DD,
I don't know how I missed this tutorial when you first posted it. I have admired your work I have seen here and read several articles on the web about drillium. I thought you had fabricated all the various jigs and bucks needed by the quality of your work. Your high light paint details really make the parts snap. Very professional tutorial and pictures. Attention to Detail, SC.
Bill
whatwolf, the levers came out fantastic for a first drilling project! I also like the little blue clamp you used. It seems great for holding small pieces and solid enough for drilling into metal. What make and model is it, if you don't mind my asking? Very clever idea to use the piece of flat metal bar to hold the ends of the levers steady.
The red accents add a nice little touch to them also. I remember someone mentioning a "paint pen" in another thread/post but forgot what they said. Would you mind sharing what you used?
I hope this thread keeps going and going with new drillium projects!
Last edited by RosyRambler; 07-23-12 at 11:02 AM. Reason: Another thought
Bill, this thread series was actually started well over a year ago, however, the final drillium thread was delayed by personal stuff and by trying to figure out how to take pictures of the process. Additionally, the original two threads (stripping and sanding/polishing) included photos that disappeared when I had to remove them from my Flickr account before I went pro (used to be limited to 200 photos). As a result, I had to go back, re-read the threads, re-stage and then re-shoot the pics.Originally Posted by qcpmsame
These might be the reasons you missed this stuff - and thanks for the very kind assessment. I just hope this stuff helps anyone out there wanting to try it for themselves; it seems whatwolf has already got it down
Thanks to RosyRambler who made a behind-the-scenes plea to update the old threads and finish with this final thread.
DD
My Flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30331021@N08/
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a bike and that's pretty close"
Me, too - Italuminium was going to try a front derailleur so I'm looking forward to what he comes up with
DD
My Flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30331021@N08/
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a bike and that's pretty close"
I recently did a chainring and had the benefit of a drill press. Here's a very low-tech jig I threw together in a few minutes. The only other thing I've tried is shifters I did years ago with a crude set of graduated holes. This thread inspires me to re-work them!
Ha, I've indeed started a drillium project, but it's not finished yet, needs some infills. Fd and shifters.
Pass the Dutchie on the non-drive side.
Nice. Did you break any bits? I have access to a drill press at work and this looks like a lot more fun than doing it by hand! I may have to copy your jig.I recently did a chainring and had the benefit of a drill press. Here's a very low-tech jig I threw together in a few minutes. The only other thing I've tried is shifters I did years ago with a crude set of graduated holes. This thread inspires me to re-work them!
Thank you. The little blue clamp is a Dremel brand bench vise, designed with more delicate things in mind. It's partially plastic, so not as robust as a real vise (in fact I already sort of broke it by overtightening), but it works and was cheap on amazon. And yes since I didn't want to take the levers apart I just used the mini crowbar to have something to push against.
The paint pen I used for the accents is a sharpie extra fine point I had around from a previous project. Quicker than getting out my testors model paints and no clean-up!
No; no problem at all. The jig just keeps all the holes a uniform distance from the teeth. I thought about using a nail for a pin to ensure uniform spacing between the teeth, but decided it really wasn't necessary.
The one I drilled is a 42 ring. I used the inner holes of a factory-drilled 53 ring to mark the hole locations. But I think maybe I like DD's method better of just placing the holes below the teeth.
Here's the end product.
Last edited by due ruote; 07-24-12 at 09:39 AM.
This is great stuff!
I feel a little like Yoda
Perhaps I can retire now and let you guys/gals keep the flame...
DD
My Flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30331021@N08/
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a bike and that's pretty close"
Your work is top notch. I may have to try drilling something around here....This is great stuff!
I feel a little like Yoda
Perhaps I can retire now and let you guys/gals keep the flame...
DD
I worked in a Plating shop when I was in my teens (a long time ago). I remember the better the alloy, the better the anodizing results. I wish that place as still there.
Due Route,
That is some seriously nice drillium there, you did very well, sir. I think after reading this thread and going back through a bunch or old thread with DD's stuff in them I am going to put my Dremel to work, too. I want to make up a few generic jigs and bucks so my shaky hands have some guidance.
DD, do you use a pin punch to mark the point you want to drill at to start? We use them all the time so the bit doesn't walk around on the start, along with the split point cobalt bits I wrote you about. It saves a lot of clean up and cuts down the profanity levels a little, on the construction site.
Bill
Thanks, but I'm sure you're giving me too much credit, as I only drilled the inner ring. I am seriously not worthy to sweep DD's floor.
OK, thanks to this thread, I decided there's no time like the present to finish off my shifters, present being about 30 yrs. after I drilled the holes.
I cheated and put the shifters in a vise. I also cut out the waste with a jeweler's saw, partly because I had one handy, and partly because my Dremel isn't variable speed. I did use it, though (along with some jeweler's files), for cleanup, and with the piece clamped up it was pretty easy. Thanks for that tip - using the Dremel as a router isn't something I would have thought of.
How you do it freehand holding the work in your lap is beyond me.
DD. Fun stuff to see. What about structural integrity? What parts end up being Jewelry vs everyday functional componants? Do you have experinece as to what material can be removed from what location? The shift levers are a good example with brake levers even more important. I really don't see a significant impact on chain rings but the amount of material removed from the FD clamp has me a little concerned.
The variable speed Dremel is one thing I insist on as I do my drills at work be VSR. You should drill steel and aluminum at a slow speed anyway, it is much less likely to catch or snag the works and bits last much longer.
One thing y'all may already know about is the drill bit lube sticks you can get at any hardware or home building supply store. It is a wax like stick you apply by running the drill on low and sticking the lube against the bit while it turns. WE use them religiously at work and with this and using a Cobalt High Speed Steel (HSS) split point bit you get a lot more holes than dry drilling or cheap bits.
Bill
Bill, I did pick up one recently, but it really only seems to work on parts that are relatively flat, such as chainrings. I did this when I drilled my first ring using Alex Moll's drill press vice the Dremel. I liked the way it worked in that situation, and I have another chainring drillium project going that I will also use that for - this ring project will be golf-ball drillings vice all-the-way-through.
DD
My Flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30331021@N08/
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a bike and that's pretty close"
Hah - I'm throwing the bull**** flag on that one; the levers you re-modded look fantastic, and if you got them that way by using the drill-bit-as-router tecnique, you're there
Nice job!
I sincerely hope others continue to share their work on this thread, because we're already seeing some super efforts and I for one am looking forward to more.
Okay, lunchbreak is over - back to work for me.
DD
My Flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30331021@N08/
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a bike and that's pretty close"
Looking great, folks. I've got to get some drillium going ...as soon as I finish these nine other projects I've got going.
One thing that might help budding drillium artists is the use of milling cutters. Great for removing excess material within your cutouts and, as opposed to twist drills, milling cutters are designed to cut sideways, if you will. A conventional twist drill is designed for cutting on its sharpened tip only. The flutes do have an edge ground on them the length of the bit but primarily for keeping the hole round, the bit tracking concentrically. The side flutes of a milling cutter are sharpened to cut against material radially.
I sent the D. Dude some 1/8 inch carbide milling cutters and I think he's had good success with them. Much easier to remove material with than a twist drill.
Keep up the excellent thread and work, gents. With any luck, I'll be able to contribute to this thread in , say .... nine months
30 years ago I got a little carried away w/ my drill & later realized I removed too much. As a result, they bend a bit when I power shift. Armed with all this good info, extra levers on hand, I might give it another shot since I have all the dangerous tools...lol Thanx DD...!
Here's a "work in progress" piece I started a while back. It's been sitting in my tool box for a while waiting for an "light bulb moment" for how I want to finish it. I also just picked up a FD that's in pretty sorry shape - a perfect victim a a matching piece
Photo466.jpg
Here are a couple of my favorite tools for this stuff. First is my pencil grinder - like a dremel but pneumatic. Way faster RPMs and much handier to wield as well. Second up and I strongly recommend picking a couple of these is a center-drill. These come in diferent diameters as well as counter-sink anglels. Get a hole and a chamfer in one shot! Last is a ball-nose end mill. I put this up here because DD mentioned a few posts up "golf ball' dimples. This is the perfect tool! I'm not sure how well it would work by hand (end mills like rigid set-ups). Oh and DD if you ever want come down and play with the Bridgeport mill, just let me know!
Photo465.jpg
-Andy
Scott's right - the only issue I have with them is their relative scarcity (the "helper" at ACE on Sunday didn't know what I was talking about) and you have to really take it easy to start if you're used to the drill-bit-router approach. They will skip and try to jump away if you don't keep a sharp eye on control and concentration.One thing that might help budding drillium artists is the use of milling cutters. Great for removing excess material within your cutouts and, as opposed to twist drills, milling cutters are designed to cut sideways, if you will. A conventional twist drill is designed for cutting on its sharpened tip only. The flutes do have an edge ground on them the length of the bit but primarily for keeping the hole round, the bit tracking concentrically. The side flutes of a milling cutter are sharpened to cut against material radially.
I sent the D. Dude some 1/8 inch carbide milling cutters and I think he's had good success with them. Much easier to remove material with than a twist drill.
Keep up the excellent thread and work, gents. With any luck, I'll be able to contribute to this thread in , say .... nine months
That said, they remove material like nobody's business - probably cut the time to take out the remaining material on a pair of shift levers I tested them on by a factor of three. I am looking for more
Scott: many thanks for tipping me to these - and for providing four for my test-runs!
DD
My Flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30331021@N08/
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a bike and that's pretty close"
I've had only two pieces break - and only one happened in-use: a pair of shift levers milled just like the photo in 1 Lugnut's post. As he notes, they bend when "power shifted" - that's exactly what happened to my pal, but the FD lever broke on one side at the point closest to the pivot. Since then, I've always milled them in two sections, leaving a bridge/gusset between the two sections for rigidity - and I don't mill any further down the lever than the "P" in the "Patent Campagnolo" engraving/embossing.
The only other failure was a fully-milled NR RD - it broke under spring tension while re-assembling. In that case, I'd simply removed to much material. In point of fact, I don't fully-mill RDs anymore unless someone specifically asks for a commission - and only with the caveat that it's not meant to be used. Poprad would know about that
Oh, and the FD mount? The only time you have to be careful is clamping it into place - slowly, slowly does the trick. In operation, the large area on the driveside is taking all the shifting torque - the rest of the clamp is only there to keep the derailleur in position. Think of a braze-on FD and you'll get my drift.
DD
Last edited by Drillium Dude; 07-24-12 at 11:02 PM.
My Flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30331021@N08/
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a bike and that's pretty close"
Someday I hope to get some cool stuff like this - but for now, and my tour on DG, I'll have to stick with my trusty Dremel. I did get one of the flexible drive fittings for it, though, and I'll be trying that soon.
Andy's got some neat stuff going, too - and boy oh boy, does he have a lot of big-boy machines to play with (I'm totally jealous)!
DD
My Flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30331021@N08/
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a bike and that's pretty close"
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