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Topic: BJS Bars hardness: is it possible to drill into them? |
Jacek Jakubek
From:
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 7 Jul 2011 10:10 am |
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Hi folks,
I want have some holes drilled/tapped into the face of my BJS bar so that I can attach a leather belt loop to the bar with screws. The leather loop makes it much easier for me to handle the bar, especially with a hand injury that I have.
Does anyone know what kind of steel the BJS bars are made from and if this can be done?
I called the company and the lady on the phone said that this is impossible and can never be done because the BJS bars are so hard. She said that people have tried this and just ended up ruining the bar. But, there already is a threaded hole on the bottom of the bar, so it must be possible to do somehow.
Is it just the chrome surface that is so hard and can't be drilled through or is the whole thing made from some super hard type of steel? |
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Ronald Cid
From:
Contrecoeur, Quebec, Canada
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Posted 7 Jul 2011 11:17 am
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Jacek
By your explanation it appears that you need a loop to wrap around your wrist and the loop would be attached to the base of the bar. If so you could find a small round plate with an eye hole, and simply make your own loop out of a shoe string or leather. The plate could be about the small size as a Canadian dime (I see your Canadian) and could be attached to the bar by crazy glue. That method would not deface the bar, is very strong, but can be removed. Metal to metal contact is extremely strong. There are various qualities in Crazy glue, check out Lee Valley tools, they must have an excellent quality glue. Also make sure to bring the glue on every gig....just in case.
RC |
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Jacek Jakubek
From:
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 7 Jul 2011 11:42 am
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Interesting suggestion Ronald, but this simple leather loop attached to the bar works for me. I just need to have it attached firmly with screws.
Currently, I have the leather loop glued on with some silicone but I'm worried it's going to fall off.
Drilling the holes in the bar is a permanent thing and I'm fine with that. I bet it's possible to drill the holes but I'm not sure about the tapping to make the thread. Maybe they don't make the taps strong enough, especially for small screws and they will break and get stuck in the bar.
I think I just may go the the machinist shop and take the loss if they end up not able to make the holes properly and ruining the bar.
I was hoping someone here knew a bit about these bars and what kind of steel material they're made from. |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 7 Jul 2011 1:54 pm
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Rather than going straight to "a" machinist, I would contact the maker - Bill Stroud - about getting a new one already drilled and tapped.
http://www.bjsbars.com/
If he's too busy or not set up for it, I would try Jim Burden at Bullet Bars:
http://www.bulletbars.com/
These guys are perfectly approachable and helpful to a fault. Then there's Bullseye bars, Diamond Bottleneck (yes they do metal now too).... I think it would be easier and less potentially-wasteful to have a machinist start with the entire idea in mind, there are tons of people with grip issues and lots of solutions have been applied. I think it was Brattain who was marketing a bar with a ring attached at one point? There's a guy on Ebay named Stew that I've gotten slides from, he has a steel bar with a slot machined in and a velcro strap:
http://cgi.ebay.com/STEWS-Guitar-Slide-Tone-Bar-CUSTOM-SP1-USA-/160608967054?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item25650a598e
This is not an isolated problem. |
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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Posted 7 Jul 2011 5:48 pm
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| There is probably a hole in your BJS bar already. Did you look under the label? You could stick a U-shaped piece in there and put leather on the other side. |
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Jacek Jakubek
From:
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 8 Jul 2011 11:09 am
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Again, thanks for all your suggestions.
I'll definitely figure something out because this modification makes my playing so much easier that I can't go back to a regular bar. |
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Keith Davidson
From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 8 Jul 2011 4:01 pm
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Jacek,
Don't let the fact that there is a hole in the bar deceive you. That would have been drilled "prior" to the hardening process.
It would have to be annealed (softened), drilled and then rehardened to accomplish your task.
Keith |
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Jacek Jakubek
From:
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 8 Jul 2011 7:07 pm
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Hardened you say? I didn't know they did such a thing. So I guess the lady on the phone at BJS may have been right.
Looks like I'm going to have to get a new bar custom made with these holes, or get one out of softer metal and do the modification. I was hoping to avoid the extra cost but I guess there's no way around it.
Thanks again folks! This forum is great. |
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Harry Dove
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 8 Jul 2011 7:33 pm
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| I would be real surprised if a carbide bit wouldn't drill right through it. However if I didn't have a lathe to do it with, I wouldn't try it. I have machined some pretty hard stuff with carbide bits. |
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Keith Davidson
From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 9 Jul 2011 3:55 am
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Harry, it would probably drill it once you got through the crust of the hardening. Usually the hardening process only goes about .010" - 015" deep.
I've cut some really hard materials too but carbide can only do so much, even at really slow speeds.
Maybe a dremel or small grinder could break the surface but you'd have to be pretty accuarate with that.
Then you could drill out the end. You wouldn't have to reharden the end of it as that shouldn't make a difference for wear. |
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Chippy Wood
From:
Elgin, Scotland
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Posted 9 Jul 2011 12:32 pm
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I used Velcro tape and made a loop which I just stuck on it. lasted for years.
_________________
Ron (Chippy) Wood
Fulawka D10
LDG |
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Bill Rowlett
From:
Russellville, AR, USA
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Posted 14 Jul 2011 9:12 am
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BJS is correct. Chrome plating is very hard and brittle. What will probably happen is that the chrome will crack and flake off around the drilled hole. I have seen this happen many times on end plates and other plated items.
You have to initially drill and tap the hole oversize to account for the plating thickness and then plate the bar.
Bill |
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Bill Stroud
From:
Dresden, Tennessee, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 15 Jul 2011 10:05 am Hole
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| Jacek there is already a drilled and tapped hole it's 1/4-20 threads fro a purpose under the logo take the logo off and attach whatever you want the threads are not very deep but it will do what you want. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 15 Jul 2011 11:22 am
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Well, there you have it from the man himself.
Great bars, by the way.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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