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Post by tweendecker on May 19, 2008 9:47:18 GMT
Hello Could someone kindly suggest a supplier of 1" Aluminium round bar. As a newbie to the hobby,I need to practice turning on my minilathe and although there are many suppliers out there I'd be grateful for your recommendations. Thank you Tweendecker
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Post by Tel on May 19, 2008 10:20:55 GMT
I just cast sticks of it as needed. Perhaps eBay?
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
Posts: 2,069
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Post by steam4ian on May 19, 2008 11:30:07 GMT
G'day Tweendecker
Let your fingers do the walking, use the Yellow pages (or is it Pink where you are?).
If in some states of Oz Smart Aluminium cut free of charge, prices are very reasonable. So find someone who cuts for free.
Regards Ian
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Post by circlip on May 19, 2008 12:23:08 GMT
Try commercial scrapyards, if you set up a repartee with them, they tend to keep an eye out for suitable bits cos you're " That weird bu**er" that makes things out of scrap. Had a look at council waste depots lately? You don't say where you're based Tween. You could also try local firms via YP and ask to look in their bins before they go to the scrapyard. For preference, grade you're looking for is HE30. Regards Ian.
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jasonb
Elder Statesman
Posts: 1,209
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Post by jasonb on May 19, 2008 12:24:28 GMT
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Post by tweendecker on May 19, 2008 13:38:24 GMT
Hello again, Thanks for your replies. I'm situated near Felixstowe in Suffolk
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abby
Statesman
Posts: 927
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Post by abby on May 19, 2008 14:34:21 GMT
like Tel I cast all manner of ally sections , either with a ladle in the workshop stove for small bits or a crucible full for bigger chunks. I keep a range of round and square tubes about 3 inches deep to use as moulds and leave the stuff for a month or so before machining ,or pop it in the oven overnight at 180 deg C if I want it quicker. Certainly cheaper than going to metals supermarket who recently quoted 40 quid for a piece of 2" X 1" bar 2 inches long. Must be avin a larf!
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Post by cris555 on May 19, 2008 15:36:39 GMT
Why ally. Free cutting mild steel would be cheaper. Unless you are practicing for a particular reason on ally i would think using a smaller dia say half inch ms will give you a good feel for the lathe.
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Post by circlip on May 19, 2008 15:38:48 GMT
Proper Muddle ingineers were always noted as recyclers, (no, not riding a bike to the local) and that seems to be the way It's going back to. If they're flinching at prices for metals in the good old US of A to make ours toys from, then we'd better get stock piling cos It's only going to get worse. Still, we can buy it back from the Chinese and Indians as "cheap" tools and tooling can't we???
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Noddy
Statesman
Posts: 672
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Post by Noddy on May 19, 2008 16:10:31 GMT
Don't worry, What goes around - Comes around, or so it is said. Metal and fuel prices will come down, just as they did at the end of the nineties, and were followed by the dot coms, and just as bank stocks have come down recently. Our stockpiling, and that of the professional speculators who get paid to loose our pensions and other savings for us; professional like, will speed the process. Some spotty yoooth thinks the prices will keep going up, and invests in new mining projects (alway dodgy, I should know, I've letters after my name for passing exams in mining.......), expansion at smelters etc Nearly all will end in tears for the investors, although by then the spotty yoooooooth will have got a better paying job elsewhere, and a porsche and a mobile phone the size of a brick... Sorry, i'm getting old, but you get the idea. Now back on topic; its amazing what a packet of chocolate hobnobs or jaffa cakes gets you round the back of a garage... ("That's Enormous!!!!") Keith Deffinitions of a mine; 1) a hole in the ground with a Cornishman at the bottom. 2) a hole in the ground with a crook sat on the top. (Mark Twain)
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Post by tweendecker on May 19, 2008 20:24:42 GMT
Why ally. Free cutting mild steel would be cheaper. Unless you are practicing for a particular reason on ally i would think using a smaller dia say half inch ms will give you a good feel for the lathe. I was on an American minilathe website and it suggested using 6061 to familiarise myself with turning.
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waggy
Statesman
Posts: 744
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Post by waggy on May 19, 2008 20:34:31 GMT
Hello,
You could always have a look at Maccmodels site. He keeps offcuts of ally in various sections. I think it's aircraft quality but not sure. Reasonable prices too. Always worth a call or e-mail.
Waggy.
(No connection with the business whatsoever.)
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Post by chris vine on May 19, 2008 20:53:19 GMT
You could try looking up machining companies near to you in the yellow pages. their scrap bins will be full of "gold".
C
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Post by Tel on May 20, 2008 0:11:29 GMT
Proper Muddle ingineers were always noted as recyclers, (no, not riding a bike to the local) Sensible thinkin' there Circ - there'd be a very good chance of fallin' orf on the way back.
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Post by circlip on May 20, 2008 6:22:43 GMT
That's why an Orse is a much safer bet Tel, that's unless It's had a sniff at the barmaids apron, then you need a Norse box and 4x4 to take it ome. Tweendecker, aren't the sites in TLOTF amusing?? It seems that 40 different "COLORS" of brass are available out there so one has to be careful choosing which ones contrast each other when polished. Stainless steel is bright and shiney and doesn't rust! - some do. OK, I advised HE30 cos that's a grade thats commonly found in OUR stockholders, it machines without having to use a "Cutting fluid" and turns with a ribbon swarf and drills and taps cleanly. HE15 is the other common one but tends to be a bit "Sticky". For plate sections, 6082 - T6, cuts and machines like 30 and polishes to a mirror finish. These would be the grades a local machinist would be likely to have scrap lumps of. I think B&Q also used to keep metal sections,probably "Depots". Good hunting, Regards Ian.
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Post by dickdastardly40 on May 20, 2008 6:39:00 GMT
EBay seller UKRoy also known as Ringwood Precision Engineers sell of bar ends of all sorts of materials and sizes. I've bought from them a few times and would recommend if the postage is not prohibitive.
Al
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Post by tweendecker on May 20, 2008 7:32:42 GMT
Again thanks to all who took the time to reply. I took jason b's advice and ordered some aluminium and free cutting mild steel from John at Folkestone Engineering Supplies. If there are any other 'newbie minilathers on this forum I'd love to hear from you. Tweendecker
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
Posts: 2,069
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Post by steam4ian on May 20, 2008 10:06:34 GMT
G'day Tweeny I'm a minilathe user, not ashamed of it. I am not as experienced as some but did have the good fortune to get two doses of training in my student years. Until I got my lathe two years ago I hadn't touched one for 35 years. (Some will know the refrain! ). The Yahoo 7x12 group is not bad. See sites mini-lathe.org.uk/ , www.gadgetbuilder.com/index.html and www.mini-lathe.com/Default.htmGood luck Ian
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Post by garethp on May 20, 2008 10:39:25 GMT
Another good supplier is www.mallardmetals.co.uk/ The guy I've dealt with is friendly / helpful and he'll supply what you want, my local supplier seems to have suddenly decided to want to supply 3m lengths only - or try and charge for a full length and give me 1m!
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