Need Blades For Old H&s Swivel Tip Tool

[jlrowe]

Anyone know where i can get these?

[shtoink]

Anyone know where i can get these?

Not sure if there is anyone that still has any spares on these blades, but I have actually thought about giving a shot at seeing if one could make their own with no special tools.

My idea is to locate some annealed drill rod of the appropriate diameter so that it fits in the end of the handle, give it a bend like the original, put a pair of bevels on it, harden it, sharpen it up, and put it to use.

Seems easy enough in theory.

Ideally, it could be done with a sharpening jig, a torch, and a vice or pliers maybe.

[jlrowe]

If you try it and successful let me know.

[TwinOaks]

given the age of the tool, it probably uses a spring ring for retention. JL, if you can, take the old blade out (if you have one) and take some detail pics of it...especially the part that goes in the handle. I think it probably has a pointed tip and a groove for the spring ring. If you can also provide scale drawings and/or accurate measurements (Micrometer time!!!) our resident engineer should have enough information to proceed.

[TwinOaks]

Better yet.....http://www.amazon.com/General-482-Swivel-Deburring-Handle/dp/B00004T828

and then just modify the tip.

my google-fu is stroooong tonight.

[shtoink]

If you can also provide scale drawings and/or accurate measurements (Micrometer time!!!) our resident engineer should have enough information to proceed.

Funny thing.... I actually acquired one in a bundle of tools I scored at a second hand store. There was a some oddball stuff tossed in it, but the bulk was some very nice 60s era tools from Craftool and RBS.

The blade doesn't have any special retention mechanism at all. It's just a smooth metal shank inserted into the end of the handle. I'll try to get some time to take a few pictures and see what I can come up with.

[TwinOaks]

whoa...they're older than spring clips......

[shtoink]

Here are a couple pictures I took of the one I have. It's pretty simple, really. Two components, that's it.

The blade isn't anything special, and a quick measurement put it at 0.127" in diameter. While looking at the shank on the blade, I noticed that there isn't any special polishing or anything done to it. It looks to have been cut off with a big shear and a little bit of grinding to deburr the edge.

Edited February 5, 2013 by shtoink

[shtoink]

It didn't take me very long on this, but I think the results were very pleasing. It turns out that 0.127" drill rod is available and it is very conceivable to make new blades from scratch. I was able to take measurements from the existing one that I have here and make a reasonable facsimile of it. It seems that I was able to get pretty close considering the renders below.

The other issue I saw was that these blades are difficult to sharpen and strop when they need to be as there are no jigs that will fit them. I was thinking about this one while driving and the idea to make an adapter to fit an existing sharpening jig would be the easier route. Why reinvent the wheel, right? It would hold the blade and slide into the post of the jig sold by Tandy. When the set screw was tightened, it would pinch the adapter against the blade and hold it all in place. My first iteration had me thinking of using a two piece design and it was difficult to come up with a way to keep the parts together. It bugged me and led me to keep thinking about it. It occurred to me that I could do it with a single piece and a couple of steps of machining.

This is my render of the quick little model I did up of the handle and blade.

Here is the cutaway showing how the adapter would fit in the post. The cut and hole sits right under the setscrew and allows a portion of the adapter to flex and pinch against the shank of the swivel cutter blade.

This a cutaway showing what it would look like with the blade inserted into the adapter.

[shtoink]

Is there much of a market for these blades?

I did requisition some 0.127" stock to test my ability to make these blades, but with the original poster's question, it got to wondering if there was much of a demand for them. I see complete knives show up on ebay once in a while, but the condition is not always the best. I know they still have a loyal following, despite not having been made in quite some time, and that there is very little possibility that NOS blades are even available anymore.

[TwinOaks]

With the advent of the Tangleboss, I doubt there will be a large demand for these. The tb allows a greater range of pressure, and appears to have a standard blade, meaning more versatility

[shtoink]

My apologies in advance for not having pictures just yet, but my 0.127" drill rod came in today and I couldn't resist getting a little time in experimenting with these blades. I'll have pictures soon.

I didn't do anything fancy and just eyeballed it. I didn't bother with heat treatment or even a decent polish to the bevels since it was just my first shot to see how close I could get. I cut a chunk, bent it, and hit it wth a grinding wheel and it turned out a whole lot better than I thought it would for a first try shooting from the hip. The bevels are ever so slightly off and I found out the bend needs to be a bit more specific, but it fits in the handle and spins just as freely as the original one. Not entirely a complete success, but also not a complete failure.

Despite a short list of things that I need to make adjustments to in making them, it turned out a whole lot better for a first try. I think that once I get the handle in the kinks and a nice jig to make it consistent, I should be able to do up a batch to get some testing done on them.