Posted by Rick Denney on August 27, 2000 at 17:39:49:
In Reply to: Re: Venting Piston Valves posted by concerned on August 27, 2000 at 12:47:26:
I hear you, but (and I'm asking this with the greatest respect) are you guessing or do you know? Causing a problem with the plating, if it's a real problem, would be a show-stopper for me. I hadn't thought of in until now, which is why I asked. Has it happened to anyone else?
The trick with the Dremel is to not use a cutting tool, but to use a grinding tool and work very slowly. Drill presses are probably the most dangerous tool imaginable; if something goes wrong, it will destroy the work before you can react. And locking the piston down well enough to prevent that might well distort it.
Were I to use a drill press or a lathe, I would probably find or make split-block vise with a hole just big enough for the piston, and clamp the piston between the two halves of the block. Then, I'd drill through the block vise and piston in one go. Would a hardwood block vise be sufficient (hard and stiff enough)? This is too much of a risk for me to try on my own, at least on this horn.
Rick "Appreciating the input" Denney