape. If it's not bound up, somebody makes a tap remover, with three fingers to back it out.
 
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DSM said:
Making progress and then two steps back!

Any suggestions as to removing this broken off tap?
Click to expand...

Find a machine shop with a tap burner. It'll be about a 5 minute job and maybe $25.

These work too www.omegadrill.com

Search for nitric acid tap removal. The steel tap will dissolve and the acid will not touch the aluminum.
 
I ordered one of those prong thingy tap removers for a #8 tap. I ordered from Enco and of course I had to fill my cart enough to qualify for free shipping! Anyhow, ordered a new Hertel 8-32 tap and a better T-Handle. If it don't come out, no biggie, I can offset another hole along side the broken tap.

As for the centers...Delrin or Brass?
 
DSM said:
As for the centers...Delrin or Brass?
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I'm new at this barrel spinner polishing thing, I only polished a few barrels. One of them a chambered and crowned barrel. I had that barrel spinning so fast I was puttin on the brakes with my left thumb on the threads and couldn't regulate the speed with it alone so I started braking her with my right thumb on the muzzle.
I crowned that barrel with a face cut. That sharp crown was eating its way through my delron center and I didn't know it till I was done and saw I was about ⅛" away from "eating my barrel for lunch."

I don't think a brass center ever made a rifle shoot better so I opted for delrin. Be careful with it.
 
Barrel spinner/polishing aid

Check local automovtive machine shops, they burn broken bearing/stud with EDM . As the other post stated usally not that much cost . Saved me on #4-40, #6-48, and #10-24 on jobs. OWLSHOP
 
Well, I am happy to report back that the prong thingy worked pretty darn good. Cleaned the hole out the best I could, heated the aluminum with a heat gun for about a minute, stuck the prongs down the flutes and turned it out with not problems at all. Finished tapping the hole with a high quality tap and almost finished. Still waiting on a collet to hold my extended end mill to finish off the corners.
 
Well...I got everything done and its a functional barrel spinner. I must say, it works pretty darn well. The Kalamazoo belt sander does a wonderful job...I just need to bolt it down, lol. There is definitely a learning curve involved with using a spinner and I can see how a barrel can get ripped out if not careful. Now the brackets need anodized.

I tested it out using 3 different grit belts. 180, 320 and 600. 600 puts a pretty fine finish non a barrel. I think if going for a mirror look, 800 and then a buffing wheel might be in order. Not sure if I want to use the spinner on a buffing wheel? Scotch Brite makes a super fine 1x42 belt, I may order one to try...they are rather expensive though, $17 plus shipping.

Anyone polish to a shiny mirror? What is your process?
 
DSM said:
I think if going for a mirror look, 800 and then a buffing wheel might be in order. Not sure if I want to use the spinner on a buffing wheel?

Anyone polish to a shiny mirror? What is your process?
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Yes, yes and yes...... buffing wheel.

IMO the fact that you're asking the question indicates the proper mindset. Your mind's in the right place, YES you use a spinner on the buffer to quickly achieve a pretty high gloss and YES it can go from zero to 10,000rpms in about one second.......it is frightening and the reason I believe spinners best be STOUT! I personally would never run delrin centers because one screwup and they'll shear off like butter.

IMO

This is for "high gloss," what most people refer to as "mirror polish, like a chrome bumper where you can see yourself in it. For TRUE high gloss like "I can't see where the surface starts" you have to move beyond the buffer to handwork. But first you have to work up in minimalistic stages from grit to grit and block sand for absolute flatness, the prepwork necessary for true high gloss is ridiculously time consuming. True high gloss is where you cry when you scratch the finish because you picked it up with the wrong pair of gloves or wiped it with a dirty napkin. True high gloss has to be treated like your prescription glasses because it's more delicate.

But anyway....... BUFFER + SPINNER = BE CAREFUL!
 
I finished mine up last night as well. Turned out really well. I took some pics with my phone, but I don't know how to post them on this site from the phone. I sent one to my buddy boyd. Maybe he could post the pic?? anyway I think this tool will be well used. Lee
 
skeetlee said:
I finished mine up last night as well. Turned out really well. I took some pics with my phone, but I don't know how to post them on this site from the phone. I sent one to my buddy boyd. Maybe he could post the pic?? anyway I think this tool will be well used. Lee
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Lee, android phone? I am using Dolphin browser in desktop mode and I'm able to use the file uploaded the same way as a PC. Simply click on select file, goto the gallery and pick the file you want. Click upload.

I agree, this thing will come in very handy! Does an excellent job...just takes a slight learning curve to know the limitations! More so with a high speed buffing wheel, lol.
 
alinwa said:
Yes, yes and yes...... buffing wheel.

IMO the fact that you're asking the question indicates the proper mindset. Your mind's in the right place, YES you use a spinner on the buffer to quickly achieve a pretty high gloss and YES it can go from zero to 10,000rpms in about one second.......it is frightening and the reason I believe spinners best be STOUT! I personally would never run delrin centers because one screwup and they'll shear off like butter.

IMO

This is for "high gloss," what most people refer to as "mirror polish, like a chrome bumper where you can see yourself in it. For TRUE high gloss like "I can't see where the surface starts" you have to move beyond the buffer to handwork. But first you have to work up in minimalistic stages from grit to grit and block sand for absolute flatness, the prepwork necessary for true high gloss is ridiculously time consuming. True high gloss is where you cry when you scratch the finish because you picked it up with the wrong pair of gloves or wiped it with a dirty napkin. True high gloss has to be treated like your prescription glasses because it's more delicate.

But anyway....... BUFFER + SPINNER = BE CAREFUL!
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Al...the guys at S&S Precision are using a wood lathe to spin the barrel and a crankshaft polisher to get the mirror finish...

check the short segement in this Youtube video of the build...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1opz3d97iY8
 
That's a long video! To bad one of them at S&S didn't do the paint, they'd have it all in one shop. I never heard of S&S before, except on Hot Rod Harley's.
I hadn't heard of the West Texas 400 yd championship either.
Cool video!
I reckon that prooves somebody out there really does polish barrels with a crankshaft polisher on a wood lathe. I'm happy I have my little belt sander and a spinning jig, it takes up less room.
 
Jay Cutright said:
That's a long video! To bad one of them at S&S didn't do the paint, they'd have it all in one shop. I never heard of S&S before, except on Hot Rod Harley's.
I hadn't heard of the West Texas 400 yd championship either.
Cool video!
I reckon that prooves somebody out there really does polish barrels with a crankshaft polisher on a wood lathe. I'm happy I have my little belt sander and a spinning jig, it takes up less room.
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Jay, S&S Precision is comprised mostly of the guys who were involved with SG&Y Rifles (Speedy Gonzales) before he left for Trinidad Colorado..They are makers of fine target rifles...they are considered one of the premier gunsmiths of long range and short range benchrest rifles in Texas...they are active in long range shooting here in Texas and donate generously to support those matches..we shoot an informal long range match where clay targets and a bullseye are placed at 400 or 600 yards and shot for score...we also shoot steel plates at 1000 yards...these types of matches are inexpensive to run and are primarily "money" matches..with cash or rifle components as winners purse.."very popular"
 
They sure made a good video.
When I first saw it I thought the 400 yd was a misprint. I knew someone has been holding a registered 600 yd match in Texas that has been a big deal the past couple years, been thinkn I might have to shoot in Texas sometime. These days I'm doing good to make it to Missouri a couple times then go to the nationals, so the big Texas state match is not in my plans this year.
How's that new pipe sander working out for you Ed?
 
Jay Cutright said:
They sure made a good video.
When I first saw it I thought the 400 yd was a misprint. I knew someone has been holding a registered 600 yd match in Texas that has been a big deal the past couple years, been thinkn I might have to shoot in Texas sometime. These days I'm doing good to make it to Missouri a couple times then go to the nationals, so the big Texas state match is not in my plans this year.
How's that new pipe sander working out for you Ed?
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The pipe sander/polisher was a good buy...I bought the 400 and 600 grit belts, but they were still too coarse for polishing..am going to buy the 2000 grit belts later and then use the felt belt with rouge...just need to get my shop workload worked down before I start experimenting...

Eddie in Texas
 
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