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Acrylic pens.... Easy Xmas gifts?
wongster:
Another job well done!!!
Do you just play with the dial on the cross slide to to create the curves?
Wong
Brass_Machine:
Hiya Ralph!!
Glad to see you pop in! That is a great idea for a gift. I have thought about your key ring torch too (Along with the GID fob) as gifts. You have some good ideas and a good eye.
Eric
Divided he ad:
Hi Guys, Glad you like them :)
I'll try and answer these best I can without pic's to back it up.... I haven't taken any action shots or videos yet.
John,
After stepping out the basic shape I use files where possible to remove the bulk of the material. then step down through grades of emery tape and wet and dry (all dipped in water... Keeps the heat down and stops you burning the acrylic) from 100, 280,400and 600 grits.
Then again with the 600 with some brass polish added to the water. Then final cutting using this "micromesh" stuff in 3600, 8000 and finally 12000 grits. All wet and with a few dots of the brass polish added.
Remove residue between grits with a soft cloth and use a clean soft cloth for a final buff. Not sure if this is a prescribed method. But it works for me.
(Of course making sure the lathe bed is very well oiled before and after due to the use of water)
Jim,
Give it a go.... Just remember razor sharp tooling and easy cuts (1-2mm) I tried a larger cut under power and stopped the lathe... .Just before a huge chunk flew off and clacked me under the chin :bugeye: :doh: I'll find the pic's to show the screw up and the recovery job!
Matthew,
Sounds similar to my methods... These brass polishes work on all metals and plastics it seams. Does stainless a treat :thumbup:
Dave,
I remember this method. But there is an issue with these blanks. They are far from uniform! Some "16mm" square blanks are 16x18mm! The same issue with the 20mm ones. So 4 jaw is the only way to get reasonably accurate centre holes.
Nice post though :beer:
Wong,
Yep. Just playing with the dials. I use the main carriage and cross slide wheels (rarely use the compound myself).
Some of the cuts are done with a powerd cut in the Z axis and turning the cross slide handwheel five, one quarter turns in and 5 back out. Some times slow count some times fast. Some times a much higher count. it gives me some interesting stepped curves to smooth out :dremel:
Howdy Eric :wave:
Figured it was about time I joined in again :borg:
I needed a new Xmas gift idea.... Any more keyrings (fobs) and my family and friends would start developing funny walks with all that brass in their pockets! :lol:
No idea what to do next year though!! :scratch:
I'll post some more pic's tomorrow of the "incident" described above and some of the new (jumbo) editions I have recently completed.
Ralph.
vtsteam:
Those are pretty wild, Ralph! Thanks for explaining how you did that profiling and polishing. I'd never heard of 12000 grit before. Lots new to learn. :bow: :clap:
Pete49:
VT the micro mesh is usually found at places that sell pen parts or woodwork stores. For those that have wives with Avon products snaffle their cattle dog and look under nail stuff (her terminology) nice gear there and been using it for years on wood and acrylic pens.
As for acrylic I don't use it much now as there are many available in shops and I prefer the wide variety of woods available world wide at reasonable costs. Fruit woods are nice as well as some of our native trees which lose a limb now and again (pruning saw is handy). I have also found the fumes to be harmful from acrylic blanks....it sets of my wife's asthma every time.
Pete
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