Deviant Ollam1d ago

Ok, internet. I'm reaching out here. 😮‍💨

I've been trying for a few months now to find someone capable of doing a machining project. After MANY frustrating conversations with machinists who find this job either too small (for their big shop) or too large (for their boutique shop) I'm posting here for reach and boosts, etc...

My goal is to take steel rod stock (likely stainless, but this is flexible based on pricing) in either 7/16" or 15/32" diameter (either should work, i believe) and do the following operations to it:

1. cut to 6" length (ultimately, if this has to be done in long batches first, it could then be parted out at the end)

2. give one end a very small radius (either 1/16" or 1/32" radius)

3. machine the other end down toward a point shape but then leave a "ball" on the end. (this ball doesn't have to be perfectly round at the tip, but it would be nice to come as close as possible)

I have a STEP file for this project, but you can see a rendering of it in this post.

Thankfully the source rod stock would be easily-obtained sizes and nothing exotic. (We can also adjust the overall length of the resulting parts so that there's no waste... like if we take a 4' segment of source rod but the cutting kerf means that the resulting pieces are a shade under 6" in length overall, that's fine... the idea would be to yield eight parts from a 4' source piece of stock)

The goal would be to produce at least a dozen of these rods, but ideally we'd scale that up to 50 or even 100 pieces, if that improves the pricing. The timeline would be for me to take delivery of at least a dozen finished pieces no later than May 5th... but if we can turn out more of them well before that, well this is a plus.

Does ANYONE out there find this project appealing to take on?

Or, if you KNOW a machinist, would you share this project with them to see if they are interested?

Feel free to boost this, etc etc. Thanks! 😊👍

Show threadMichael K Johnson

@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!

Mar 26 at 1:22amWeb