Fangar
Member
Hey guys,
Had a chance this weekend to get some 3/4" aluminum stock and have at it with the wood tools for a pen. Attached is a photo of the results. Overall, I am pretty happy with the experience. Normally the Cigar Kit uses a 10mm drill for the tube hole. I used a 9mm bit and pressed the hardware into the aluminum without any tubes. I polished it up to a nice luster, and didn't like how easy it was to scratch, so I brushed the finish with some fine sanpapers, until I got a nice result.
Overall, the turning of the aluminum was not as bad as one might think. There are a couple of pointers that I might extend which I stumbled into along the way.
The faster the better. I turned this at 3900+ rpm (Jet Mini lathe). It made a major difference in the smoothness of the cuts, and cut out much of the bumping. I started out in the 1800 range, and it made the cutting waaayyyyy rougher, on me and the tools.
Sharp tools are an absolute must. I am spoiled enough to own the Tormek 2006 (I don't know what I did before it).
I am going to look into a slightly smaller stock, tomorrow. Most likely more around the 5/8" range. I used a large steel lathe (My father's) to bore the hole, and to cut to length, but think that with a little care this could have been done using a jacobs in the tailstock. I am planning on running back out to my father's place next week where I will make up about 10 sets of blanks. Then I will be able to turn them out on my mini when I get an order for one, or need a nice gift. Weight wise, the pen is almost identical to one made of wood. Thanks for the read.
P.S. Sorry for the background. I am embarassed of mine as compared to many of the high quality images I often see here. I think you get the idea though...
Cheers,
Fangar
Had a chance this weekend to get some 3/4" aluminum stock and have at it with the wood tools for a pen. Attached is a photo of the results. Overall, I am pretty happy with the experience. Normally the Cigar Kit uses a 10mm drill for the tube hole. I used a 9mm bit and pressed the hardware into the aluminum without any tubes. I polished it up to a nice luster, and didn't like how easy it was to scratch, so I brushed the finish with some fine sanpapers, until I got a nice result.
Overall, the turning of the aluminum was not as bad as one might think. There are a couple of pointers that I might extend which I stumbled into along the way.
The faster the better. I turned this at 3900+ rpm (Jet Mini lathe). It made a major difference in the smoothness of the cuts, and cut out much of the bumping. I started out in the 1800 range, and it made the cutting waaayyyyy rougher, on me and the tools.
Sharp tools are an absolute must. I am spoiled enough to own the Tormek 2006 (I don't know what I did before it).
I am going to look into a slightly smaller stock, tomorrow. Most likely more around the 5/8" range. I used a large steel lathe (My father's) to bore the hole, and to cut to length, but think that with a little care this could have been done using a jacobs in the tailstock. I am planning on running back out to my father's place next week where I will make up about 10 sets of blanks. Then I will be able to turn them out on my mini when I get an order for one, or need a nice gift. Weight wise, the pen is almost identical to one made of wood. Thanks for the read.
P.S. Sorry for the background. I am embarassed of mine as compared to many of the high quality images I often see here. I think you get the idea though...
Cheers,
Fangar
] Neat! Did you put something over the aluminum to 'coat' or seal it?
