brass saddles

Posted by Wade on January 20, 2009 at 6:56pm
Hey Ted, How do you go about adding a flat spot to the bottom of your brass saddles. I filed one down by hand, which took forever, and another on the sander which is hard to control. Any suggestions? Thanks, Wade

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  • Wade January 22, 2009 at 5:00pm
    Makes sense guys. Thanks for the pic Ted. I burned my fingers, then tried glueing the rod to a scrap of wood- the brass heated up and melted the glue and the saddle went flying somewhere, then I tried using longer lengths and ended up with 2 or 3 different flat spots. Once in a while I should know when to call it a night- haha .

    Thanks

    Wade
  • Wichita Sam January 22, 2009 at 12:07am
    Ted, Maybe I'm too simple, but I flaten the rod before I cut it to length. That way I'm holding it 12 or more inches away from the grinder... no heat (on my hands) and I nice flat base. The cut with a dremel to length... the best, Sam
    Ted Crocker said:
    Wade, I flatten them on a belt sander, fine grade. I hold the brass rod in the center with heavy pliers. I made a C shaped tool from scrap wood to apply even pressure on the rod and keep my fingers from burning. THE BRASS GETS HOT!!!




    Hold the pliers steady and try to do the operation in one shot. If you go back a second time there's a chance that the already flat area won't lie completely flat on the belt and you'll wind up with 2 flat areas and a saddle that wobbles.


    Ted
  • bairfoot cajun January 20, 2009 at 7:13pm
    wade, to control the brass saddle i use a flatboard that i have glued a piece of sandpaper to. it measures aprox 3 in wide by aprox 18-20 in long. with a long sanding board ,it cuts the abrasive action time in half. to get control of the saddle i hold it with my fingers, thumb on one side index in the middle and middle finger on the other side. it may seem like it would take a long time compared to a motorized sander, but the long board is the trick, and you have total control of what is in your hand. try it out it only cost a couple of dollars to make one if you don,t have the wood or sandpaper already. i use a hand-held belt sander size paper,[80 grit for cutting faster], cut it at the seam and glue to a board with spray adhesive contact cement. contact cement requires you spray both surfaces. they call it cement for a reason. sticks real well if you spray both sides and let dry for a few minutes before application. one sanding board will last me prolly 6 months with regular use cause i used good paper on it.
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