Blacksmithing
and Cutlery
by Gérard HEUTTE
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Stonewash machine
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This article presents a rotary drum type machine to make a stonewash finish. The goal is to
make an affordable, simple and efficient machine!
First of all, this is what it looks like when finished:
Hardware
First of all, the shopping list:
> Some wood boards from scrap
> Four wheels coated with rubber, outside diameter 50mm (DIY shop, 2 euros each)
> Waterproof jar 300mm high, 100mm in diameter (Ikea 4 euros)
The boards
The rubber wheels
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The jar
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> Various hardware (screws, nuts, threaded rods) from scrap
> Four frange block bearings (ebay 7 euros per set of 4)
> A 14W, 220V, 110RPM gearmotor (ebay 15 euros)
The hardware
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The bearing
The motor
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> A power cord from scrap
> A switch with a small box from scrap
The different elements must be chosen to arrive at a rotation speed of the jar around 1 revolution per
second. Here, the jar has a diameter just over 100mm, the wheels has an outside diameter of 50mm and
the gearmotor rotates at 110 RPM.
Assembly
The assembly is rather simple.
(1) Fixing of the 4 bearings. The spacing is such that the jar fits in a "V" when it is placed on the wheels.
With a 100mm diameter jar and 50mm wheels, the spacing between the axes of the threaded rods is approximately
110mm. The height will be such that the axis of the driving threaded rod is aligned with the axis of the motor.
(2) Gluing of the first vertical part to the base.
(3) Drilling the end of one of the threaded rods to ensure the driving. I made a flat area with a file to facilitate drilling.
(4) Wheel assembly on threaded rods
(5) Gluing of the second vertical part to the basis. A double nut prevents the motor axis from shifting.
(6) Engine mounting. Not great, there I tinkered a little ... as I could!
(7) Connection between the motor and the driving threaded rod by a clip which will behave like a cardan...
(8) The electrical part with what I found in my drawers ...
(9) The gizmo completed!!!!
Use
There too it is rather simple. Just put the blade, the abrasives and the lubricant (optional) in the drum
and plug in!
I added:
> Rough strips on the jar for good contact without slipping.
> Adhesive felt pads at the contact points between the ends of the jar and the vertical boards.
Here's what it looks like:
Video in operation.
For the abrasive, there are several possibilities:
> Commercial abrasives (ceramic cones)
> More common materials such as: Gravel, pieces of dishes or glass, scrap parts of metal ...
As a lubricant, there are also several possibilities:
> Water
> Oil
> Dishwashing liquid
> WD40...
The "stonewash" effect can be improved by first putting the blade in acid ...
The use of a sealed jar makes possible to keep and store the abrasive and the lubricant in a
practical way. Several jars can store different combinations of abrasive and lubricant.
The final result depends on the steel / abrasive / lubricant / time combination ... Good tests !!!!!!
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