I was visiting a good friend of mine at his engine machine shop. We were in the head reconditioning area and I noticed some valves in the scrap bucket. They had the thinnest stems I had ever seen before and I joke with him that he was working on toy engines now. Turns out a lot of the newer engines had thin stemmed valves. A light bulb went on and I said I bet I could make some awls from those and he gave me some to try out. They are so hard that a hacksaw just skated across them so I chucked them in the lathe and used a cut off wheel in a die grinder to get the heads off. I used an angle grinder while they were spinning to start the sharpening process. I was careful of the heat while grinding but was thinking the hot combustion gases they are surrounded by while the engine is dunning. They would discolor as any metal does with heat. I do have an old wet grinding wheel that next to never gets used so I used it just to be on the safe side. After grinding I brought them to a smooth 600 grit finish with sand paper.
These measured out really close to 7/32 inches so I drilled a 13/64 hole in the handle wood for a press fit. I used some brass candle holders for the ferrule after straightening out the inside taper on the metal lathe. I installed the ferrule as a press fit and then drilled for the shaft and hammered the handle on with the shaft held between aluminum jaws in a vise to keep from marring it. Put it back on the lathe to finish turn it. I reverse chucked it to finish the handle end holding it by the ferrule after wrapping it with masking tape to protect it.
Awls From Engine Parts
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HandyDan
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Awls From Engine Parts
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HandyDan
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Youngstown, Oh
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Nickp
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Re: Awls From Engine Parts
You have a fantastic photographer's eye...! AWESOME...! ! !
Don't piss off old people. The older we get the less "Life in Prison" is a deterrent !
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Stick486
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Re: Awls From Engine Parts
that's a tool that's too good to use....
most excellent Dan...
most excellent Dan...
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
SNORK” Mountain Congressional Library and Taxidermy...
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Herb Stoops
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Re: Awls From Engine Parts
Good job,Dan, Did you put the metal disc on top? Looks like cherry,or maybe maple for the handle? Well now you know a good source of hard metal shafts. Good thinking to make awls from the valve stems.
Herb
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old55
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Re: Awls From Engine Parts
Brilliant.
Ross,
Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
‘Enjoy the knowledge of others that can be found within.’
Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
‘Enjoy the knowledge of others that can be found within.’
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HandyDan
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