My nib block

[fountainbel]

Hi all,

Given the recent discussions on nib blocks, I thought it could be helpfull to share the nib block I've made me a few months ago.

I've used a standard 1/10 drill & reamer to make me the female cone, made from a hard "high tech" plastic,"Ketron Peek".(material diameter 20 mm, 80 mm long)

Equally the male cone, perfectly mating in the female one, was made from this material.

The female shell was mounted on an aluminum L bracket, allowing clamping in a work bench vise & for clamping the nib.

Burnishing the concave side of the nib one places in nib axially in its mating position with the shell & clamps it down using a diameter 5x 10mm steel dowel pin and a "vise grip".

Burnishing the convex side of the nib one installs the male cone in the shell , positions the nib in its mating lateral position & clamps it down using a (peek) shell and the "vise grip".

Note the front of the work bench vise provides an excellent elbow support during the burnishing proces, providing well controlled burnishing movements.

The burnishing bar (brass bar diameter 10- 200 mm long) is on each side equipped with a diameter 5 mm pin featuring a mirror finished hemisperical top

One side the pin is made from 63 HRC steel dowel pin, the other side the pin is made from "Ketron Peek"

Avoiding any risks for scrathing the visible side of the nib, I generally use the steel pin for burnishing the back side ( concave side) of the nib, while the "Peek" pin is used on the front side of the nib.

Having initially experienced on scrap nibs with good results, I've burnished already succesfully several bend "good" nibs in the meantime.

Never the less I fully realize that I still have a lot to learn, I'm surely not a "nibmeister", but its fun !

I'm fully aware this is not comparable with the "Steytler nib block", which is surely THE tool for profesionals.

This was not my ambition at all, I wanted to make me a simple inexpensive tool using "off the shelf machining tooling".

My next block will be 50% longer a feature a more tapered cone, making the diameter variation bigger , I just localized an approperiate conical drill & reamer.

Note the material- Ketron peek- can withstand temperatures of 250°C continuously, & up to 350°C temporarily.

 

The attached pictures show the set-up .

Note this is only a prototype, which surely can be improved, so your comments & thoughts are very welcome!

 

Thanks & best regards, Francis

 

 

Pictures added below thanks to Hans !

Edited January 9, 2007 by fountainbel

[geosar]

I made the nib block with the awl and bondo suggestion but am still having some issues learning to burnish. I would love to see the pictures of yours when you can post them.

 

George

[Flere-Imsaho]

Here are the photos at request of Francis.

[Flere-Imsaho]

Here are the photos at request of Francis.

[Flere-Imsaho]

Here are the photos at request of Francis.

[fountainbel]

Thanks a lot for helping me out Hans !

[SMG]

Very cool tool there Francis.

 

How did you make the male taper though to match the female taper so well?

 

 

Cheers,

SG

[badrsj]

Excellent photos - Francis and Thanks Hans.

The block looks very well suited for the job - how were the male and female parts made to fit together so well?

Thanks for the demonstration.

badrsj

[danielfalgerho]

:blink:

What a great tool, congratulations!

Can you give deatails on the fabrication process?

And what is a 1/10 drill?

Would the fiberglass filled Ketron work better? Or is it rugged enough as it is?

And where do you find this stuff in small quantities?

Thank you,

d

[fountainbel]

What a great tool, congratulations!

Can you give deatails on the fabrication process?

And what is a 1/10 drill?

Would the fiberglass filled Ketron work better? Or is it rugged enough as it is?

And where do you find this stuff in small quantities?

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for your comments.

A 1/10 conical bore & reamer features a diameter enlargement of 1 mm over a length of 10mm.

Meaning the topangle of both bore & reamer is 5,7248 degrees.

These "standard" tools are available in Europe -although not easily as I experienced!

Using a reamer featuring a small diameter of 5mm, largest diameter 15mm & a cutting length of 100mm, I'll make my (next) bushing 80 mm long.

The smallest radius on the tooling will be approx. 3.25mm , the largest radius approx.7.25 mm

 

I've fabricated the conical pin on my lathe.

The concave form was also made on my lathe starting from 20mm barstock.

First one drills a hole - being 0.5 mm smaller as the smallest cone diameter - completely through the barstock. Using the 1/10 conical bore one then makes the conical bore & finally one reames this bore manually obtaining the disered surface smoothness.

 

Using my milling machine I then milled a lenghtwise positioning teeth on the bushing, as well as two M4 tapholes, allowing positive positioning & fixation on the aluminium saddle block.

Clamping the bushing on the positioning teeth, the bushing was then milled down lengthwise to the centerline, making it a shell.

 

As what concerns the material:

After comparing both the mechanical & thermal properties of "Peek1000" & "Peek 30% GF" I decided to go for the less expensive "peek 1000".

Although the GF (Glass Fiber) filled features a 15% higher tensile & compression strength, their hardness -being respectively 100 or 103 "Rockwell M"- is nearly identical.

Equally their "continious service temperature in air" - being 480 ° F -is identical.

The only advantage of using the GF filled version is a 50 % lower thermal expansion.

 

Given the above & the fact that I can buy short "Peek 1000" barstock-ends from a local shop made my decision to go for "Peek 1000" an easy one.

Hope this clarifies your questions,

 

Regards, Francis

[Rabbi Zvi Solomons]

Hi - wasn't the nib block you showed when you first discussed this issue a conical one? and isn't the one you have just straight cylindrical? I am wondering how a nib made on a conical basis will be bettered using a cylindrical block?

 

Regards

 

Rabbi Zvi

[fountainbel]

Hi - wasn't the nib block you showed when you first discussed this issue a conical one? and isn't the one you have just straight cylindrical? I am wondering how a nib made on a conical basis will be bettered using a cylindrical block?

 

Regards

 

Rabbi Zvi

Hi Rabbi Zvi,

It looks I confused you, sorry for that .

Could you please point which part of my postings created your confusion ?

Just as you stated, the nib block elements are logically to be made -and are made - conical.

Regards, Francis

[Rabbi Zvi Solomons]

Sorry - one of your photos looked cylindrical to me, but on fifth looking I see the gradient. Too subtle for my eyes late at night.

Is the gradient suitable for all nibs or are there some which need a steeper/less steep gradient?

 

Regards

 

Rabbi Zvi.

Edited January 29, 2007 by Rabbi Zvi Solomons

[danielfalgerho]

Thank you so much for the info, Francis, I couldn't ask for more.

I'll look for the material. For the convex part I figured I would cut the tapered end of a drift and set in in a block of wood with epoxy. They are available in sizes suitable for our purpose. I plan to use a burnishing tool to straighten nibs so a perfect match between the cones is not needed.

Keep up the good work.