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- Oct 7, 2020
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- 2,117
It wouldn't be factory, but if the screwdriver thing doesn't work you could make three knobs of the red acrylic rod. At least they would all match.
Beat me to it...It wouldn't be factory, but if the screwdriver thing doesn't work you could make three knobs of the red acrylic rod. At least they would all match.
I disagree. Flame finishing puts a lot of stress at the surface and will craze much sooner than machine polishing. I have fabbed countless boat windshields and the difference shows up in the first year.For a smooth look you really need to fire polish. You can practice that on the discards.
Never did a boat windshield Only small stuff and edges of plexiglass sheids that sit on the mill or attach to end of vise with magnets.I disagree. Flame finishing puts a lot of stress at the surface and will craze much sooner than machine polishing. I have fabbed countless boat windshields and the difference shows up in the first year.
I was wondering about that. One thing I know is that the red plastic that Rivett used for their 1R watchmakers lathes and the red plastic from Millers Falls screwdrivers (and also from MAC Tools screwdrivers) are ALL from the same era - right after WW2. So I might strike out, but there's always that chance - it's not zero!It will be interesting to see if the color of the screwdriver handle really matches the other plastic pieces on your lathe. They're all old; they have been exposed to different environments (light, heat, humidity); they probably aren't from the same plastic manufacturing lot. You might get lucky, maybe not.
A few days ago I ordered some of the red acrylic rod from eBay, and it came in the mail yesterday! It looks great. I haven't tried turning it yet, but the color looks very close to the other red Permaloid knobs on the lathe. The good thing is the rod you suggested is 12" long, so there's enough material there to practice cutting a few times before getting it right.I don't know how big your end piece is, but here's a link to some 1" diameter red acrylic rod on ebay. Plenty to experiment with and to get things correct.