Hello all, I may have to spin some al. sheetmetal into a sort of funnel shape on a woodworking lathe. I have the basic idea but was wondering what type of lube to apply to the al. and what type of material to use as the forming tool. Thanks, Gene
I use tallow for all my non ferrous spinning, seems to work well and is one of the traditional lubes. In the US people mention toilet wax rings melted and oil added, can't remember the mix but might be able to look it up. I'm in the UK and we don't use wax for that toilet seal, only rubber apparently, so I was told by someone with over 30 years dealing with that sort of thing, so haven't tried it. Special blends are available but I expect quantity would be an issue. I have tried ordinary grease but found it didn't stay on the piece nearly as well as the tallow, I prefer to stay ungreased so stopped trying it.
Regarding tool material you want to use steel and polish it. It doesn't have to be hardened so you can use mild steel. A harder steel will last longer but is more work to make.
there is a pretty good Robert Sorby video on metal spinning on a wood lathe that you may care to look for
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