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Brekelefuw posted:It has to be .460 exactly unfortunately. Don't know how many you're looking for, or how much you're looking to spend, but maybe shoot these guys an email? https://www.precisionballs.com/
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Mar 5, 2017 01:14
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I have been on that site before, but didn't notice that they say they will do any quantity. Sent them a message.
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Mar 5, 2017 01:29
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thinking further outside the box, if you've got a big strong steel die for the outside form what about sealing one end and setting off mild explosives inside to expand the tubing
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Mar 5, 2017 01:34
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Only problem with that idea is, you wouldn't have uniform expansion.
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Mar 5, 2017 02:00
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How about filling the pipe with water and capping both ends and freezing it
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Mar 5, 2017 04:46
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That's a good way to burst a pipe. My tubes are .015-.030" wall thickness. Inner dimensions have to be as accurate as possible, as this is for parts for musical instruments.
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Mar 5, 2017 05:00
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In the spirit of flitting erratically from half-finished project to half-finished project: long shot, but does anybody happen to have a link to mini (smaller than #1) Hossfeld-style universal bender plans/dimensions? A mini universal bender's been on my wishlist for years and I ran into This Old Tony's bender video and was reminded that, oh yeah, these things are actually pretty simple. There are good drawings for a #2 clone here http://kinzers.com/don/MachineTools/bender/ but avoiding the legwork of miniaturizing everything and hoping it works out would be ideal.
Ambrose Burnside fucked around with this message at 21:06 on Mar 5, 2017 |
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Mar 5, 2017 21:00
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I'm teaching a few classes over the next few months at a makerspace in Worcester, MA, known as The Worcshop. One of those classes is a 102 type class, something meant for people who've taken a basic course and liked it, but are still in need of help. I've got a decent curriculum, but there's always room for improvement. I'd like to hear from other people who've taken intro smithing courses; what do you wish your instructor had covered? What are some of the tricks of the trade that you stumbled upon and said "I wish someone had shown me this sooner!"
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Mar 6, 2017 20:18
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I'd treat a 102 class as what a 101 class "ought" to be; that is, the 101-level stuff is probably like the intro smithing courses we've all taken, where the focus is, understandably, mostly on the bare essentials necessary to produce a few simple cool trinkets to take home and as a taster for finding out if this whole blacksmithing thing is for you. Accordingly, I'd spend some non-negligible time on theory, probably as much as I figured the class could bear before getting too antsy or feeling they're having their time wasted, going from essentials (how to hammer, how to address the blisters everybody will have by lunch, how to pick anvils/tools in the shop that fit your stature and strength, how to gauge temperature, the fundamentals of annealing/quenching/tempering) to less vital stuff (historical context for the trade, steel and its alloys, brief skim into joinery/welding, what I'd call "blacksmithing philosophy" meaning whatever wisdom you can personally impart as regards how to do the "best" work you possibly can) and read the crowd as I go the first time. After that, I think I'd pick a handful of projects that build off one another in some way, because that's always really rewarding. People know they want to be there so making simple tooling and then using that tooling to make a nice artsy thing at the end that lets them get a little creative- with, time permitting, a break to sit down and actually design something on paper, because that's the real-life process and they're not good enough to wing it- would probably work well. Some random things I found really useful that various teachers did: -the design process! Everybody wants to put hammer to iron, nobody wants to sit there trying to figure out how many rivets you can fit on a bar X long if the heads are Y wide, but you gotta or it'll bite you in the rear end. if time doesn't permit, at least demonstrate the process in some way. - emphasize working efficiently. Might be a little overeager for 102-level stuff, but I appreciated this. Show people how a flat hammer and a flat anvil won't move metal but a crowned hammer and a fuller/horn will. Get people to try making two copies of something that are indistinguishable- S-hooks are easy and it doesn't feel like pointless gruntwork to make em- and then show them the magic of jigs. Talk about conservation of energy and how you can hammer all dang day if you let the anvil bounce lift your hammer instead of your arm. - compare and contrast tradition with modernity and be frank about the realities of trying to pay your way doing this stuff. prep two pieces, forge-weld one of them- a failed/lovely weld here is fine- and then zap the other with the MIG in 15 seconds. That one kinda speaks for itself. - you're just one teacher but there's a lot of other good perspectives out there. I'd consider, for example, talking about hammer technique and how you work and then pulling up pictures/video of the Hofi technique and explaining the reason behind the weirdness, and that as long as you get good results and your justification is coherent, there is no right or wrong. -If you're articulate or a good speaker, bump up that Philosophy thing in importance a little. It might be a bit much for a non-intensive class, but one of the most valuable things i got from learning from like 6 different successful working smiths for a week or two at a time each was learning -why- they worked alongside how they worked. I had a woman smith who did a lot of large-scale sheet/plate work in part because the grand old patriarchs of the trade dismissed her forged work out of hand on account of unapologetic sexism and it helped her distinguish herself, a Quonset-dwelling weedlord hermit who only did delicate traditional work with traditional tooling and paid his way with it but who worked 16 hour days without blinking, a guy who took every shortcut in the book if it looked okay and put his kids through school and bought a house on those shortcuts, an acupuncturist-reflexologist smith who worked through personal poo poo with his installations, and a couple other people somewhere in-between there. Those differing perspectives gave me a lot of insight on why I do the stuff I do. ...oh yeah, give them dessert. Very quick trinket that makes em all go "oooooh" that they can try at home themselves. My pick here would be a split cross because nobody knows what the gently caress you're doing until you open it up all at once and the finished thing leaps out of the boring ol square stock. Like this, just without the long leg so you can do the two cuts real easy with the bandsaw/hacksaw/chisel: 
Ambrose Burnside fucked around with this message at 02:00 on Mar 7, 2017 |
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Mar 7, 2017 01:56
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Thanks for the sourcing tips! I asked around and one of the welders gave me a giant list of everywhere in the nearest 100 miles that sells metal and told me which ones to go to first! I also hit up an antique mall today looking for an anvil and someone shopping there overheard me asking about blacksmithing tools and gave me the cell phone number of a blacksmith that runs a shop near to me! I had no idea! I seem to be well on my way. Thanks again y'all!
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Mar 7, 2017 03:12
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I'm looking at buying a milling machine and torn betweeen 3 choices, hoping you folks could help me out. My projects for the near future are, in order: * Parts for my home built 3D printer, more accurately made, so I get nicer prints. These are 10cm by 8cm by 4cm deep (at the largest). * Parts for a home built cnc machine that can do aluminium parts. Like an X-Carve but a bit sturdier. * Other robotics/tech stuff that takes my fancy. My choices * Dirt cheap $700 Sieg X2 http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sieg-X2-...ckAAOxyVaBStM0B * More expensive, larger Optimum BF20L $1600 cash (very similar to Grizzly G0704) http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/M650 * A strange clone of a Rong FU 45 off ebay for $1400, which seems very very cheap. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Geared-H...e60oQxgB5qMxnZg * Hafco milling machines available in Aus. I've heard bad things however about their build quality. At some stage in the future I'd like to pick up an old Bridgeport from auction here in Aus and fix it up. But I lack the knowledge at the moment, and I think it would just become a very heavy door stop. What I'd like most of all is accuracy. I've heard the Optimums can be out by 2 thou on the bed. If the Sieg is out by the same amount I won't be as bothered due to the price. I think the Sieg will do almost everything I want at the moment, but a friend told me when buying things 'always buy the next one up'. Thanks.
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Mar 7, 2017 14:14
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Mudfly posted:Mill questions Normally I'd say hold out for a Bridgeport/Bridgeport Clone. But seeing as you're in AU, that changes things. I don't know the used machinery market there so I'm assuming your best options are a Chinese machines. $700 is dirt cheap for a mill, and I'm not sure how much more the $1600 mill is going to give you. I've had my hands on some Grizzly metalworking equipment before and it's rough. It's functional, but poo poo is tight/loose or clunky. You really notice it when you move between a Mori or Clausing and then chuck up on the import equipment. I've noticed Taiwan tends to be nicer than China. All of these machines are likely to be out by .002 across the bed. I'd drat near guarantee it. All things being equal I'd buy the $700 mill and keep my eyes open for a Bridgeport style. Beyond that take the $700 mill and tune it. Tighten the gibs, get it all squared up, expect to have to work on it from day 1. Don't try to take heavy cuts, the spindle probably isn't terribly stable. Ebay.AU is devoid of old, big iron. That makes me sad. 
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Mar 7, 2017 15:46
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Ambrose Burnside posted:I'd treat a 102 class as what a 101 class "ought" to be; that is, the 101-level stuff is probably like the intro smithing courses we've all taken, where the focus is, understandably, mostly on the bare essentials necessary to produce a few simple cool trinkets to take home and as a taster for finding out if this whole blacksmithing thing is for you. ... This was an excellent response. Thank you! I don't have more to add at the moment, but I wanted to show my appreciation.
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Mar 7, 2017 21:03
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Yooper posted:Normally I'd say hold out for a Bridgeport/Bridgeport Clone. But seeing as you're in AU, that changes things. I don't know the used machinery market there so I'm assuming your best options are a Chinese machines. Thanks. Although we do get Bridgeports popping up at auctions in Aus (e.g. http://www.lloydsonline.com.au/LotDetails.aspx?kw=bridgeport&smode=0&lid=994587) , I just realised our downstairs ceiling is probably too short (under 200cm). The downside of the Sieg is a 390x92mm work table, whereas the Grizzly equivalent (BF20L) is 480x175mm. The first is a true mini mill at ~70kg, the second is ~165kg. The Sieg has 0.02mm graduations, the BF20 0.05mm, not sure if this is indicative of better quality. The Sieg also has several upgrades available, but once you choose then you start running to over a grand, and at that stage I feel like I may as well go for the BF20 which seems to come with a good motor and other parts as standard. Other reviews comparing the far more expensive Sieg X3 to the BF20 have said the BF20 is better, leaning me towards it more. Agh.
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Mar 7, 2017 22:31
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Pagan posted:This was an excellent response. Thank you! I don't have more to add at the moment, but I wanted to show my appreciation. I love teaching in this context, even if I haven't had a ton of opportunities/don't have the experience to do so outside of a few niches. I actually got to lead a class of about 20 people a year or so ago for a day of repousse- which ruled- so I had to wrap my noodle around the pedagogy of a technically-challenging artistic process. Sharing your passion with people eager to learn is fantastic~
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Mar 8, 2017 00:03
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Mudfly posted:Thanks. Although we do get Bridgeports popping up at auctions in Aus (e.g. http://www.lloydsonline.com.au/LotDetails.aspx?kw=bridgeport&smode=0&lid=994587) , I just realised our downstairs ceiling is probably too short (under 200cm). Can you get your hands on either of them? Seeing it in person might do a lot to assuage your concerns. There's a lot to be said for moving the spindle, the ways, peeking under the slides, etc. We've got a rather expensive Taiwanese machine that had we inspected one prior we'd have never ever ever bought it.
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Mar 8, 2017 00:56
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I did a small effort post on the X2 (specifically from Harbor Fright but still applicable) either here on in rotor's CNC thread but basically forget it exists. It is not just a matter of the machine being out a couple thou and needing to tram/shim it in. The quality control is utter poo poo and you're likely to need to fix things like a twisted table or non-parallel dovetails. And as you've seen, once you start adding on the accessories, you're well into the $1500 range anyways. It is a very small 200mm x 100mm x ~150mm work envelope, very lightweight with poor rigidity since the whole column on a single bolt, that needs a lot of mods and accessories like the belt drive, a digital tachometer, and a loving rigid column. I would have saved up more money for a larger machine had I known what I know now. ... Anyone in the upper Midwest looking for a CNC benchtop mill? Ran when parked.
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Mar 8, 2017 01:41
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^^ Thanks, I was starting to get into the 'if I spend another $400 I get this' loop when looking at models, and a friend recommended I go up one model from the one I think will work, because it probably won't do quite what it says it can.Yooper posted:Can you get your hands on either of them? Seeing it in person might do a lot to assuage your concerns. There's a lot to be said for moving the spindle, the ways, peeking under the slides, etc. Sure can, but I don't really know what I'm doing. The salesman showed me around the BF20 and it 'looked' quite nice.... Super quiet motor.... I might do some 'mill inspection' research. For the BF20, I have seen some video reviews that are basically positive but also say don't expect perfection. One guy's table was out by 2 thou across its length, which doesn't seem like a huge amount to me. I don't know of any competitors that offer better in the same size class.
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Mar 8, 2017 04:43
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Now this is the good stuff, CK17 flex head, even got it delivered to my work. Delivery driver recognized my name and called and asked if I am at work now, she's heading there anyway in 5 minutes.
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Mar 8, 2017 10:56
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Wandering Orange posted:rotor's CNC thread What's this? Like a general CNC thread?
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Mar 8, 2017 12:39
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Mudfly posted:Sure can, but I don't really know what I'm doing. The salesman showed me around the BF20 and it 'looked' quite nice.... Super quiet motor.... I might do some 'mill inspection' research. You'll need something you can clamp onto the spindle and sweep the table. Clamp it onto the spindle, bring it onto the table, and then sweep it across. That'll show you if it's banana shaped, warped, etc. Do side to side, front to back, corner to corner, etc. Don't worry about the measurement itself, just the variation from point to point. Now if the head isn't square to the table it'll skew the measurements. Checking the spindle is more difficult. You need to mount a bar to magnify the error then mount the indicator to the casting. There's some videos on Youtube describing it. If all else ask him to mill a face, drill a hole, bore it out, etc. At least you'll get to see how it is to change tools and such. 
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Mar 8, 2017 15:10
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Volkerball posted:What's this? Like a general CNC thread? Kinda-ish. It morphed into that because nobody else really started a thread about the "CNC" side of machining. I mostly make fun of his tiny machine because he has a taig and I got a g0704 (BF20) https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3558051
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Mar 8, 2017 19:27
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as a member of the Taig Sadboy Coalition i take umbrage with this unwarranted posting aggression
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Mar 8, 2017 19:38
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Actually, just as a weird though, how would a Taig/whatever do at fine detail stuff? Say, something like 2" OD aluminum discs (I'm looking at making shock absorber parts) and 1/16" cutters or smaller, done in no hurry.
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Mar 8, 2017 19:52
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r8 supremacymekilljoydammit posted:Actually, just as a weird though, how would a Taig/whatever do at fine detail stuff? Say, something like 2" OD aluminum discs (I'm looking at making shock absorber parts) and 1/16" cutters or smaller, done in no hurry. You should get a mill with a head that can take standardized tool holders. R8 shank tools are way more useful than ER16 collets. Just offhand I'm able to use indexable carbide insert tooling because you can get tons of insert holders with R8 shanks but finding one that fits in a ER16 collet, welp: rotor posted:yeah turning tools I got covered, its replacing end mills with indexable carbide that I want to try out but I can't even find a 3/8" shank indexable carbide end mill to try, and also everyone tells me it will end in tears. CrazyLittle fucked around with this message at 20:51 on Mar 8, 2017 |
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Mar 8, 2017 20:42
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CrazyLittle posted:r8 supremacy Absolutely. It's not as rigid as CAT holders but you'll find them cheap. ER stuff is pretty nice for the envelope. You'll grip something much more securely than in an R8 collet setup. But as far as price, variety, and utility, go R8. I can literally find milk jugs of R8 tooling at garage sales in my area.
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Mar 8, 2017 21:19
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CrazyLittle posted:You should get a mill with a head that can take standardized tool holders. R8 shank tools are way more useful than ER16 collets. Just offhand I'm able to use indexable carbide insert tooling because you can get tons of insert holders with R8 shanks but finding one that fits in a ER16 collet, welp: I have a mill with a head that can take R8 stuff, it's just not CNC nor really capable of the level of detail I have in mind for this one specific, small work volume thing. Basically musing on if I can go cheaper by accepting really small work volume (in mill terms)
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Mar 8, 2017 21:41
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If you're in a town with an industrial past like mine, be sure to check out your local library. All I ever needed to know about heat treat!
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Mar 9, 2017 02:21
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Preach. The lengthy chapter on mechanical properties has gobs of tensile break strength data and an interesting table of cold-work hardening if anyone's planning to raise a bowl out of Pu-Ga alloy but sadly they did not include the feeds and speeds used to machine the test articles. E: I dumb, there's a whole other chapter about fabrication practices. 15° clearance angle, no rake, 0.015" nose radius 200-250 SFPM @ 0.003 IPT. shame on an IGA fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Mar 9, 2017 |
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Mar 9, 2017 02:48
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shame on an IGA posted:Preach. GLORIOUS GREAT SUCCESSOR THANKS YOU COMRADE 
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Mar 9, 2017 03:35
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mekilljoydammit posted:Actually, just as a weird though, how would a Taig/whatever do at fine detail stuff? Say, something like 2" OD aluminum discs (I'm looking at making shock absorber parts) and 1/16" cutters or smaller, done in no hurry. I have owned a Taig (converted to CNC), a RF45 clone (garbage), a self built 2'x4' router table, and a Novakon 145 mill. Of them all the Taig was hands down the best for doing fine detail work. I made a bunch of specialized RF electronics parts than needed sub 0.001" tolerance and were using 0.01" end mills. That Taig could run those parts all day. You just have to keep in mind it is a 0.25HP spindle and program your tool paths appropriately. A 0.25" end mill is about the maximum you would normally run. A 2" aluminum disk is well within the sweet spot for that machine. For what it is, it is a great machine. I sold it to someone that uses it to make small injection molding dies and he is happy with it as well. Mudfly posted:My choices I would stay away from the RF45 clone. I had one of the clones and it was total garbage. All of the bearings in the head stock gearbox were pressed into undersized bores and destroyed. The cheese grade bolts that held the X axis lead screw to the casting were stripped and so was the casting. I never even check to see how out of square it was. It also had an amusing problem with the electronics where if you engaged tap mode the spindle would start even if the estop was engaged. I sold it off for a song (with the buyer knowing the issues) and moved on. The only good thing about it was that it was cheap. Agreed with the other posters to try to find something with an R8 spindle. The selection of MT3 tooling suitable for milling is very poor. Also, the drill chuck that comes with the machine is only good for drilling so make sure you get some collets or other milling tool holders.
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Mar 9, 2017 04:18
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That reminds me: where I used to work we used Esprit for CAM. In the default speeds and feeds knowledgebase, it has numbers for uranium. Why? Apperently the companies that make deleted uranium kinetic penetrators for the US military use Esprit.
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Mar 9, 2017 04:23
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His Divine Shadow posted:Now this is the good stuff, CK17 flex head, even got it delivered to my work. Delivery driver recognized my name and called and asked if I am at work now, she's heading there anyway in 5 minutes. I am told these cables are fragile, so I got a cover, just some nylon round sling I cannibalized:  Had some left over, tried making TIG fingers but I don't think they are anywhere as heat resistant as the real thing, mostly something slippery to prop your torch hand against and to help it slide. 
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Mar 9, 2017 07:54
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 Jesus gently caress man, do not make welding gloves or fingers out of nylon. That poo poo will burn and melt to your fingers and continue burning. Make them from flame resistant fibres or materials. Leather is best in the affordable home gamer budget range.
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Mar 9, 2017 18:15
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I figured if it melted, it'd melt over my welding gloves. e: I know it's a pretty poo poo material for resisting heat, think of it more as something I use to reduce friction between my welding glove and the welding table as I drag it across the surface. Eventually I'll buy a real tig finger from Jody that you can even prop on hot stuff. And one of those green shirts. His Divine Shadow fucked around with this message at 18:40 on Mar 9, 2017 |
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Mar 9, 2017 18:18
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ZincBoy posted:I have owned a Taig (converted to CNC), a RF45 clone (garbage), a self built 2'x4' router table, and a Novakon 145 mill. This is good to hear, I bought mine (specifically the Soigeneris turnkey CNC build) with the ultimate goal of making smallish conforming dies for sheet metal , not much bigger than 4"ish square, after doing some homework on what I could afford. I'm nowhere near the skill level for actually doing that yet but confirmations that the machine ought not to be the limiting factor are nice.
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Mar 9, 2017 18:35
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it turns out that if you gently caress up a press-fit by less than a thou you can flip everybody's wig by just upsetting the tenon cold on the anvil with a couple good solid blows and then throwing it back in the lathe chuck to knock the mushrooming off and bring it back to proper concentric. you can put the metal back on (so to speak) if only one dimension is vital, ya turkeys
Ambrose Burnside fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Mar 10, 2017 |
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Mar 9, 2017 18:41
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His Divine Shadow posted:I figured if it melted, it'd melt over my welding gloves. Don't do it gloves or not. Read about cooks getting burned when melting sugar. Things that get sticky at high temp are horrible.
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Mar 9, 2017 20:31
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ZincBoy posted:Of them all the Taig was hands down the best for doing fine detail work. I made a bunch of specialized RF electronics parts than needed sub 0.001" tolerance and were using 0.01" end mills. That Taig could run those parts all day. You just have to keep in mind it is a 0.25HP spindle and program your tool paths appropriately. A 0.25" end mill is about the maximum you would normally run. A 2" aluminum disk is well within the sweet spot for that machine. Or you could be like Hoss and machine your own high speed spindle mount. Yes the BF clone mills are not well suited to spinning tiny end-mills which require insane 10krpm headspeeds.
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Mar 9, 2017 20:43
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honda whisperer posted:Don't do it gloves or not. Read about cooks getting burned when melting sugar. Things that get sticky at high temp are horrible. yeah i've spilled molten soft solder on myself and unless it sits and pools on you its not so bad because it doesn't wet, itll usually just bounce off. its molten flux that gives you the nasty fuckin burns
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Mar 9, 2017 20:46
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