I spent much of today playing on the lathe. After screwing up a few parts I got 3 new sizing punches made for the Star along with a .451 sizer. The size die is made from O1 and took way longer than I like. I made a few mistakes and took lots of time to make up for them.
The sizer punches were something I wanted to make for quite a while but had to figure out the setting to cut a 1/2-27 thread. Once I got that solved they are quick and easy. Might take 30 minutes each from a 5/8 rod of 1144.
In all a good day and I learned a bunch. The Star does take a while as the outside dimension is pretty critical and I spend some time making sure they are the right size and really smooth. Lapping the bore on them takes the longest of anything.
The sizer punches were something I wanted to make for quite a while but had to figure out the setting to cut a 1/2-27 thread. Once I got that solved they are quick and easy. Might take 30 minutes each from a 5/8 rod of 1144.
In all a good day and I learned a bunch. The Star does take a while as the outside dimension is pretty critical and I spend some time making sure they are the right size and really smooth. Lapping the bore on them takes the longest of anything.