Shaping Vulcanite Rod?

ScoJo · Post by **ScoJo** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:58 pm

I watched Tyler's videos today on stem work, and I have to ask - how do you shape that rod into something like a saddle bit? Forgive the ignorance, but I have no idea how one does this. Is it carved out by hand, and if so with what?

Post by **Tyler** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:21 pm

A combination of disc sander, belt sander, dremel, and hand files are what I use. (I use the dremel with a sanding drum to shape the saddles.)

When I was making that stem for the videos, I video'd the process of shaping it, but I lost those videos somehow.

Tyler

jeff · Post by **jeff** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:49 pm

Disk sander, hand files, sandpaper. That's really all you need for finishing the outside of the stems once they're drilled and the tenon is turned.

ToddJohnson · Post by **ToddJohnson** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:09 am

jeff wrote:Disk sander, hand files, sandpaper. That's really all you need for finishing the outside of the stems once they're drilled and the tenon is turned.

I would add that a very sharp knife for scraping the stems down once they're filed is almost a necessity. Certainly you can manage a nice finish without this procedure, but it is *drastically* more difficult and time consuming.

Todd

Post by **Tyler** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:14 am

I'll echo Todd's comment. Once I finally learned how to properly used this trick, finishing stems went from being a nightmare to being quite tolerable.

Tyler

jeff · Post by **jeff** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 12:10 pm

I'll third that. I forgot to mention the razor sharp knife in my list of tools. Tyler is right, it makes getting scratchless, mirror finishes on the stems much easier.

Jeff