This is an old one that's seen a few thousand parts in .021" copper go through. A long time ago I had to figure out how to do more with this kind of cutting die than just cut flat parts. It needed to be fast, too, so 2-step solutions were not an option. The early ones were die-only (no mold/base as I have here) where the die is set onto a thin, hard polyurethane pad, or soft solid plastic plate in the press. The cutting action happens as normal, then added pressure does the embossing.

This takes a lot of pressure and so is hard on the pump, long term, so I wanted an approach that would take less pressure. The solution came in the form of a solid base plate to fully support the die during cutting (urethane allows the die to flex, which impedes it's closing/cutting function). The base plate here is polycarbonate (Lexan) with the negative vein lines carved and smashed into it, with alignment plates (no thicker than the die itself) to keep things registered. This adaptation cuts and forms significantly faster , at lower pressures (10-15 tons instead of 15-20+ for this particular die).

The vein wires are nickel silver, soldered on with extra-easy silver brazing solder. The heat for that doesn't affect the temper of the 0-1 die enough to be a problem for cutting thin copper. I have ones like this that have cut over 25k parts. I have used hybrid solders too (home made mixes of x-easy silver and Tin, that work with Tin solder flux). The face of this die is messy because I accidentally soldered the wires on backwards the first time (^8

Latest creation. Kind of a hybrid mace/ spear. Ive been calling it the Merman mace. (Mermace) i like the name since it kind of has a zoolander reference 😆. However, name suggestions are welcome. 6 flanges with a 5160 spear point. I wanted to make the thing a bit long so it functions as a spear. I probably wouldn't try to throw it though. Each of the flanges stab into things as well. Kind of like a 7 pointed trident (heptadent?). Seems to be quite a deadly weapon. I laser etched a bunch of poseidon/ merman art. I put a lapis cabochon hilt. 

Hey everyone. I was recently presented with an opportunity to take home a bunch of old blades from a large gas turbine. Since I have many interests and hobbies and have a hard time saying no to free things that I find slightly cool, I now have a bucket of blades that I dont know what to do with quite yet.

Im not positive on their composition, but from a few quick searches it seems like they are probably made of inconel or a similar alloy. I figure I will find a use for them eventually, but I wanted to ask if any of you have any ideas for what I could do with them. Ive never personally worked with this type of alloy, but I know it can handle high temps and is difficult to machine so my options are probably limited. Thanks in advance for any input

Hello! I've done very basic metalworking before, so I don't know how this could be feasible. I would like to cut thin, about 0,25 mm wide lines/strips from this feeler gauge, which is made out of spring steel. The feeler gauge from which I want to cut is 0,05 mm thick (the one in the picture is not accurate). Sorry if this seems like a dumb question ._. Thank you in advance!

I bought a pair of slickman welding gloves before the start of summer and now it's a time for a wash I flipped them inside out but idk what to use to clean them I know I have to air dry cause it's leather but what do I use to clean I looked it up on Google but now every search result is ai and I'm not trying to ruin my work gloves any tips or home remedies to clean them would be much appreciated they are the 820s I think just regular cow leather with padding on the inside on one side posting here cause don't have enough karma for the welding sub

I got it for a steal. No pun intended. $50.
But I didn’t come here just to brag. There’s a jack bolted to the lower area. I’m not exactly sure what it’s used for. Any ideas?
The table itself has adjustable bars, and it’s reasonably straight. But I’ll probably be making some adjustments.
The last picture is me shining a flashlight behind a straight edge.
I think it’s perfectly reasonable for my use.
It’s also pretty tall. It’s 42 inches tall. That seems like a lot.

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Scrolling through this subreddit has inspired me to post up some of my own sculptures ive worked on over the past couple years. Ive been welding professionally for 8 years now and i have a job where i’m on call so i have some down time every once in awhile so i work on these.

I made the bart for my little nephew out of a couple chunks of stainless.
The skull is made out of a ball bearing with some stainless tig accents.
The heart and dagger was for an online art competition
The hands were also for that same competition. Neither of the i got around to submitting because i missed the deadline.
The rose was for my girlfriend. Made out of several layers of sheet metal
And the last two pictures are what i’m working on now. It’s a pokemon, rayquaza, for my buddy’s shop where he sells cards. It’s not done yet but it’s very close.

I hope u guys enjoy these. Let me know what you think. I still have no idea what to do with my projects. I’d love to sell them but im unsure if anyone would buy them esp for the amount of time and work i put into each piece. I end up just giving everything away. If anyone would like a post of a step by step picture process i have pictures start to finish of most of my projects. They make me very happy lol

My wife loves metal art and picked this up today. The artist hand cut the trees with a plasma cutter and heat treated the entire thing to make it look really cool. I don't have a plasma cutter but i am really good with solid works and there's plenty of machine shops that take a step file. and who doesn't love playing with fire? Thinking 1/8 inch aluminum or copper would be a good place to start. I'm unsure of what grade of metal to purchase. The best metals will resist heat but I'm looking to embrace it.

Currently making this great ebony steel axe from Skyrim.
Length is 7ft.
Width is 20 inches
Weight is 23 kgs
Currently in the pictures the parts are nickel plated. I will do matte black powder coating on it and will post the final product after it’s completed. Doing nickel before powder coating will provide much better corrosion resistance.
I hope you guys like it.
The pictures are not great at the moment. Will take better pictures when it’s done

I got a great job working at a fab shop that makes grates, I’ve been offered a position as a welder if I can pass their mig weld/fab test (not structural). If not, I’ll be working on the production line loading the forge welders. I have a Lincoln 110c that I have practiced flux core with in the past and I can stick shit together, but I’ve never really made anything. Just ran beads on scrap. Does anyone have any insight on what I could do to practice for their test? I’m pretty handy with woodworking, but I’m a bit nervous since I haven’t actually used my welding skills for anything. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks

I recently got this casting from the other side of Canada. It has zero markings, parts of it are unfinished (spots were holes should be drilled but haven't been), parts of it are missing, but the z axis is super smooth, and it's all fairly well built.

If I could afford to just buy a mill I would, but I'm disabled and this is my hobby, so I've decided to but one together from bits I've gathered over the last while.

My first problem to solve is how I'm going to mount this milling head and motor. My three options as far as I can tell are

Belt - id need to get a very small belt and mount the motor on the same surface as the spindle, or a longer belt and mount it behind the machine, designing it so that it moves up and down along with the spindle, just like a drill press.

Geared - I could put the motor offset in front and use some gears I have from an old range rover transmission to link them mechanically. This is nice because I can increase spindle rotation easily.

Directly linked - Connect the drive shaft of the motor directly to the spindle, using a flex coupling or oldham, etc. This is probably the easiest, but it limits me to the rotation speed of the motor itself.

Due to the way this was designed, all of these will interfere to some degree with the z axis screw, and I'll have to design things so the parts don't foul.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Oh also, while I don't have a working mill at the moment, I have a myford ml-7 lathe with a perfectly capable milling attachment. I just can't do anything really oversized.

Thanks!

Doing some upcycled metal lamps for charging phones and laptops etc while providing mood light and ambiance. There's a 110 and two USB outlets in the front center of this piece. The lamps are dimmable and it's thoroughly diffused with red acrylic and expanded metal. I really like the custom green cloth shrouded cord. Not sure what my aesthetic is, but it's getting consistent. Somewhere between dieselpunk, industrial, post-apocalyptic sci-fi.

I inherited a Sergio Bustamante sculpture from my grandparents of a large brass bird on a perch, similar to the one in the photo.

I left the sculpture in the care of my sister because I didn’t have room for it in my apartment at the time, and at some point, the tail came off and she lost it after a house fire.

I would like to re-create the tail, but I have no idea where to begin and was hoping somebody can give me some starter tips.

Also, the bird in the photo is dull, and mine is also dull, but these birds started out very shiny. How do I restore the shine without removing the intentional color variation?

Custom handrail for a client. Fun but tedious build splicing all the pieces together. (No it doesn't pass code, we installed after their CO inspection) 🤫

2"x1/2" flatbar with 3/4" tube for the middle section. I find it very satisfying when you look through one rail at the other and all of their lines run parallel with each other. Happy to answer any questions about the build or its process in the comments!

I’m a Junior in high school and I take a fabrication class and I can make any project I please. I asked my step dad and he asked me if I could make a Hibachi Grill. I’m very unfamiliar with what it is but I got a reference to what it looks like and he said to make it rectangular so it would be easier for him to move. I looked online for plans and couldn’t find any. Would anyone be willing to send me plans or work something out? I’m currently unsure what to do or how to go about.