After a couple of false starts I have finally succeeded in completing my gilding stand design. This unit is made entirely from off the shelf hardware and will adjust to plate sizes from ninth plate to 8″x10″.  The gallery contains pictures that show the construction details. The construction requires very little machining – the aluminum bar stock that makes up the base was cut to 1 ft. lengths on a table saw and drilled to accommodate the 1/4″-20 threaded rod that makes up the legs of the stand. The turnbuckle bodies were drilled and tapped to accommodate the 6-32 threaded rod that make the plate supports. Cap nuts, wing nuts and star washers are the remaining ingredients.Adjusting the level is done by rotating the turnbuckle bodies and then measuring the level using a blank plate. Each 360 deg rotation moves the support up or down by about a 1/16 of an inch. I was able to get it pretty level by eye and then adjust one leg one turn to get the final level.  The turnbuckles allow for about 2″ of adjustment if your table is really wonky.

Changing plate sizes is done by screwing the plate supports in and out of the turnbuckle bodies.

I tested the system with a blank copper plate, and it was pretty quick to adjust to a degree of level that allowed a meniscus to be formed. The open nature of the design made it easy to manuver a torch under the plate and heat the solution with good control. It also makes it easy to place and remove the plate.

The main design flaw is some tendency for the support arms to move a bit if you bump the stand. It is slightly wobbly at the turnbuckles. I may come up with some kind of spring clip to tension that in place better. I also have not tested it with large or thin plates. The minimal three point support may allow an unacceptable sag in the plate. For the moment however I am only planning on sixth plates.

Materials:
3+ Feet 1″x1/8″ Aluminum bar stock
3 – 12″ – 1/4″-20 Threaded Rod
3 – 6″ – 6-32 Threaded Rod
3 – 1/4″-20 Wing Nuts
3 – 1/4″-20 Star Washers
3 – 1/4″-20 cap Nuts
3 – 6-32 Cap Nuts
3 – 1/4″-20 Aluminum Bodied Turnbuckles (Flat Sided)

The entire stand is quite lightweight  and will break down easily for traveling.

Please feel free to copy the design if you think it would be of use to you. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who makes their own version.

Enjoy!

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