First attempt carving brass for a customer that owns a resort. I LOVE IT. Carve like a dream. 40 ipm @ .005 depth.
looks cool!
That looks sweet what kinda end mill did you use?
Destiny viper .125 2 flute for cut out and eye hole. Destiny engraving bit for the detail. From drillman on Ebay.
Cool!
What type of brass?
This looks really great! Nice job
Really nice, The detail is super clean. Evokes a nice lure look and the brass is very classy.
FYI - It is supposed to be “Damselfly” not “Damsel Fly.” BUT - this was a proof of concept so… no harm done, except that brass is EXPENSIVE.
This was cut from .093 x 2 x 12 bar I found at the local True Value. Lord knows what kind. I am ordering some from Online Metals today and they have some specifically for machining. Unless someone has a better source. The stuff is EXPENSIVE.
beautiful, what sort of spindle are you using?, and how powerfull is it?, I am trying to carve metals and I am having trouble Thank you
The makita router on a custom machine that is very rigid. Here is a pic: Any interest in a Makita RT0701 spindle mount for X-Carve - #196 by Earwigger - Upgrades - Inventables Community Forum
awesome thank you, that really helped
How long did it end up taking to mill? Also, how did the engraving bit fair? I have an Amana v-bit that uses the replaceable blades. Works amazing on wood but I’ve never considered it on metal.
I have to do 24 of these. I made a two-up jig. First tool path drills the eyes and two other hold down holes. Next, is the engraving. Two passes for a total of .005". Then the cutout which is 24 passes. While two are milling, I am finishing two. So I can do about 4 per hour with lots of wasted time changing bits, etc. I re-zero the z axis for each fob even though they are two up. I’ve milled a flat pocket but subtle variances in each bar plus variances when it is screwed down yields unpredictable results. It would be best to face mill each one before engraving. I am using an actual engraving bit - not a v-bit. After 13 fobs I am beginning to notice degradation in quality from the engraving bit. The Viper .125" bit that has been doing the drilling and the profiling is still going strong.
Here is a new shot. My new finishing routine is yielding better results. You can see the original on the left and the new ones in a pile. 220 grit; 400 grit; 001 steel whool; buffing wheel. Much faster. You can also see variations in the depth of the engrave. For this project, speed is the key. Otherwise, I would make an aluminum jig and do one at a time.
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Looks great. Nice job!