# Free Machining Services - ENDED



## BVH (Apr 18, 2020)

*FREE MACHINING SERVICES ENDED*

I’ve got a PM 1236 lathe and Grizzly 704 small mill that sit idle for lack of things to make. I love to use them but sadly, don’t very often. Neither are CNC’d so I can’t make freeform shapes, curves and I don’t really care to thread using the lathe. I can make tapered shapes. I have a Radii cutter so could probably round the end of a piece. I do have a 4” rotary table for the mill.

I don’t want a full-time “job” but would like to make things here and there. I can work with many metals and and plastics/Delrin, PTFE and have quite a bit of 1/4" to 2" Alum, Steel and Delrin bar stock and thick-wall tubing, some brass, some copper in-stock. 

I’m a hobby machinist, not a professional but can machine to fine tolerances. If you need something made, run it by me with a dimension'd sketch and I’ll let you know if I can make it with my equipment and skills. It doesn’t need to be flashlight related. 

No labor charge. I would charge for materials and shipping only.

Some things I've made: Centering rings, spacers, Precision thrust washers, all kinds of adapters, heat sinks for LEDs, battery adapting sleeves, stands/pedestals for displaying things like the pic shows.


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## pilo7448 (Apr 18, 2020)

*Re: Things To Be Made*

How about rings.. Or beads? 

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## BVH (Apr 18, 2020)

*Re: Things To Be Made*

I could make rings. Beads? Would need a sketch to better understand exactly what is meant.


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## nbp (Apr 18, 2020)

*Things To Be Made*

I am going to move this to Machining, but leave a redirect so folks can see it here for a while. 

And think about what could be made... 🤔


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## pilo7448 (Apr 18, 2020)

*Re: Things To Be Made*

By beads I meant like these, and I would love a brass ring if you could make one.






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## id30209 (Apr 18, 2020)

*Re: Things To Be Made*

Centering rings, spacers ...
Well that’s what i need the most these days.


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## BVH (Apr 18, 2020)

*Re: Things To Be Made*

To be honest, I knew it should go there but kinda wanted a bit more exposure since the machining area kinda looks....like a ghost town.


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## BVH (Apr 18, 2020)

*Re: Things To Be Made*

Centering rings, spacers and adapters - the mainstay of what I have made over the past years. To adapt new short arc lamps to old short arc lights. I made a precision thrust washer to remove the axial "play" from my 1950's Wilton Vise. With rings, I can easily make a cylindrical ring with the edges sharp. I can then taper them and then maybe crudely file and sand them to end up with a soft, rounded shape but it would by no means be a precision professional radius. Same thing for beads.


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## Devildude (Apr 18, 2020)

*Re: Things To Be Made*

I always enjoyed my time working in a tool and die shop as a machinist. Surface grinders and knee mills were two of my favorite peices of machinery to work on. Lathes were another story, very dangerous to the uneducated. I never witnessed any accidents but the scars in the sheet rock spoke volumes.
Very peaceful times they were. I wish I had some of that now as it would help alleviate some of the boredom. Then again have a CNC or two would be more fun, some things once you learn them open a whole new world of exploration.


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## nbp (Apr 18, 2020)

*Re: Things To Be Made*



BVH said:


> To be honest, I knew it should go there but kinda wanted a bit more exposure since the machining area kinda looks....like a ghost town.



I gave you a seven day redirect so it should give people a little time to spot it and follow the link.  Plus a lot of folks use the What’s New feature on various apps so they hopefully will see it in either area.


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## BVH (Apr 19, 2020)

*Re: Things To Be Made*

In my 16+ years here, I don't think I've ever been involved in a "redirect" because I didn't know what it was until I just figured it out. Thank you nbp!


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## BVH (Apr 19, 2020)

*Re: Things To Be Made*

Bump for a new more descriptive title.


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## id30209 (Apr 19, 2020)

*Re: Need Something Made With The Machines I Have?*

I’ll send PM once i sort my lab again. Will need some items.


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## RedLED (Apr 20, 2020)

*Re: Need Something Made With The Machines I Have?*

Pilo7448,

Nice collection of beads. I have a ton of beads from Artistry in Titanium (Tom Anderson), Peter Atwood, Chris Reeve, Rick Hinderer, Pete Gray, Maverick and more. I did an inventory of them in the event something happenes to me so that my wife and daughter won't toss them like they are five-cent items from the hardware store. 

If my dad came back to life, and I told him how much I have spent on beads, he would not know what to think. And, call me a dam fool!

Anyway, nice collection.

Best, 

RL


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## pilo7448 (Apr 21, 2020)

*Re: Free Machining Services - Limited Complexity, Hobby Level*

RedLED

Ty sir.. I don't know what it is about beads but I love them. 

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## BVH (May 4, 2020)

*Re: Free Machining Services - Limited Complexity, Hobby Level*

still looking for projects


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## lion504 (May 9, 2020)

*Re: Free Machining Services - Limited Complexity, Hobby Level*

Thanks for offering this service. I’m interested in some aluminum or delrin caps for surefire and HDS flashlights:
- a plug that will thread into a Z44 head unit to protect the threads from powder coating. (Would probably need a slot for screwdriver or hex wrench to tighten down)
- same for z41 tailcap
- a cap for extra HDS battery tubes similar to this one for oveready tubes

I don’t have any raw materials. I’d pay if you could source some.

If interested, hit me up via PM.


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## BVH (May 10, 2020)

*Re: Free Machining Services - Limited Complexity, Hobby Level*

Here's something I just finished. Absolutely not flashlight related. My wife's parents were cremated years ago and the ashes interred into a small box in the ground with a bronze plaque giving their info. There are no provisions for placing flowers into a vase or other holder. The bronze plaques are held in-place with two, 12-24 screws. I wanted something simple, respectful and nice looking to hold flowers so came up with what you see. I will remove one original plaque screw and set the new pedestal in-place. Then insert the new screw with turned down head to match the bore in the pedestal and tighten it. So the new screw holds down the pedestal, hopefully keeping it from being "borrowed". If our flowers for that month are tiny with tiny stems, we will insert the machined sleeve into the pedestal so the tiny flowers will not blow away, being held tight with the smaller bore in the sleeve.


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## LiftdT4R (May 12, 2020)

*Re: Free Machining Services - Limited Complexity, Hobby Level*

Very awesome of you to offer this and very nice work you do!!

Any chance you could do small metal beads? I tie lanyards for lights and I always use a bead to keep the one end from slipping through. I have a box of plastic ones but they're not great. They don't look cool and a few broke. This is what I'm using currently and I'd be happy to pay you for 20 or so of them. I'm just not looking for anything too big.


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## ThirdHandChain (May 12, 2020)

*Re: Free Machining Services - Limited Complexity, Hobby Level*

I'm looking for stainless steel 18650 host compatible with a convoy s2+ pill and an 18650 lion. There's not much out there that looks good to me in stainless that is below the $100 mark. Is this something you would be interested in trying? Something similar to an s2+, but in stainless a a little more streamlined? 

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## BVH (May 13, 2020)

*Re: Free Machining Services - Limited Complexity, Hobby Level*



LiftdT4R said:


> Very awesome of you to offer this and very nice work you do!!
> 
> Any chance you could do small metal beads? I tie lanyards for lights and I always use a bead to keep the one end from slipping through. I have a box of plastic ones but they're not great. They don't look cool and a few broke. This is what I'm using currently and I'd be happy to pay you for 20 or so of them. I'm just not looking for anything too big.



If the red bead was a ball, would it be between 3/16" and 1/4" in diameter? I have a radii cutter and might experiment to see if I could make one similar looking. Not sure if I can cut such a small radius with it but will try. If it ends up more rounded overall like a ball instead of sort of cylindrical with radiused corners, is that something that will work? What are the dimensions you're after? Overall diameter and hole size? Metals?


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## BVH (May 13, 2020)

*Re: Free Machining Services - Limited Complexity, Hobby Level*



ThirdHandChain said:


> I'm looking for stainless steel 18650 host compatible with a convoy s2+ pill and an 18650 lion. There's not much out there that looks good to me in stainless that is below the $100 mark. Is this something you would be interested in trying? Something similar to an s2+, but in stainless a a little more streamlined?
> 
> Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk



I don't do threading so a body is not something I can make. I don't have knurling tools either so a smooth finish is what I use for everything I make.


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## ThirdHandChain (May 14, 2020)

*Re: Free Machining Services - Limited Complexity, Hobby Level*

Have you ever considered making prybars? 

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## ThirdHandChain (May 14, 2020)

*Re: Free Machining Services - Limited Complexity, Hobby Level*

Also, to answer your question about the beads in the above comment, the shape isn't that important really. It just needs to be smooth, have a hole in the center big enough for paracord to fit through (1/8"), and not be incredibly heavy. It could be about a half or a quarter of an inch long, just guessing. It's mostly decorative, I've seen them shaped like skulls and bombs and stuff. I can't really answer for them, but that might give you a better idea of what they are talking about. 

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## BVH (Jun 6, 2020)

*Re: Free Machining Services - Limited Complexity, Hobby Level*

*FREE MACHINING SERVICES ENDED*


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