Hold Down Jigs

[BANYAN]

Hi all,

 

I am hoping to make a hold-down jig from metal.  I hope to achieve something that is flexible to use and not too difficult to make.  The device will have a flat metal base about 150mm / 6 in square with hold down fingers that can slide laterally along the edge of the square and in-and-out.  The primary use will be to hold small parts for soldering and possibly filing etc.  I am hoping I can design something with changeable insert bases, one for soldering, another for cutting and drilling and another pad for filing (sitting higher).

 

Recently, while browsing, I saw a couple of likely candidate designs that peaked my interest in such a jig, and thought would be useful; but, the idiot I am, I did not bookmark them.  I am hoping somebody may recall these, or offer a contribution.  One device I saw had a round base and also incorporated what looked similar to GRS flex-arms; the other was a metal surround as described above but I think had a soldering pad inserted.

 

I have searched a few likely logs and this forum with no luck so far.  Any contributions, suggestions or pointers to these jigs would be greatly appreciated.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Maury S]

Pat,  If you're looking for more than just "hold-downs" look at the "third hand" tool that Ed Tosti got for Christmas a year or two ago.  Titanium clips to hold pieces so you can silver solder.  Ed's logs all have a wide array of tools he makes for his builds.

Maury

[BANYAN]

Hi Mauri, thanks for responding - I am the proud owner of one of Michael Mott's third hands.  Do you have a link to Ed's third hand post please?

 

However,  what I am really looking for is a jig for holding small parts on a flat surface here.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[wefalck]

Hi Pat, I don't actually recall having seen here anything that matches your description. If you find it, I would be keen to see it too ...

 

In the meantime, below is a small clamping device or sub-table I made for the milling machine a few years ago. It basically consist of an aluminium bar with a T-slot milled along one of the sides. This T-slot allows to clamp two holding-down fingers anywere along the table. Two shorter fingers act as stop for the part, while it is worked on. A plate at the back of the block acts as fulcrum for the holding-down fingers and can be raised and lowered accordingly. The whole things screws down onto the milling machine table with two screws and T-Nuts.

 

 

 

Incidentally, talking about holding-down fingers: you may want to google for 'finger plate' and will find various more or less clever devices for holding small parts. E.g. here:

http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php?topic=1434.0

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/showthread.php?t=13004

 

[BANYAN]

Hi Eberhard, many thanks for the info and feedback.

 

That is a nice jig you made for the mill; I will have to look at something like that also.  I am assuming you made it yourself?  Thanks for those links, very interesting discussions.  I'll do another search online but as yet have been unable to relocate the jig I am interested in.

 

What I am looking for however is for soldering more than mill work.  The device/jig I saw was basically a square steel frame that enclosed a soldering pad; whether hollowed out or void I am not sure.  Along each side of the square there was a slot milled out to allow fitting of either an articulated arm, or articulated fingers.  The fingers were two part with the outer part sliding in the slots and the inner part working like an elbow joint.  The inner part looked a lot like the one from clickspring (had already found that but thanks for the reminder), and also had a slot so that you could adjust it in and out as well as swivel it - there was an additional thumbscrew at the tail for this.  There were two of these arms, but a lot thinner than the clickspring one (almost flat) so that you could position flat bars/pieces and hold them stable while soldering them.  

 

cheers

 

Pat

 

 

[jhearl]

Perhaps you're thinking of some of the jigs used in this amazing build?

 

[wefalck]

Thinking of didn't 'archjofo' use in his log on LA CREOLE a ceramic soldering plate with pins and clamps to hold down parts ? Couldn't find quickly the relevant picture(s)

[BANYAN]

Thanks jhearl; that is the one  - much appreciated.   What a magnificent build of Falls of Clyde by GAW, which is a masterclass in metalsmithing a ship model.

 

I hope GAW does not mind if I repost a picture from his build (Wingrove Collection) showing the jig I was thinking of?  Now, I have to work out how to make a version of this.

 

Thanks again for the pointer Eberhard, I will have a search to try and find it.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Landlocked123]

Hi Pat,

 

i think you might be thinking about the soldering table below.  I also received one this Christmas and it’s built like a tank.

 

Best,

John

 

https://contenti.com/jewelry-soldering-supplies/jewelry-soldering-tools/soldering-boards/rotating-soldering-table

 

[BANYAN]

Thanks John, that is the other one.

 

Many thanks folks, appreciate this.  Now to get busy in the shed

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Bob Blarney]

Hello, there are some very nice fixtures and jigs shown here. But is a metal base essential to your need?    The base could be made from MDF with an overlay of cement backerboard for kitchen or bath tiles.  It would also have a perimeter of aluminum t-track for anchoring hold-downs or thirdhands. 

 

I could also imagine a second jig for assembling delicate things.  Instead of the cement board, it would have a thick cork or wood tile overlay to hold pins or screws for hold-downs anywhere on the board (with a sheet of wax paper or baking parchement paper laid down to prevend glue adhesion.)

[wefalck]

I gather a metal base is there for the weight, but a tile on some wooden base-bord would be another option. I have a bunch of aluminium T-rails (one could use also curtain rails) and was thinking of utilisising them for exactly that purpose.

[Mahuna]

Another good material to use as a base for soldering is Corian.  Besides being heat-resistant it can easily be milled so that it also acts as a jig for hard-to-hold pieces.  I get scrap pieces from kitchen counter installers.

 

[Bob Blarney]

a 30x30cm granite floor tile has the necessary weight, flatness, and heat resistance. (they're also good as a surface plate and for sharpening handplane & chisel blades).  One could use contact cement to attach a working surface that could be released by heat or spirits of naptha.

[BANYAN]

Thanks for all the further great ideas folks; much appreciate this.

 

My main purpose of this jig would be to hold small pieces, such as brass strip, in position while soldering.  Therefore the main components will be the surrounding frame with slots and articulated fingers and arms (interchangeable) with a soldering/heat resistant base.  The ideas of other materials merit further consideration.

 

Eberhard, I am trying to picture those curtain rails as the less manufacturing I have to do the better.  Can you post a picture please?  The hardest part for me will be making those fingers as finding "Brass' knobs/thumbscrews" is proving much more difficult than I had thought - most eBay offering for instance are aluminium.

 

cheers

 

Pat

Edited February 5, 2018 by BANYAN

[wefalck]

It is the aluminium-profile below. Found it at some stage in the basement of my parent's home and have no idea where it came from and what it was meant for. The overall width is 25,4 mm, i.e. 1".

I used it to make various jigs and little tools, where one would need T-nuts to hold down things - the T-slot is just the right size for M3 screws with hexagonal heads as T-bolts. For instance the little gadget below screws to the T-slot of the cross-slide table of my watchmakers lathe and allows to cut to length small profiles etc. The material is held down by the black clamps.

Edited February 5, 2018 by wefalck

[Mahuna]

 

15 hours ago, BANYAN said:

The hardest part for me will be making those fingers as finding "Brass' knobs/thumbscrews" is proving much more difficult than I had thought - most eBay offering for instance are aluminium.

Amazon has a selection of brass thumbscrews.

https://www.amazon.com/Brass-Thumb-Screw-Knurled-Threads/dp/B00DD4X1BA

[wefalck]

Brass thumbscrews seem to be difficult to come by on ebay indeed, but you can get them quite cheap in steel: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=thumbscrew+M3&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=thumbscrew+M3&_sacat=0

 

Luckily I have a domestic source here in Paris , which is quite unique actually.

[BANYAN]

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback and links.  Now to order and get manufacturing 

 

cheers

 

Pat