[modeleng] Re: Question (maybe stupid)

1. Punch.
With aluminium, you can get away with a punch onto  soft material, such as
lead, rather than having a punch and die.
Best to remove as much metal as possible beforehand.

2. Filing IS really quite an easy way. It doesn't take as much skill as you
might imagine. As long as you mark the outline first, then file to it, it is
quite quick.

3.
You could actually drill it. Or rather, in industry they used to use
triangular drills, and also drills of other odd shapes.
In fact, the drill is fairly conventional and runs round the inside of a
holder that maintains the shape required.
As you haven't got one, and are unlikely to find one, this is a
pretty-useless piece of trivia!

If I were you, I would hope that Peter has one the right size.!!

.alan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

www.alanstepney.info
Model Engineering, Steam Engine, and Railway technical pages.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <peter.chadwick@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 9:26 AM
Subject: [modeleng] Question (maybe stupid)



How do you produce a D shaped hole? Say 3/8 inch diameter, with a flat
about 1/8 of a diameter? (in 16 gauge aluminium)

first thoughts are punching with a punch made from silver steel and
hardened. What about a die? I presume that when such dies are made by
toolmakers, they first produce a broach and pull it through the die
material, which is subsequently hardened.

Anyone suggesting a file and a smaller hole will get a raspberry blown at
them. I know that some say the only tools needed are a hammer, cold chisel
and some files, together with skill, but that last bit is lacking, and I'm
too old to get good enough in my lifetime!

Peter Chadwick
Swindon


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