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! 😊👍

ok sorry to ask you this but if you can help me - and appreciate my memes and arts – please buy me a coffee  

https://buymeacoffee.com/cmconseils

UN overwhelmingly votes against US proposal limiting definition of gender
https://www.thepinknews.com/2026/03/24/un-overwhelmingly-votes-against-us-proposal-limiting-definition-of-gender/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

Posted into US News @us-news-PinkNews

Whoa, that escalated quickly. This just got sent out by the press folks at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC says it has decided that all foreign-made consumer-grade Internet routers are henceforth prohibited from receiving FCC authorization and are therefore prohibited from being imported for use or sale in the United States.

"Update Follows Determination by Executive Branch Agencies that Consumer-Grade Routers Produced in Foreign Countries Threaten National Security

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries. Routers are the boxes in every home that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. This followed a determination by a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise that such routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons.”

"The Executive Branch determination noted that foreign-produced routers (1) introduce “a supply chain vulnerability that could disrupt the U.S. economy, critical infrastructure, and national defense” and (2) pose “a severe cybersecurity risk that could be leveraged to immediately and severely disrupt U.S. critical infrastructure and directly harm U.S. persons.”

"This action does not affect any previously-purchased consumer-grade routers. Consumers can continue to use any router they have already lawfully purchased or acquired."

"Producers of consumer-grade routers that receive Conditional Approval from DoW or DHS can continue to receive FCC equipment authorizations. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit applications to [email protected]."

Not sure how many consumer-grade routers will be left for sale if it really is a ban on approvals for any foreign-made consumer routers like they said, and not just a bunch of already restricted Chinese makers like Huawei and ZTE.

https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers

FCC's "covered list" of "thou shalt not entities": https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist