Home Made Flexi Shaft

Hi

Been very busy lately with varied jobs starting with Wedding Champagne flutes.

With embroidered gift bags, I make to put the glasses in.

All the glasses I make I present in an embroidered bag, I generally digitise the glass design into an embroidery format for the computerised embroidery machine.

I was also asked to refurbish the lighting system in a friends paint shop with new glass as the old glass was obscured with paint.
While there I was commissioned to make and fit the vinyl graphics on a BMW GS to make it look like one of the special edition. Apparently to buy this special they wanted his old bike only 2 years old plus £8000 for the extra graphics.

The paint shop did the white paint work and I did the graphics on the front faring and the tank, 

The letters took a bit of measuring, mostly trial and error, driving 2 mile for each trial and 2 mile back for each error.

Only 100 of these bikes made so this is number 101 of 100.

All I had for the patterns where a few photographs but came out nice for first time, and a bit of pocket money.

I have also been practicing the scalloped edging on my glass work and to remove the sharp edges I have been using diamond burs in my Dremel.  Many years ago I used to own a flexible shaft to fit the Dremel but that disappeared so a new one was in order.

I have started making my own polishing tools and this was my first.

I firstly looked at buying a Pendant motor shaft 

But after a look around the loft I realised that I had all of the parts to make my own with the exception of a flexible shaft.

I sourced one on eBay,

The other part required are a drive motor and a foot pedal.

The drive motor is simply and old 6" grinder.

It is important if making one of these to use a 6" as the shaft size is 12.5mm the same as the flexi, always measure the o.d of the grinder shaft before buying the flexi.

The other important item is the foot pedal.

There are plenty for sale on eBay, I bought this industrial model for my shed cabinet but never used it, so now I have a use.

The other items are a few meters of wire and a plug.

Please don't attempt electrical work unless competent.

I first converted the foot pedal as this was meant for some other machine.

I drilled a hole in the side and fitted a gland, the foot switch is an interrupter circuit so the wiring was simple, the 2 live wires (one from the power supply the other for the grinder feed)  go to the switch and both negatives are linked. When switched on the the circuit is incomplete until the pedal is pressed then the power can flow.

The grinder was then stripped.

And luckily the electrics where easy to get at.

I removed the grommet and wire then expanded the grommet hole with a bur to fit the new foot switch.

This was then wired to the grinder connections

The flexi and grinder.

Because of the rotation of the grinder the flexi must fit on the right side shaft.

I just leave the grinder in the on position and the foot pedal within easy reach and its ready for use at any time.

Paul