Texas Eta Chapter
Small Bent Requirements
The Bent is the official emblem of Tau Beta Pi. It is held in high regard by all engineering professionals. To properly polish the bent, one must:
- Polish the Bent both front and back until a very smooth, highly reflective surface is obtained. All work must be done by hand without the aid of power tools.
- Polish all edges of the Bent as well as the toroid on top.
- The letters of the Bent must NOT be polished. They shall be left in the roughcast finish.
- Polish the surfaces and edges so they are flat, not rounded.
Examples of correctly and incorrectly polished bents are available in the TBP office, 608 NH.
Suggestions for Polishing the Bent
Begin by using a flat file to remove most of the rough casting. Use moderate grade sandpaper to remove the rest of the casting. Use fine sandpaper followed by some type of liquid metal polish to obtain a smooth, shiny surface.
For a high-quality job (this will take awhile):
- Flat parts – use bastard edge file until level
- Toroid – use a rat tail file until level
- Use the following grades of sandpaper without skipping a grade:
Dry – 80, 120, 220, 320
Wet – 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 1800, 2000- Get rubbing compounds and wet sandpaper from auto paint stores or hardware stores.
There are a limited number of files which may be checked out from the Tau Beta Pi office. There is a $10 deposit (exact cash only). The lending period is one week. There is a one day grace period. Any individual who does not return their file within that time period will forfeit their deposit. If no one is in the office to receive the file, slide it under the door. Each file is numbered, so we will know who returned it. A note will be made on the sign-out sheet that that person did not receive their refund, and it may be picked up at any time.
There are also sheets of sandpaper which may be purchased. Three 4”x4” sheets (one each: coarse, medium, and fine grain) may be purchased for $1 in the Tau Beta Pi office.