These instructions are meant as a guide. You may modify them based on the tools you have and your individual skill levels.

I always start by slightly reducing the diameter of the brass foot and surrounding acrylic. I use a belt sander, disc sander, sanding drum in a drill press, and/or a dremel. Do not sand the foot down too small! There is a ¼" diameter stud in the center of it that is epoxied into the acrylic (see illustration below). If you sand too thin, the acrylic may be too thin to hold the foot. The stud will not fall off of the foot since it and the foot are one piece.

I also round the sharp bottom edge of the foot using the same tools.

Next it is time to carve the acrylic into the shape you want. For this I use a variety of tools including the ones already mentioned as well as files, sanding sticks, and sandpaper. Most of my rough shaping is done with a dremel and sanding drums (80 or 120 grit).

Once you have the basic shape, it is time to sand. I start with 120 grit paper and sand out any tool marks. I then use 400, 600, 1000, and finally 1500 to get everything as smooth as possible.

Finally I buff the tamper using a buffing wheel and some Tripoli. You can also use a buffing wheel on a dremel but be careful, it moves very fast and can melt the acrylic. I always use the dremel to do the final polishing on the brass foot.

I sometimes do a rough buffing between grits of sand paper. This helps me see any scratches that I may need to back up a grit or two to sand out.

That is about it. For a look at a finished tamper, click here. Download the PDF version of the instructions.