G'day Chris here, and welcome back to Clickspring.
I'm in the process of fabricating a mainspring hook to put into the clock barrel,
and a threaded insert is a nice convenient way to get the job done.
But I need a lot more leverage to get the insert as tight as it needs to be.
The obvious choice is to put in a slot, and then use a screwdriver,
but of course a normal screwdriver can't reach in properly without risking damage to both parts.
What I really need is something like this: A right angled screwdriver, so its time to make one.
Normally screwdriver tips would be made from a hardened steel, but this tool will only
get used a few dozen times over its lifetime,
so I'm going to keep it simple, and just use a section of this mild steel.
The grip pattern I have in mind is the simple grooved pattern that you might have seen me
use before on some other small hand tools, like this scriber and transfer gauge;
its simple to form and works great.
All parts will be bonded together using Loctite 603;
If I need to change out the tips later, a bit of heat will easily break the bond.
So lets get started!
Beginning with the handle, I faced both ends, and then drilled out the center,
to be a slip fit over the rod that will become the body of the tool.
Next I extended the stock, and formed the grip.
The tool I'm using here is a standard 60 degree threading tool.
The plunge cuts are 0.5 mm deep, and I've spaced them 2mm apart.
To extend the pattern, I pulled the stock out further, registered the tool in one of
the existing grooves, and then continued as before.
After parting off, the ends were given a light chamfer, and that's the handle complete.
Next I started work on the screwdriver tips.
Firstly with a quick facing cut to clean up the stock.
I want the tips to taper back to the shaft when fixed in place,
so I used a form tool to put a nice curve at what will become the base of the screwdriver tip.
I followed with a quick spot drill and as for the handle, I drilled out the tips to
be a slip fit on the rod that will become the body of the tool.
Now I'd also like the blade to narrow towards the other end,
so I've set the topslide over to 3 degrees, to cut a short taper.
And while I was set up, I took a few moments to make some extras,
to have in stock as spares for the future.
I'm using a length of drill rod for the body of the tool, and the tips are temporarily held onto that rod with super glue,
while I shape the flats of the blade on the belt sander.
I'll break that super glue bond later with a little heat when I need to release them.
And this little holding block makes indexing from side to side dead easy.
Now the belt sander makes quick work of this sort of thing,
but it does generate quite a bit of heat, so I needed to keep the work cool.
I didn't want that super glue bond letting go just yet.
OK, so the tips are in the shape that I want, and a little heat from the butane torch
releases the super glue bond.
Next I formed the drill rod shaft into that right angled shape,
using the propane torch to soften the steel.
And then I trimmed the ends on the belt sander,
and also cleaned off the heat oxide with some emery paper.
At this point the grip was bonded in place with a spot of Loctite,
making sure that it was in the center of the tool,
and then once it had set for a few minutes, I cleaned off the excess.
So I set that aside to cure, and while that was happening, I decided to stone the tips
to make them a look a bit more presentable.
And finally I bonded the tips to the shaft, being careful to set them at 90 degrees to each other.
A little clean off, and its ready for work.
Thanks for watching, I'll see you later.
If you'd like to see how this screwdriver was used, here's the video where I use it to insert the barrel hook.
And if this is your first Clickspring video, welcome.
I post regular home machine shop project videos like this one,
as well as a longer term clockmaking project, so be sure to subscribe.
Thanks again for watching, I'll catch you on the next video.