Homemade titanium Swallow spanner

[WrightsW5]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8476/8127 ... 4ca9_c.jpg

[simonineaston]

Blimey - you must have the patience of Job - reminds me of Mick F's story of shaping Sturmey Archer sprockets by grinding them on pavement slabs underfoot...

[WrightsW5]

Took a while but a fixed file with the spanner being moved upon it is not too bad, moving the file on the spanner would have been so much worse. This also works like a regular Brooks spanner on a B17.

[robgul]

... I have some cut down spanners (15mm for fixie hubs) that I did with an angle grinder and then rounded the ends with a grinding wheel - they now fit in the minimalist under-saddle bag. Same concept, just a bit quicker than with a file!

Rob

[Brucey]

would have been the work of seconds with an angle grinder *, that...

BTW for hexagon nuts on saddles, the best scheme is often to modify the bi-hex ring end of the spanner by grinding down the OD a bit and then cutting a slot in it. Very often you can have a five-point drive this way. This is pretty much how the Brooks spanners are (or were) designed IIRC. ( I know the swallow titanium spanner isn't designed like this, but I am supposing that this is perhaps just cost saving...)

(* suggestions that this is my second favourite tool -after a hammer- may elicit a 'no comment' er, comment... )

cheers

[CREPELLO]

Is it only the Swift that has the hex key nose bolt? I guess the answer is yes.

would have been the work of seconds with an angle grinder *, that...


(* suggestions that this is my second favourite tool -after a hammer- may elicit a 'no comment' er, comment... )

cheers

It might become one of mine as well. I bought one to cut ceramic tiles a few months back and remember thinking, why hadn't I experienced the.....I mean, why hadn't I bought one of these things before

[robgul]

Is it only the Swift that has the hex key nose bolt? I guess the answer is yes.

would have been the work of seconds with an angle grinder *, that...


(* suggestions that this is my second favourite tool -after a hammer- may elicit a 'no comment' er, comment... )

cheers

It might become one of mine as well. I bought one to cut ceramic tiles a few months back and remember thinking, why hadn't I experienced the.....I mean, why hadn't I bought one of these things before

.... an angle grinder with the very thin cutting discs is a most satisfying piece of equipment .... not unrelated in that they rotate a circular item, I find that my bench grinder (two grades of wheel) and bench polisher (brass wire brush one side, cloth mop the other side - used with polishing rouge) are also very pleasing. I have a bit of a thing about tools as illustrated here (this doesn't include the building, Plumbing and carpentry stuff ... ) http://www.beewee.org.uk/index.php?opti ... &Itemid=81

Rob

[Brucey]

Took a while but a fixed file with the spanner being moved upon it is not too bad, moving the file on the spanner would have been so much worse. This also works like a regular Brooks spanner on a B17.

surely you would be able to get both hands on a file and lean into it nicely... or did you not have a vice to hold the work or something?

cheers

[Redvee]

... I have some cut down spanners (15mm for fixie hubs) that I did with an angle grinder and then rounded the ends with a grinding wheel - they now fit in the minimalist under-saddle bag. Same concept, just a bit quicker than with a file!

Rob

I've done this too. I acquired a smaller 15mm combi spanner and cut the OE end off and smoothed off the cut end with my Dremel and cutting wheel.

[WrightsW5]

Took a while but a fixed file with the spanner being moved upon it is not too bad, moving the file on the spanner would have been so much worse. This also works like a regular Brooks spanner on a B17.

surely you would be able to get both hands on a file and lean into it nicely... or did you not have a vice to hold the work or something?

cheers

It's easier to hold a smaller item and use it on a bigger surface area item, also easier to put massive pressure onto it.

[goatwarden]

Took a while but a fixed file with the spanner being moved upon it is not too bad, moving the file on the spanner would have been so much worse. This also works like a regular Brooks spanner on a B17.

surely you would be able to get both hands on a file and lean into it nicely... or did you not have a vice to hold the work or something?

cheers

It's easier to hold a smaller item and use it on a bigger surface area item, also easier to put massive pressure onto it.

You would have got no quarter from any of my workshop instructors years ago. You're probably safe now as there's nobody left getting paid to teach practical skills; modern intelligence has triumphed over our primitive forbears and proved it can now all be done much better by filling in a spreadsheet on a p.c.

Does filing some bits off a stamped steel spanner turn it into titanium? This must be another bit of modern magic of which I am ignorrant.

[Mick F]

- reminds me of Mick F's story of shaping Sturmey Archer sprockets by grinding them on pavement slabs underfoot...

Well remembered!

[WrightsW5]

For the Brooks Swallow version that has titanium parts.

[Brucey]

It's easier to hold a smaller item and use it on a bigger surface area item, also easier to put massive pressure onto it.

so presumably if you want to shorten a bolt, the best method is to put the saw in the vice and rub the bolt up and down?

errr....?

Correct method for filing objects of any size illustrated below;



I admire your spirit, but reserve the right to choose not to imitate your metalworking technique!

cheers

[WrightsW5]

Yes! ......no, definately not, but in this case it was the easiest way - without machine tools.