Bottelstopper issues......

[Rasmus Petersen]

I have been trying to make chrome stoppers lately, but when i unscrew the completed blank from the MK2 tap i have for the proj, they are out of round ?????? that means when i insert the stopper part 1 half of the edge sticks out a little over the crome part (not good)

Im at a loss. i turn the blank flush with the mandrel and have aldready replaced the mandrel once as i thougt that it was the problem ...

[Steve Trauthwein]

Rasmus,

I don't have this problem, as I don't use the threaded stoppers. What kind of mandrel are you using? You can solve the problem one way by turning the bottom of the stopper slightlty larger than the base of the chrome piece. I do this on mine as I like the look better than being flush with the metal part.

Regards, Steve

[John Terefenko]

How are you drilling and tapping the blank??? Is it possible you are tapping on an angle??? Does the blank screw onto the stopper straight???

[JerHall]

Did you check that the chrome stopper was made true? I had some studs off center on some chrome stoppers once. Not likely but you never know....

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Rasmus,

Have you checked to see if the stopper you turned is truly round.

Only two things I can think of would cause what you seem to be describing:

1. The finished turned stopper isn't truly round....in other words, it's moving while you are turning and it results in an eliptical shape or..

2. The threaded post as mentioned above is not centered on the chrome portion.

Good luck!

[Richard Madison]

Rasmus,
Probably different from everyone else, but I drill & tap my stoppers on the lathe, using a Jacobs chuck in the tailstock. The blank is held in a scroll chuck on the headstock spindle. I turn the stopper almost to completion, sand, and part off. Granted, this means that my blank must be 1/2" or so longer than the finished stopper. Then screw the stopper onto home-made mandrel, held in same scroll chuck, turn and sand the very top of it.

In addition to what others have already said, if you are tapping by hand, can imagine that the tap might cut deeper on one side than the other in some pieces of wood. But this seems kind of unlikely.

[Rasmus Petersen]

Thank you all i dident have much time to do testing yesterday, was in the shop but had my to little nieces age 5 and 7 wanting to try turning... som we made shavings most afternoon... great fun!!

The stoppers are true testes with several of them.
Mandrel is true, acually changed it to a new one.
have checked hole in headstock but must use more time..
the thread part... i pretap the first 5 mm then screw the mandrel in by hand letteing that cut threads..

I will experiment and get back hopfully with pics og equipment and if i find the fault..

By the way does enybody know the thread size on the psi stoppers ? the lagre diamenter and the small one ?

[Rich Stewart]

Testes????

[Gordon Seto]

.

By the way does enybody know the thread size on the psi stoppers ? the lagre diamenter and the small one ?


The size I have was several years old (they may have been changed). Due to wide reports of flaking and corroding of plating, I have switched to the stainless steel stoppers from Ruth Niles.

The large end is 3/8" X 16 TPI
The small end is metric M8 X 1.25