@deviantollam

Where do you need them?
And what precision does the ball end need?

@deviantollam

Stainless steel tig welding rod may help. Good luck.

@deviantollam you might give Evansville Sheet Metal Works a call. They do custom jobs of all sizes.

https://esmw.com/

You can talk to an account rep who can go over your options with you.

@deviantollam As a hobby machinist who isn't bidding the job (sorry...) I'll try to provide helpful feedback that might make it easier for someone else to work this with you...

This is going to be a pain to do in stainless. Stainless work-hardens easily. There are different grades, but all of them work-harden somewhat; stainless is not a "free-machining" steel. Consider specifying a free-machining steel of the machinist's choice, e.g. 1215 or 12L14, if you don't need to harden it, or tool steel like O1 if you do need it harder, because it can be heat treated. If you are concerned about corrosion, consider nickel plating; it's easily within the realm of the home hobbyist.

You'll want to give tolerances. If the radius at the blunt end is cosmetic, then it's just a quick touch with a file; maybe 30 seconds of work, so just say that it's cosmetic. If you are asking for a selection of some precise radius that needs to be matched to another feature you will make, then it's probably detailed work with a form tool — and a right pain.

Similarly, the tolerances for the ball can make a huge difference in cycle time here.

Tolerance for length will matter too. You will have kerf, and also you have to clean up from the cut. But then you have to finish to length. Knowing the tolerance on overall length will be important as well, as well as the acceptable variation between parts. Like if they all have to be ±.1mm of each other but can be anywhere between 5" and 6" long, say that; without knowing your purpose it's hard to guess.

If you really want stainless, and especially if surface finish is not a primary consideration, or you are willing to do polishing as a post-processing operation, you might consider having it printed with SLS (selective laser sintering) from your STEP files.

Good luck!

@deviantollam

I may have just the person for you. I don't know anything about machining, so I can't speak to what they can/can't do, but I can attest to Scott's intense perfectionism and giddy joy at complex problems.

Old friends with whom I cut ties over their fawning for our putative president.

@deviantollam I think people are turning down this job because it's a bastard thing to make. If the ball is at most 1/8" wide that necked down section looks closer to 1/32" proportionally. It's not very strong to resist machining forces. Think about a (non-hardened) rod stock that size, you could just bend it with your fingers.

This feels more like a tool making process. It reminds me of a ball burr with no cutting edges on it. I wonder if you could get a tool company to make some that way or grind one smooth.

Could this be done with SLS 3D printing instead? What kind of forces are this thing going to encounter?