featurette sequel

[Rich L]

Here's the YouTube video some asked for:

Rose engine cutting on a fountain pen finial - YouTube

It's clearly not meant to be any descriptive tutorial or anything like that and it's hard to see the flycutter but I hope the concept is more easily absorbed. This one is actually on silver and it was different for two reasons:
1) the end of the finial was domed instead of flat so that makes for a deeper cut, and
2) silver is gummier than the nickel silver I used before and that makes for increased tool marks. They polish up to a large extent but the effect is still there. It's not something I wanted but I'm not sure I don't like it. (lots of negatives in that statement that sum up neutral and perhaps positive )

Next time I'll flatten the end off more.

Pictures of a couple views on a solid silver pen. In the finial decoration, everything is rounded - it's just the reflections make some of it look like there are angles.

Cheers,
Rich

 

[skiprat]

Thanks in advance Rich !!:biggrin:
My missus is about to go to bed so I'm gonna get a beer and settle down to watch it a few times!!:biggrin:



I'm back. That was WAY too short !! I only had one sip and it was over!!:biggrin:

It appears that you use lubricant between the rubber and the rosette. Logical I suppose, but I didn't know that was the norm.

When you cut a pattern into a workpiece ( bearing in mind they are mostly expensive silver etc ) do you have faith in your experience and just go for it, or do you make a practice piece? Maybe a paper chuck?

Final questions ( for today anyway :tongue: ) do you shape and sharpen your own cutters? Another thing that I haven't seen explained anywhere is how the cutter is positioned EXACTLY evenly on either side of the holder

 

[bluwolf]

Loved this video as well as all the others. All those long, round belts, not something you'd want to break in the middle of a job. Do you buy those to length and keep spares, or do you make those up custom yourself, and keep spools of that material around? Stupid question I know, but I couldn't get it out of my head watching all those belts running.

Mike

 

[Rich L]

Thanks in advance Rich !!:biggrin:
My missus is about to go to bed so I'm gonna get a beer and settle down to watch it a few times!!:biggrin:



I'm back. That was WAY too short !! I only had one sip and it was over!!:biggrin:

It appears that you use lubricant between the rubber and the rosette. Logical I suppose, but I didn't know that was the norm.

I just use way oil and I don't know if it is a norm - seems logical to me as well. I believe the rosettes are bronze and they're old but still in good shape. If for some reason the bearing seizes then I have less chance of galling the bronze.

When you cut a pattern into a workpiece ( bearing in mind they are mostly expensive silver etc ) do you have faith in your experience and just go for it, or do you make a practice piece? Maybe a paper chuck?

I'll do a practice piece unless it's some process I've done before. In this case I have done brass, the nickel silver in the other post and now that I have "beaucoup" experience I go for gold, uh, silver.

Final questions ( for today anyway :tongue: ) do you shape and sharpen your own cutters? Another thing that I haven't seen explained anywhere is how the cutter is positioned EXACTLY evenly on either side of the holder

Yes, I sharpen my own cutters and most are carbide. I have a good assortment of sharpening tools and machines and some were made specifically for this purpose. They (the bits) must be sharp! Diamond wheels of several grits and ceramic wheels with sub-micron diamond charging liquid. For the fly cutters, polishing the cutting surfaces is not too critical but for engraving it is essential.

On the alignment, if you're talking about the frame cutters, or even the stationary engraving cutters I will align on the side of a cylinder by using the "steel ruler" method and on the face of a cylinder, if really critical, I'll use a "Dykem" type marker and touch off spots with the cutter point to see where they go upon rotation. All with a loupe. But maybe I don't know what you mean by "EXACTLY evenly on either side of the holder."

Go finish that beer! What's a good brew out of Stone, Staffordshire?

Cheers,
Rich

 

[Rich L]

Loved this video as well as all the others. All those long, round belts, not something you'd want to break in the middle of a job. Do you buy those to length and keep spares, or do you make those up custom yourself, and keep spools of that material around? Stupid question I know, but I couldn't get it out of my head watching all those belts running.

Mike

I specify length, material, and cross section diameter and get them from O-rings West. The long ones are neoprene but other folks use different materials. I've just been going with what works as I took a guess at the material a while back and the guess worked out. The stuff needs to be oil and solvent resistant as well as a bit stretchy - but not too much. I get them as complete loops because I'd like to resist welding my own together for as long as possible. Bad weld, broken belt, messed up workpiece, bad scene, bad language, bad attitude, ...

For the most part, even with all the pulleys and moving parts, the system is pretty forgiving. Even with the belt off that pulley there would have been little consequence for a while, at least. You do have to keep an eye on things.

Cheers,
Rich

 

[skiprat]

Rich, if you ever did go to Stone or Stoke then the Titanic Brewery has some pretty good real ales and the big brewer Bass is good if you like the lagers.
I'm a bit of a lager lout :biggrin: But I only go to Stone when I get summoned to the orifice. Otherwise I try and stay away. I live in North Wales ( near all the friendly sheep )

What I meant about the cutters ( fly cutters I guess ) is that once you have sharpened both ends of it and put it back in the frame, how do you ensure that both ends both do some work and not just one.

Thanks again for taking the time to do the vids. I know there are many people here, including me that find them fascinating. :wink:

 

[Curly]

Steve there is only one cutter in the frame and it is only sharpened at one end.
Here are a couple links to some you can build.

Studio of Bill Ooms -- Ornamental Turning Cutting Frames

Custom Ornamental Rose Engine Lathe - Universal cutting frame

 

[Rich L]

...

I live in North Wales ( near all the friendly sheep ) One of my favorite places is Snowdonia and, of course, Betsy Coed. I was up there trying to do some rock climbing but got rained out every day. I also practiced endlessly, to my wife's disquietude, the pronunciation of Llanfair... the full thing. I got it down pretty good!

What I meant about the cutters ( fly cutters I guess ) is that once you have sharpened both ends of it and put it back in the frame, how do you ensure that both ends both do some work and not just one. Curly got it again - yeah, there's only one end of the cutter doing anything.

...

It's fun doing the videos especially with one hand on the camera, one hand on the controls, and something else holding the beer.

Cheers,
Rich

 

[skiprat]

Ah...thanks Pete. I just cut a section from a pic on the second link and the cutter is indeed only sharpened on one end.
I just figured that as they spin so fast that they would have to be perfectly balanced and thus double pointed like a router bit etc.

Thanks
Steven

Edit; Rich, you have to give me a call next time you will visit and I'll get the beer !!

The place you mean must be the train station?
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch

Yes, everyone that is a REAL Welsh place

 

[randyrls]

The place you mean must be the train station?
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch

Yes, everyone that is a REAL Welsh place

Lets see... Hmmm. "White church in the hollow by red cave"?????

 

[Rich L]

...
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch

...

Hey, Steven! Did you mis-spell it? I'm serious! Should be bwll for pool? Right?

:wink:

Cheers,
Rich