These are my two pokers. Nothing more than a needle spring inserted into a wooden dowel but it was a great introduction to the bench motors and I have to admit that I reach for them all of the time.
This is my water key spring installer. Again it is quite simple but extremely useful at the same time. It is a piece of brass tubing that has been annealed to allow the user to bend it in the middle in order to fit different sized springs. A tool like this can be purchased from suppliers but being able to make the same tool yourself is a wonderful way to become more familiar with the equipment in the lab.
The next two photographs are of tools that must first be modified in order for them to work most efficiently. The two dent mallets come with too flat of a head to remove dents without causing new ones with the edge of the mallet head. Using the lathe and a file I gave the heads more of a dome shape and then polished them so that they would not transfer markings onto the metal being worked. The next picture is of a burnisher that is still in progress. I am working to have the surface show a mirror finish, so that like the mallets no markings will be transferred to other metals.
I have been searching for an alternative to the rawhide mallet that gets so much use in the shop. In class we covered the ends with leather to soften the mallet. This tool works well but I would like to explore the possibility of using something with less animal parts. My first idea was to use a wooden mallet. I covered the ends with a soft foam product and ground one end down just like with the rawhide's. After a couple of days of use it is holding up well, the foam is not quite as strong as the leather so I am continuing to look for other alternatives. I will keep everyone updated with what I find but for now here are some before and after photographs of the two mallets.
I want to include a photograph of the tool holder I made with some of my free time. This has been a wonderful project that keeps me organized and more efficient while working. It is also a great way to protect my tools which have become very valuable to me as I learn how to use them.
I want to share a new project that I am undertaking. This will be a set of tone hole levelers for clarinets when I am finished. I started with 18" segments of 403 stainless steel. I cut the steel into 2" pieces and then began to face the pieces using the lathe. There will be 3 different shapes: flat, convex and concave. Each shape will have 24 different sizes in approximately half millimeter increments. I will use both ends of the steel in order to keep the number of required pieces down to 12 for each shape.
Here is the steel after being cut. The two smaller diameters of stock were cut with the shears and the larger stock was cut using the band saw. 
After several weeks of work the set is finally nearing an end. All of the ends have been properly shaped and will be ready to use after a quick polish to ensure the smoothest finish possible. The concave ends received a 60 degree taper and for the concave set I used a 75 degree taper.
