can a newbie turn galvanized pipe on a lathe? I want to make a patch punch.

[Whiterabbit]

Hi guys,

I want to make a hammer operated patch punch for my flintlock. I plan to sharpen a piece of pipe, either EMT or galvanized iron pipe. I can sharpen the EMT very very easy, but nt sure it can hold up to repeated bashings via hammer. I know the gavanized will hold, but dont know if its easy to turn on a lathe.

You should know I am a very very amateur machinist and can only turn (at this time) "easy to machine" metals (aluminum, brass, and only simple operations on very clean steel). I assume galvy can be sharpened on the lathe, but is it an easy material to work with? can I just hacksaw off the threaded section then face and sharpen with HSS cutters in a fairly straightworward way?

[drhall762]

The galvanizing is just a zinc coating on the pipe. Just set up the chuck to hold it, use a bullnose on the tailstock if you don't have the spindle bore for the pipe and adjust you speeds and feeds accordingly. Use, say, 50SF and you should be good.

[joesig]

EMT surely won't survive bashing. Pipe with a sacrificial fitting on top and a lead hammer may last a little longer.

Any chance of using it and a press?

As in hold the pipe in the chuck and use a piece of hardwood in the tailstock and use the feed to punch the patches or a similar pipe/wood setup in a drill press?

[Whiterabbit]

Can't chuck 1.5" pipe in my mill, an my drill press is a joke. It's a serious transgression on my part to not own a fine drill press yet.

I could drill the galvanized pipe end cap and put a bolt in it, but that would hardly be centered, or centered enough if I wanted to SPIN while pressing.

I could probably do so just for simple vertical pushing but I assume a drill press or mill was not made for pressure applications like, say, an arbor press is.

Besides, if it works with a 3lb sledge, then I'm happy.

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So 50 SFM is the right speed to rotate to face and sharpen the galvanized pipe, you think? What IS "iron" pipe anyways, is it mild steel or is it really (cast) iron?

[Shooter]

If you want a good patch cutter, take an old hole saw and chuck it up. Grind off the teeth and sharpen.
Use a plastic or wooden hammer to cut your patches with it.
It will out-last you.

[Whiterabbit]

whats the difference between the hole saw sharpened and galvanized pipe sharpened? If its alloy, I can case harden the galvy.

[357maximum]

I use standard 4 to 6 inch long pipe nipples. Put a cap on one end and hollow or outside sharpen the other end with a stone in my die grinder. You do not need a lathe to do this...just a steady hand and some persistence. I simply got the sharpened end redhot and gave it a dip in water...seems to work for alot longer than one would think it would, but you will have to resharpen every now and then.

I whack out my patches using a 2lb deadblow hammer and the endgrain of a hard wood like maple. Using the endgrain as the backer block is a huge step forward in clean cut patches. When I have whacked a whole lotta patches out I remove the pipecap and push out the perfect little patches. I have also used the cheap chicom "gasket puches" and them work too. Some of the chicom tool dealers actually have sizes that are big enough for patch making.

[Whiterabbit]

I was thinking about using MDF for the punch board to start. It'll take me a day to make an endgrain board for this.

I had planned to sharpen from the inside also, not the outside. You suggest sharpening from the outside? Does it make a difference? I accept the suggestion that I dont NEED a lathe to do the work but shoot, I HAVE one so I may as well....

[357maximum]

Some fabrics prefer outside bevel, some prefer the other way, but since I have been pre-lubing the whole sheet of fabric before I cut out the patches...it really seems to matter alot less if at all. I made my endgrain boards with a very sharp chainsaw and a 24 inch diamater maple log....took about 15 seconds apiece. You are going to destroy that 2 inch thick circular "board" ...no need to make it fancy. As far as the lathe use...all I can say is I wish I had your dilemma. :lol:

[Whiterabbit]

my patches will be 1.5" diameter which may even still be too big (58 caliber round ball). But I have no stock of that size, so I have to make endgrain by laminating. That means some time on the tablesaw and even more time on the beltsander. Not a matter of being fancy, but a matter of necessity!

Unless MDF works, in which case I will be more than GTG.

edit: also, why use a dead blow rather than a light sledge or even a framing hammer?

[joesig]

whats the difference between the hole saw sharpened and galvanized pipe sharpened? If its alloy, I can case harden the galvy.

There is a world of difference between the alloy of a hole saw and that of pipe!

One thing in favor of the pipe is that it will take shock with no problem. I can't swear to that with a hole saw. I do wonder though if you leave some of the teeth if it will make the cutting easier.

Sharpening the outside makes it easier to remove the patches and the material would not be "funneled" into your pipe. If you were to stack pieces of cloth to make 5 patches as once, I can see the first being 1 1/2 inches in diameter and the last 1 3/8ths!

A deadblow would be more gentle to the pipe.

[Whiterabbit]

I should have said, "if your ONLY answer is 'alloy', then I can harden the pipe"

Sounds like your only answer is "alloy". Perhaps I'll case harden my pipe after I cut it.

[waksupi]

Lots easier to rip the material in strips, layer five or six in a pile, and cut them into squares with scissors. I can cut a hundred, in the time it takes you to do the set up.

[Whiterabbit]

Since I start every setup by washing my hands 12 times then flipping the lights on 3 times in a row, I think you are right, you can do it by scissors faster.

I want round patches. I know it makes no difference. But I want to try my hand at making them.

(for the record, I am not OCD, I don't compulsively flip lights on and off, and was just making a joke. I've use round and square and cut patches and so far makes no difference. But still wanna try cutting round patches)

[drhall762]

Don't get to much heat around galvanized material. The fumes are real killers. Ask any welder who has not had adequate ventilation. If you are going to case harden something, why not some Plain Jane 1018 carbon steel?

[country gent]

Heating galvanized metals will give off poisonous gases dont do it. A patch cutter can be made from Round stock. plain black iron pipe. a hole saw is a version of alloyed pipe. In the lathe set up your pipe in the chuck or even between centers and turn tru. If you can chuck it then bore true also. rough machine angle for cutting edge and then with a dremel and raw hide wheen sharpen. We made these up at work for cutting gaskets and filters. Our version had a 1/2" stem on the back tso could be spun in a drill press, kept them alot sharper than pounding. Black iron pipe will need to have carbon added to get ay real hardness in it. Or you could use Kasinite case hardining compound. I would leave it soft. As to standing up to being hammered, Make it long and just keep the "mushroom" filed down It will cut a lot of patches going from6" to 4" in length.

[357maximum]

Since I start every setup by washing my hands 12 times then flipping the lights on 3 times in a row, I think you are right, you can do it by scissors faster.

I want round patches. I know it makes no difference. But I want to try my hand at making them.

(for the record, I am not OCD, I don't compulsively flip lights on and off, and was just making a joke. I've use round and square and cut patches and so far makes no difference. But still wanna try cutting round patches)

If you were truly OCD you would not make jokes about it.... nope nope nope. If you were truly OCD it would take you fifteen tries to make a knot in a rope rope rope. I though that Obama would help me with my OCD but NOPE NOPE NOPE is all I got from his HOPE HOPE HOPE. I then sought the POPE POPE POPE, but it turns out he quit to MOPE MOPE MOPE. For a minute there I thought I was smoking DOPE DOPE DOPE. Not sure how I gonna COPE COPE COPE. :mrgreen:

Do not feel alone...I have made my patches round/square and even cut them at the muzzle....I too like pretty round patches even though my self says over and over......it do not matter....well apparently it does to a few of the tougher cells that control the "what I do anyway" portion of me brain.

[JMtoolman]

Here is a good patch cutter for you, I have been using one for over 40 years without having to reshapreing again. I went to a truck rebuilding shop and asked for the piston pins out of there motor rebuild. They come in a bunch of sizes with different holes through them, and they are harder than heck. I put a piece of wood in the center that it could spin on, and using a grinding wheel ground a bevel on the outside of the pin. Keep it cool with water while grinding. It took quite a while but ended up with a heavy punch that could cut ten or fifteen patches at a whack with a lead hammer. I used a piece of poly plastic sheet on the bottom of the patches, it was about an inch thick. It has lasted for years with this abuse also. Sort of self healing. Cut many thousands of patches this way. The toolman.

[Whiterabbit]

ill keep that in mind. My attempt was a screaming failure. I now have all my test patches (4 lube recipes) torn into nice square pieces.:violin:

doggone sprint turkey season is interfering with my ability to have happy-fun range time.

I need to play hookey from work.

[KCSO]

Pipe won't stand up to the job, it will dull so quick you will spend more time sharpening than cutting. Go to the store and buy a hole saw and take out the center bit. Grind and sharpen it on the edge and there you go, lasts for years and already has holes to puch the patches out. Square patches are a sign of a lazy shooter i'll bet???

[izzyjoe]

i just cut mine at the muzzle, that way there perfectly centered, and it's alot faster than all that other stuff. life's to short to make it hard!