How to manufacture shim washers ?

[picclock]

Hi Experts

I need to make some thin (10 thou) shim washers and have the result end up fairly flat and I'm struggling as everything I have tried doesn't seem to work out well. These need to have a 10mm hole and a 14-15mm outside diameter. My last attempt was to make a sandwich with a steel base held in the milling vice, a 1mm piece of aluminium sheet over that, 6 pieces of shim steel (actually biscuit tin lid) cut oversize on top of that, and then another piece of 1mm aluminium. The whole thing clamped with two large toolmakers clamps. This drilled well and the inside holes are pretty good. I then cut the outside using a 3/4" hole saw held in a 19mm collet which seemed to work OK but on extracting the washers its like the outside edges had been torn and they were all badly folded/distorted.

Not quite sure how to proceed next, may try drilling as above then bolting together onto an aluminium rod and turning, although I have the feeling they will rotate.

Any help much appreciated

Best Regards

picclock 
 

[Swarfing]

Turn up a face to a bit of bar stock to the same diameter as your shim, super glue a washer with the correct hole in it to the face of the bar stock. Take the lightest of lightest cuts, when down to the correct thickness place it into some thinners to remove it from the face.

I needed to do this for something, it took a couple of attempts as it came off but worked in the end just don't let it get hot.

[Swarfing]

Turn up a face to a bit of bar stock to the same diameter as your shim, super glue a washer with the correct hole in it to the face of the bar stock. Take the lightest of lightest cuts, when down to the correct thickness place it into some thinners to remove it from the face.

I needed to do this for something, it took a couple of attempts as it came off but worked in the end just don't let it get hot.

[Bluechip]

Picclock
 
Can I ask why you want to make them ?
Commercial item.
http://www.springfasteners.co.uk/product/shim_support_washer_10mm_x_16mm_x_0_2mm_din_988/
Lots more sizes ..
 
BC

[picclock]

@ Bluechip

Sir 
I had no idea these were available. I have wasted hours on these so I think I shall kick myself. Will order both of the sizes I need.
 
Many many thanks

Best Regards

picclock

[Bluechip]

@ Bluechip

Sir 
I had no idea these were available. I have wasted hours on these so I think I shall kick myself. Will order both of the sizes I need.
 
Many many thanks

Best Regards

picclock

They are available, just not thick on the ground anymore. When I were a nipper, I was often  despatched on the works bike to the local Engineering Sundries Supplier for such parts.
It seemed you could take any obscure bit of metal you'd tortured into oblivion and get a replacement. Not today though. Another time, another world. 
 
BC
 
 
 
 

[rotorhead]

Hi All,

I had a need for some 3mm ID x 10mm OD x 0.005" brass shim washers a while ago, to personalise a centralising gauge.

So I used a few earlier prepared items, and produced some punch and die sets, I can only find the assembled frame photos, but it gives an idea.

The top was just whacked with a smallish hammer, but a decent sized pillar drill would do.

[Lew_Merrick_PE]

Pic -- It sounds as if you are making these in (something resembling) quantity and doing it repeatedly.  ???

1) A steel sandwich plate works better than aluminum for steel parts.  That will give you better control and edge finish for boring the ID.  I find that a dedicated clamp made up of a baseplate and a clamp plate retained by high-strength screws works better than cantilevered clamp screws for compressing things.  Insert fresh sacrificial spacers either side of the washer stack to get the best edge finish after the first usage (and drill out the hole in the base and clamp plate so they don't impact your drilling after the first usage).

2) If you have a lathe, it would be better to make an arbor that will hold the parts sandwiched between an (spindle-side) shoulder and a threaded clamping nut.  The shoulder and clamping nut should be just slightly (call it .010 inch or 0.25 mm -- roughly) smaller than your desired OD.  I will also admit to having made up such an arbor, mounting it in appropriate collet on my mill, and clamping a turning tool in my vise to turn such parts.

???

[picclock]

@ rotorhead (rc helicopters ??)
I think if I was making them in brass I would just have used a pair of scissors for the outside and drilled the inside with them sandwiched as I said before. I like the punch idea but I think it would need to be hardened to use with steel and the punch alignment could be tricky.

@ Lew
These are to go next to bearings to give a running clearance for the parts involved. I need about 7 with 10mm ID and 6 with 8mm ID. They also ensure the correct mesh spacing of some bevel gears, so maybe more maybe less. 

I have ordered some from Caleb components, also in additional sizes, as bluechip suggested, but they have yet to arrive. I think they will make a handy addition to my 'stock'. Now I know about this supplier I can't imagine that I will ever want to attempt to make them again.

Best Regards

picclock