shim stock for feeler gages

May 13, 2007 13 Replies

I need to make a few feeler gages out of shim stock. The question I have is how do you get the edges smooth enough as to not affect the gap I am going to be measuring? My snips leave a burr edge when the stock is cut.



Thanks,



Wes


How about clamping two pieces of thicker shaped (and hardened ?) stock to your stack of shims , finishing the edges off with progressively finer grit stones ?

What are you using? I have a roll of .001 brass shim stock. I cut it with a good pair of scissors.

Very fine sand paper - 600 more higher and not to taper but to round. Have a form to press the paper/cloth into and then work the edge.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net TSRA, Life; NRA LOH & Endowment Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot"s Medal. NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.

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snipped-for-privacy@lycos.com wrote:

I was using 0.012" stainless. I ended up scoring it with a straight edge and box cutter and flexing at score until it broke. Then I ran edges across a belt sander to smooth it.

Some how feeler gages are made out of stock and end up with nice edges. Just wondered how it was done.

Wes

On Sun, 13 May 2007 14:42:42 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, snipped-for-privacy@lycos.com quickly quoth:

Lay 'em on a sharp metal edge and use a deburring tool, burnish 'em with a stone, etc.

The burr should wipe right off.

- Metaphors Be With You -

I cut my shim stock with a Mitsubishi LXP 2.5 kilowatt LASER, but some may not have access to one... :^)

David

Likely is that they take a stack of blanks and clamp them together in a vise, then grind the edges with a surface grinder or finishing machine. Probably a deburr cycle in a tumbler, too.

If you can live with a not-too-smooth edge, etching them would work.

Cheers Trevor Jones

I think that they are made from roll form stock, which comes from the factory that width. The only thing that they have to worry about is the rounding of the ends.

The stock is probably roller slit from much wider stock, but I don't know what else may be done to the edges.

Enjoy, DoN.

Harbor Freight has them on sale. ;)

Strap sez:

"Lay 'em on a sharp metal edge and use a deburring tool, burnish 'em with a stone, etc.

The burr should wipe right off."

C'mon Strap ! We all know you probably use a wood rasp.

NoburrBob Swinney

- Metaphors Be With You -

On Wed, 7 May 2008 17:06:50 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, "Robert Swinney" quickly quoth:

Topposting corrected, ya idiot.

Um, why are you quoting a year-old post, Swiney?

-- Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict. -- William Ellery Channing

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