NGLJ
Member
Thanks Kevin. I was referring to material for blanks to turn. However, your tip about Delrin is useful. Alumilite seems to be much preferred for making your own blanks.
Looking into taking the next step - kitless pens
- Thread starter NGLJ
- Start date
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
rixstix
Member
Any of the Polyester Resins can be a beast to thread and/or turn. Many of the advertised Acrylics are OK. Kirinite is OK. Sometimes you get a polyester blank labeled as an acrylic.
I made it a mission on my part to turn and thread polyester with minimal hiccups and it can be done but I always leave enough to correct and OOPS or AwShucks moment. I am using a metal lathe so that makes a huge difference with my personal mission.
I had a machinist friend show me the benefit of extremely sharp tools which I will never master in my remaining years. His bit sharpening cut my fingers worse that a new single edged 0.008" single edged razor blade. He proceeded to show me a 0.010 cut/0.020" overall diameter reduction per pass on a RhinoPastic black without blowing anything up.
I made it a mission on my part to turn and thread polyester with minimal hiccups and it can be done but I always leave enough to correct and OOPS or AwShucks moment. I am using a metal lathe so that makes a huge difference with my personal mission.
I had a machinist friend show me the benefit of extremely sharp tools which I will never master in my remaining years. His bit sharpening cut my fingers worse that a new single edged 0.008" single edged razor blade. He proceeded to show me a 0.010 cut/0.020" overall diameter reduction per pass on a RhinoPastic black without blowing anything up.
Last edited:
NGLJ
Member
Thanks Rick. I have already had my Poly Resin challenge! I can get a thread but it is very fragile. If you have any tips I would be grateful. I envy you with the metal lathe. Even if I bought one, and all the bits to go with it, I don't have anywhere to put it. So, I am stuck with the wood lathe, and its limitations. I have had good success with most Acrylics, and recently tried Alumilite, which worked out OK.
rixstix
Member
Trust me, the cost of the lathe is the least of the expense. HSS hand ground bits will outperform the carbide insert bits, though I use my share of carbide inserts.
Threading PR on a wood lathe borders impossible IMO but I am nowhere near expert. On my metal lathe, I have a tenon diameter from many trials & can be fragile. Threading uses lots of lube & only a few degrees of cut/backoff at a time. Untraditionally, I use m9.5/.80 tap/die (actually 3/8" 32tpi UNEF) but it's easier to call it metric for sections.
Alumilite is like butter but I'm in the minority of those who like seeing long streams off the lathe. They're so light that they bypass the cyclone prefilled on the dust collector.
Threading PR on a wood lathe borders impossible IMO but I am nowhere near expert. On my metal lathe, I have a tenon diameter from many trials & can be fragile. Threading uses lots of lube & only a few degrees of cut/backoff at a time. Untraditionally, I use m9.5/.80 tap/die (actually 3/8" 32tpi UNEF) but it's easier to call it metric for sections.
Alumilite is like butter but I'm in the minority of those who like seeing long streams off the lathe. They're so light that they bypass the cyclone prefilled on the dust collector.
Last edited: