My Blade Holding Tool......

Well, I'm sure many have had good luck with polishing on a buffer & also using greaseless compounds but after having 2 Wade & Butcher blades slip from my hands & get the edges chipped or cracked, I went to Home Depot & bought a piece of aluminum 1/8" thick X 1" wide & 36" long.
I got home & measured 3 pieces 7" long each & proceeded to make myself a blade holder instead of just holding it by the tang & the blade. I also bought some 8-32 x 1/2" countersunk brass screws. I drilled 4 small holes in them at first, then later drilled them out to the right size but I used my tap & die set to thread the holes in one piece of aluminum. I took the opposite side along with the middle piece & drilled the holes larger for the screws to fit through & used my countersinking tool in my drill to countersink them on the outside piece so they would be nice & flush. I took the center piece & drew out a tang section which I cut & filed out. I then made a small hole where the pivot would be to hold the blade in place & to keep it from falling out while grinding or polishing. I have a screw & nut to hold the blade in at the tang. I also had to file some ares on the insides of the outer pieces since some tangs are more than 1'8" thick & I wanted it to al fit together nicely. I also had to cut the 8-32 screws a little so the remaining part wouldn't stick out. They didn't have any 3/8" long. I haven't finished it yet but I thought I would show what I have so far. This will be my prototype since it could be maybe 1/2" longer or maybe an inch but what I have will do the job for now. I want to make some finger & thumb areas on it to make it more ergonomically fit to my hands. I also want to sand it down in progressions & polish it like a nice tool. I'm sure I will have to make another center piece for different shaped tangs. I'm sure some may not find they need such a tool but I think it would help me & maybe a few others.
This is what I got so far.

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Sweet, nice set up steve. [emoji106]

Great set-up Steve (as Outback said)....that will be something I will try :)

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Originally Posted by outback

Sweet, nice set up steve. [emoji106]

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Thanks Mike
I think it will help me to hold it more steady. I sometimes shake which is why I use my tripod when taking pics but I don't always need it. It's a big help though. I'll set it for macro shots & then set it for timed delay, focus & click. I think this homemade tool will help me a lot.

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Originally Posted by bongo

Great set-up Steve (as Outback said)....that will be something I will try :)

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Thank you too Bongo, I'm glad you like it. Like I said, I may have to make different center sections for different tang shapes or even a whole new holder. The hardest part was filing out the inside parts of the outer pieces because all I had were the files but if I had access to a milling machine, I would do it all on a mill with an endmill.

Home made instruments for cpecific tasks are precious and very usefull i like it =

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Originally Posted by RusenBG

Home made instruments for cpecific tasks are precious and very usefull i like it =

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Thanks my friend!

Nice work Steve. A confident grip is a safer, more controlled grip.
I've been told, many times actually, that I need to 'get a grip'.
Think in a different context though.. ;)

Sheer genius! Clean, sturdy and I like the fact you used the tap and die set to make it more secure. :chapeau

Very clever idea. Necessity is the mother of invention!

Very nicely made tool, Steve.

So this is the prototype before mass production?

I can see where it would be very useful......

:chapeau

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Originally Posted by engine46

...snip...
Thank you too Bongo, I'm glad you like it. Like I said, I may have to make different center sections for different tang shapes or even a whole new holder. The hardest part was filing out the inside parts of the outer pieces because all I had were the files but if I had access to a milling machine, I would do it all on a mill with an endmill.

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Nice!! Have you considered Bondo for each blade center section insert, as you are going to be holding it for a period of time? That would adjust to the taper also. It will remove readily also. A bit of vaseline in a keyed slot as you have it would allow the blade and insert to pop free.
~Richard

Yep, I thought it was a good idea & I'm glad I thought about it. If you do own a tap & die set, always use some oil (i think it is called Tap-Ease) for tapping steel & such but any kind of oil will work better than nothing at all. If tapping aluminum, use nothing & always turn it just a little bit, then go opposite direction to break the chip off, then go back in a normal direction again & repeat. In this case I had to carefully tap it by turning my tap handle until it felt like it was starting to bind, abut 1/8 of a turn & then I went the opposite way to break off the chip. Then I started tapping again & repeated the procedure.

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Originally Posted by Geezer

Nice!! Have you considered Bondo for each blade center section insert, as you are going to be holding it for a period of time? That would adjust to the taper also. It will remove readily also. A bit of vaseline in a keyed slot as you have it would allow the blade and insert to pop free.
~Richard

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Thank's Richard
I just got a 1 pint can of Bondo the other day for another idea I have.

Would duro glass work better. (Bondo w/ fiberglass fibers in it) its alot stronger.

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Originally Posted by outback

Would duro glass work better. (Bondo w/ fiberglass fibers in it) its alot stronger.

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I don't think so. What Richard mentioned will hold it tight enough & the blade shown in it now hardly moves at all. I have the drill bit & tap for the tiny screws that I thought about putting in the center section on top & bottom to keep the blade from moving up & down but so far, I don't think it needs them. It would be the same thread used in the screws I use for mocking up a razor instead of pinning it right away. I actually got some set screws the same thread last time I ordered from Micro Fasteners which use a .050 Allen wrench which I just happen to have.