# Does anyone here own a lathe?



## Mr. Nobody (Apr 18, 2015)

I'd like to have someone replicate a m2 body but a longer one to hold two 18650s.


----------



## gadget_lover (Apr 18, 2015)

Yep. Many of us own lathes.  

I could build you one, but it would not be an exact copy. It would not be anodized. If knurled, it would not match the knurling on an M2. It would not necessarily be the same aluminum as Surefire uses.

How much is it worth to you? Is $100 out of bounds?

Dan


----------



## Mr. Nobody (Apr 18, 2015)

One hundred dollars for a $15 host that doesn't match seems a little far out... :/


----------



## Jumpmaster (Apr 18, 2015)

Mr. Nobody said:


> One hundred dollars for a $15 host that doesn't match seems a little far out... :/



Sending you a PM with my prediction of how this is probably going to go...


----------



## light-modder (Apr 18, 2015)

I think the op was referring to the convoy m2 not the SF.


----------



## Grizzman (Apr 18, 2015)

It doesn't matter whether the body is for a Convoy, Surefire, Ultrafire, or Supfire M2. It's going to take a few hours of labor to accurately duplicate the part, plus material.

I think the OP is going to be disappointed with the project cost unless someone wants to work for free.


----------



## gadget_lover (Apr 18, 2015)

Mr. Nobody said:


> One hundred dollars for a $15 host that doesn't match seems a little far out... :/



Yep. That's usually the way it goes. It's hard to match the economy that you can get when you set up the lathe once for 10000 parts. That's why your mass produced light was $15 and a custom light is 5 to 20 times that much.

Setting machinery up for each of the operations needed for turning, milling, knurling, threading and boring can be time consuming and therefor expensive. That's why I bought a lathe. It only costs me $10 in materials when I want a new part. It may take a good portion of an afternoon and $1000 in tools, but that's the way it works.

The good news is that some folks here have been known to take on a build like that just for the fun of making the part, so don't give up.

Dan


----------



## precisionworks (Apr 19, 2015)

Jumpmaster said:


> Sending you a PM with my prediction of how this is probably going to go...


----------



## StrikerDown (Apr 20, 2015)

gadget_lover said:


> The good news is that some folks here have been known to take on a build like that just for the fun of making the part, so don't give up.



But don't count on it!


----------



## Kestrel (Apr 20, 2015)

... I thought that $100 would be a screaming deal - IMO this is a $200 (and up) project ...


----------



## fivemega (Apr 20, 2015)

Mr. Nobody said:


> One hundred dollars for a $15 host that doesn't match seems a little far out... :/



*How much you willing to spend? $12 ???
If you had a lathe machine with all needed tools plus skill and extra time, would you spend four hours to make $12 ??? Or $3 per hour? Assuming part (material) is free.*


----------



## precisionworks (Apr 21, 2015)

You may want to look at some of the available semi-custom bodies - like those made by FiveMega. Excellent quality & very reasonable price. You may not get exactly what you want but you should be able to get close.

IMHO the difference in cost between a semi-custom body & a full custom body is a factor of 10. Perhaps a bit less in aluminum & more in titanium. Or a factor of 20 in zirconium. Custom isn't for the faint of heart.


----------



## 56FordGuy (Apr 21, 2015)

Mr. Nobody said:


> One hundred dollars for a $15 host that doesn't match seems a little far out... :/



I'm curious how you came up with the figure that this should be a $15 part.


----------



## gadget_lover (Apr 21, 2015)

56FordGuy said:


> I'm curious how you came up with the figure that this should be a $15 part.



My interpretation is that he paid $15 for the host. That leads folks to thinking that a custom part should be less than what one paid for a complete mass produced light.

Dan


----------



## mcbrat (Apr 22, 2015)

Kestrel said:


> ... I thought that $100 would be a screaming deal - IMO this is a $200 (and up) project ...



+1


----------



## mcbrat (Apr 22, 2015)

Mr. Nobody said:


> One hundred dollars for a $15 host that doesn't match seems a little far out... :/



...


----------



## gadget_lover (Apr 22, 2015)

I guess that I should point out when I threw out a random number ($100) , it was with the intention of discovering the budget for the project. The original post did not mention paying anything for the part. The last time I asked someone (not this member) directly he got really peevish, so I was trying to be more circumspect this time. Obviously it did not work since it did not prompt a discussion of expectations.  I'll go back to direct questions next time. 

Like many requests for custom work, the OP contained too little information for anyone to make a decision about taking on the project. Personally, I like to know time frames, budget and complexity before I offer to work on something. It makes no sense to offer to do the job only to find out that there were requirements that make it more time consuming, impractical or expensive.

Dan


----------



## Mr. Nobody (Apr 23, 2015)

This thread has really took a turn for the worst eh... Jumping to conclusions quickly. 

There is no time limit and the build, doesn't have to be highest quality aluminum, anodizing will be done later, $75 is the spending limit.

Could price be less if I provide the Materials? 


From a business stand point you never jump to conclusions and throw a price out Before hearing about the job... Just saying. 
I left this thread open without much info and I am sorry I did that.


----------



## Kestrel (Apr 23, 2015)

Mr. Nobody said:


> [...] From a business stand point you never jump to conclusions and throw a price out Before hearing about the job.


Actually, from a forum standpoint, it's much easier for repliers to find out where the OP stands first before writing extensive build details for the OP - it's about saving time - as I think Gadget Lover is implying maybe?
I see this pretty often both here and on firearms forums and folks on both sides do find it somewhat frustrating.


Mr. Nobody said:


> [...]I left this thread open without much info and I am sorry I did that.


No worries, we get much of our exercise here by jumping to conclusions.


----------



## mcbrat (Apr 23, 2015)




----------



## MartinDWhite (Apr 23, 2015)

Mr. Nobody said:


> I'd like to have someone replicate a m2 body but a longer one to hold two 18650s.



This project might be easier if you start with an M2 body and add a section in the middle. Add a section either with threading it in or welding it on with a brass shaft to keep everything in alignment during the weld, then sand (or mill) down the flats on the sides to match the original. Easier said than done, I know, but I have done similar things and it is easier then machining a body from a piece of stock. 

A surefire C3 with single CR123A extension might be a close enough approximation for the OP also.


----------



## gadget_lover (Apr 23, 2015)

MartinDWhite said:


> This project might be easier if you start with an M2 body and add a section in the middle. Add a section either with threading it in or welding it on with a brass shaft to keep everything in alignment during the weld, then sand (or mill) down the flats on the sides to match the original. Easier said than done, I know, but I have done similar things and it is easier then machining a body from a piece of stock.
> 
> A surefire C3 with single CR123A extension might be a close enough approximation for the OP also.



Funny, but I was thinking the same thing. If the OP provided two M2 bodies, it should be possible to cut the end off both and then TIG weld them together. That would leave a thin band that is not annodized. There are several techniques to make the joint a "feature"... grooved bands, knurling the weld after turning, that kind of thing. 

It would not necessarily be quicker, but it would be more entertaining to the modder.

Dan


----------



## gadget_lover (Apr 23, 2015)

Mr. Nobody said:


> This thread has really took a turn for the worst eh... Jumping to conclusions quickly.
> 
> There is no time limit and the build, doesn't have to be highest quality aluminum, anodizing will be done later, $75 is the spending limit.
> 
> Could price be less if I provide the Materials?



Given that information, it's a reasonable project. Either 6061 or 7075 alloy will work, since both anodize well enough. If you want a reasonable facsimile you'll need to send the light to the machinist so he can measure the features. 


Dan


----------



## KC2IXE (Apr 25, 2015)

It's the usual problem of "what does the first car off the production line cost" (answer, think millions of dollars). The SECOND one is a lot cheaper. Say a CNC lathe - the machinist spend 2-3 hours programming (let's call it 2 for round numbers), doing setup etc, and then the lathe gets made in say 5 minutes (we're not looking at materials). In effect, if you want one, you have to pay for 2 hours and 5 minutes time, the second 2 hours and 10 minutes, buy the time you get to the 12th, you pay for 3 hours of time. If you are figuring a shop rate of $50/hour (look at the posted shop rate for your auto mechanic - $50 is LOW LOW), that first light is $104.16 (plus material) - BUT 12 of them is $150 (not each, for all 12 - again plus materials). Don't want CNC but manual? the first one might take less time, say 90 minutes, but so will the second... (until you get large enough quantities that it pays to build serious jigs and fixtures, maybe setup a screw machine...)


----------



## precisionworks (Apr 25, 2015)

KC2IXE mentions many factors that figure into the cost of a part. In addition to everything he mentioned there's the unspoken cost of shop overhead. Here are my actual costs:



Property taxes $150/month 
Business insurance $180/month 
Utilities $200/month 
Health insurance $1000/month 
Cellular plan $100/month 
Advertising $100/month 
Expendable supplies (cutting oil/inserts/drills & taps/end mills/shop cloths//etc.) $100/month 
And there are other items too numerous to mention 

Plus capital equipment (lathe/mill/saws/desktop & laptop PC's/etc.) which varies on a shop by shop basis - and it's expensive even when purchased used. Everything listed above figures into the rate a shop charges per hour or per job. 

After a while each shop figures out what fits & what doesn't. I know I can make a profit (most times) when boring lights, turning titanium beads or doing limited mechanical mods. All other requests are forwarded to people whom I know that do great work.


----------

