Trying to make a bolt knob for Savage 11

[Clark]

From right to left in line up:
Anodized Aluminum from the factory, 1.27 ounces
IPE wood, drilled and tapped Aluminum alloy insert, both glues are Silicon sealant 0.74 ounces
IPE wood, drilled and tapped steel 7/16-20 threaded rod insert, both glues are Silicon sealant 0.88 ounces
Maple wood, drilled and tapped stainless steel 7/16-20 threaded rod insert, both glues are Silicon sealant 0.85 ounces
Ebony wood, drilled and tapped stainless steel 7/16-20 threaded rod insert, both glues are Silicon sealant 1.2 ounces


The picture of the block [tomorrow's knob] is
Oak wood, drilled and tapped stainless steel 7/16-20 threaded rod insert, the one glue so far [no coin yet] is Devcon liquid steel two part epoxy

[Clark]

I made two more today, one from Oak and one from ebony.
I will always use epoxy on the threaded insert from now on.

[Bzcraig]

The ebony one is really nice!!

[Clark]

BZcraig, you encouragement just got me to order more ebony

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-1-2-x-1-1-...r/311504819392

[725]

This is so neat. You do very nice work, indeed.

[Bzcraig]

BZcraig, you encouragement just got me to order more ebony

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-1-2-x-1-1-...r/311504819392

I've always been a sucker for the combination of black & shiny together. Then adding the third element of copper is very nice. Wish I had your skill set and tooling!

[Clark]

I made one from IPE wood this morning. It cost me $2.98 ebay delivered to get an uncirculated penny from 1951, the year I was born.

[Clark]

Today I made an 8th bolt handle.
This one from a cherry tree I cut down in my late parent's yard 15 years ago.
I looked for the most irregular grain, and I got it.

[Clark]

I made a big one from my Mahogany.

[Clark]

Douglas Fir limb with many growth rings

[Any Cal.]

I keep clicking on the thread to see how they look on the rifle...

They seem like they look good, but need to see one mounted... or maybe all of them!

[Clark]

I got a 1/4" carbide drill bit and that sped things up, but not as much as these inserts that arrived:
http://www.globalindustrial.com/prod...emKey=30897002

I switched from Devcon liquid steel epoxy to 5 minute epoxy.

Some burled Maple arrived.
A 1951 dime arrived.
A PTG bolt for a short action Rem700 arrived.

[David2011]

Glad you got it solved. Having built radio controlled models since 1977 and flying models since 1964 or 65 I have learned a lot about adhesives.

Hope I don't step on any toes here. First, silicone sealer (not silicon, that is a hard substance) is not a glue. It is a sealer against air and water leaks. "Any cheap 5 minute epoxy" is not something to use anywhere on a firearm. Even "good" 5 minute never gets hard and it ages poorly. Just this week I peeled old 5 minute out of the hull of a nice RC sailboat. It was rubbery and turned loose pretty easy. I've done this many times over the years. It usually comes off of the surface leaving no evidence it was ever there. A job like this calls for Acra-glas, WEST Epoxy, 30 minute Z-Poxy or Aeropoxy. If filling a gap some milled glass fibers will thicken and strengthen the epoxy. A slow cure epoxy with sufficient milled glass fibers is strong enough to drill and tap with good structural strength. I use it for glass bedding as well, used like Acra-glas gel.

When using thickened epoxy it's best to brush some unthickened epoxy onto the bonding surfaces. The thickened epoxy won't soak in so the thinner stuff provides an anchor to the thickened portion. Many epoxies will not adhere to aluminum without roughing up the surface. Eve then it just locks into the scratches and may not truly stick. I've mixed WEST on 6061 aluminum sheets so I could peel the leftovers off after it cured.

Yesterday I repaired a door to an antique cabinet. Someone had used silicone sealer to adhere a poor repair in place. Getting it out was a real pain. Silicone sealer dissolves in gasoline but I couldn't use gas on the wood door.

Hope this helps send people in the right direction for adhesives.

[nekshot]

easy now, don't spend all your retirement money on those coins!! Looks good and I always liked the simple white knob on the Hurst competition plus shifters. Can you make one of them?

[bedbugbilly]

They certainly are beautiful and unique! I've enjoyed keeping track of this thread - beautiful work and I love the coins!

[Clark]

The Ginkgo sapwood from my yard is the worst wood I have ever dealt with. The grain raises when it gets oil... and I made my own mistakes on top of that.

But the African Blackwood cuts so smooth it only needs sanding for shaping. Here is a the Blackwood without tack cloth, oil, or wax. It is already smooth as silk.

[Dryball]

You do great work! You make me want to dig up my Snakewood and Lignum Vitae and send it to ya to work on.

[Clark]

I made one from Zebra wood, but it is open grain like Oak, and the grain gets raised when I clean it.

I just made one from Cherry, the tree my father planted, and I like that.

[Clark]

I made a couple more from cherry wood from my father's yard.

I made one from Rhododendron in my yard. It was live, wet, and hard to work. But the sap bled so it looked like vanilla ice cream mixing with sherbert. After a week in the shop it was dry and workable. But working it sands off the orange bleed through.