Miniature Scraper plane

[flyingtractors1]

Here we go again.  I've found a "new" tool that I must have in my collection.  I don't have the actual tool but found some pictures to work from.  Bolow is a pic of the goal.  Ralph

[flyingtractors1]

I visualize it on paper and in three dimensional space.  Ralph

[flyingtractors1]

Got a good start today.

Drew and cut paper patterns.



glued patterns to brass stock 1/2" X 3/16




Began painstaking process of cutting out parts.  This is tedious work but must be done precisely to ensure proper fit as parts come together.

[Rob.Wilson]

Hi Ralph ,
 its good to see your doing a build log on making this tool ,I am sure it will be interesting to see how you go about  make these fine wee tools 

Rob

[flyingtractors1]

Some operations are basic drilling on the drill press or by hand useing a pin vise or some other devise.  This is basic but very important.  The hole(s) must be in exactly the right place.  The tolerance for error at this scale is very very slight.  Ralph



Tapping holes and cutting threads are basic operations in every build. Here it is important to follow drilling and tapping scales / schedules; the tiny taps employed can easily break and errors are difficult to correct.  Sometimes a part has to be made anew and the procedure repeated.  I just hate it when a tap breaks off and ruins a part - especially when the part was a long time in the making.

[flyingtractors1]

And here we are, parts laid out in proximity as they belong with soldering flux coating the areas that are to be silver soldered (this is really more like brazing than lead soldering). Often the pieces are pinned or tied (with thin wire) on a ceramic board. This is a very trickey procedure but it is magical because when done right the pieces aren't just "glued" together; they really do become one piece as the parts melt into each other without distortion if the temperature applied is carefully regulated. I have used a butane torch to unite smaller pieces and sometimes need to use an oxy acetylene torch. Sounds simple? Well, maybe it is untill a third piece is to be united with the previously joined parts in a multiple piece part. Keeping in mind that brass melts at 1650 to 1720 degrees Fahrenheit when a particular part requires the joining of several pieces that cannot be laid out for a "one shot" soldering, the first union is soldered with a "hard" solder which melts at 1365 degrees; the next union is soldered with "medium" solder which melts at 1275 degrees, and the third union is soldered with "EZ" solder which melts at 1240. Therefore it is important to observe and carefully regulate the soldering temperature in each case so that the second soldering heat does not remelt the first soldered joint and the third heat does not melt the previous two joints causing everything to fall apart or shift rather than adhere in place (I hate it when that happens). This got wordy because it can be a complicated process and much care must be taken. Ralph

[Mayhem]

WOW 

That is all I can say really...

[vtsteam]

Thank you for this series, I'm really enjoying it!

[flyingtractors1]

Thanks gents.  A little more progress today.  I've been anticipating this part with some apprehension because it is a critical operation to do precisely right the first time. The slightest error here could corrupt the entire piece and send me back to square one. And it has heartbreakingly happened in the past. It is important that this procedure be conducted with exacting precision. Sodering flux has been applied to the well cleaned surfaces that will make contact, and the bottom and side plates are positioned in perfect proximity to each other and pinned in place on a ceramic block. Higher temperature silver solder chips are arranged along the contact points, and heat is applied incrementally so that the brass parts achieve the melting temperature of the solder but not a temperature that would damage the brass. It is a thrill when the exact flow temperature is achieved and the silver solder is seen flowing to every contact point between the pieces--first left side, then right side.





A little closer up.






Now the piece is allowed to cool as we wait to examine the results. It is not my intent to make such a big deal of such a small thing, but silver soldering can be very tricky. I have done it enough times in the past to feel confident about my skill level, but not enough times to think that I am an expert. Every time I hold my breath with hopeful anticipation. Ralph

[flyingtractors1]

A little progress every day. Sometimes the parts are assembled in their roughstate to make sure that they are compatible and for some tweeking or adjusting. And because I can't wait to see the shape and form that it is taking. This will often happen several times along the way.






.
Now comes my least favorite part -- fileing and progressively finer grit sanding.  I'll spare you those details, but will also work on minor details of the smallest parts that often require the greatest attention and time.  Rarely does it come out the way I want it the first time.  Ralph

[flyingtractors1]

"Little by little"      Ralph

[flyingtractors1]

And now for the really small stuff.

[micktoon]

Wow Ralph , that is quality craftmanship with a capital Q  . Seeing it coming together and the silver solder reminds me of an old friend that makes Roman armour , he has constructed buckles etc with the same methods and as you say , very tricky to solder  two parts , then attach more without upsetting what has already been done.
  An excellent post , I like the way you can tell from the post you still get a thrill from constructing a tool like this from scratch , I bet time goes out the window once you get going and only your stomach rumbling reminds you its way past lunch time 
  I look forward to seeing the next stage , Thanks for posting .
  Cheers Mick.

[shipto]

really nice work  eager for more.

[vtsteam]

Wow Ralph , that is quality craftmanship with a capital Q  . Seeing it coming together and the silver solder reminds me of an old friend that makes Roman armour , he has constructed buckles etc with the same methods and as you say , very tricky to solder  two parts , then attach more without upsetting what has already been done.
  An excellent post , I like the way you can tell from the post you still get a thrill from constructing a tool like this from scratch , I bet time goes out the window once you get going and only your stomach rumbling reminds you its way past lunch time 
  I look forward to seeing the next stage , Thanks for posting .
  Cheers Mick.

Exactly! Couldn't have said it better.   

[flyingtractors1]

Thanks Mick and shipto.  I had thought that I'd love to have a tool of a special sort, and typically I do, but the usual let down and feelings of "and now what" presist until I start a new  project.  So I've realized that it is the trip that is especially pleasureable.  Every build presents a new set of challenges, and that's what tickles me.  When I know what to do or how to do it -- I'm doing it __ right past dinner, bedtime and reason.  I often eat while I work, and sometimes I have to rest but can't wait to get up and continue.  It is nice to be "self employed"  and insanely obsessed with a passion.  Ralph

[flyingtractors1]

ditto -- vsteam.  Ralph

[flyingtractors1]

Well, it happens -- sometimes it just doesn't look right, and I'm forced to build a part over again. The knurled nuts to adjust the frog just seemed out of scale and were not pleasing to the eye, so I had to make new ones. Ralph

At the lathe with a jewelers fine knurling tool








The initial knurl nuts looked more like monster truck knobby tires compared to the new ones which more closely fit the proper scale.

[micktoon]

Hi Ralph, its good that making things can still get a hold of you like that  and long may it continue , it seems strange to think that some people can go through life content with doing nothing more than watching tv  .
  I think you have done the right thing remaking the knurls with finer pattern Ralph they look much better ............... keep up the good work but try to remember to eat and sleep too 

Cheers Mick.

[dsquire]

Hi Ralph

It is a real pleasure to follow along while you build and show your minature tools. Each and every one of them is definitly a piece of art. The fact that you decided to make the knurled nuts over again just goes to show how critical you judge your own work. It is something that you can be proud of Ralph. I look forward to seeing more of it (after you have taken time to eat). 

Cheers

Don

[flyingtractors1]

Thanks Mick and Don.  I'm not really a perfectionist; it's just that the parts have to be right to make the whole pleasingly correct.  And sometimes it takes several attempts to get it that way. 

These parts just didn't look right



Finally a correct one resulted.



Need to take a break for lunch now.       Ralph

[flyingtractors1]

Getting there.  Ralph

[flyingtractors1]

Remember the goal?



And the results.

[flyingtractors1]

Thanks all.  Two weekends and the week days between was a quick build. Once I get on the trial, I tend to track fast if it is the only iron in the fire. Fortunately I can work at it "full time" now that I'm "retired". I'll post a pic of it in action -- "a still pic of it in action" and I've posted an actual action shot on my YouTube page under "Miniature "212" wood scraper in action" by Art Rafael. Thanks for following along on this build. The compliments and accolades you offered were motivational -- I felt that there was lots of help along the way.  Ralph

[andyf]

I've been quietly watching this. What a splendid little model! 

Ralph, thanks so much for taking us along and showing how you did it.

Andy