This is the LewisM version of The Great Kunama Handle (
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=156090).
I saw some 304-stainless L-brackets in Bunnings recently, and was wondering what I could do with them. Then I saw Matt's Handle (referenced above), and took it upon myself to imitate the handle Matt made so beautifully.
Not having anything even remotely like a lathe or mill, I used an angle grinder, Dremel and a file to round the edges and corners. I used a Tasmanian Oak dowel, selecting a piece that had some tiger/fiddle back stripping in it, which I sanded to 180 grit before polishing slightly with brass wool, then stained it with Feast and Watson Elm stain, and applied one coat of linseed mixed with pure bee's wax. Set it up on the oil heater last night, polished the wood this morning.
I then went to Bunnings again to buy some 20mm copper pipe sleeving, but saw the pipe connector olives, which look just like jewellery rings, and got those instead.
Didn't QUITE get the brass screws oriented north-south at full tight, so will put some epoxy in the screw holes and position just so and let harden up.
The wood should not get too cold to touch (don't need a Dumb and Dumber moment
) and by using 45mm long brass screw shanks, will be plenty strong (they cover nearly 3/4 of the dowel length). An FS-102 is not very heavy anyway.
Matt reckons I need to paint the rings and handle L's Tak green... not sure yet
Maybe in it's next incarnation when I re-profile the L bracket sides to match the flats on the rings.
Slightly steam-punkesque
