Low profile, compact work-holding solutions. Advice sought.

[EddyCurrent]

I like Celtic. The old fodies way to stick something down for machining was shellac. You melt it using heat for the fixing, either melt or dissolve with methylated spirit for the removing.

In that case animal glue should work too, but these days maybe hot melt glue would work.
With double sided tape, I've discovered the strength seems to be a function of how hard you press it all down, in fact 3M I think call it 'pressure sensitive' tape.
With a job this small you would think the tape might have some sideways movememt that could be significant in proportion to the job size so a physical restraint such as a pocket would be best.
Maybe you could machine a shallow pocket in wood or perspex then fit the workpiece inside it, held down with double sided tape in the bottom.
Nice job by the way.

[Wal]

Maybe you could machine a shallow pocket in wood or perspex then fit the workpiece inside it, held down with double sided tape in the bottom.
Nice job by the way.

Cheers Eddy - yeah, I was leaning that way - although a micro DIY vacuum chuck might make a nice project... Will look into it a bit further to see if it's something that I could manage...

Clive S made a very good point earlier - I'm losing 20% of holding strength by using only the 1 strip of tape and leaving part of the blank 'unstuck'... Never really stopped to consider it, but when written down in numbers it becomes a lot more obvious!

Wal.

[Boyan Silyavski]

Hole in plastic. Detail in the hole. Hot glue gun.Glue it. Wait 1 min. Do the job. Spray can filled with alcohol/rubbing or whatever/. Spray on the hard hot glue. Unglues like miracle. No traces on job or board .Thats it.

I use mostly hot glue to hold almost anything. Double sided tape is pain in the a**s to clean. Even when i used very very thin one/ used for photo prints to fix on a support and lexan top/ it makes a mess. Especially if you have a cut through or hole, the last mm should be very slow or bit breaks in the goo.

[Wal]

Do you mean like this, silyavski?



How easy is it to ensure that the stock stays 'flat' (perpendicular to the cutter) when seating it on the glue..? The mother of pearl show-face is usually ground flat (already pretty thin) and bonded to a rough stone substrate which gets surfaced parallel to the show-face before starting the job. If there's too much of a rise in the stock once it's glued then it might be problematic... Hey, but good suggestion and worth a try for sure.

Thanks!

Wal.

[Boyan Silyavski]

Hi,

No glue below. Fit it in, then glue around. Once you know the hot glue, you can stick anything with barely just enough glue to hold firmly and at the same time to remove it very easily.

In case like yours, where fine elements can be damaged by pulling by hand or lifting with screwdriver/that's what i do/, so use alcohol.

I can't imagine a life without hot glue :-)

See some example, just right now what i have on my machine. The wood is bend, that's the weights are for. See how little glue i use. you do the same, just your element will be a little inside the fixture hole :

[Wal]

Aha, okay.

Will give it a go sometime. Cheers!

Wal.

[Boyan Silyavski]

I start repeating my self about Chinese thing, but have to say it- don't use Chinese glue sticks. You will know them that they are softer and yellowish. You need transparent white or whitish. The Chinese ones don't harden enough and stick in an awful manner + clog the gun.

Try it, you will like it. Its the fastest way to hold something, especially various things at home .

[StevenT]

I have used super glue which work fine, as the glue has a low viscosity the work piece will sit flat in the pocket and can be removed with heat or and acetone.

[Wal]

I recently made a couple of custom logos in MoP. Based on earlier recommendations, here's how the (this time very successful) work-holding went:

1. Machined a pocket in a flooring off-cut to hold the stock (very snug press-fit). Also used a bit of double sided tape and a couple of dabs of hot glue to help prevent the work lifting. Note the access points at the corners to aid in lifting out the work.
2. Once cut, I shaved off the glue and then dabbed a few drops of meths through the shell and onto the double sided tape which let go straight away.

I guess it's basic stuff, but if it helps someone out on a first job, then so much the better.

Wal.

[GEOFFREY]

Looks good Wal - well done and thanks for showing. G.