where to get gears/best tools for working with brass?

[arklan]

like i said... Los Angeles. no antiques to speak of whatsoever. the oldest buildsing in the city barely reach the 20's, if that. i don't think I've ever seen an antique store in the LA area... let alone a mall. He.

I'm probably just not looking hard enough.

[clockdug]

There are a LOT of NAWCC chapters in California.  I mean, REALLY a lot.  There's only one in all of Georgia and you have.....lots.  Surely someone at one of them can give you a hand.  Here's a link to a listing of all California chapters of the National Ass. of Watch and Clock Collectors:
http://nawcc.org/headquarters/chapters/chap-US.htm#California

And this page gives links to California NAWCC member's personal pages:
http://www.nawcc.org/headquarters/memlinks.htm#California 

[arklan]

hmm... looking closely at that list gives me considerable hope... once i get from russia, ill have to investigate these resources...

for the time being, it's off the the drafting table!

*strikes dramatic pose*

...which... i don't have... right. where's my fountain pe- no, no... i don't have that either... *flops in his chair* ...right then. pencil it is.

or... perhaps i could make use of this fancy laptop in front of me. hehe.

[clockdug]

WAIT A MINUTE......

There are no clock repair shops near you?!?!!one!!!!!ELEVEN>>>!!!!?>?>??
\

You live in LA?

That means you live VERY close to the August, Holy and Revered Michael J. Murray of Mike's Clock Clinic!!!

The patron saint of all who learned clock repair after the inception of the Aether Web.

http://www.atmos-man.com/welcome.shtml

[arklan]

well then. that will teach me to go bashing my city, won't it?

[CapnHarlock]

and while i have a good bit of brushes to clean my files (plastic gets in the teeth like you can't imagine), i am, it seems, clueless on the use of chalk in filing.

Finding an actual file card (the brush for cleaning gunk out of files) is no longer easy, but a brass-bristled brush, intended for cleaning BBQ grills, seems to work admirably

A good source for inexpensive (and caveat: also sometimes cheaply-made) tools, of all sorts,  is Harbor Freight Tools http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/html/g3.html. I keep drooling over the $450US no-name milling machine (made by the same company that does the Sherline brand) every time I go by the store.  They are also a good source for goggles, welding gauntlets, and fire-axes.

[cartertools]

A good source for inexpensive (and caveat: also sometimes cheaply-made) tools, of all sorts,  is Harbor Freight Tools http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/html/g3.html. I keep drooling over the $450US no-name milling machine (made by the same company that does the Sherline brand) every time I go by the store.

I'm about 100%(99.99999) sure Sherline only makes Sherline stuff (and only in the USA)- I think what you saw was one of the ubiquitous Seig X1 clone mills that are made in China. Lots written about them on the web...

Get a mill! A mill is better than money - what's the use of paper with numbers on it when you can own a machine?

[Karrion]

wonderful little gears orvarious

Not making fun of you my friend but that just made me imagine little geared eggs.

Karrion

[Robotguy]

I keep drooling over the $450US no-name milling machine (made by the same company that does the Sherline brand) every time I go by the store.

I managed to sell some surplus computer equipment and rolled it over into a $299 micro-mill from HF about a year ago. Woohoo, fun! I hear that they are almost decent machines as long as you remember the Seig motto; "Some re-assembly required."  My skills as a machinist are sorely lacking, but I've been able to build parts that I could only dream of before (out of plastic anyway...). I plan to convert it to CNC next month.

Get a mill! A mill is better than money - what's the use of paper with numbers on it when you can own a machine?

Seconded! With a mill you can cut plates and print your own mo..... well, they're really fun.

I also plan to get a lathe from Micromark. If you haven't seen Micromark, yet, check them out. They sell modeling tools, great for working with small brass stuff (aaaand, back around to topic!).

[arklan]

micromark is where i got the small table saw i have. I'd LOVE to get a good milling machine... or at least a lathe. it would, in truth, help immensely with my current project... the problem is, aside from cost, I'd have no where to set it up, since i live in an apartment.

[Prof. George of Chaos]

Beware buy to many expensive tools, you probably wont use half of them. Start with a hammer and file and a hacksaw (and a wire brush for cleaning out the file)

A hammer, file and hacksaw. Gotcha. And a chisel and mallet, once I find some time to get my box design back on the boards enough to know what measurment of dovetail I'll be wanting to work with. And surely I'll need some pliers of various sorts, and some kind of vice, and those magnetic screw-in-a-crevice-extractors looked nice, and-and-and-and...I should perhaps buy tools as I need them, yes?
Oh, and what kind of file?

[cartertools]

The Taig, Sherline and 7x10 import lathes all work fine in an apartment. I know an old guy who uses one on his coffee table while watching TV in the living room. Most of the benchtop mills are small and relatively portable as well. Don't let being in an apartment stop you from experiencing the wonder of machining, as long as your projects fit on the smaller machines!

Nick

micromark is where i got the small table saw i have. I'd LOVE to get a good milling machine... or at least a lathe. it would, in truth, help immensely with my current project... the problem is, aside from cost, I'd have no where to set it up, since i live in an apartment.

[arklan]

it's the noise that concerns me... i barely ever use my table saw due to the horrid screech it makes when actually cutting something... no one has complained, mind you. i just feel like an ass when i disturb the whole apartment complex, not to mention ym roomates... sigh.

either way, the price is a bit out of my range for the time being. but eventually i'll pick up a good drill press/mill. the desire to build insane things is far to strong.

as regards my current lockbox project, i found a place that may prove useful, gear wise. http://www.sdp-si.com/ has all manner of gearing and connecting components, many in brass. as to pricing, i don't know. but hey, when you need that specific part (as i did last year for a failed clock project...) price becomes a small concern...

[sidecar_jon]

Beware buy to many expensive tools, you probably wont use half of them. Start with a hammer and file and a hacksaw (and a wire brush for cleaning out the file)

A hammer, file and hacksaw. Gotcha. And a chisel and mallet, once I find some time to get my box design back on the boards enough to know what measurment of dovetail I'll be wanting to work with. And surely I'll need some pliers of various sorts, and some kind of vice, and those magnetic screw-in-a-crevice-extractors looked nice, and-and-and-and...I should perhaps buy tools as I need them, yes?
Oh, and what kind of file?

Yes pliers, nips for cutting , round nose for bending (which seem to be more expensive than others but circlip pliers do the same job if pushed) and ordinary for holding things (Mole/vice grips are useful)..a small vice is an extra hand and make some wood jaws (just blocks of wood retained in some way) for it to save marking the brass. As for files... small ones may be had cheaply and a big'un for ploughing down lumps..remember brass is fairly soft, and unless your rich cheep files work fine...But as i said one can buy all sorts of tools... and never use them or use them once... buy what you need and use them well.

[cartertools]

it's the noise that concerns me... i barely ever use my table saw due to the horrid screech it makes when actually cutting something... no one has complained, mind you. i just feel like an ass when i disturb the whole apartment complex, not to mention ym roomates... sigh.

Actually most small benctop machines are pretty quiet compared to woodworing tools, unless you get a vibration going. I hate routers and saws and such - they are deafening compared to the whisper queit of a lathe...

[arklan]

the next time i have the money and the need, I'll keep this knowledge in mind.