|
Am I being too conservative on my budget? Does doubling the allowance get me into a bracket I’d rather be in? Not in a rush on this, so availability at the moment isn’t crucial. Looking at like mid April to have something in hand.
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2021 06:01
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 23, 2024 22:29 |
|
|
I've never used a lathe before. Can you put a power drill in a vise and do basic work that way or is it just not possible?
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2021 07:06
|
|
|
Goto starting point is looking for 2nd hand lathes, if that fails, look at imports I guess...
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2021 10:05
|
|
|
Filthy Hans posted:I've never used a lathe before. Can you put a power drill in a vise and do basic work that way or is it just not possible? I'm sure you could turn a Harry potter wand or a drawer knob but it'll not be great. Occasionally I get it into my head to make one of these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYGPwJOD4V0 Then I remember there's 4.9 metric tons of crap in my garage I need to tidy up before I can reach my drill press.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2021 10:55
|
|
|
If you want a really tiny lathe you could build one like this guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lvidFKKqFI
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2021 15:30
|
|
|
With respect to conductive paint for electroforming; I’ve tried a few different products and the most reliable was making my own using graphite powder and acrylic paint.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2021 16:27
|
|
|
Ambrose Burnside posted:Alternately buying up someone’s Aborted Turning Setup is a fantastic way to get a great deal on barely-used accessories. This is something I was actually curious about, since most of my poking around tends to shy away from angelfire af looking websites which hobbyists seem to enjoy. Is there some kind of centralized "go here for buying and selling your lathes" one can go look at? It's a bit of a bitch digging through eBay and "retired guy who changed his mind" probably isn't savvy enough for it anyway. The local ads tend to be... Really over estimating the values when anything does come up. My rust-belty location leans real heavy on the industrial cnc lathes if you try most searching, it's v annoying. There's only so much home brew you can trade for machine time, and my work/grad school schedule is probably gonna leave me wanting to do stuff at unusual hours of the night.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2021 05:33
|
|
|
Estate auctions are the smart move if you’re not in a rush and can do pickup on the auctioneer’s schedule. https://hibid.com/ is a good place to start if you’re in north america, they’re a platform hundreds of small-time estate wranglers all use, you can search for keywords (inter)nationally or, more usefully imo, look at the map to find local vendors you’re willing to drive out to, and comb their weekly auctions for any and all tools you might be looking to get cheap. It isn’t just estates specifically, lots of vendors specialize in things like business bankruptcies/liquidations, cut-rate Amazon returns, poo poo that gets lost in the mail and then sold off by weight, you name it. My estate auction hunting rules: 1) all the action happens in the last few hours of the sale, particularly the closing 10 minutes of each lot. bid prices a few days from closing rarely reflect closing prices. Either set auto-bidding up with the max you’ll pay for something, or else sit on the auction like a hawk to make sure you get your poo poo. 2) Everybody does soft closing on lots so you can’t “snipe” with 5 seconds to go, that just adds time to the clock. This means you can go way overtime if you end up in a bidding war, which leads to 3) let it go. you will get surprisingly invested in petty struggles with strangers over a Makita drill that literally-not-figuratively fell off the back of someone’s truck. if this happens you will bid way more than you want to on poo poo just to beat the other person. i spent $50 on boots that don’t even fit me and look like poo poo because i got caught up in the Auction Heat. 4) First-timers always become intoxicated by no-bid $5 junk lots and end up having to cart 200 pounds of poo poo you don’t need home. The vendors will probably notice and ask if it’s your first sale and then laugh at you. it’s a rite of passage but i’m still trying to find people to take these goddamn encyclopedias off my hands 5) the best deals are on “black sheep” lots- as in, lots that are out of place within the bigger auction. Auctions get advertised based on the theme/flavour of the lots, so (for ex) a metal fabricators liquidation sale will have every garage warrior hanging on every lot, competition will be fierce. The black sheep lot is the toolbox from an old lady’s downsizing sale, or the typewriter at the vintage electronics auction. The latter one happened to me, my crowning auction achievement. I got two typewriters in fantastic working condition, dating from the 1940s + 50s and each valued at a couple hundred dollars apiece, and paid... $2.50 each. 5 bucks for both, plus a 50 cent auctioneers fee. Apparently there isn’t much overlap between typewriter guys and 1940s television set guys because nobody else even bid on em, in a typical general estate auction they’d at least get driven up to $50-100 per. On that note, the biggest fish that got away was a retired machinist’s gorgeous Myford lathe, his personal garage queen lathe for the fun projects so it was fantastically well-maintained, PLUS all his accumulated tooling, for maybe $500 canadian? i had to let it go b/c i had nowhere to use or even store it, but man, I’d probably have to pay ten times that to buy everything in that lot piecemeal. hurts to think about. but yeah, start browsing auctions and be patient, you’ll know when you find a gem Ambrose Burnside fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Jan 25, 2021 |
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2021 16:38
|
|
|
I'll 2nd Ambrose. Auctions are a prime method, the most ideal auction is where you have to physically go to bid, then you have a smaller bid pool and are more likely to get a great deal. I just sold a Mori-Seiki in beautiful condition for like $6,500 because it was bigger than a garage shop needed and the market for big manual machines is tanking. Professionals don't use them to make money, they'd buy a CNC, so I'm stuck marketing it to guys in there garage. I watched another manual Mori with an 8 foot bed go for like $2,500. A cute little Myford, Hardinge, or Colchester that fits in the corner of your garage is going to sell for a premium. We use DoveBid and BidSpotter primarily. Be aware that professional auctions typically won't let you in to pick up your machine. They will require riggers, usually there own, and a shipping company. You will also pay a buyers premium (20-30%) and possibly sales tax. So you're $1,000 lathe becomes a $2,500 lathe after rigging, fees, taxes, and transportation. Riggers do a great job securing your poo poo, but god forbid there is a DRO sticking above the machine. It certainly won't be where it started after they lock down a rubberized canvas tarp on top of it.  Just saw this one there, we've got one for a quickie lathe and it's a beauty. edit : Don't pre-bid on live auctions. All you do is up the starting fee.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2021 17:55
|
|
|
That's good stuff, especially about the live auctions. The smaller the buyer pool the better; online auctions that don't ship limit who's gonna bid based on proximity, but having to be there in person whittles it down to a small percentage of people who'd otherwise drive the price up. it's not practical for me to get out to those, and i think they're kaput with covid anyhow, but the few i have gone to had wayyyyy more nil/single-bid lots than you'd ever see online. zero-bid lots that aren't full of garbage or miscellaneous tote bin contents are where the best deals like. i never bid on anything big enough to need a rigger but if you're talking commercial machinery that's probably more common than not. and this quote:edit : Don't pre-bid on live auctions. All you do is up the starting fee. is v true. i would also add that auto-bidding is very useful for removing your emotions from the equation; it'll stick to your max spend calculated when you have a cool head and you won't get drawn into a shoving match with some schoolteacher or accountant who immediately becomes your mortal enemy
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2021 19:09
|
|
|
Ambrose Burnside posted:is v true. i would also add that auto-bidding is very useful for removing your emotions from the equation; it'll stick to your max spend calculated when you have a cool head and you won't get drawn into a shoving match with some schoolteacher or accountant who immediately becomes your mortal enemy Auto bid is the only way to go. I bought 3 Biax scrapers like that, just set my value and walked. My dad used to really get into the usernames and he started recognizing certain names and got really into boning "MachineBuy27" or some such rando dudes. The online equivalent of fist-fighting a person over a $30 machinist stool.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2021 22:18
|
|
|
I never bother with auctions, on ebay and such i filter them out. They are just such a PITA and never worth the hassle. If you get something too cheap the seller will be a bitch about it too.
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2021 05:41
|
|
|
Estate auctions are a very, very different beast compared to ebay, I wouldn't really group them together for these purposes despite the 'auction' part. Ebay is gigantic, internationally-available, it's a glorified storefront at this point, and the price points for basically everything are more or less already established; estate auctions are event-based and local, the pool of potential bidders is so small and intimate you start recognizing people when you go to pick stuff up, the bidding/competition dynamic is intense and key to the process, and (most importantly) great stuff really does regularly sell for 1/10th what you'd pay for it on somewhere like ebay, you just can't predict what that deal will be or where it'll turn up. Ambrose Burnside fucked around with this message at 13:35 on Jan 26, 2021 |
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2021 13:32
|
|
|
Hey gang, I just repaired a 2x82 belt grinder (like this one) that's been collecting dust in the local MakerSpace metal shop, and I'm looking for recommendations about getting some belts for it Seems like 2x82 is kind of an uncommon size from my googling? All of the dedicated abrasive vendor catalogs I've looked at haven't carried the size. Anyone know of a good vendor who does? Worst case, I could modify the machine to run 72" but I'd like to avoid that if possible And looks like there's a lot of options in terms of material as well -- ceramic, aluminum oxide, zirconia, silicon carbide, etc. for the abrasive, and a ton of options for the backings. Currently, the machine is missing its contact wheel and "platen" but if I can't track it down in the Space, I'll be fabbing at least a platen up, so I'm not super worried about getting a stiff backing on the belts Right now, we're just looking to get a range of grits (coarse to fine) for finishing ornamental forged mild steel (the beginner's blacksmithing course is very popular with general public, hence the sorry state of all our sanders/grinders), but it'd be good to know what kind of belts would be good for basic knife making / harder steels. There is also a full machine shop so finishing machined steel / aluminum / brass / etc could be good too Also(! lol), there's a number of bench grinders I think mostly 1/2 HP 6" but I think I saw a 3/4 HP 8" as well. I know brush wheels, grinding stones, buffering wheels w/ polishing compound, etc. have overlap with what we're trying to do here I guess the shops I've always worked in have always just had what they had, and I figured out what worked best for what. Never had to start from scratch, and I was never responsible for selecting / procuring the consumables, so any guidance on where to get started learning how to select these abrasives would be great Thanks!
|
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2021 14:37
|
|
|
eighty-four merc posted:Hey gang, I just repaired a 2x82 belt grinder (like this one) that's been collecting dust in the local MakerSpace metal shop, and I'm looking for recommendations about getting some belts for it 2X82 is kind of weird. I'd reach out to MSC and have them quote you a custom. I have some weird sized belt grinders and buy 20 belts at a time. Fastenal can also be decent on price as is Motion Industries. Grainger was oddly competitive for awhile but has since backed off. There also might be a local industrial supply place you can try. As far as what belt... I'm a big fan of the 3m Cubitron line and the Norton Blaze line. The Cubitron especially is a beast and in all of my testing nothing has been able to beat it for durability and longevity. We run it in a 36 grit and it cuts now and it cuts cool. The Cubitron and Blaze are not available in the finer grits unfortunately. For really fine (500 grit plus) stuff I've had good luck with the Trizact / Norzac products but heat management becomes an issue. I'd also find a way to keep someone from grinding steel on a belt only to have another person grind brass or something after. Someone is going to be unhappy.
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2021 15:21
|
|
|
I've been using a range of belts, I like the 3M trizact for finishing work Generally: Titanium oxide: harder steels Aluminium oxide: softer materials (under 200 grit) and harder materials for 200+ grit finishing Zirconia: wood Ceramic: steels and similarly hard The titanium oxide ones are what I use for martensitic knife steels in 24 and 36 grit and the material literally vanishes before your eyes! As a side note, combat abrasives are really good and they can do custom length belts as do a lot of companies. Generally speaking for my knife making I'll use ceramic for shaping, then aluminium oxide for finishing in higher grits. Cork or scotch Brite belts for matt finishing or higher grit belts and hand sanding for a brighter finish. YMMV though. I've not done much outside of knife making finishing work on my grinder so I can't comment outside of steels and wood
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2021 00:18
|
|
Thanks for the info guys. I'll give Fastenal a call. They're literally across the street from the spaceYooper posted:I'd also find a way to keep someone from grinding steel on a belt only to have another person grind brass or something after. Someone is going to be unhappy. Good point. Would grinding on steel with a belt that'd been used on aluminum cause the same issues? I'll know the order minimum after I call Fastenal, but if it's on the order of 10-20 belts, it should be easy enough to hang "active" belts under "BRASS", "ALUMINUM", "STEEL" labels, and keep the fresh belts all in one place Whether effete computer touchers moonlighting as blue collar cosplayers will be able to properly utilize that system is an open question (lol I know the answer) but at least it'll keep poo poo organized
|
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2021 16:00
|
|
|
eighty-four merc posted:Thanks for the info guys. I'll give Fastenal a call. They're literally across the street from the space Aluminum will clog up a belt quick like, so much so that you'd hate grinding steel on it afterwards. But yes, the steel can work it's way into the aluminum and you can get rust streaking. Our maintenance guys like to use one of our production sanders to deburr aluminum and the production guys hated it because it ruined the belt. Maintenance now has a special belt sander for whatever random poo poo they want to grind on it. Fastenal can be squirrely, be sure to comparison shop.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2021 17:44
|
|
|
the “rolling natural snake-eyes” outcome of grinding multiple metals on the same machine is the fines from aluminium + other metals combine to create Inadvertent Thermite
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2021 17:55
|
|
|
Ambrose Burnside posted:the “rolling natural snake-eyes” outcome of grinding multiple Then grind magnesium to start your last day at work!
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2021 18:16
|
|
|
iirc grinder thermite has actually been implicated in shop fires before, i guess the deal is that grinders make a lot of metal particles in a range of sizes, and their weight kind of sorts them by mass as you get further away from the grinder, like winnowing grain by throwing it in the air to let the wind separate the lightweight chaff. so, far away from the grinder, up in the dust in the rafters or w/e, you can slowly accrete very fine particles that produce something closer to nanothermite, in that they're both more violently-energetic and are also easier to ignite. so that state of affairs persists until a sufficient ignition source, potentially much cooler than a conventional thermite ignition primary- oily shop cloth flare-up in a bin, that sort of thing- is present, and it preheats the accidental thermite until it's off to the races don't think that's exactly common, though. much more likely somebody blithely tries grinding an aluminium bar down on a solid wheel when nobody's watching, and then the next time somebody does some heavy-duty high-heat grinding the aluminium expands and cracks the wheel at 3500 RPM in front of your face
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2021 19:50
|
|
|
Ambrose Burnside posted:iirc grinder thermite has actually been implicated in shop fires before, i guess the deal is that grinders make a lot of metal particles in a range of sizes, and their weight kind of sorts them by mass as you get further away from the grinder, like winnowing grain by throwing it in the air to let the wind separate the lightweight chaff. so, far away from the grinder, up in the dust in the rafters or w/e, you can slowly accrete very fine particles that produce something closer to nanothermite, in that they're both more violently-energetic and are also easier to ignite. so that state of affairs persists until a sufficient ignition source, potentially much cooler than a conventional thermite ignition primary- oily shop cloth flare-up in a bin, that sort of thing- is present, and it preheats the accidental thermite until it's off to the races This sounds like the solution to a mystery novel
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2021 22:49
|
|
|
Ok thread, I have a question here: I bought this split die for chasing/cutting threads. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYFHURE/ There's a single set screw. There's one single threaded hole in the body of the die. By tightening the set screw down all the way the die can be opened very slightly. But loosening the set screw does nothing to close the gap at all. It worked to chase the threads that I needed to clean up, but I just don't see how it would cut threads to full depth. Is this a manufacturing defect? or does it sound like it's operating correctly and the only adjustment should be between minimum width with the gap at it's resting size and slightly wider with the tiny set screw all the way in?
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2021 13:17
|
|
|
Vim Fuego posted:Ok thread, I have a question here: Do you have the die holder to go with it?
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2021 13:21
|
|
|
I don't. I had assumed I had one when I bought it, but it turns out I just had a tap handle that I bought when I needed to cut threads into something quite a while back. Then the die worked for chasing the threads so I didn't realize a holder would be necessary for other operations. So the die holder squeezes it down?
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2021 13:35
|
|
|
Vim Fuego posted:I don't. I had assumed I had one when I bought it, but it turns out I just had a tap handle that I bought when I needed to cut threads into something quite a while back. Then the die worked for chasing the threads so I didn't realize a holder would be necessary for other operations. So the die holder squeezes it down? I’ve just looked on Wikipedia (in case there was some UK/US terminology difference), and they claim that integrated screw dies aren’t at all common here in Britain - our split-die holders have three screws, one to loosen and two to tighten the die. As with all things written probably by some old git who hasn’t learned anything since 1952 I’m sure we do have integrated screw dies but damned if I can work out how you use them.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2021 13:50
|
|
|
Vim Fuego posted:Ok thread, I have a question here: You've got four styles.  This one has an integrated adjusting screw.  This one is totally non-adjustable. It cuts what it cuts.  This style uses the handle to either push the cutting flutes apart or you push at 90 degrees to the split and close the flutes. The last type uses fully adjustable dies rather like a pipe threader. In my experience they all kind of suck except the pipe threader.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2021 14:29
|
|
|
Split gang for life
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2021 08:09
|
|
|
Does anyone have a source or what I should be searching to find straight flute drill bits? Bought a box on eBay from a used tool seller ages and ages ago and recently opened it to find they’re all anti-clockwise, which offends my aesthetic sensibilities.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2021 14:32
|
|
|
Vindolanda posted:Does anyone have a source or what I should be searching to find straight flute drill bits? Bought a box on eBay from a used tool seller ages and ages ago and recently opened it to find they’re all anti-clockwise, which offends my aesthetic sensibilities. Msc or Harvey tool should have them but why do you want them? Are you drilling a bunch of shallow holes in hard stuff and breaking twist drills? Straight flute drill bits should be the correct term. CarForumPoster fucked around with this message at 15:04 on Jan 31, 2021 |
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2021 15:02
|
|
|
You can get them all over MSC and McMaster-Carr with the terms you're using. https://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn...?navid=12106212 Not really sure what you're doing that requires straight bits; usually that's an extremely niche requirement. But yep you can get them. You might also search for straight-flute router bits/end mills or reamers, which are all conceptually similar.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2021 20:51
|
|
|
Sagebrush posted:You can get them all over MSC and McMaster-Carr with the terms you're using. Hadn’t thought of importing from the US - I suppose if I decide I really need them it might work, and straight flutes seem to be old fashioned enough that finding them in a good upstanding metric size is hard enough. I’m using them for hand drilling parts that are thin, nonferrous, and both - I know I can stone a twist drill to make it suitable but there’s something about an unusual bit that is attractive for hobby work. Twist drills tend to grab especially badly with hand and Archimedes drills because it’s hard to get the bit to cut while also using very low pressure.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2021 12:59
|
|
|
Vindolanda posted:Hadn’t thought of importing from the US - I suppose if I decide I really need them it might work, and straight flutes seem to be old fashioned enough that finding them in a good upstanding metric size is hard enough. I’m using them for hand drilling parts that are thin, nonferrous, and both - I know I can stone a twist drill to make it suitable but there’s something about an unusual bit that is attractive for hobby work. Twist drills tend to grab especially badly with hand and Archimedes drills because it’s hard to get the bit to cut while also using very low pressure. Thought this was a Sniper Wore Converse post when you said you use hand powered drills.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2021 15:29
|
|
|
Samuel L. Hacksaw posted:Thought this was a Sniper Wore Converse post when you said you use hand powered drills. If there’s a reference there it’s gone over my head - I just have neighbours and I stay up late!
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2021 15:41
|
|
|
He's a dude who preferred to more his lawn with s scythe.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2021 15:44
|
|
|
I got a scythe! Well just the blade. Plan to use it to replace the weed whacker.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2021 07:48
|
|
|
What are some good welding rods for doing overhead welds? I'm reasonably competent and failure of the weld won't kill anyone. Currently at my disposal are 6011 6013 and 7018s. I'm not *great* with the 7018s but I can lay a decent bead with them on flat surfaces. Don't know how that would translate to overhead with them.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2021 15:54
|
|
|
wesleywillis posted:What are some good welding rods for doing overhead welds? 7018 is what you want. Same amperage as a flat weld, just keep a minimal rod angle and hold a very tight arc. The classic mistake is trying to turn down the amperage (and holding too much arc length), which leads to the slag and weld puddle dripping. You need the amperage and arc force to drive the puddle up into the base metal, and the short arc length and minimal rod angle make that all work. It's always worth setting up a piece of plate to practice on in the same position and just getting used to it. Burn a few rods for practice and you'll be just fine.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2021 16:29
|
|
|
Thought you guys might enjoy this soft-spoken fella's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wR4mj3M3q0
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2021 16:48
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 23, 2024 22:29 |
|
|
Hypnolobster posted:7018 is what you want. Same amperage as a flat weld, just keep a minimal rod angle and hold a very tight arc. The classic mistake is trying to turn down the amperage (and holding too much arc length), which leads to the slag and weld puddle dripping. You need the amperage and arc force to drive the puddle up into the base metal, and the short arc length and minimal rod angle make that all work. It's always worth setting up a piece of plate to practice on in the same position and just getting used to it. Burn a few rods for practice and you'll be just fine. It's in a bit of a tight spot so I'll have to bend the rod to get it to fit it think. Not a big deal I guess.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2021 18:11
|
|