Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engrav

instructables
Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver
by AMbros Custom
This Instructables is extremely close to me because it taught me a lot about my skills. At the beginning of this project, I
thought making it without a lathe would be impossible but it's not and if you think you can then you de nitely can. My
habit is like if I planned to do something then sooner or later I am able to accomplish that task. De nitely, with a lack of
tools, it's gonna take some more time but everything is doable with sheer determination and that's what I learned during
this project. I love doing engraving but going for hammer and chisel engraving is not my cup of tea that's why in the past
I have been using foredom engraver but it was extremely di cult to work with because the tool didn't have a very
ergonomic design and buying an expensive engraver isn't an option for me so I go with a plan of making my own
pneumatic engraver handpiece. You know what's the most satisfying thing during this project, it's when you turn on the
compressor and that little piston moves back and forth in the cylinder and makes an impact on the bit so that you are
able to engrave any metal. The working principle is quite simple and if you didn't have a lathe then probably this video
tells you how you can make one for yourself. If you have some useful tips and tricks to share then do let me know in the
comments section down below. So without further delay let's start this build.
Supplies:
Following is the list of materials I used to build this pneumatic engraver. De nitely, if you have a lathe then the project is
rather simple to make and you can avoid using bolt for the build, but if that's not the case then the bolt and nut is the
only option for you to continue this build. The bolts I am using in this are actually provided by my friend who works in the
dairy company and he told that there is some modi cation that needs to be done on pipe ange and these bolts are no
longer required, so he gave them to me because he saw my nut ring video and hoping to convert something with these
nuts and bolts. I wasted a few of them but glad that successfully able to make one from those bolts. Although grub screw
and M8 allen bolt I already have in my drawer.
The design provided above suited best for my compressor. Since the car, in ator comes in various sizes so your design
must be according to that. You can de nitely change the size of the barrel and try using a 10 mm hole and by doing that
you have a lot more power in the stroke.
1. Stainless steel Bolt M16 or M20. (I use M20 since I got them but I recommend to have M16 bolt)
2. Nut according to the Bolt 2 pcs
3. M8 Allen Bolt for graver holder
4. M3 grub screw for tightening the graver into the holder
5. wood for the handle
6. 4mm pneumatic pipe tting
7. High-speed steel blank 12 mm. (You can use the back of the drill bit also. You can use any other
piece also but make sure it's a hardenable material since the hammer needs to move up and down
to make a stroke so it's better to make it with hardenable material)
8. Pneumatic pipe
Tools used:-
Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 1

Tools I am mentioning over here are those which I used but the lathe is the tool that will ease this work.
1. Hacksaw
2. Flat le
3. Angle Grinder
4. Grinding wheel
5. Lapping Disk
6. Bu ng wheel
7. Bu ng compound
https://youtu.be/AHSIS6iwaQU

View in 3D Download
https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/F00/1879/KWAOKK2L/F001879KWAOKK2L.f3d
Download
https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/F6K/3DNY/KWQEGR1Q/F6K3DNYKWQEGR1Q.dwg
Step 1: Drilling the Holes
The rst thing to do in this build is to drill two holes one for the front and the other is for the back. The front hole is used
to mount the graver holder with the help of M8 threads and it's 25mm deep. The rear hole is a 12mm dia hole that acts as
a cylinder inside which a piston moves back and forth. The reason for choosing bolt is because it already has threads at
the outside and since we are not using lathe this will reduce our work to some extent.
To mark the point location I rst tighten the nuts onto the bolt so that it will provide a holding location to the vise in the
next operation. For the exact location of the drilled hole, I am using a center nding jig and mark the hole location, center
punch it. Since I have to hold it into the vise from the back I need to remove those markings from the bolt for which I am
using the le to make it clean so that it can sit ush onto the vise base. Then I drilled a 6.35 mm hole for M8 thread into
the bolt.
Drilling stainless is no joke because it's a work-hardened material. It's absolutely mandatory to keep the bit and the drill
cools during the drilling process or you can use tungsten carbide drill bits for the drilling process which is a lot easier to
go with but since I didn't have carbide that's why I failed two times during this build. Similarly, a 12 mm hole needs to be
drilled at the back, and the total depth of the hole is 50mm.

Step 2: Drilling a Breathing Hole
A breathing hole is a hole that is used to suck air in and out. To make the piston move up and down this hole is absolutely
mandatory. The breathing hole should lie between the center where both the 8mm thread and the 12mm hole collide.
This hole needs to be placed exactly over that location. Since we drilled the threaded hole up to the depth of 25mm the
breathing hole center location lies at 25mm. The hole doesn't need to be big. A 2mm hole should be more than su cient
and a minimum of two holes is necessary to make the piston moveable.

Step 3: Removing Front Half of Threads
Once the drilling work has been nished it's time to reduce the bulk from the bolt and for that, I hold the bolt into the
vise and start removing half of the threaded portion. I use les for this operation. To make even removal of material I
attached a screw in front of the bolt so that I am able to take the reference from the bolt head. You can de nitely be able
to use the angle grinder but I decided to use it in the nishing operation. I found that a rough le would be an ideal tool
for this operation. I constantly checked the roundness from the front and kept on ling until I get almost perfect
roundness. It's de nitely di cult to get the complete round pro le without a lathe but you can reach at least close to it.

Step 4: Finishing the Bolt and Front Tapering
Once the majority of the material has been removed it's time to nish the bolt with the help of an angle grinder. Rather
than using a stone grinding wheel, I go with a diamond lapping disk. The disk is made up of metal and remains perfectly
straight during the grinding process. De nitely, this is a slow process but well worth the e ort. Slowly and steadily the
front tapering has been also accomplished to give it a more ergonomic shape.

Step 5: Polishing the Barrel
After drilling the hole for the cylinder I decided to polish the inside area to reduce the friction to some extent. This
process is not really that e ective unless you do it for a longer duration. For this process, I use a piece of rod and wrap
sandpaper around the rod and apply a little bit of WD40 onto it, and then insert it into that hole. As the drill spins it the
paper rubbed against the wall and make it smooth more like a car engine cylinder. I did this up to 600 grit but the higher
you go with the grit size, the more smoothness you will attain.

Step 6: Cutting the Hex Head of Blot and Making It Flat
Once most of the barrel work has been completed with the help of a hacksaw I cut down the head of the bolt and then
with the help of the le make it at by taking a reference from the top of the nut. This process is necessary so that it can t
easily inside the back cap and make a good seal.
Step 7: Height Adjustable Nut and Lock Nut
To adjust the stroke of the hammer inside the cylinder I need a nut and lock nut. For that, I am using two nuts of M20.
De nitely, the nut is a lot bulkier but using it will reduce some amount of work and we can always thin it down when we
needed. To reduce the bulk of the material from stainless nut I used a hand le and angle grinder. For the lock nut, I need
a thin nut that's why to attain that I cut down the nut from the center and then shape it with an angle grinder and le by
holding it into another bolt which helps a lot to nalize the shape. After that, I hold both the nuts onto the cylinder and
then sanded them down to make them more even. Along with this I also sand down the barrel to remove scratch marks
and make the surface smooth.

Step 8: Making the Piston
Once the barrel or cylinder has been completed i started the work onto the hammer or the piston. Since I drilled a 12mm
hoke in the bolt that's why I used 12mm HSS blank to make the piston because it's very precise and after doing some
polishing inside the barrel there is plenty enough space left inside the barrel so that the piston can move back and forth
very easily.
I hold the blank in the drill bit and then with the help of an angle grinder start removing the bulk of the material. The
weight of the piston should be lie between 5-10gm. After doing the initial shaping I bu the surface to make it smooth. I
also made a grove onto the piston which allows a little bit of oil to sit into to maintain a good tight seal in the cylinder
wall and the piston.

Step 9: Graver Holder
For the graver holder, I used a piece of M8 Allen bolt and drilled a 3mm hole because the shank of my graver is 3mm.
From there after to hold the graver to its place I drilled a 2.5mm hole for 3mm threads and insert a grub screw that holds
the graver to its place during the engraving process.
Step 10: Constructing the Handle
The handle is the most di cult part for me to do. For the handle, I took a burnt piece of wood that I saved from a re in a
hope that I can use it for my knife handle but this project came to mind and the size is absolutely ideal for making a
handle for the engraver. I stabilize the wood with the help of epoxy. Then with the help of a hole saw and scroll saw cut
the cylindrical blank out of the piece and prepare it for turning. Before turning the handle I need to drill a hole inside this
piece and on one side there is an M20 nut that has to be glued and at the back, there is a pneumatic tting that needs to
be installed. Since I drill the hole with a hole saw that's why there is a through-hole inside the wooden blank and that
hole help to mount it onto the drill machine to do the turning process. Then with the help of sandpaper, chisel, and other
tools and bits, I manage to bring the nal shape of the handle.
To glue the nut which I thinned down earlier I made some marks onto it and then with the help of two-part epoxy glued
it inside that handle and started the nishing work. I sanded down the surface up to 1000 grit and then with 3M bu ng
compound bring the piece to a high gloss nish.

Step 11: Attaching the Pneumatic Fitting to the Back of the Handle
For the tting, I drilled two di erent holes one is for the thread and another is to make the hex nut ush into the handle.
The thread used in this is 1⁄4 NPT thread and from thereafter attached the tting over that area.

Step 12: Buffing and Polishing
I hold the piece into the drill machine from the threaded side and then start the bu ng with the help of an angle grinder.
I applied a su cient amount of bu ng compound and then made the entire piece nice and shiny.

Step 13: Modifying the Car Compressor
To make this graver work I modify the compressor and to give it custom look I completely redesigned the casing and
made my own 3d printed case for the compressor.
These pneumatic gravers are actually of two di erent types. The one in which both compression and suction take place
and the second one in which only compression takes place. The one I made in this Instructables used both compression
and suction. To do this there are some modi cations that need to be done in the car compressor because a regular ac
compressor is a bit more di cult to do. So the rst thing I did is remove the outer casing of the compressor. Over the top
of the cylinder, there is a ap that lies directly below the hole. The function of that ap is to allow air intake but in the
second stroke prevent the air to escape out. Along with this, there is a red color nonreturn valve which we also need to
remove and that valve is installed in the exit path of the air. Once you disable these two things your graver is ready to
make both upward and downward strokes. The mechanics of a car compressor is rather simple. There is a 12v dc motor
connected to a cam which is further connected to a piston that moves up and down to compress air. At the point where
the pressure gauge is connected make sure to close that hole as well to avoid air leak. Once all these things have been
done I assemble the components and it's ready for use.
One thing which is extremely important while choosing a compressor is the volume. Always make sure that
compressor have atleast double the volume of your engraver cylinder. If that was not the case the compression
and suction will not takes place.

Step 14: 3d Printed Casing
Once the compressor modi cation is done I made a design for the enclosure. Inside that enclosure, I made a mount for
the fan and motor. Also to increase or decrease the speed I installed a motor governor ( dc speed regulator) with this I am
easily able to control the speed of the engraver hammer. There is a fan at the back of the compressor assembly which is
used to keep the motor cool during the engraving work. I also made a cavity to install the buttons as well so that I can
control the compressor and the fan directly from the housing. Once everything is made I assemble the engraver and it's
ready for use.

Step 15: Finally
Once everything is assembled the engraver is ready to make a sound. I connected it with a 12v power supply and it's
ready to make strokes. Believe me, the sound is so satisfying and tells you that you won and successfully able to make
the graver. You can clearly see in the video that how easy it is to control the stroke with the help of that adjustment nut.

I am not the least interested in making an engraver but am simply forced to comment on the
amazing finish you have achieved using simple tools, as also the excellent step wise description /
instrustions you have provided.
As ron342 says, an engineering drawing will make this instructable just perfect.
I hope you retain your sharp eyesight and dexterity through out you life and continue presenting
such excellent projects which are a pleasure to go through.
Thanks again for a great article.
Thanks for the words, Yeah now I posted the DWG file hope it helps.
Wow I'm completely impressed. Your Instructable shows what can be done with just hand tools.
Good Luck!
Thank you, Sir for your generous words. Deeply appreciate the feedback:)
You're very welcome, I can just imagine all the time and work that went into your Engraver.
sir you are a true artissan your level of skill is awe inspiring please keep up the posts they are
amazing you definetly are my favorite instructables to watch THANK YOU for a amazing video
A pleasure to hear that Sir, truly appreciate the words, I think its people like you who boost the
moral.
Whoa!!! And I thought I was clever on occasionally clamping a drill in a vise and using it as a
simple lathe. That's awesome! My compliments and be proud sir.
hahahaha..........Thank you my friend for the words, appreciate the feedback:)
Wow! That is an astounding vision, effort, and exquisite execution. I have a lathe, and am not
sure that I would take on such a project. Great work!
Thanks mate for the words, I think people like you motivates to improve the work a lot:)
Very impressive! And your talent as an engraver is obvious too.

Thank you my friend, appreciate the words:)
Absolutely brilliant!
Thank you sir for the words:)
I am absolutely impressed by the level of precision with just hand tools. You have got a very good
feel for materials! Great!
Thank you brother, truely appretiate the kind words :)
I sat and watched this start to finish absolutely mesmerized. Wow. You have blown me away.
Vision, craftsmanship, totally amazing. Thank you for the thrill.
Thanks, mate for the words. Your words definitely bring a smile on my face:)

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instructables

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 1

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 2

Step 1: Drilling the Holes

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 3

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 11

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 13

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 18

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 24

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 31

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 35

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 42

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 56

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 59

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 61

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 67

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 72

Very impressive! And your talent as an engraver is obvious too.

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 78

Thank you sir for the words:)

Turning Stainless Steel Bolt Into Pneumatic Engraver: Page 79

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