What's new
What's new

Springfield VT scraping class May 2019

Warren

Cast Iron
Joined
Nov 16, 2005
Location
Sutton, NH
We are once again offering another Scraping Class with Richard King (and maybe Alex King) at Gear Works in Springfield VT. The dates for that class are on week 20 - Monday May 13 thru Friday May 17. Gear Works in Springfield is located behind the old Fellows Gear Shaper Company plant in an old Fellows building. Gear Works makes gears and rebuilds gear cutting machinery for customers all over the US.

The class will cover hand and power scraping using a Biax power scraper. We will discuss machine way alignment and how to achieve it. Plus Richard will demonstrate the application of Turcite plastic way material and how to scrape it. Richard will have some hand and power scrapers for those who do not have one. We will provide work tables and some clamps, students are encouraged to bring whatever you have for tools as well. At the very least students should bring a project to work on. Many people bring a lathe cross or top slide. Some bring straight edge castings that need scraped in, whatever you can comfortably travel with and move by hand is fair game. I still have a Bridgeport Mill there I have been picking away at. And since only God knows when I will get it done (2022...Cough ...Cough :) ) Once again we will use it for a training aid as required.

For information pertaining to registration and pricing please contact Richard direct at [email protected] or Alex King [email protected].

You can also contact me with other questions [email protected]. I will be adding information here as need be.

Cheers,
Warren
 
Warren we have had 2 guys email so far. You a heck of a salesman, keep up the fine work.

For those who are interested here is a letter I am sending out. It was originally written by Keith Rucker and I changed the names and places to protect the innocent....lol. I have left out the price as PM prefers I not talk $ on the forum. Warren wrote the first part: We are also having one in February in Navasota Texas at Steve Watkins shop. Trying to do one in CA in April or June.

Warren Jones is the Coordinator and my Son Alex is my assistant and will someday be teaching the classes and I will be his assistant :-).

Warren wrote:

I am one of the organizers for the class in Springfield VT this year. The dates for that class are on week 20 - Monday May 13 thru Friday May 17 , at Gearworks in Springfield, which is located behind the old Fellows gear shaper plant. Directions will be posted later to all participants.
The class will cover hand and power scraping using a Biax power scraper. we will discuss machine way alignment and how to achieve it. Plus Richard will demonstrate the application of Turcite plastic way material as well. Richard will have some hand and power scrapers for those who do not have one. You are encored to bring whatever you have for tools as well. We will provide work tables and some clamps. If you can bring clamps and a small mill vise it would be beneficial. Also bring a project to work on. Many people bring a lathe cross or top slide. Some bring straight edge castings that need scraped in, what ever you can comfortably travel with and move by hand. I will also have a Bridgeport there in several pieces we will use as a training aide.

The cost is for five days of instruction. Richard requires a deposit paid by check to hold your spot which will be returned if the class does not go for some reason. The Remaining balance due will be required at a date closer to the class. Contact Alex King here: [email protected] for payment details and registration as he is the one handling it for Richard.

Here is the registration form Richard son Alex sends out:

To get registered, please fill out the questionnaire at tinyurl.com/kingway and I will forward an invoice over once registration is received.
Warren

Here is a preview of a typical class:
Written by one of the hosts Keith Rucker of Vintage Tools for his January GA class which has been sold out for months and has a waiting list.

Greetings!

At some point in the past, you indicated to me that you were interested in participating in one of the Richard King Hand Scraping Classes. I have another class scheduled for this winter and we are ready to start signing people up for it. If the past is any indicator, I suspect that this class will fill up pretty quickly but before we advertise it to the public, I give first shot to those who have inquired in the past. Class size is limited to 10 people. There are many more people who have indicated in interest in the class than what we have room for this time around, so here is how we are going to do it – it’s first come, first served. The first 10 people who respond that they want to take the class – and who send in a deposit, will be who we sign up. I will also keep a list of alternates in case somebody backs out.

Basic Details:

Who: You

What: Richard King Machine Scraping and Rebuilding Class
Cost:
Yes, I know that is expensive, but after taking the class, I can honestly say that it is worth every penny. It is an investment if you really want to learn how to do this kind of work. Richard King is an expert in this area and good teacher to boot – it is a skill that you just cannot learn from a book or even a video. Having hands on instruction from a professional is essential to properly learn this skill!

Payment Schedule:

To make things a bit easier to swallow, we will ask for a deposit up front with half of the total class amount. The remaining will be due about 1 month before the start of the class – Once you tell me you want to take the class, I will pass along your info to Richard and he will invoice you and provide payment information – payment will go directly to Richard. When your final payment is made, Richard will send you a textbook for the class as well as a DVD – you will need to bring your book with you to the class and watch the DVD BEFORE coming. (Alex is offering a discount to those who pay in full in advance.)

Lodging:

Lodging for the class will be on your own. There is a Holiday Inn in Springfield and a few others. Last time Rich taught a class in Springfield he stayed at a Airbnb. As of now He hasn't picked a spot.

Most of the tools and equipment that you need for the class will be provided including surface plates, straight edges, workbenches, measuring tools, Biax power scrapers, grinders, slipstones, marking compound, etc. There is a list below of suggested items you will need to bring to the class – and if you do not have some of those items, we can likely work with you to get you through – just communicate with me ahead of time.

Lunch

Because of the time required to travel to and from town, in the past we have just had lunch at the shop - we all just pitched in and I buy fixings for sandwiches, hamburgers or the like and fix it there in the shop. In the past, the cost for this has been about $10 per person per day. The easiest way to handle this is to just plan on paying cash on the first day and the host will take care of the food. Of course, if you want to bring your own lunch fixings each day, that is fine as well. There is a coffee pot, some soda and bottle water and refrig.

Class Outline:

The class is a five-day class. The first three days you will spend learning the art of scraping – first with a hand scraper and then with a Biax Power Scraper (Richard provides these to borrow for the class). You start out on a practice piece of cast iron (provided – they are returned to Richard so that he can use them in other classes) and once you are ready, you will start working on a project of your own. A typical project could be a straightedge, cross slide or saddle off of a lathe or mill, angle plate, cast iron surface plate, etc. The last two days of the class will give you time to work on your own project as well as some discussion and hands on experience with machine rebuilding.

Basic scraping Class overview and some details (days 1-3):

Hand scraping 15 – 20 PPI on cast iron on practice bar
½ moon oil flaking by hand
Sharpening scraper blades
Working with levels, test indicators and micrometers
Power scraping, power flaking, personal projects, Rulon (Turcite) application
Machine alignment (demo & use of Kingway tool), 3 point alignment (kinematic mount), lubrication
Testing and scraping tapered gibs
Q&A session on machine rebuilding & scraping
Guidance on personal project(s), scraping to 40 PPI, straight edge scraping, pull scraping
Discussion of lubrication and considerations
Advanced sessions (days 4-5):

More in-depth training on scraping and machine alignment
Further work and personal instruction on your project or multiple projects
Technique to achieve 40 points per square inch for straight edges, surface plates & jig borers
Emphasis on machine alignment
Application of Rulon (Turcite), scraping and cutting oil grooves

Former students can attend and work on there extensive projects with the help of Richard.
Scraping Class – What you need to bring:

A manual hand scraper. If you have one, bring it. Richard prefers the hand scrapers made by Biax as his first choice. Sandvik also makes a nice one, but Richard is not a big fan of the Anderson hand scrapers. If you want to purchase a Biax hand scraper, they are available from Dapra. I also have drawings on how to make a close copy of the Biax design that I can provide to anybody that wants to make their own (you will need a milling machine for this project). We highly recommend that you purchase/make your own hand scraper and bring it with you to the class but we typically can round up a few for people to borrow if need be.
Vises, clamps, etc. You will need something to hold your work so something like a milling machine vise will be very helpful. Also, you might want to bring some C-clamps etc for holding work down. Again, best to bring your own (particularly if you are driving) but I have a couple of extra milling machine vises and clamps that I can lend out if you don’t have one or are flying in. If you need one, please *let me know* so I can make sure that we have enough.
Your project. Each of you will need to bring along a *small* project to work on later in the week. This could be a parallel, angle plate, straight edge, lathe compound, etc. Just try to keep it on the smaller size – let’s say a 100 lb weight limit (if we need a forklift, crane, engine hoist, pallet jack, etc to unload or move it – it is too big!) If you have a question on this, send a note to Richard and run it past him.
An extension cord. If you are flying in, I have a few extras, but for those driving in, please bring one (and a few extras if you have them). You will need this when you start using the Biax power scrapers.
Gloves. Some leather or cloth gloves to protect your hands.
SAFETY GLASSES!!! Everybody will be required to wear some kind of safety glasses in the shop! If you wear glasses (as I do) that should be fine.
Your Booklet that Richard will send. You will need this in the class – please put your name on it! He will not have extras. Also, please read it and watch the DVD before coming. No need to bring your DVD unless you want to watch it in your hotel room at nights.Optional items (if you have them and are driving in and can bring them)

Biax Power Scraper. If you already have one, bring it with you. If not, no worries, Richard will bring plenty for everybody to use to learn power scraping.
Lighting. While the lighting in my shop should be pretty good, you still may want to bring along a small portable light source if your eyes are getting old like mine or you just have problems seeing. Optional but probably better to have it just in case. A draftsman or desk lamp works well, as does some of the small LED lights on a goose neck. In the last class, only a few people actually needed extra lighting but nice to have just in case.
If you have a portable chair and/or a bench stool, you might want to bring one along. I have probably a half dozen chairs out in the shop and can probably round up a few more for eating lunch, sitting down and resting, class time, etc. No worries if you can’t bring one but if it is not too much trouble, just throw one in.
If you have an anti-fatigue mat that you can bring, your feet will probably love you for it. Completely optional, but you will be standing on your feet all day long for five days on my concrete shop floor.
Rags or Paper Towels – for wiping down your project. I will have a bag of rags in the shop that we can share but for those that are driving in if you can bring some as well, we should be covered.
A small brush and dust pan for wiping down your project.
Hand files. To knock sharp corners off of parts. If you can bring one or a few, great. If not, I have files that can be shared.
Personal measuring equipment: Dial test indicator(s), dial indicator and stand, micrometer(s), calipers, etc.


Thanks and fill in the registration form and Alex will send you an invoice. He is pretty busy with his regular job, so be patient.

Rich
 
We have three people now confirmed that are coming. Things are starting to look good here. I purchased an engine hoist and put in over at Gearworks to take the strain out of lifting heavy stuff. I am making small improvements to the work area every visit. Which sadly are very infrequent here lately.

Warren
 
Thanks to everyone that has submitted a signup form, I just sent out invoices via email. If you did not get one, or any email from myself or Richard, please check your spam folder.

~ Alex
 
Thanks to everyone that has submitted a signup form, I just sent out invoices via email. If you did not get one, or any email from myself or Richard, please check your spam folder.

~ Alex
Alex
I have made several attempts to contact both you or Richard.
I did retreive a short reply from the spam yesterday, but have never gotten anything from you, including an invoice.

Peter
Shapeaholic at gmail dot com
 
C'mon down 3512B, Anchorage is still cold in May :) I know for a fact there is a nice Biax BL10 with accessories waiting for you in Grandby CT. You could fly in to Bradley, pick up the tools and head here. I'll even put clean sheets on the guest bed for you! Yes Pam said you could sleep inside this time :)

There is still some room folks, Gear Works is a fun place to have a class.
 
Hi all,
With just a little under a month to go I thought quick update on the Springfield Class was due. I am happy to report the class is nearly full, if not in fact full. Last I knew (a couple days ago) we were close. I have sent out an email on lodging and general information to all those that have registered or more correctly, all I know who have registered. If you are a reader here and have in fact registered and are coming but have not received said information please contact me. w_jones @ mcttelecom.com (remove the spaces)

I have been working on the classroom area (cleaning up my mess) and it is ready. Judging by the emails I have received it looks like it is going fun class. Some of the projects they lads have said they were going bring to work on sound interesting as well.

Cheers
Warren
 
Class Dismissed

A week after the class finished, I finally got a minute to post about it. The class went off without a hitch. It was full too! at one time we had 15 people.
For the second year in a row we had a surgeon, plus a couple engineers, several machinists, couple hobbyists that worked in manufacturing, one of the machinists was from Sandia National Lab and one was a rather impressive 24 year old apprentice from Watervliet Arsenal in the Albany NY area. If Richard is feeling up to it we may do another.

IMG_1586.jpg IMG_1590.jpg IMG_1538.jpg IMG_1583.jpg

P.S. 3512B I missed you, that new girlfriend must have you busy converting the garage into a hair salon eh? :)
 
Sorry I misses it,

Too maney boats to get in the water for me to leave. Younger guys can’t take the work and they are quitting so the old guy till at bat.think they have a secret insurance policy on me and waiting for me to kick it so they can collect!plus Duffey sleeps with that Darex and he be in tears if I repossessed it:)

We are doing KENT this year then a road trip to Bradley Maine to keep Brother Terry and his Lombard on the straight and Narrow !

Sorry I missed it looks like was good time!
 
I was one of the students in the class, and I learned a TON from Richard, from Warren, and fellow students, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. Many thanks, also, to Don of GearWorks who hosted the event.
 








 
Back
Top