Miniature Tools

[Art Rafael]

And have built the essentials -- Master Pattern, Rubber Mold and Wax Patterns and a limited production run (all I needed was 1), but all set to produce more of this model.   Ralph

[john k]

I am almost afraid to see a penny laid next to that monkey wrench.   Remarkable, fantastic, and envious as all heck.   

[Lewill2]

My guess is that it is laying on graph paper with 1/4 inch grid lines.

[Art Rafael]

Yes.  1/4 inch grid background.  I've misplaced my penny.   Ralph

[Lewill2]

Misplaced? You probably melt pennies down to make miniature tool parts!

[Art Rafael]

Yeah.   : )    I have, but only the real copper ones.   Ralph

[OilyRascal]

By all means, if there is anything I might route to your for recycling please let me know; pennies, cpu's, lead, etc.  Clearly it would be re-purposed into objects with class.

[Art Rafael]

Thank you, OilyRascal.  You and many of the members of this forum already have already provided me with the most essential elements to my industry - your attentive support, encouragement, motivation, incentive and affirmation.  I appreciate it very much and am fortunate to be in your virtual presence.  Ralph

ps:  I am in constant search of exotic tight grained wood scraps that would make nice tool handles.

[OilyRascal]

Thank you, OilyRascal.  You and many of the members of this forum already have already provided me with the most essential elements to my industry - your attentive support, encouragement, motivation, incentive and affirmation.  I appreciate it very much and am fortunate to be in your virtual presence.  Ralph

ps:  I am in constant search of exotic tight grained wood scraps that would make nice tool handles.

Ralph - please further explain "exotic tight grained wood scraps".  I would enjoy a contribution if I were able.

[Jim C.]

I've really been enjoying this thread Ralph.  Great stuff!!

Jim C.

[Art Rafael]

Thanks Jim C.  I've learned lots from your posts, and it's all in my main vein of interest.  I'll keep watching.  Ralph

[Art Rafael]

Hi again Oily Rascal.  I don't mean to put anybody to any trouble.  I just meant that I like to use different / unusual types of wood on the handles of my miniature tools - totes, knobs etc. (small pieces), and I like to use wood with very close / tight growth rings so that it looks scale with my miniatures.  I have used Ebony, Bocote, Cocobolo and such along with many domestic hard woods but would like to try something new (new to me).  Some crafters keep an odds and ends scrap wood bin with some such stuff.  I don't even know what to call it - but there maybe some stuff around that I don't even know about.  Ralph

[oldtools]

You are amazing!! ~2"? what material? looks like brass...
looks like you drilled through the movable jaw & threaded a hole for the drive screw. and notched the fixed for the knurl nut. did you braze the handle on? I have some merbau wood if you want..

[Art Rafael]

Hi oldtools,

If you mean my "post #210" - the monkey wrench picture with the rubber mold and wax pattern and the master pattern, you are right on all counts - except that the finished wrench with the wood handles is silver, and the master mold on the right is gold - one can almost make out the "10k" mark where the three branches join (in those days 20 years ago) I valued the master molds highly and gold was "cheap", and I liked the Romanticism of  the old art of pattern and mold making.  The master is now worth 10 X what it was then (who would a known?).  I did drill a hole the length of the movable jaw and threaded it 0-80 (that was a trick to do), and then notched for the thumb screw (knurled by hand in those days) and silver soldered the handle on.  It turned out 2" long (1/4 scale to an old model I had)

You are very observant to deduce all that from one picture.  I imagine that you have a good eye for mechanisms of all sorts.  Ralph


And you may remember these:











ps:  I do have some Merbau. 

[Art Rafael]

And have built the essentials -- Master Pattern, Rubber Mold and Wax Patterns and a limited production run (all I needed was 1), but all set to produce more of this model.   Ralph

But first it goes without saying that the Master pattern and Master mold had to be created to get us to this stage.  The Master mold building was presented on page 10, and below is a pic of how the Master pattern was constructed which yielded the mold.  Each component was hand carved / filed of hard wax and arranged with proper flow channels - that is, connected together with softer wax wire to form a single piece and providing channels for the molten metal to reach every part then suspended in a plaster filled flask.  Then it was burnt out (lost wax), and remaining cavity in the plaster mold was injected with molten metal, cooled and finished (filed, sanded and buffed to perfection).  This could be the end of the process if only one piece was desired, but to produce multiple copies - a Master Pattern has to be free of imperfections because every little detail will transfer to the rubber mold and then appear on the resulting secondary patterns.