BIGGUNDOCTOR

Check Craigslist, thrift stores, etc. I found a nice Paasche complete with compressor, and a milk crate full of stuff for $60 at a flea market, and another at a thrift store in the box for 99 CENTS! . Found an Iwata w/comp for $50 at a thrift store. Get quality, and stay away from Harbor Freight.

Are you paying the shipping? If not, a location would be helpful to figure shipping costs.

Lysol, or alcohol should kill anything you are worried about.

Make one.

Tandy used to carry the armed forces logos, not sure what they still carry. I used to go by the Tandy in Sacramento when I lived in Fairfield, and was up that way.

Brass is still much softer than damp leather, and use a rawhide, or wood mallet-no metal.

Leaf springs would be hard to have professionally heat treated due to not knowing the exact steel specs. Some are 5160, some older ones were 1095, ya just don't know unless you get it tested $$$, or you can get the specs from the original manufacturer. Another issue is that some used springs will have micro cracks from years of use, not often ,but it happens. You can go the above heat treat route which will give good somewhat predictable results, but if you want guranteed results you need to get a known tool steel grade from a supplier. www.iforgeiron.com is my other hangout.

The issue is with the patina / rust on carbon steels. If the blade is kept polished, and clean it shouldn't be an issue. You could probably even wax it to keep from staining.

The main problems with copper are that it is soft, stains, quick to patina, forms verdigris, and is not inexpensive. At work we are currently paying around $10.50 or so a pound last I heard. As to casting it, it has a tendency to absorb oxygen during the melt, and can be very porus when cast if it isn't deoxidized properly. How many of these are you looking for? Volume determines price.

www.Turnersling.com

You are working with soft leather, even plastic, or wood would work for basic tools. Seen lots made from bolts, and nails. Use what you got. For the blade, cheaper to buy than make, unless you want something very custom. If so than a tool steel like O-1, W-1,1095, 52100, etc will work.

OK, here is my take on this modification. Don't drill the ram, but mill a Vee in the front instead. One mill cut straight across ,and perpendicular to the Vee, and where the tool will push against it. By using a Vee, and a clamp it will accomodate tools of various diameters, eliminate bushings for small ones in big holes, and in general makes like easier. Go to MSC's website, and look at Vee blocks to get an idea on what I am talking about. Of course the stamps won't all be centered depending on the diameter of the stamp handle, IE; smaller diameter will sit farther back than larger ones. but that is no problem in my eyes. My background is that my Dad was a machinist all his life, Mom milled out radial aircraft engine master rods during WWII, and I have been machining since 1985. I am currently the tool maker for a CNC screw machine shop where I make, and modify tooling for the production floor. This is not a hard job for even a small basic job shop to do. Replacement Vee block clamps are available, we get replacements for ones that get broken on the floor at minimal cost. If you can't find a local shop that is willing to do it, I am just a USPS flat rate box away =) I like projects like this, and I even barter.

search vegan in the forums, there have been a couple of threads on this.

A lot of the offices send the old X-Rays out to have the silver recovered. With silver prices being up , you may want to contact a small clinic who wouldn't have enough to make it worth sending in for recycling.

As popular as they were, you could probably find an original for sale.

Depending on where, or how it is used, cleaning it may be an issue to look into.

All I see is red XXXXX's for the pictures.

Great job. Where did you find the upper metal frame?

I run a Burris on my Ruger M77 hunting rifle. One thing to also consider is the scope will only be as good as the mount. The whole weakest link deal. Depending on what you want to do with the Mini, you might look into a Holo type sight, or a red dot. Yep, you just opened a big ol' can a worms with one little question =D

As to road kill saftey, flea borne diseases are not a big concern as the fleas bail as soon as the body goes cold. I have tanned a few skunks, and squirrels that were smacked. I would say that you would need to cut them off as opposed to pulling. Pulling may just remove the thin outer shell. Another option for claws are the resin copies.

Use whatever you have on hand to lubricate the stone. The main purpose to to keep the stone from plugging up. With a Carborundum stone a thick oil will probably work best, as they are pretty porous. My friend leaves his stones in a tray full of lamp oil. I use cutting oil from the machines on my stones at work (I am a tool maker). When I get done with the stone I wipe it off to get most of the particles off of it. When I am using one on the lathe I keep the stone flushed with oil. As I see it getting too dark, or loading up I scrub it down in one of the solvent tanks. You are grinding off small metal particles with a porous surface, so you need something to keep the particles in suspension instead of just getting pushed into the stone. Vegetable oil, olive oil, liquid soap, spit, ,,, pretty much any liquid will work.

I doubt a 1/30th has a keyway. Most just have a flat when they are that small.

Put the jack on the bottom so if it leaks gravity will not let it come in contact with the leather.

Plug one in, and grab the shaft. I can bog down a 1/2hp grinder at work without pushing that hard. Then again it all depends on exactly you want to use them for. A lot of the fractional motors I see like that are used for spinning small fans.

You won't be able to do too much with 1/30th of a HP, other than bog it down.