Case Formers

[mikeee]

Here is a short handle 8" maple case former I finished turning today.

The short wide handle allows the former to stand on it's base while working the paper pleats.

Also have an 8" long handle maple case former that is drying right now.

 

Edited December 5, 2015 by mikeee

[mikeee]

Here is the long handle 8" case former I finished today.

 

 

 

[memo]

nice work, what is the finish ?

[mikeee]

Memo,

 

I use several different finishes depending on what the customer desires. This case former and most others I make use a Shellac finish which is one of the easiest finishes to clean up, repair, touch up. Shellac can be lightly sanded and a new coat brushed on and it will readily bond to the original surface on the tool. Another reliable finish is a Linseed or Danish Oil finish which requires the tool to have a new coat applied to the wood on a yearly basis to give it the proper protective finish until it has a thick enough protective layer. Some of the other finishes require more preparation in repair and touch up to do it right.

[marks265]

Hey Mike,

 

How much extra for a logo? What kind of wood do you use? I'm thinking about a custom size 12"er.

 

Mark

[mikeee]

Mark,

 

For the larger diameter case formers like a 12" I usually glue solid end blanks onto a barrel stave

type hollow billet and then turn it on the lathe. This reduces the amount of end grain on the outer

surface and decreases the weight of the tool. A 12" solid billet is hard to find without cracks and splits

on most woods unless you glue boards together into a solid billet and then turn it on the lathe. The

laminated solid billet makes for a stable product that won't warp over time. Larger solid billets of wood

from a tree will tend to warp slightly over time which you don't want a case former to do. The method used

above looks like a solid billet of wood when finished but it is hollow on the inside to reduce the weight and

make it easier to roll the craft paper onto the tool. I can add a Logo onto the tool all I need is a color jpg file

and I can apply the logo onto the tool anywhere you want it. I normally use maple for case formers but have

made them out of pine, poplar, walnut, hickory, cherry, mahogany, and oak. The lighter weight woods are a

good choice when making the larger case formers to keep the weight down. Making a hollow case former I can

use any kind of wood and the weight does not become an issue. Send me a sample of the Logo and the size

of the Logo you want and I can get you an estimate on the tool. Shipping the larger tools can get expensive

especially if they are made of solid billet hard woods a 12" can get real heavy.

[marks265]

I'm all about keeping the weight down myself so a hollow former works for me. The one I have now I also lightened up. I'll send you a note at your aol account with what I want and discuss options. I really liked some of the different laminations you have done so now my wheels are spinning in regard to options. I'll send you something later today.

[mikeee]

Mark,

 

Keep in mind different woods expand and contract at different ratio's so combining woods in a composite

has to be well planned to avoid potential stresses on the finished item. The larger the piece the more potential

there is for expansion and contraction from temperature and humidity changes. The interior and exterior of the

piece needs to be well sealed to prevent the wood from absorbing humidity from the air or from drying out in a

dry atmosphere. The segmented pieces really are impressive but take quite a bit of time to produce, when they

are made properly the composite elements of the segmented pieces along with the proper glues will make a very

stable product when designed with regards to the wood types used. When they make large bowls and vases with

segmented woods they usually use alternate wood types in each ring which guarantees an equal amount of potential

stresses on the piece so it will expand and contract equally if the piece is subjected to changes in temperature and

humidity.

[marks265]

I sent an email to your aol acct Mike.

[dagabu]

Here is the timed report board, turned upside down load all the empty plug caps into the board, turn right side up and deposit your flash comp onto the surface of the flat board and use a playing card or credit card to sweep the flash compound across the board. When all of the plug caps are full you can tilt the board at an angle and tap on the board to empty some of the flash comp to allow room for your time fuse. You reach under the board and remove one timed report plug cap and glue and insert your time fuse into each one. This keeps your timed reports nice and clean and allows easy removal from the board without making a mess with the flash comp. Selecting the correct sized drill bit for the holes is a crap shoot, the cap plugs vary in outside diameter by several thousands, so it is a good idea to drill a row of holes over sized for the larger ones. I also step drilled the holes to ease in inserting the cap plugs into the holes, the top end of the hole is sized to hold the cap plug, while the bottom of the hole is over sized to ease the insertion of the cap plug. A tapered reamer would be the ideal solution for drilling the holes.

 

timed report 2.JPG

 

timed report 3.JPG

 

A real beauty Mikeee!

[mikeee]

 

A real beauty Mikeee!

 

Dave,

 

With flash on the caplugs, I would wear latex gloves to keep my hands clean and then trying to use

CA glue to secure the time fuse to the caplugs ended up being a pain in the butt. Handling clean

caplugs allows me not to have to wear the latex gloves and I can live with a little CA on the fingers.

When the CA glue gets on the latex gloves they start sticking together and it goes down hill from there.

Whats the old saying....Necessity is the mother of invention.

Hope you and the family are doing well, stay warm this winter.

[dagabu]

Agreed! The mess with adding flash to a cap plug made them deplorable to fill and stopped me altogether from making timed reports. That stand should take care of all the issues with the mess and belay some of the worries of glue mess as well. The final piece is the black match and tying it over the timefuse. I would love your ideas on a jig for that. Last time, I just bored a hole in a piece of aluminum stock to the depth of the cap plug and chucked it up in a vice, then tied them of one at a time. That by far was the most time consuming part of the timed reports.

 

Thank you for the well wishes, we are making due and I am searching for work still. I am getting leads now but am not sure what I am capable of doing with the burns. I ended up with some real limitations that I have to consider.

Edited December 8, 2015 by dagabu

[mikeee]

Dagabu,

 

I usually just dip my time fuse in a slurry of BP & NC and then dip into some larger grains of BP.

Trying to secure blackmatch to those little reports is too tedious for me.

Perhaps for a competition shell.

[OblivionFall]

I'm not woodworker, but I was wondering:

 

What makes case formers so expensive? Seems pricey for a rolling pin looking piece of wood.

Edited December 8, 2015 by OblivionFall

[mikeee]

OblivionFall,

 

The wood is usually a laminated billet to prevent warping over time.

A solid billet of wood can be used but it must be a dry stable billet and then

properly sealed to prevent the wood from absorbing moisture or drying out.

There is a "Flash Bag" hole drilled on the former end and a vent hole drilled

all of the way to the end of the handle. The former will expand and contract

depending on the moisture content of the wood. The former is then turned

to the proper diameter to end up with the correct sized shell after applying

the proper number of layers of required weights of virgin craft paper. The

outside of the case former needs to be sanded smooth and sealed with a

slick finish which allows the shell casing to be removed from the case former.

The vent in the handle allows the user to blow into the handle and create

pressure inside the paper casing and push it off the tool. A good quality tool

makes it quick and easy to make proper sized shell casings. If you can find

the proper sized pipe, bottle, can, dowel, etc you can modify it to make a

usable tool, plastic pipe will work but tends to create static and cling to the

paper as you are pulling it off the tool. It takes several hours of labor and

various tools and equipment to make a small case former along with the

raw materials and finishes. The larger case formers can take several days

to complete a finished tool. The wood is cut to length and each layer is glued

and stacked and clamped into a proper sized wood billet. This needs to dry

for at least 24 hours and then the billet is trimmed on a table saw into an octagon

shaped billet to reduce the weight on the lathe. The billet is then turned to the

proper diameter and a proper sized handle is turned on the other end. The billet

is then mounted in a special billet chuck to drill the flash bag hole and vent hole.

The hard maple wood takes time to drill the larger flash bag and vent holes.

The outside of the tool is then sanded smooth with multiple grades of sand paper

to get a smooth straight flat surface. The tool is then cleaned and several coats

of finish are applied after each one dries. Each tool is then checked for proper

sizing and undergoes a ancient Chinese blessing that requires the sacrifice of a

small animal or virgin. Virgins are getting harder to find each year, and local county

and state laws get to be a hassle.

Edited December 8, 2015 by mikeee

[OblivionFall]

OblivionFall,

 

The wood is usually a laminated billet to prevent warping over time.

A solid billet of wood can be used but it must be a dry stable billet and then

properly sealed to prevent the wood from absorbing moisture or drying out.

There is a "Flash Bag" hole drilled on the former end and a vent hole drilled

all of the way to the end of the handle. The former will expand and contract

depending on the moisture content of the wood. The former is then turned

to the proper diameter to end up with the correct sized shell after applying

the proper number of layers of required weights of virgin craft paper. The

outside of the case former needs to be sanded smooth and sealed with a

slick finish which allows the shell casing to be removed from the case former.

The vent in the handle allows the user to blow into the handle and create

pressure inside the paper casing and push it off the tool. A good quality tool

makes it quick and easy to make proper sized shell casings. If you can find

the proper sized pipe, bottle, can, dowel, etc you can modify it to make a

usable tool, plastic pipe will work but tends to create static and cling to the

paper as you are pulling it off the tool. It takes several hours of labor and

various tools and equipment to make a small case former along with the

raw materials and finishes. The larger case formers can take several days

to complete a finished tool. The wood is cut to length and each layer is glued

and stacked and clamped into a proper sized wood billet. This needs to dry

for at least 24 hours and then the billet is trimmed on a table saw into an octagon

shaped billet to reduce the weight on the lathe. The billet is then turned to the

proper diameter and a proper sized handle is turned on the other end. The billet

is then mounted in a special billet chuck to drill the flash bag hole and vent hole.

The hard maple wood takes time to drill the larger flash bag and vent holes.

The outside of the tool is then sanded smooth with multiple grades of sand paper

to get a smooth straight flat surface. The tool is then cleaned and several coats

of finish are applied after each one dries. Each tool is then checked for proper

sizing and undergoes a ancient Chinese blessing that requires the sacrifice of a

small animal or virgin. Virgins are getting harder to find each year, and local county

and state laws get to be a hassle.

Well.. I ... uh...

 

you have me sold. I like your sense of humor

 

Closer to the summer I'll buy a 3 incher off of you (2 1/2" actual size I believe.)

 

I gave some thought to pyro as a hobby and I think I will probably end up living somewhere up in a warm, secluded part of canada and do lots of pyro. This will probably be in a couple of years, though. So that's why I will buy nice tooling now and keep it for a lot time. Paying $55 U.S. isn't a huge deal of money and now that you've explained the difficult process to making one and its features I am more interested in buying one.

Edited December 8, 2015 by OblivionFall

[mikeee]

OblivionFall,

 

Send me your ship to address and I will dig through my seconds bin and see if I have a scratch and dent

case former I can send you no charge. If you want to cover the shipping I will throw in a couple of small insert formers

that I made out of pine as concept practice pieces.

 

Once you build and shoot some Pyro you will catch the bug!

[OblivionFall]

OblivionFall,

 

Send me your ship to address and I will dig through my seconds bin and see if I have a scratch and dent

case former I can send you no charge. If you want to cover the shipping I will throw in a couple of small insert formers

that I made out of pine as concept practice pieces.

 

Once you build and shoot some Pyro you will catch the bug!

Wow that sounds great! I will cover shipping for sure I'll PM you

[MrB]

Send me your ship to address and I will dig through my seconds bin and see if I have a scratch and dent

case former I can send you no charge.

Wait.... Was this made with an animal, or a virgin?

 

That story... damn dude, your in the wrong profession.

B!

[mikeee]

Wait.... Was this made with an animal, or a virgin?

 

That story... damn dude, your in the wrong profession.

B!

MrB,

 

We all need a good laugh at least once a day the way things are going.

[mikeee]

Finished a couple sets of insert formers today. Maple and Walnut

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OblivionFall]

Finished a couple sets of insert formers today. Maple and Walnut

 

Insert Former Maple.JPG

 

Insert Former Walnut.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

Some big inserts to be made by those! Nicely done

[lloyd]

More important to all of this is that Mikeee uses _authentic_ woods, finishes, sacrificial virgins, and animals, no matter how hard they are to find!

 

I've seen his work. The formers are beautiful, but the sacrifices are downright GORY!

 

Lloyd

[marks265]

Mike's been working up a plan for me and it sounds like my virgin is becoming more than a dream.

[mikeee]

Finished turning a 5" walnut case former today.