Brass Cufflinks

First of all: sorry for my english, I'm not a native speaker.

I made these cufflinks for my brothers 18th birthday this summer. Brass is probably not the best material due to the fact that it oxidates fast and turns dark. However, it was the only material available to me at that time. The Inlays are white soapstone though other material can be used (as with the brass ;))

Supplies

tools:

• lathe
• small Files (flat and roud, I used watchmaker tools)
• sandpaper
• saw
• M3 tap and thread cutter
• drill bits(Ø2,4mm, Ø1,2mm, Ø1,3mm)

• glue (I used two part epoxy)

supplies:

• brass rods (Ø16mm, Ø6mm, Ø1,2mm)
• two small pieces of brass, each about 5mm x 18mm x 3mm
• two small pieces of white soapstone (or something else) for the inlays

Step 1: Turning the Heads

I started with turning the heads of the cufflinks. It is basicaly a small disc with a threaded hole in the middle and a rim for the inlay. You can take the measurements (in mm) from the scetch above.

Step 2: Turning the Stem

For the stem I first turned the final diameter and the part for the thread. After finishing this I turned the piece arround, cutted the stem to its final length and rounded the end of. Then I drilled a hole (Ø1,2mm) at the marked position (see the drawing above), sawed the slit and filed it according to the measurements.

Step 3: Connecting Stem and Head

This step is fairly easy. I just screwed the head on the stem. After that I put both back into the lathe and planed the base of the head, where the inlay sits. You can also solder the two parts together but if you have a tight fit on the tread you can leave it as it is.

Step 4: The Cross Bit

The last major part of the cufflink is the cross bit (I have no clue what the actual name of this piece is). I did mine from a small brass strip, rounded the edges of and added a 1,3mm hole in the center.

Step 5: Assembling the Metal Parts

Now that all the brass parts are completed you can assemble them. For this I cutted two small pieces from a 1,2mm brass rod and riveted the cross bit to the stem. The cross part should still be able to move relatively free. File the ends of the pins even with the stem and finish the cufflinks with fine sandpaper. You can also polish them, but i liked how the surface looked after this step.

Step 6: The Inlay

You can use basically anything for the inlay, as long as you are able to work with it. It is a 1,25mm high disc with a diameter of 12mm. Depending on how exact you worked on the head, you might have to adjust these measurements to achieve a perfect fit. Glue them in place with two part epoxy glue and you are done!

Congrats on your new cufflinks!