I'm making a steel mandrel for use in shaping cork fly grips. I've, uhhh, "temporarily misplaced" my andy dear/lamar mandrel.

just a small minor prepping question. I've picked up a 1/4 inch solid steel mandrel from my local hardware shop and intend to cut it down to 16 inches or so. i read in some product descriptions mandrels are "oil hardened." should i prep this new one in any way? i intend to sand it down with steel wool before use. I should mention, i always rub on paraffin wax for a release agent. but i'm wondering if i should wipe on some type of oil for long-term need? wipe on, wipe off, buff. or like cast iron, does baking help? crazy idea, i think.

also, I currently have cork rings glued up on a 1/4 inch threaded rod ready to sand in a makeshift drill manner. i should have gone the solid steel rod route in the first place. one thought is to unscrew the cork rings from the threaded rod and shove/work it onto the solid steel mandrel once completed for shaping. am i asking for installation trouble?

eric
fresno, ca.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/2014 03:41PM by eric zamora.

You will need a firly high carbon content in the steel for Oil hardening to be of any use - like 1%. Typical mild steel from the hw store is not going to have a high carbon content.

Oil hardening requires heating - lots of heat, then quenching the rod in oil after it is uniformly hot. Basically the oil allows the metal to cool a bit slower than water and allows it to crystalize.

That said, I have used mild steel rods many times as mandrels - and for a drill setup, should be adequate without hardening.

Hardness won't be much of an issue for you, straightness will.

When you chuck the mandrel up, never chuck up more than you need. Allow as much as you can to protrude back through the chuck. The shorter it is the truer it'll run and the less whip you'll get.

..............

thanks gentlemen. for this setup, i'll cut the rod down short. say, 14 inches i think. the only chuck involved is the one on a cordless drill, but i'll kee the opposite end short as well. and forgo any oiling or suchness. now that info is posted for others who may need it in the future.

eric

i use on my Home mad lath using a drill blank sections I check for straightness and if too flexible or don't fit the drill chuck I glue another section into it
Keeping the area short as possible the tapered blanks will fit the handles cause they are reamed on a tampered reamer to fit

they all come out WELL

Bill - willierods.com

Even the hardened 1/4" mandrels will flex. If you can pre-drill your rings and step up a size or 2 for mounting on the blank, you'll be happier. One other option is to go to a machine shop and by drill rod stock in the length you want. A little more money than the steel at the HW store but definitely straighter. Keep the mandrel short as you can and work as close to your head stock (drill) as you can to prevent flexing and whip.

Good luck!

Terry