Aluminum Flash

[DurocShark]

I did a segmented pen experiment over the weekend. Purpleheart with .032" aluminum stripes. It looked great except for the soft aluminum "flashed". It smeared or spread a bit at some spots. Normal sanding didn't remove it. I'm going to try again with more aggressive pre-finish sanding, but thought I'd ask before smoking another blank.

Thanks!

 

[jkeithrussell]

That's pretty thick aluminum.

I had the same problem with my first attempt at a segment using 0.010 aluminum sheeting. On my second try, I stopped to sharpen my skew after every 2 or 3 passes over the blank and the problem went away.

It's a worn out cliche, but you really do need to keep your tools sharp for this material.

 

[DurocShark]

Hmm.. I'll keep that in mind. Though I *was* paying attention to the sharpness of my skew since I was turning purpleheart. Splintery stuff, that.

The thicker aluminum looks great for the design I'm doing. A starburst sort of...