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Tools you can make Some tools you can buy and some you can make. In the case of the forming mallets in the Copper Forming chapter it was less expensive to make my own. For other tools you'll not find what you need in a catalog so you'll have to figure out a way to do what you want to do by coming up with your own tools. Wire Brush on a Motor. This a tool I use daily to clean up pieces before finishing. The motor came out of an old washing machine or maybe it was the motor for a furnace blower. I've been using it for thirty years so I forget where I got it. Bottom line is that it was cheap.
The arbor kit or as sometimes called a "shaft expander" is less than $10.00
Attach the arbor to the motor with the washers and nut that come with the arbor kit and slide on the wire brush.
Shown here is a 8" wire brush that fits the shaft on the motor. Wire brushes like the one shown are between $7.00 and $10.00. In addition there are many of type of brushes available: course, medium and fine, plus different types of brushes.
Another option is to convert your electric drill for using a wire wheel or buffing wheel. A cordless drill probably doesn't have enough power for any length of time so I'd suggest an electric drill.
Here's a video on how I made an Electric Drill Motor Mount. Diameters To make circles from rod I use what I will call diameters; round objects which I wrap wire around to form the circle. As you can see in this photo I have drilled a whole in this pipe.
At your builder's supply or hardware store there are a number of different diameters to choose from.
For larger circles you either have to find a larger diameter or make one yourself. The photo below shows how I make larger diameters using different sized cans and packaged concrete that you can get at your hardware.
The video below shows how I make these.
Concrete diameters
for larger circles.
The photo below is a concrete form made from a plastic dish pan. If you can imagine the dish pan right side up you notice that the sides are sloping.
Using Sakrete or Quikrete
In this video I'll show you how I use this for making even larger circles for a Mid Sized Highwheel. Small Parts Bender
The small parts bender in the video below is a useful tool that you'll find yourself using for a number of application. The Arc Bender This is the bender I use for making curves for the large highwheel bicycle and the frames for leaf sprays.
The video below shows how I made this arch bender. "Necessity is the mother of inventions" When you want to do something and there is no tool available, this is the time to come with your own solution. Back to table of contents
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