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.

[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.

[Wal]

Hey Boyan,

That's pretty cool man. How did you get the textured/sand-cast effect in the black areas..?

[Wal]

Andrew,

Nice pic that - and a very good looking guitar - plenty of inlay there to have kept you busy for a while..!

To answer your questions - software wise I use a combination of Adobe Illustrator, Vectric Cut 2D/3D and (to a lesser extent) Cinema 4D for any 3D modelling I might need to do. I've been trying to get my head around Fusion 360 for a while, but my attempts have been false starts thus far - coming from the 'creative industries', for me it's hugely unintuitive to use - having said that, it has some very nice features that I'd love access to. Must try harder..!

Tool wise I've pretty much always bought from APT here in the UK (Glasgow, though I'm pretty sure their tools are China made) but recently I bought a load of micro end-mills direct from China after being given a nudge by Elaine, a representative from Changzhou Haode Cutting Tools Co. I have to say that I am very impressed both with the quality of service and the tools (price and performance). You'll pay a bit more in postage (I paid around £20 on an order of approx £150) but if you buy bulk then it's neither here nor there - you'll almost definitely save on the cost of the tooling itself. I'm very much of the mind that I'll run my current stock of end-mills down and place a bulk order with these guys for a stack of my most commonly used sizes. As you can see from the pics below - I'm a bit of an end-mill magpie. I blame a childhood spent unprepared for most things...



If you're in the market then certainly give Elaine a shout and ask for a quote - her details: elainesummer -at- outlook -dot- com

(Tell her I sent you and clearly, change the at and the dot to the usual symbols...)

Here's a link to the company catalogue I've uploaded to my dropbox temporarily:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/opwpxqu0gv...logue.pdf?dl=0

Wal.

[the great waldo]

Hi Wal

Thanks for the info. I was actually asking what cam software you use mach 3 / uccnc etc. I'll check out the chinese connection. How long (roughly ) do the cutters last out in pearl cutting?


Cheers

Andrew

[Wal]

Ah - Linux CNC.

I can't give you a definitive answer re: tool life in pearl - the tools I used on the Chinese Lion job all lasted through wood and pearl so I went on to use them on the brass I cut at the weekend, then on a bit of aluminium... Still going strong after all that lot...



I find the 2 flute carbide tools work with most of what I cut..!

[Boyan Silyavski]

Hey Boyan,

That's pretty cool man. How did you get the textured/sand-cast effect in the black areas..?

Thanks! I sandblasted the aluminum, painted it using 2 component base for epoxy and polyurethane, then coated 2 times with polyurethane. Then sanded various papers till 2000 grit. I think the base coat did that most of all.

I am seriously considering using powder paint next time. I think that will be the most durable coating for the kind of badge i do.