raimundo wrote:how are you shaping the aluminum handles, with a wheel or a belt sander? my guess is a belt sander.
they're beautiful.
Both. I use a grinding wheel to make the large impressions and to rough it out. I don't have a tabletop or freestanding belt sander tho...what i have is a hand held belt sander for sanding decks and flat surfaces that I turn on its back and use like that. It's bootleg as hell but does work pretty well.
I use that to bevel everything, and do finer shaping.
Since I've been using rivets, which are less that idea, imho, but it's simple and effective, what I do is drill and tap both sides, put a screw through the entire thing on both ends securing the feeler gauge and handles together for working. Then after everything is at it's final stage (anodized, sanded, the works) i take out the screws, drill out the holes a hair, and rivet them together.
I need to get out and find some pins or tiny hex head screws in lieu of the rivets.
Anyway, I got long-winded there.
That's how I do it.
cow
