The Craftmans Shop > New from Old

Eurospark H425 Die Sinker EDM reborn

<< < (4/6) > >>

AdeV:
Hi Andrew,

Next time you want EDM fluid (which I would imagine would be never, if you've got 60 litres of the stuff now!), try Lube Tech Shop: £57ish or £62ish for 25 litres... + delivery I expect: http://www.lubetechshop.co.uk/index.php?cPath=25_48

Slightly less bankruptcy inducing!

I was lucky, my EDM machine came with a 3/4 full 205litre barrel of fluid, and I've not even had to break that open yet, there seems to be plenty in the machine. My machine is obviously a lot older than yours, it doesn't have an fancy dancin' raising/lowering tanks; just a door on the front that I can presumably take off to access the table. I haven't tried it yet, in case I break a seal...

One day, I need your expert presence to strip the machine down & find out why the vibrating table doesn't vibrate, and why the middle power setting trips the fuse every time I try it...  :dremel:

awemawson:
Hi Ade,

It was tempting to change to a cheaper fluid - in extremis I could use neat paraffin after all that's what it was designed to use originally and paraffin costs peanuts, but stinks the workshop out and is highly inflammable. The IONOPLUS is very low odour and I have failed to set a rag dipped in it on fire by applying a match  :thumbup:

To change would require a comprehensive flushing and I suppose I took the easy option !

AdeV:
Mine is full of some fluid from one of the major petrochemical companies (BP or Shell, I forget which), it's not quite as lurid green as yours, it doesn't seem to smell either, other than a bit paraffinny if you get it on your hands.

Must admit, I hadn't considered using graphite as an electrode - how does that wear compared to copper?

awemawson:
Ade, I have reams of pages of tables detailing cutting rates for copper and graphite at differing currents, and the allowance needed for the side burning effect, but I confess never to using them.. I just suck it and see !

awemawson:
Today I put things like the electronic touch sensor through it's paces and convinced myself all was well with the machine  :thumbup:

Then I started the Herculean task of shifting the machine to it's spot in the workshop - but where ? Where it came from is very close to the lathe, and I suspect that flying swarf had accelerated the demise of the bellows  :bugeye:

Much pondering later I realised that where it was was really the only practical option - so it had to go back with some sort of swarf shield. In the end I decided to use a sheet of 18 mm OSB board that I had on hand (all be it on the other side of site in our domestic garage  :bang: ) Not very subtle, rather 'in your face' but seems effective :clap:

So cutting some 36" lengths of scaffold tube, and using levers I got the beast raised onto the rollers, and bit by bit eased it across the workshop and round two 90 degree bends, amazingly finishing the job with all fingers and toes intact leaving me able to type this  :lol:

Connecting it up and doing a quick test cut it still seems to work (phew!) and I only lost perhaps a litre of fluid (=£5) on the journey 

. . . .so that's probably that . . . . .until the next time !

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page