DIY Pin Badge

[Wal]

Some miniature plaques made for a friend who builds high end hi-fi amps. The small ones will sit next to their respective valves (viewable through the glass top) and the other two will be mounted to the chassis at the rear of the amp. Heh, the badges for this amp cost about what most people spend on their stereos - well, maybe not, mates rates and all that - but still...



Not quick to make, though...

Just thought I'd post some things I've made which serve a purpose, you know - just to keep Boyan happy..! ;)

Happy Easter.

Wal.

[A_Camera]

Wal, these are very nice and inspiring. What is it you fill them with and how deep are you milling them?

[Wal]

Hi,

I use cold enamel - like this:

http://brightenamels.co.uk/documents...e%20(2016).pdf

It's good stuff, but can be tricky to mix in small quantities, ie. 0.1gm colour + 1.9gm resin +1gm hardener. Too much/too little of one or the other and it doesn't set properly..!

If I'm using >0.8mm cutters I'll cut to a depth of 0.75mm, anything under that I'll keep to around 0.5mm - in both cases it's probably too deep, but I get paranoid about belt sanding through the epoxy..!

Wal.

[Boyan Silyavski]

Did you check the job request for aluminum badge?

[Wal]

Boyan - yep, I followed up on that but the job went no further (with me).

Okay, last of the badge posts - as no doubt you get the idea. This one was made as a commission - a birthday present, I think... Two nicknames, two badges that can be worn or displayed together in a plinth. Smallest cuts here were with a 0.2mm - I could have got away with a 0.3mm, but the two I had both broke on the job and I had to re-program using the 0.2mm (which also eventually broke). Heh, I can see why people don't do these for a living - once you've taken materials/tools etc. into account, along with what this kind of job is 'worth' to the buyer, well, you're looking at less than minimum wage for this... but I guess as long as you're making on other work it's still enjoyable to do - trouble is you need to give 'em away at the end..!

Has anyone got any tips for micro-diameter end-mills - I tend to cut slow and shallow, but am I better off going slower and cutting deeper, or do the same rules not apply at this scale..? I avoid using air with the small stuff and have found that covering the plate and then the channels being cut with WD40 tends to work better - sure, you'll need to remove the build up of tiny chips every once in a while, but they're so small they tend to float about and get pushed out of the way by the cutter. Here's a vid cutting the intermediate details with a 0.8mm cutter:



Anyway, some pics - check out how the thin bit at the bottom of the second 'b' has survived - I didn't think it would make it past the 'clean-up with the old toothbrush' stage, but somehow it did... pretty cool.



BTW, the best method for getting rid of air bubbles in the epoxy at this scale is, hands down, no bull, a waft of a blow-torch over the surface as was suggested on a previous post here. I didn't realise it would be so effective - they disappear instantly..!

Wal.

[the great waldo]

Hi Wal
If you warm any laquer or epoxy it gets much runnier, the hardening process is also more thorough. But don't heat the epoxy until you've mixed it. I know an archery bow maker here who left her epoxy cans on a heating box she used to cure the resin and didn't notice until her bows started delaminating at a world champinship in South Africa. She had to fly out with replacement bows, expensive mistake!
cheers
Andrw

[Boyan Silyavski]

Hi Wal,
you have inspired me with your badges so i did something similar for a friend. Right now making a batch of 20. This was the test piece and has some minor flaws.