DIY Pin 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.