project report no. 12e_1 the r.t. blanking system – may 1980
Wato wato all
Want to make repeatable elements without having to saw them out individually. You want the RT blanking system you do 🙂
I hope you can download the attached PDF as it was a free download I had from a couple of years back. I have made these dies for others, not had good enough ideas myself to warrant some for myself…. YET!
I include this post mainly for a smashing person who asked what my yellow clamp was from a previous post. As you can now see close up it is a vice. I use this to hold my bench pin, as you see here. Also for holding a small soldering stand, and holding small forming stakes. It is shown here with rubber safety jaws, I also made some copper ones to hold work securely without marking. Not shown in these pictures, though I will in another post, is the vertical and horizontal ‘v’ matching grooves in each jaw. Great for holding round bar, also for stopping stakes I make from discarded Allen keys from spinning when I hammer onto them.
I will not write too much on the RT system, the attached PDF should provide way more than I can write. What I will explain is my way of maintaining an angle when sawing out my blanks from flat stock steel.
The angle gage shown here has a magnetic base and is used for setting saw blades to the appropriate angle on table saws and the like. Nowadays you can download an app for your smartphone to give you a very accurate angle gage, better than buying a gauge like this, you probably already have an all singing and dancing phone right 🙂
Have a read through the PDF, look at the pictures, please ask if you require any clarification. I saw mine by carefully maintaining the angle, watching to see I am sawing vertically, not swaying from side to side. If you look on line you will find saws contained in frames, they run in tracks to go up and down perfect every time for this job, no risk of deviation. They also have tables to rest flat sheet upon that can be set to the angle you select, for the thickness you require. Very posh, very efficient but quit a lot of money. Fine if you are a production person, not so justifiable for experimentation. My results were quite satisfactory, sure to be the proper saw will do a better job, I have to clean up the edges more than would be needed with the proper saw. I can live with that, can you? give it a go. Prepare to break a lot of blades, progress is very slow cutting hardened steel. Very best of luck.
Very best wishes.
Stu Art
silversmithblogdotcom 
Thanks for the picture of the yellow clamp. I checked the Stanley website; is it a “multi angle vise”? Looks very useful, and also much more affordable than similar, more specialized jewellery bench vises (like the GRS Benchmate?).
I did not even know about the angle gauge… And there is an app for this? Seriously?
Stuart, you are such a mine of information, and so generous about sharing with us. Thank you so much!
I’m chuffed to bits that you may take something useful away with you from my posts. If money was not a consideration, I probably would buy more specialist tools. However it’s a great feeling to have a ‘personal relationship’ with the tools you fashion yourself. I hope you share any you may come up with. The angle app is often for free, do a search on the app store. Please do keep in touch, it’s nice to know I can be useful/relevant at times 😉
I’d like to ask what gauge steel did you use? Thank you!
https://www.coventry-grinders.co.uk/product/metric-gauge-plate/
1.5mm minimum for silver/copper sheet up to 0.8 perhaps, thicker for more. Just my experience you understand, thinner would probably be more than enough for a smaller pattern than was used in this example.
No idea where you are, if UK these are a good place to get some steel. Not any kind of sheet steel but this ‘gauge plate’ as made from tool steel and is hardened for repeated use, longer life. Platinum grade saw blades work well, as will ordinary, you will just need more of them as they will blunt more rapidly.
Hope this helps. Very best wishes. Stu