I am eventually going to want to learn how to make a balance staff on my own, and have gone ahead and purchased a lathe. I know I took a chance on ebay, but the price was right, it's a Marchall Peerless with 15 collets, and it looked to be in great shape. No rust, shiny, all the parts were there, plus a working motor and foot pedal. The seller said it was aligned and everything worked well. So, assuming this is the case, I'll want to try my hand at making a staff soon.
(I know I might have made a rash decision purchasing the way I did, but I thought it was a good deal, so please only offer constructive advice about the lathe itself. It's already in the mail!)

I've seen suggestions on other sites that said to start learning about making a staff by working with a larger size brass rod, and when you know what you're doing, than move on. That sounds like a good suggestion to me. And the material would be available at a local hobby shop. Any comments?

Also, what is drill stock and where do you get it when you want to work on the real thing?

Any suggestions on gravers? I have a few that came with some tools I purchased and they seem to be in good shape, but very old.

Dale-
Drill stock is usually sold as drill rod from almost any industrial supply house. Be sure to get oil-hardening or water-hardening stock (O-1 or W-1)as air-hardening stock is a PITA to heat treat.
The best book on the subject is "The Modern Watchmakers Lathe & How to Use It" by Archie Perkins. His chapters on gravers and cuts are worth the price of the book, and the exercises give you practical tools when complete.
Welcome to micro-machining!
Bob

Thank you, yes I meant drill rod. Thanks for the information.

I've bought every other book under the sun, I might as well buy another one! I'll take a look at it.

When I did the lathe work in watchmakers school we made a larger version in brass first then in steel, and repeated in smaller sizes down to actual staffs, stems etc. As Bob says water or oil, you will find stock varies also, some will cut wonderfully and the next rod just will not work. As you use so little as you find good stock set to one side will last a long time.
Our first task over several days of very sore fingers was to learn to sharpen gravers and polish the sides by hand with perfect square profile black shine with even razor sharp edges then the cutting faces, you will never get a good tip if you don’t and consequently never be able to do a good job.
Set yourself simple goals for practice, like turn stock down in brass then steel, say 6mm rod to 3mm x 15mm with tolerance of +0 / -0.01mm mirror finish no lines and perfect square shoulders no under cutting, no record tracks on shoulders.

Thanks for all the tips. Can't wait to try.

can some one tell me what do u make the staff out of? which material? stainless steel? or which alloy or metal. thanks Francis

Francis-
High-carbon steel, such as drill rod, silver steel, or music wire, hardened then tempered to blue, and turned in the tempered state.
Regards,
Bob

Hello Bob, can stainless 316 be used instead?

Hello Bob thanks for that, Can stainless 316 be used? n stead of the carbon steel?

high carbon steel (you dont know the code) and heat treatment (you dont know the hardness).If some one has this information it would be apperciated. thanks Francis

Francis -
Fried and Perkins both specify "drill rod" so I believe either O-1 or W-1 would be suitable. As far as heat treatment, Perkins specifies tempering to "dark blue, just before purple" and Fried specifies "the same color as watch hands." This temper is hard enough to wear well and take a good polish, but soft enough to turn with sharp gravers. Trying to measure the hardness of a staff with any testers I'm familiar with would destroy the staff.

316 SS is too soft, and is not hardenable. 400-series (416, 440, etc.) may or may not work, and heat treatment of stainless steels, especially tempering must be done in a temperature-controlled furnace. You can't rely on oxide colors with SS!

Hope this helps,
Bob

BoB yes your advice does help, there is another link in here in another forum i read that about making staffs. Very interesting. Thank you very much.