Jeweling or Engine Turning the Bolt
After you have bent, welded or
otherwise relocated the bolt handle, or maybe if you haven't, a nice touch is
to Engine Turn the bolt. You know, those little swirls found on fancy custom
rifles. Here I will show how this is done and how to make a suitable (cheap)
jig to hold the bolt.
Brownells sells jeweling jigs, one by B-Square
for $45, and one by Wilcox for $190. The one shown here costs about $5.
In addition to the jig, you
will need a drill press, jeweling brushes and abrasive compound.
In the plastic bag are 3 Brownells jeweling brushes, upper right is a can
of 400 grit abrasive compound in oil, then a piece of surgical tubing, a single
brush, and a brush covered with tubing. You can use 120 grit compound or valve
grinding compound. The surgical tubing is optional, I
find it holds the brush together.
Try to ignore the stuff in the
background J . Here is a bolt, in a jig, centered under a brush mounted
in the press. The bolt has been smeared with grinding compound and when the
brush is brought to bear on the bolt, little swirls are made. The extractor is
left on the bolt, positioned as it would be when the bolt is closed, and held
in place with the red electrical tape. If you have a jig, follow the
instructions that came with it.
If you want to build a jig,
IGNORE THE "TWO OF
EACH". You will need 2 ea. 1/2 x 2-inch bolts, 3ea. 1/2-inch washers, 3ea.
1/2-inch nuts and one 1/8-inch x 1/2-inch long roll pin and some wood. One
piece of wood, shown above is 7 1/2-inches long, cut from a 1 x 4.
Then two more pieces 5-inches
long, with 1/2-inch holes, centered, 1-inch from the end.
Steve Wagner
Bellwood PA