Thicker metal laminate materials?

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jrista

jrista

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I have been doing some laminates with thin metals. So far, abut 0.016" or thereabouts. I've used copper, brass and nickel. The nickel is the nicest to turn, as its "dead soft". All of them have been a bit of a pain to drill, though...

I have some concepts I'm experimenting with, and I'd like to try some thicker metal layers. I'm curious what the options are. ATM, I'm going for a chrome look. The Nikel at 0.016" is ok, but it has a slightly different (warmer) tone than true chrome, so I am not sure it would be best with thicker options. Is there another material out there that would look like chrome when fully sanded, polished and finished? How thick can you go? I have wondered about 0.064", maybe 0.080" thick layers of metal...

Thanks!
 
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jrista said:
I have been doing some laminates with thin metals. So far, abut 0.016" or thereabouts. I've used copper, brass and nickel. The nickel is the nicest to turn, as its "dead soft". All of them have been a bit of a pain to drill, though...

I have some concepts I'm experimenting with, and I'd like to try some thicker metal layers. I'm curious what the options are. ATM, I'm going for a chrome look. The Nikel at 0.016" is ok, but it has a slightly different (warmer) tone than true chrome, so I am not sure it would be best with thicker options. Is there another material out there that would look like chrome when fully sanded, polished and finished? How thick can you go? I have wondered about 0.064", maybe 0.080" thick layers of metal...

Thanks!
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I used to do some engraving. I have engraving plastic that is metallic in color. As soon as I get set up I'm going to try using that. It is a plastic. Don't know how turning will effect it. (I also have to find it šŸ¤£šŸ˜‚). I've moved my shop several times, getting smaller each time. Stuff piled upon stuff.
 
jttheclockman said:
This is a very good source for materials used in segmenting. I use alot of aluminum and it can polish to a nice shine very easily

www.penturners.org/threads/segmenting-material-resources-draft-library-article.167867/


You can check out some of my past pens I made.

www.penturners.org/media/users/jttheclockman.999/
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Thanks for the references, John! Much appreciated.

I am curious, when you turn the much thicker stuff (one of your pens had a spiral black and aluminum design), how easy is it to turn?

EDIT: And, now that I am thinking about it...what is the best way to cut thicker sheet metal like that? I've been using a pair of metal shears so far, for the thinner stuff...but, 0.064, 0.09, 0.125...that stuff is a good deal thicker...
 
Aluminum is very easy to cut and turn I use the 6061 brand. Home Depot is a good source for 1/16" and 1/8". I cut all metals on either the bandsaw or tablesaw with carbide blades. Nonferrous materials I should say. When I am cutting very thin strips I use doubleside tape and adhere it to a wider piece of plywood. I use a lot of Baltic birch in my scrollsawing days so have surplus of that and it makes good sleds as well because it is stable and flat.
 
There is a saw put out for sign stuff. Will cut non-ferrous metals to 1/4". It ain't cheap( 1K+) but it works good. I believe engravograph has a version plus a few other engraving suppliers. Hard to find used
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find used.
 
I think a carbide blade for the bandsaw will do nicely. I just finished building a bandsaw sled, which currently supports 90 degree cuts, but will soon have a miter slot added as well. If a carbide blade will work, then I'll just pick one of those up.
 
jrista said:
I think a carbide blade for the bandsaw will do nicely. I just finished building a bandsaw sled, which currently supports 90 degree cuts, but will soon have a miter slot added as well. If a carbide blade will work, then I'll just pick one of those up.
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Depends on what you are using it for. If cutting metals just get a metal cutting blade. That is what I use.
 
jttheclockman said:
Depends on what you are using it for. If cutting metals just get a metal cutting blade. That is what I use.
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Well, I also have these trustone blocks I need to cut as well, and I think someone recommended a carbide blade for those as well. Although, someone may also have mentioned a metal cutting blade for them, too...so I guess either will do.
 
jrista said:
Well, I also have these trustone blocks I need to cut as well, and I think someone recommended a carbide blade for those as well. Although, someone may also have mentioned a metal cutting blade for them, too...so I guess either will do.
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I use a metal blade because my only carbide blade for bandsaw is a resaw blade.
 
Just did a little cleanup at my shop. I found some copper colored plastic maybe 1/16" thick with a very thin black layer on one side. Also found some silver faced black plastic. I know I have more gold and silver around. I shou;ld be set up next week and I'll try turning some to see if heat buildup will be a factor. This stuff is Romark engraving pl;astic. I'll c.heck to see what else they have.
 
I have a 3D printer, and can make any size insert in almost any colour. I am currently using several 20 mm x 20 mm x 2 mm squares printed with gold filament.It turns very well and under a CA finish, its hard to tell its not metal.
 
3003 aluminum alloy is much softer than 6061 alloy and polishes up to a much higher degree. You probably won't find it at a big box store but easily found online. I typically use the .032 thickness.
 
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