Saturday Night Special 128: Abom Torque T-Shirts, Turning Bronze, Carbide vs HSS 

YES! Machining, AND cooking! Especially stuff that has been passed down through the years. Too much has been lost in both categories. One of the reasons I love watching your stuff is that I can see your Grand-Dad and your Dad in the way you work. Now we get a chance to see your Moms' influence in what goes into making you what you are. What's not to like?

Hi Adam. Thanks for the lesson about cutting tools for brass and bronze. It is one of the many machining subjects that I know nothing about. I learn something from you during every episode and appreciate it. There is an expression that says that "In the end, all old men turn to bbq." I know I have and love doing it. I've enjoy your cooking videos as well. Can't wait to "meet" your mom. Best. Bob

The dial indicator "filter" and positioning works great Adam. Thanks for all your efforts to make videos which I know are very time consuming. I greatly appreciate your efforts.

That filter does the trick! I've always admired the high quality of your lighting & video setups. I know that takes a lot of work and attention. Thanks for the stream of excellent videos!

You've become a natural teacher Adam. Honestly, Id watch if you made a video of paint drying. Thanks

Adam, I really enjoy the A/B examples of why you do things one way over another. Adding to everyone's knowledge base is great. Thanks.

It's cool to see someone passionate about there work. We need more people like this is in the work force.

Adam, Another great instructional video. Try a few drops of honing oil on the stones. You'll like the results. All the best, Eric

Spade drill are easy to build from bar stock. I have had to make a few in the past for deep hole work. If you have questions just ask, be glad to help with them.

Great video, and well executed with examples. I can see the big difference in the finish in the amount of light reflected. Good Job.

great video once again Adam, I've worked in heavy plant for over 27 years and even though I'm watching you in your machine shop or at work, it all feels so familiar and similar to me, I even have an old tobacco tin in which I keep my hss tools for bronze and brass work, your explanation of the chip throw and finish made my jaw drop as that was something I was tought as an apprentice. keep up the great videos and to help out I've invested in one of your t-shirts.

Awesome Adam....looking forward to the family recipes and cooking too.

One of my projects I needed to fit o rings on brass. I needed a fine finish to make it seal and hold low pressure water. Thank You alot for showing the difference between the two. I bought the brass a couple of years ago and have not done anything with it. Now i know

I just ordered one of your shirts. You come up with a lot of good ideas on your shirts.

Thanks, love the 'education' piece! Impressed on the "scorpion tail" on the weld! (curled up slag)

thanks for taking the time to explain/show working with bronze/brass. :)

That was a good one. I also love those old recipes from childhood. Great memories

One of these days, should time and circumstances permit (yeah, I know, you have so much time on your hands :) I'd like to watch you chase a big thread like that one in the clip.. Great video and very good explanation of HSS vs carbide.

appreciate your shop work!!! cant wait to see some bigger job ! RESPECT

Adam, as I understand it, those firebricks are made with Flint clay, which contributes to their ability to withstand higher temps that ordinary clay bricks. I used to see those line the interior of blast furnaces filled with molten steel.

Adam, great information and well presented. And I love the idea of cooking videos!

Hey Adam, the camera filter worked perfectly with the face of the gauge, no reflection at my end. I would really like to but one of the 'torque' tee shirts but getting it to Scotland would be too expensive as a single item. Many thanks for taking the time to put up you content, really appreciated. Kindest regards, Joe.

Nice seeing the difference in the tools for turning brass/bronze, thanks. ....13

Hi Adam, Just wanted to let you know I watched all your videos. It took several months to get through them all. I enjoyed all of them. Machining, cooking and your trips. All were entertaining. Hope you will be able to keep them coming. Thank you. D.

Fish Gumbo and Fish chowder how to's..... My mouth is watering in anticipation, bring them on. A big bowl of fish chowder and some fresh home baked bread is a meal to die for. Another point about fire bricks is they wont explode on you as is likely with a normal brick or piece of concrete. Cheers Eric

Great weld job on that cylinder. Thanks.

Sunday morning coffee and SNS 👍 Since I learned to grind a HSS tool from your video, I'm almost always use HSS tool bits it's working really fine for me as a hobby machinist, I can get a much better finish then with carbide inserts, there are so many many different carbide inserts and as a hobby machinist I get confused over what kind of insert is best so it is really great I have learned to grind a HSS tool and can get it to work👍 hope you understand it is probably not 100% correct English😉 Enjoyed the video

Spade drill holders should be easy to find on ebay and aren't too bad brand new. I use carbide to cut brass/bronze but use a high shear insert that breaks the chips short. Thanks again, Jeff

I really appreciated the explanation regarding HS tool use on brass. I'll bet the ultimate reason Fits with Mr. Pete's recommendation to use dedicated files for brass: it responds better to new, sharp tools. Carbide insert sharpness is probably more like that of a file that's been used on steel before.

Ordered my shirt! Thank you for having larger sizes!

Adam, Since I love to eat and love spicy food, I always enjoy your cooking segments. Thanks for the demonstration on machining brass/bronze. Thanks for another great SNS! Have a good one! Dave

Looking forward to seeing you and your mom doing some cooking. I should have pulled out the HSS when I was machining the register for the backplate on the new chuck. That crap went everywhere with the carbide insert. At least I didn't have to take much off.

Cooking with your mom? FANTASTIC!!

Hi Adam It probably comes down to the geometry of the carbide insert versus the high speed steel. Great comparison.

Just ordered my Tee. Shipping from the States to the UK is almost as much as the Tee shirt. Have wanted on of these for a while now and glad to be able to help out in a small wayBest regardsBrendan

I use the HSS on brass as well , My lathe is small and it leaves a WAY better finish !

Looking forward to cooking with your mom video, I learned alot on this video. Thanks.

Woohoo! I've been waiting for this t-shirt! Looking forward to the Abom cooking show too. Keep up the good work!

HI Adam, Nice video. Thanks for the info on HSS bits. Your BBQ has taken on a whole life of its own! Looking GOOD!! Take Care, Reid

Thanks for another great video, I love that monarch of yours wish I could have one someday. Your dad or gran pop made some great decisions when they set up the shop. Still a few around , if I ever can I won't let a good one go. Years ago many years I USE to do a lot of machining on brass , stainless and cast iron. High speed tools have there place for brass especially. Almost not at all on stainless , cast iron is if you've ever done any will sometimes even eat carbide. Yes I think you would be a very good shop teacher in a VOCATIONAL SCHOOL. Keep cooking too. It all helps. Working as hard as you do , I hope all your new adventures work out well. Keep the videos coming we look forward to everyone of them . THANKS GARY

Hey Buddy, Those Norton dual grit stones are great. That was a good purchase. I guess I will have to try my polarizing filter again. Looks like it really worked well for your setup. All the best, Tom

i use a spade drill at work almost everyday ..that is the old style with one hole the new style uses two smaller screws. we use 1/8 all the way up to 3 -3/4

Thanks again for a interesting subject on your video. Have a good weekend. Doug

Thanks for the vid Adam and thanks for the new shirt campaign!

Are those spade drill bits Allied Machine and Engineering? AME is in Dover Ohio, not that far from John Saunder's place. I did a lot of work with them back when I was selling cutting tools and I also did some engineering (threads and carbide cutter for fluting) for them. Advantage of buying verse making is that the built are coolant thru. The coolant hole is on the side with a threaded hole so they are great for a lathe. They are available from under 3/8" to over 5" as I recall. Multiple inserts fit a single shank. Shanks can be found with most distributors.

I spent about 10 years of my 20 in the Navy running Planning & Estimating for Shore Intermediate Maintenance level ship repairs ... My absolute favorite part of the job was doing technical research; looking for parts, tools, replacement equipment etc for obsolete or older Navy vessels etc. When you talked about the spade drill inserts, I jumped on it thinking it was maybe something old and hard to find... Alas, MSC has them of all sizes... but then I also enjoyed tracing down tech specs, manuals, and drawings... I'll spend hours looking for drawings etc for older equipment and tools... kind of a hobby. I even had a small business for awhile doing this type of research for various types of companies. My wife calls me a "tech spec Nerd"... wish I could help. Thanks for sharing Adam, and I will get me a Shop Life shirt this time around.

Hey Adam, Edge Technologies is having a sale going on right now on those great little tools you were showing. I got some on order for the work shop.

love the idea of cooking, very interested in your choice of recipes

Hi Adam! I really enjoy your videos. I have really been looking forward to Part 2 of your Heavy Metal series. I was wondering when/if it would be posted. Thank you!

Instead of firebrick I use sandstone soaked in water. It keeps everything nice and cool.

A small tin shield to cover the tool tip would eliminate swarf spraying

Great job Adam or should I say Dr. Abom, great professor of fine machining,

Nice Adam👍Looking for some barbaque! Would be nice if you could talk about diferent metals and what they are good for.. and how to seperate brass and bronce👍 I have lots of material and i dont now what metal they are..

Gotta love a freshly honed toolbit

Shirt Ordered !!! Keep on the cooking videos !! We love them also !!

Adam, you can try insert designed especially for non-ferrous materials such as aluminium and brass they are much sharper than steel inserts. They cut similar way as HSS steel tools. Most of the shapes are single sided C and D shape inserts such as CCGT and DCGT but it is possible to find W shape inserts too.I think Kennametal double sided trigon shape is WNGP-K (ISO WNGP080408K) but I am not sure about its size if fit to your tool holder or not. I was using HSS turning tools for aluminium-brass alloy for CNC it is good when you need something non standard shape and sharp edge.

Love all the content Adam. I like Gumbo and look forward to that recipe and Fish Sauce! Waiting to receive my "T".

Adam, love watching your videos, especially the real life human screw ups and watching you work your way out of them with ease. Had to order one of those bad muther shirts just to help pay you back for all the enjoyment you have provided. Maybe your next shirt can have you head down with chips flying.

Adam, I have had good finish results by using carefully ground and honed HSS tools for turning stainless steel. As you say, carbide tools get it done more quickly, but in some cases HSS gives a better finish. Just don't ask me what grade of stainless I was turning. It was something that I "found":...

Finally someone who offers T-Shirts in my size! Adam you and I could stand next to each and hide an entire Tom Lipton, perhaps even a Keith Rucker!

Hey Adam, can't wait to see you and your mom brewing up a batch of gumbo! Hope you share the tech specs on that Booth family recipe, even the crustiest old machinist needs a hot meal every once in awhile : )

great video Adam, looking forward to the gumbo

Looking forward to the cooking videos with your mom!!

Very helpful video. Keep on keeping on.

Seems to me that if you machine enough brass, bronze and aluminum, a few tool holders with HSS tool bits in them is worth the extra cash investment. That's my plan, anyway. Thanks for the video. John

BBQ and machining go perfectly together. During the week I machine, but weekends are for cooking and smoking meats...

Cooking & Machining Omg this is going be Awesome... Woohoo

you can never have too many firebricks. filter effective

good presentation well done and informative

thanks for the videos Adam. you inspired me to fire up the smoker last weekend and smoke some ribs and chicken. haha thank you

Tee shirt ordered - geez, the postage OS is a killer man - but for a good cause - keep up the great content mate. Hope I can help out in a small way.

gun barrel's work well with spade bits 303 or bigger

I'm with the others on making the BBQ videos a separate channel, linked to this one yes, but still separate mostly. Very informative session on what happens turning brass/bronze with inserts vs. HSS. Another side of the debate is that HSS bits are very inexpensive and can be customized by YOU on the grinder, and when you damage them you can oftentimes turn 'em into another tool and keep using them. On the other hand, the carbide inserts, when you've damaged all the edges on them, they're garbage by that point and have to be tossed in the trash. At least from what I've garnered from watching all the videos I've watched of the RU-vid machinist community, once carbide inserts are chipped, you cannot easily touch 'em up in the home/job shop setting. If I were an actual machinist in my day job, I would prefer as much as possible to not put unnecessary wear on my carbide inserts when I'm not turning/machining steels, and would go HSS when cutting softer materials like brass/bronze, aluminum, cast iron, and even plastics.

Adam, If that K&T arbor was bent, could you use a Keith Fenner type heat straightening technique? Sometimes its more trouble than its worth, but it seems interesting to me. As always, I enjoy the content, thanks Sam

Hi Adam luv your vid's , you are always so genuine towards us your views, for that thank you. How do you sharpen your drills ?by hand or on a machine ? I did my trade in the late 80's in a production machine shop. We had everything from our own pattern makers too foundry, manual machines , NC and CNC machines plus a toolroom and fully equipped inspection section. My first day as a 3rd year apprentice in the toolroom i was given a box about 18"sq and 4 or 5" deep full of drills needing sharpening :) Michael

Look at the size of those taps on the bench holy shit!!!!!

Just bought a t-shirt Thanks Adam

Good job Adam.

Cook I enjoy the cooking also . Good times

The filter on the indicator works great! Do you reommend specific side and back rake angles on the hss tool for turning bronze?

Great video Adam.

Tractor Supply sells individual fire bricks for 3 bucks each. Look around where they sell pellet stoves, they're usually tucked away in a corner somewhere around there. Highly recommend picking them up in store and not ordering them because they can break easy in shipping. www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/united-states-stove-single-firebrick?cm_vc=-10005

hey adam. I love macining and seafood gumbo. I would love to see a video on that. seafood gumbo is my favorite meal. a guy at my shop cooks for us every year. we have crawl fish and a gumbo. he likes to put a spoonful of potato salad in each bowl of gumbo. it's the best thing I've ever had. try it out in your gumbo video. it needs to be the mayo based potato salad not mustard based. you won't regret it.

Oh yeah can't wait for momma booth to be on the channel but be careful she might bust out some compromising baby photos lol

On the "fire brick" there are fire place type bricks, which collect and hold heat. Pizza Ovens also use these. Then there are "insulating fire bricks". From the sound of the brick you have it is an "insulating fire brick" used to keep heat away from things and generally higher cost per brick and reflect heat. Used in forges and blast furnace type applications (also glass makers use these) to get to very high heats without damaging the outer housings. Insulating - lighter soft and very porous www.ebay.com/itm/like/200945542607?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true Fire Brick - heavier hard and fine grained www.lowes.com/pd/Oldcastle-Concrete-Fire-Brick/50037062?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-LumberAndBuildingMaterials-_-BrickAndBlock-_-50037062:Oldcastle&CAWELAID=&kpid=50037062&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=2575&k_clickID=d2c63734-0f62-47de-a115-6bf7c6aeaef3 More reading www.fornobravo.com/pompeii-oven/brick-primer/ Great to have insulating fire bricks around for heat treating and general uses like soldering brazing etc. ..... Just make sure you get the correct kind!!!

Could you use cemented carbide with the same grind geometries to attain similar results? My shop doesn't use HSS anymore but am looking for any way to keep the flying death shards at bay. Thanks and another great video!

Hello Mr. Adam you are always inspiring and share new things and useful, but I want to ask you about the tube above the piston. I know it is the type of lock. But how it works. Please

Hey Adam, have just started watching ya and enjoy it a lot. I to live in Fla down in Naples. Do the cooking,nuthing home cooking. Hey grab a rag wipe and grab a rib. Dave

have you ever done a shop tour I would be very interested to see what you have

Adam, Thanks for the BBQ's

I would suggest making a second channel for the cooking videos. RU-vid channels grow faster when they focus on a specific subject matter.

thanks for the video ...

play Adam even though I don't care for seafood I look forward to seeing you and your mom cooking I think that is kind of sweet

nice vid m8 Iv found out that carbide tends to push the material off where hss or cobalt cuts the material but I work on mazaks and haas's so theres doors and things so I don't have to worry bout mess but brass or phosphor bronze give the worst splinters man u cant see em but u can feel em haha

Adam, love your videos, looking forward to the next teeshirt design. If you don't already know about Steven Raichlen’s bbq university check it out. All different types of meats, veggies, grills, techniques, as well as how people use grilling around the world.

Go for it Chef Abom79!

Hey Adam, I really enjoy your videos. I've watched nearly all of them. Really cool man ! I tried to send you a message through Facebook but I guess you didn't get it. Anyway, keep the videos coming

Another great video Adam. Go ahead and cook away.

Love the brass tool cutting comparison. Hey Adam, I have had this question on my mind from the very first video I saw of yours. How do you minimize the small metal shavings/slivers that we have all had with this kind of work. I know you use a shop vac to do a lot of the cleanup, but working with this stuff, you must have a hundred metal slivers a day. Or have your hands become hard enough to resist them. Just curious what you and other guys do, I mean I file a piece of steel in the shop or even sharpen the mower blades here at work and I always seem to end up with a couple.

If the shipping to europe wasn't that expensive, i would totally buy one :(