Hansom Cab

[PFW]

Thanks for the information Bill, very much appreciated, I'll give it a go. As I said, this was just trying things out for now, "suck it and see" method. The metal strip I had to file down to the right thickness, I have no other method/machinery to do it.
I'm have found that I can get brass strip at 0.9mm (1.2mm required) and am debating whether I can get away with it for 12BA nuts. It will certainly be easier than filing!



Paul.

[Bill Hudson]

Originally Posted by PFW

Thanks for the informatioar in front of the slot n Bill, very much appreciated, I'll give it a go. As I said, this was just trying things out for now, "suck it and see" method. The metal strip I had to file down to the right thickness, I have no other method/machinery to do it.
I'm have found that I can get brass strip at 0.9mm (1.2mm required) and am debating whether I can get away with it for 12BA nuts. It will certainly be easier than filing!



Paul.

Paul,
I had the same problem when I was making nuts in strips. The nuts just did not look right in the thinner stock. They looked flat and oversized. What I ended up doing was to make the nuts slightly smaller (Underscale) so that the thickness matched the width of the nuts visually.

I have had this fixture so long that I forgot to memtion that by placing a flat bar in front of the fixture so that it covers the slot when you clamp it in the vice. This helps hold the nut stock tight and centered in the slot so your holes all line up. You can just hold the strip in place with your thumb as you drill it too but it gets kind of warm (hot). The slots were cut with a hack saw.
It is a good idea to thread the nuts while they are still in the strip. I didn't think to do so the first time I made nuts that way.

[PFW]

Well I had a think and (yes it hurt), looked at what stuff I had at hand and came up with this. It works, as you can see, and although you can put it in a vice, being made of wood you can hand hold it, keeping your thumb on the stock being drilled with no heat blisters!!!

......

I can drill along one side and then turn it round and drill the other. I know it's a bit Heath Robinson, but.....



Paul.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by PFW

I'm have found that I can get brass strip at 0.9mm (1.2mm required)

I have always gone with the belief that it's better to rather make something smaller than larger - it looks less obvious.

[PFW]

When I had made the jig for drilling, I thought that it was about time I tried to make a socket spanner for these small nuts. So I got some 3/16th brass rod and drilled a hole 2mm in the centre (sorry to mix measurements), then cut a small section about 3mm long, then used a square needle file to 'cut' the corners into the hole. Bearing in mind that the bolts are longer than you finally end up with, I took some brass tube and soldered it to the 'socket', so the bolt could pass through. This also gave me something to get hold of while I fine tuned the small square, so I thought why not put a larger 10BA square the other end?....so I did.



......

This should make tightening the nuts easier.

Next is a little jig I made to get the centre of round stock (no lathe). I draw three or four lines (moving the jig round the stock) just to make sure.



............

It's all go.



Paul.

[Bill Hudson]

Originally Posted by PFW

When I had made the jig for drilling, I thought that it was about time I tried to make a socket spanner for these small nuts. So I got some 3/16th brass rod and drilled a hole 2mm in the centre (sorry to mix measurements), then cut a small section about 3mm long, then used a square needle file to 'cut' the corners into the hole. Bearing in mind that the bolts are longer than you finally end up with, I took some brass tube and soldered it to the 'socket', so the bolt could pass through. This also gave me something to get hold of while I fine tuned the small square, so I thought why not put a larger 10BA square the other end?....so I did.



......

This should make tightening the nuts easier.

Next is a little jig I made to get the centre of round stock (no lathe). I draw three or four lines (moving the jig round the stock) just to make sure.



............

It's all go.



Paul.

Paul, It looks to me that you have way too much time on your hands. But reinventing the wheel is a lot of fun isn't?Good going. I have not been able to spend any tine in my studio. Perhaps you could come and help me get caught up. We do have a spare bedroom just off the studio.

[PFW]

Taken time off from re-inventing wheels to whip up a couple of door stops with rubber tips.

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Very fiddly to do, the rubber is glued into some brass tubing which was soldered onto a bent rod which was soldered onto a 10BA screw.
There may be some adjustment on the final assembly, we'll have to see.



Paul.

[Bill Hudson]

Cute little buggers, nice extra detail.

[PFW]

That's the word for them...cute!
I wasn't 100% satisfied with them so I made another pair that give the doors slightly extra room to open wider. Will decide which to use when all the suspension is back on (and the wheels).
So I started on the interior lower side panels, these sit partly behind the seat and the back cushioning. Instead of my usual buttoning method, I thought that I would 'cheat' on the side panels by using brass nails.
Because there is a gap between the outer skin and the inner panels due to the frame, I decided to glue a block of wood to take the brass nails. A kitchen sponge was used for padding behind the leather (left over from the Brougham).

......

Guide holes drilled into the panel and through the wooden backing then the sponge put on.
I blackened the head of the pins using brass blacking (I heated the heads before quenching them in the blacking solution because I have gotten better results if the object was hot).




The leather was glued to the sponge/panel and then I pushed a pin through the guide holes and hammered the pins in.



......

Quite pleased with the results, but I will do the cushions/seat the 'proper' way I think, have to see.



Paul.

[PFW]

I did the rest of the upholstery in a similar way (using brass pins into some wooden backing) it seems to have turned out OK.



The batons of wood fit into the framework at the back of the cabin.

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I painted the brass pins when they were in position with satin finish black paint.
There will be strips to cover the side pieces where they join the elbow cushions.



Paul.