I had a few extra hours today and decided to make the long (9.24 and 11.25”) bottom baffle retaining rods. They are made from 1/8” 316 stainless steel rods cut to length and then threaded to 6-32 for nuts on both ends. This sounds simple, but there is always a catch. I bought a new 6-32 die but still ended up ruining the first attempt. The trick is cutting the threads very slowly with lots of Boelube or a Kerosene-Lard mixture. After you I get the die started, I would turn it in ¼ turn and then back off a full turn and repeat until I cut 5/8” of threads. The rod is flexible so it has to be clamped tightly in a vise and can only stick out about 3/4” on less or else it will chatter. Once I got the feel for it, and after I broke one off while threading because I went too far without backing off, I was able to make the 4 rods without a problem.
