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Toolin Around
21st June 2006, 10:11 PM
I know it's aluminium but it actually turns like wood. Try it! You can actually use the skew and gouge on it, just keep the rpms down a bit. I get a giggle watching a ribbon of shavings curl off with the skew. The pen was just turned tonight.

lubbing5cherubs
21st June 2006, 10:16 PM
That is gorgeous. How did you finish aluminium?
Toni

TTIT
22nd June 2006, 12:12 AM
I know it's aluminium but it actually turns like wood. Try it! You can actually use the skew and gouge on it, just keep the rpms down a bit. I get a giggle watching a ribbon of shavings curl off with the skew. The pen was just turned tonight.

OK - I'm hooked - I would never have been game to poke a skew at a chunk of metal!!:eek: What was the material to start with, rod or tube??? :confused: Any particular grade of aluminium??? :confused: Did you have a mandrel through it while turning??? :confused:......??????........???????????

Cliff Rogers
22nd June 2006, 12:17 AM
You can also turn really weird sheyet like the plastic that white chopping boards are made out of. :cool:

Skew ChiDAMN!!
22nd June 2006, 12:27 AM
You can also turn copper and brass. Most non-ferrous metals, I believe, although I don't know why you'd even want to turn pewter and the like. :rolleyes:

I sometimes roll the edge of the ferrules on my homemade tools or add a copper insert when I join spindles, shaping it to flow with the form. It's a bit hard-wearing on the tools, brass is even worse for 'em, but it's perfectly doable and fun to play with the odd piece. :)

Toolin Around
22nd June 2006, 09:20 PM
OK - I'm hooked - I would never have been game to poke a skew at a chunk of metal!!:eek: What was the material to start with, rod or tube??? :confused: Any particular grade of aluminium??? :confused: Did you have a mandrel through it while turning??? :confused:......??????........???????????


It was a piece of 3/8" rod. I think it was a one of the more softer grades of Al but I can't remember which. The pen's held in a chuck and fed out as I turn it.

I get a giggle out of it every time I do something new in Al. It's a fantastic medium that really lends itself well to being turned.

The only real hazard I've found so far is when turning a closed form bowl. Using hook tools without some sort of apparatus to hold them can get hairy when they catch. A bad catch in a wood bowl and all you do is rip the bowl apart. But in Al, the bowl will hold up and the tool could be ripped from your hands and most likely come back around and smack you in the head a few times. There's been a few times where I've had to get a death grip on the tool after a catch and quickly reach for the panic button.

Another possible concern is inhaling Al. I get a bit slack with wood but not with Al, it can be a serious health hazard when it gets into the body. When I sand it I wear a respirator with HEPA filters.

Toolin Around
22nd June 2006, 09:28 PM
You can also turn copper and brass. Most non-ferrous metals, I believe, although I don't know why you'd even want to turn pewter and the like. :rolleyes:

I sometimes roll the edge of the ferrules on my homemade tools or add a copper insert when I join spindles, shaping it to flow with the form. It's a bit hard-wearing on the tools, brass is even worse for 'em, but it's perfectly doable and fun to play with the odd piece. :)


I've also turned a fair bit of steel. You need gloves for it, or you end up with hundreds of burn blisters all over your hands and forearms. I also use a metal spinning tool rest so I can get leverage.

I was joking at the shop with the guys about turing one in gold. I figure I'd need about $2000 worth of gold though so maybe I'll put that project off for a while. But what a pen it would be though!

ss_11000
22nd June 2006, 10:50 PM
cool, great idea, but how do you finish it, does it need it after 1200 etc? (toni has already asked too)

soundman
22nd June 2006, 11:30 PM
I trim my copper furrels for my turned tool handles on an expansion chuck with a pointed scraper.

I hadn't expected the skew to be real sucessfull with metal, I supose some of the grades of aluminium are pretty soft.

I recon scrapers would be most successfull with metal as that is the sort of tool shape they use on metal lathes.

Steel....... mmmmm..... no not for me, I'll go & use a metal lathe.

I've been thinking about metal pens.

brass or bronze would look prety good.

brasso would be a good final abrasive fo brass I would expect.

cheers

Toolin Around
23rd June 2006, 12:26 AM
That is gorgeous. How did you finish aluminium?
Toni

It was sanded to 400 grit dry aluminium oxide paper, then buffed with a hard buffing wheel and while compound and finished off with the same compound on a soft wheel.

rsser
23rd June 2006, 12:27 AM
Have to confess to having taken the odd shaving off medium tensile steel jaws with a HSS tool. Seems there's no limit to the turner's craft tho some we wouldn't want to revisit.

La truciolara
23rd June 2006, 03:31 AM
rsser.
You are right.
No problem reshaping some of the lathe accessories with good HSS tools...
I have taken way some traces left by the students on the chuck jaws... :)

Toolin Around
28th June 2006, 01:03 AM
Everyday I seem to be able to scrounge a different metal for another pen. The original aluminium then brass and now copper. The brass was a treat to turn - even better than Al. The copper was a bit of a wrestling match, it's too hard to turn without a tool post to leverage against and really likes to vibrate. Bent it a number of times before I was done. I have a piece of steel for the next one but I'm won't be surprised if it fails. Turning hard metals down to such small diameters by hand is prone to failure. Hmmm after that... Anyone got some different pieces of scrap metal kicking around that I could try turning:D Lead might be interesting, don't think it would be a good one to give to someone that likes to chew on the end of their pens though;)

hughie
28th June 2006, 10:19 AM
Toolin,

Geez, I can get into enough strife turning wood with out going to metal.:D :D

Think I'll stick with wood, but keep the pics coming I enjoy seeing what your up to.
hughie

smidsy
28th June 2006, 06:01 PM
Hei Toolin that really is some nice work.

It's amazing what these lathes will do. Several weeks ago I used my MC900 and the clone chuck to run an 8mm drill bit up a 10mm bolt - it actually worked better than I thought it would.
Cheers
Paul

rsser
28th June 2006, 06:12 PM
There was an article a while ago in the UK mag Woodturning on turning alabaster.

So who's game to turn a segmented bowl with an alabaster ring?

Skew ChiDAMN!!
28th June 2006, 07:09 PM
:D

I dunno about a segmented bowl, but I've already turned pens and some small laminated bowls with alabaster, soapstone and low grade jade.

One of the benefits of being an ex-rockhound/lapidarist is piles of raw materials in the rock garden. ;)

Toolin Around
28th June 2006, 07:25 PM
Whoops! forgot the piccy. I said a bit earlier that if anyone had any "exotic" metals... I would be more than happy to turn a pen if for you if there were enough for two all it needs to be for one is 10mm diameter and about 200mm long. I was hoping to do a few more off the periodic table of elements. Does anyone know where I could get silver, lead (I'll waite till gold drops in price)... in those sorts of dimensions.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
28th June 2006, 08:03 PM
When you get near the transuranics, let me know so I can head overseas for hols. ;)

Toolin Around
28th June 2006, 08:21 PM
When you get near the transuranics, let me know so I can head overseas for hols. ;)


I think I'll practice a bit when I decide to go beyond lead, things might get a wee bit hot so to speak; might need extra dark sunglasses. Cesium might be a bit of a challenge - turning it and getting a pic before it explodes; I'll do a few trial runs on potassium first.