Jig for Large Parts

Tira

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Nov 9, 2006
Messages
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Doylestown, PA
Yesterday I was working on a set of antique brass head lamp buckets. They are 10.5" in diameter at the base and 7" tall. The good news is that they are not heavy so they are relatively easy to control in my vise jig. I'm posting pictures of the jig to give people ideas about how to hold awkward parts. All the parts for the jig were purchased at home depot and put together like an erector set.
 

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Sam

Chief Administrator & Benevolent Dictator
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Nov 6, 2006
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Covington, Louisiana
I have to hand it to you...that's very creative engineering. You really are fearless when it comes to engraving! / ~Sam
 

William Grubb

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Nov 10, 2006
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Haubstadt ,In
Tira,
Thanks for posting your holding ideas, I've never engraved anything large , but I'm shure your holding fixture ideas will come in handy some day.
 

GeorgeKhayata

Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
58
Tira,
You're really smart, how did you think of this...........?
Also your engraving is nice, when I get a piece like this I usualy hold it on my lap
to engrave it.
Keep shoing us your nice work, God bless you.
George
 

Glenn

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Nov 9, 2006
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714
When you spend time makeing a jig like this do you charge your customer for the time and materials used? In addition, of course, the job is done faster, better and in the long run cheaper. Right?
 

Tira

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Nov 9, 2006
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Location
Doylestown, PA
KSnyder - I should have been an engineer, but I started in music school and after I left the school for the arts my parents wouldn't pay for the 5th year option to complete an engineering degree so I went the business route instead. I did hang around with all the physicists and statistics majors however... Maybe some of that rubbed off.

Glenn - it would be so great to collect from clients every time I have to make a jig, etc. Unfortunatley, even though I try to factor the time/materials into a project I don't always get it right. This jig has saved me more in the set up and execution of many jobs since the first one that it has paid for itself. This is the 3rd set of head lamp buckets in the last 2 years not to mention the bells, etc.

Tim - The lettering on the head lamp is what I recreated. I do a lot of restoration car part engraving. People who are restoring antique cars want the same markings on the part that were originally there. Usually I get a part where the lettering or symbols are almost totally obliterated by rust or decay and I have to "fix" it. I do this by taking measurements and recreating the lettering in Corel and then re-engraving over anything that may be left on the part. It is almost better if all the lettering is ground away. It is very hard to half engrave letters and make them all match especially when they were machine marked in the first place. This set of markings I did with a 120 but many I have to do with rounds to match what is alread there.
 

fegarex

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Nov 8, 2006
Messages
2,061
Location
Ludington, MI
Tira,
Nice job on the lettering and holding fixture! I do quite a bit of lettering restoration and you are right. It is almost better if you start from scratch. The best case is if you can get a good pull of the lettering from a good example or before restoration has begun. That way they can just remove all of it and make things easier.
 

Norm

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2006
Messages
38
Location
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Hi Tira,

Thanks for posting this information. I too hope to one day engrave on some larger parts. Your ingenuity is a great example of finding solutions to problems. Thanks again!
 

monk

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Feb 11, 2007
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washington, pa
the worst ever for me: had to engrave 2 harley front fenders. took nearly a day to figger a proper jig to allow the cuts i wanted to do. i'm gonna dig up one of my favorite jigs snap a pic and send it to you. monk
 

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