Small volume metal spinning

You might add where you are located.

Dan

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Dan- Hide quoted text -

We're located in Pella Iowa.

We're located in Pella Iowa.

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Have you talked to these people in Iowa? They say they do low volume jobs:

That piece is not a good candidate for spinning. It would be better to use a deep drawing operation. Your problem is that the tooling investment in any case will be more than you will be willing to pay. It would be much more practical and affordable to cut them out of the solid in your desired volume Steve

deep drawing operation. Your problem is that the

would be much more practical and affordable to cut

Second that. However, small easy job for a CNC lathe if you can have a large wall thickness.

Pella, IA is one beautiful small town. I'd love to come visit at tulip bloom time.

karl

se a deep drawing operation. Your problem is that the

pay. It would be much more practical and affordable to cut

I was thinking the $400-$500 range. Is that anywhere near the ball park? I quoted it through a CNC lathe and they wouldn't touch it for $1000. I'm going to Des Moines tonight to look at lamps. If I have to buy a $30 lamp and cut it out of the middle that's what I'll do. I've seen some online CNC shops as well, maybe I'll try them.

Thanks for the help. You should come to the next tulip time in May, we're due for a good year. The last couple they bloomed a little early.

if it could be pewter, you might be able to do it on a wood lathe, there are metal spinning kits for a wood lathe that come with all the tools for under $100, if I remember right (I have one) - without much skill, you can do pewter, other metals are harder. You could also use plastic and vacuum form it over a wooden mold pretty easily, or as you say, find an existing part and modify it

Aluminium is not much harder than pewter if you choose the right alloy. My local engineering supplier stock 1050 IIRC and that's pretty easy to spin. I've done pewter, aluminium, copper, and brass with traditional spinning methods. I think I know what the OP wants but wouldn't mind seeing a drawing to confirm. It didn't sound difficult to spin except maybe the rolled inward edge on the small diameter.

Does the bottom half of this look like what you want?

The bottom has a flat and a 3/8 in hole, so you would have to monkey with that. Why reinvent the wheel.

Paul K. Dickman

I know a semi-retired spinner not far from me (northern Calif), but your

Jon

$1k sounds pretty friendly to me. How much is your time worth? Do the arithmetic. Steve

I was thinking the $400-$500 range. Is that anywhere near the ball park? I quoted it through a CNC lathe and they wouldn't touch it for $1000. I'm going to Des Moines tonight to look at lamps. If I have to buy a $30 lamp and cut it out of the middle that's what I'll do. I've seen some online CNC shops as well, maybe I'll try them.

Thanks for the help. You should come to the next tulip time in May, we're due for a good year. The last couple they bloomed a little early.

Or -- how about lost wax casting of something like zinc? After all, if it is going to be powdercoated, you won't see the actual metal.

For that matter -- does it really need to be metal? If you are powdercoating it, you will damp out most of the ringing ability from the sorta bell shape.

Good Luck, DoN.

Exactly. I'll keep that in mind. I have a couple spinning and a couple CNC quote requests out, if they all come back too high I might have to go for the lamp option. Thanks for everyone's help, this is a great group of knowledgeable people.