silverchip
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Has anyone tried spinning metal (silver vases ect)? and done engraving on it afterwords?
metal spinning
- Thread starter silverchip
- Start date
i have spun many things but never engraved them. be advised the spinning procedure work hardens metals in a new york second. depending on many factors, an article might require multiple annealings to prevent cracking. if you don't have the proper size/shape forming tools, you can end up with lots of nasty little ridges in your project. these ridges might look good, but you wouldn't like engraving thru them. the forming tools are much like engraving tools; you can go broke buying the stuff, or you can make all of it yourself, literally out of the scrapyard. one requirement is a good sturdy lathe, that's solidly mounted to the shop floor. deep drawn vases require the making of split break away forming mandrels. not impossible to do, but just making the segmented forming mandrels for this work can be a major project in itself.in this , i would take baby steps first !! jm2cw
silverchip
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
yeah,I wanted to do some shot galsses out of sterling silver and have alittle experience at a college cource 30 years ago and have wanted to do it ever since.I made a couple of tools and a form last week.I am going slow and have alittle time to try it out.
you may have trouble your first few times pushing the metal that far. i would advise making the forming mandrel of steel since it is that small. if it were made of wood, the pressure might be a bit much. i never did spin silver. i did junk metals - aluminum, copper, brass, etc. when doing this it is critical to use tallow or some form of lube on the metal. the metal is much more responsive to the tool when lubed. check out some books. there is a superior way to form with less damage to the metal surface. a suitably sized ball bearing mounted on a stout shaft with a handle can take the place of the "spoon" shaped formers. since the bearing revolves at the same rate as the disk, there is very little disturbance to the metal surface. be sure to anneal often or your piece will likely crack.
Saw a picture once of a fellow spinning aluminum parts on a large lathe. He had the forming tool in one hand and a torch in the other...TOS
I done copper spinning, but it takes a pretty robust lathe to do it. For the shapes you're normally coming
up with, deep draw hydraulic press is an alternative. It's more of a fun thing to do, rather than a money maker.
up with, deep draw hydraulic press is an alternative. It's more of a fun thing to do, rather than a money maker.
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years ago nacelles for airplanes were spun. some were quite large. this will be fun, but you'll lose your donkey doing this !
silverchip
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
I'll maybe post a pic when I get a roundtuit.
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