IBM PC Server 500

From: Doc <doc_at_mdrconsult.com>
Date: Wed Feb 20 19:50:44 2002

On Thu, 21 Feb 2002, Tony Duell wrote:

> If you get a really cheap Torx bit, you can often soften the metal by
> heating it to red heat (ish) and cooling it slowly. Decent tool steel
> will not soften when you do this. However, a carbide or diamond drill
> would probably do it.

  Huh??? *Any* steel can be annealed. Granted, though, annealing
really high-grade alloyed steel is a very relative thing. Also,
other-metal alloys -- steel-tungsten, manganese alloys or whatever --
may need a completely different annealing process.

> Since these bits tend to have a 1/4" hexagonal body, I'd clamp it in the
> 3 jaw chuck of a lathe, put the drill on the tailstock, and slowly feed
> it in. Should be (easily) accurate enough.

  I just put my torx driver in a mixing-bowl of water, eye-balled center
(since I don't have a centerpunch harder than a Mac Tools Torx driver)
and went to town with the diamond ball. It was accurate enough.
  For you non-tool-freaks, that's a 1.75mm medium-coarse diamond-in-
nickel-matrix ball on a tapered 1/8" stub bit, driven by a
Foredom Flex-Shaft tool. The mixing bowl of water compensates for my
lack of a coolant feed. It works. My use of her cooking utensils does
sort of irritate root^H^H^H^H Grace....

  Tony, did anyone ever explain Swiss-Watch Syndrome to you? ;^)

        Doc
Received on Wed Feb 20 2002 - 19:50:44 GMT