Where is a good place online to order aluminum from?

[Sean Bowf]

Looking for rods to fool around with on the lathe.

Thanks,

Sean

 

[Chris Wood]

here ya go sean

prices are good and they have a good selection

http://www.onlinemetals.com/

chris

 

[P THOMAS]

Try on line metals www.onlinemetals.com

 

[Mark Leyde]

http://www.speedymetals.com/ is who I buy from.

So what did you get for a lathe sean?

 

[Sean Bowf]

http://www.speedymetals.com/ is who I buy from.

So what did you get for a lathe sean?

I got the one I posted earlier. Main reason is that it was at my local store, and that they had a 25% off coupon that was only good new years day. I think It was 337.50+tax when all was said and done.

I cleaned it up...the stuff on it was like half wax and half grease...but I have not turned anything on it. I have a button from a worn out engine (I already gave the case on it away)...I might put that in the lathe just to fool around a little today.

Sux to have a new toy and not be able to play with it, heh. I stopped by lowes but they really don't have anything thick enough to really play with (for aluminum) and I don't know of any other place local that sells any. We have a Fastenal in town, and their website lists some, but they seem VERY expensive (and they are closed weekends).

I see Steve Wood uses T3 for his buttons, and I see a lot of hardware (rudders, etc) made from T6. Is there a reason NOT to use T6 for buttons?? I ask because it appears a lot cheaper at larger diameters.

Sean

 

[Charles Perdue]

http://www.speedymetals.com/ is who I buy from.

So what did you get for a lathe sean?

I got the one I posted earlier. Main reason is that it was at my local store, and that they had a 25% off coupon that was only good new years day. I think It was 337.50+tax when all was said and done.

I cleaned it up...the stuff on it was like half wax and half grease...but I have not turned anything on it. I have a button from a worn out engine (I already gave the case on it away)...I might put that in the lathe just to fool around a little today.

Sux to have a new toy and not be able to play with it, heh. I stopped by lowes but they really don't have anything thick enough to really play with (for aluminum) and I don't know of any other place local that sells any. We have a Fastenal in town, and their website lists some, but they seem VERY expensive (and they are closed weekends).

I see Steve Wood uses T3 for his buttons, and I see a lot of hardware (rudders, etc) made from T6. Is there a reason NOT to use T6 for buttons?? I ask because it appears a lot cheaper at larger diameters.

Sean

Hello Sean, what are you planning on making. The T numbers are the temper of the materials, the first 4 numbers are the aluminum alloy. The type of alloy will be determined by what you are going to use it for. Different alloys are better suited for different applications.

For making heads, alloy #4032 works very well. The expansion rate is almost exactly the same as the sleeve expansion rate. This alloy can be purchased from McMasterCarr.

For making billet parts, the ease of machining 2024 T-3 is good.

For making rudder blades 7075 T-6 is usually the preferrred alloy because of its high stength.

Charles

 

[Mark Leyde]

Sean the tar is called cosmoline(sp?). It is a oil/wax rust preventative. It will come of better for you if you use mineral spirits on your rag's.

I use 6061 T6 for most of my work. But if it is head buttons that you are looking to make. I would listen to

Charles and steve.

 

[Boris Mazor]

Looking for rods to fool around with on the lathe.

Thanks,

Sean

Hi, Sean! I use [email protected]. E-mail him and ask what detentions you are looking for. Usually hi send me full flat rate box of leftovers for $50. I rip plates to size on table saw and use them on the lathe. It is much cheaper than any source I check.

Boris

 

[SayMikey]

I get mine from McMaster Carr. Check the shipping cost from online metals its high..... Get some delrin rod and acetol rod just to play with pretty cheap and fun to work with....

 

[Sean Bowf]

Hello Sean, what are you planning on making. The T numbers are the temper of the materials, the first 4 numbers are the aluminum alloy. The type of alloy will be determined by what you are going to use it for. Different alloys are better suited for different applications.

For making heads, alloy #4032 works very well. The expansion rate is almost exactly the same as the sleeve expansion rate. This alloy can be purchased from McMasterCarr.

For making billet parts, the ease of machining 2024 T-3 is good.

For making rudder blades 7075 T-6 is usually the preferrred alloy because of its high stength.

Charles

Charles, right now I am just going to fool around with making some head buttons, and make some knobs for the lathe (replacing the cheap plastic ones that don't fit too well sounds like a good way to practice with the lathe).

The 6061 T6 seems like it is cheaper than the 2011 T3. After I made my last post I noticed that there was two different T3 aluminums. From Steve Wood's website, heis using the 2011 for his head buttons. I just don't know if this is the best material to use for buttons, or if it was just readily available to him. I don't think there is any place in my town that will have it...so I have to order it anyway. I would rather spend more money and use the right stuff, but if there is another aluminum that is cheaper, that will do the same job or better, than I am all for that.

The three buttons in the attached pic...The one on the left is the original button on a .18 GO engine. It has a chamber of about .11 CC and has a factory head clearance of .022. The problem is, the factory CR is 10.4 to one. So if I bring in the clearance to where it should be, it would have a compression ratio of about 16 to 1...and the stock CR is probably already a little high for this engine. The button in the back is a stock Aquacraft .18 button. I had one of these in my spare parts from an engine that had worn through the chrome on the liner. So I turned it down to fool around with the thought of replacing the GO button. The bottom right button is what I came up with. It has a volume of about .18 CC and at .007 clearance, would have the stock compression ratio and use no shims. This is the first thing I ever turned out of metal. The problem is that I didnt measure the diameter of the inside of the screw holes in the Aqucraft button...and you can see that when I turned it down to the size it needed to be, you can still see part of the screw holes. This area needs to be round to seal the cooling cap...so the button can't be used, but I got some practice out of making it.

Sean

 

[Sean Bowf]

Sean the tar is called cosmoline(sp?). It is a oil/wax rust preventative. It will come of better for you if you use mineral spirits on your rag's.

I use 6061 T6 for most of my work. But if it is head buttons that you are looking to make. I would listen to

Charles and steve.

I did use mineral spirits. About a forth of a quart, and half a roll of paper towels. I partially disassembled the lathe to get it off some parts. This just seemed waxier than what I was used to. The stuff on my table saw was more like a heavy grease...the stuff on the lathe was just different that what I expected I guess.

Sean

Hi, Sean! I use [email protected]. E-mail him and ask what detentions you are looking for. Usually hi send me full flat rate box of leftovers for $50. I rip plates to size on table saw and use them on the lathe. It is much cheaper than any source I check.

Boris

Boris, I will shoot him an E-mail, but I pretty much just need rods. My other equipment is all woodworking equipment, so not sure I have anything here than would cut aluminum plates.

Thanks,

Sean

 

[steve wood]

i have been using 2011 for head buttons,because it was recomended, but i am going to try some 7075 and maybe some 4032.both are available from mcmaster carr. i get a lot of my metal from ebay suppliers,also. you have to dig around for the best price

 

[Sean Bowf]

i have been using 2011 for head buttons,because it was recomended, but i am going to try some 7075 and maybe some 4032.both are available from mcmaster carr. i get a lot of my metal from ebay suppliers,also. you have to dig around for the best price

I used to buy circuit boards off Ebay for another hobby of mine. Amazing what a person can find on Ebay. I did a little poking around looking for aluminum, lathe bits, and lathe tools...

Thanks,

Sean

 

[El Zorro]

I have been making head inserts for various engines since the 1970's from 2011 aluminum. The reason for this is this alloy contains a larger percentage of copper than other aluminum alloys, allowing the inserts to expand more. This helps the insert to seal better to the cylinder ( especially for inserts that recess into the cylinder ). For those of you who like to squeeze the head clearance to the bare minimum the 2024 alloy seems to take the "blasting" better than the 2011 alloy. Both materials machine very nicely, with the 2024 being the tougher of the two. Keep in mind, all of the machined edges that are exposed in the cylinder area need to be sharpe and crisp. Buff the money side of the insert with some extra fine 3M pad, but don't over do it. I've been getting my material for turn fins, etc. from onlinemetals. I seem to get better deals when I talk to the boss, Steve Pierce.

Dick Tyndall

 

[BB Mods's]

Sean, Make sure you google your lathe model #, there is a upgrade kit (aftermarket) for many of the HF lathe's that tightens up the tolerance all the way across the slide. Might be worth looking into, I think the kits run ruffly $100.

Some of the HF lathe's my friends have, are out by +- .012 past 4" on the slide, in stock form.

 

[nitrotwin]

This guy has all sizes and ships fast look at his store for what you want I have had good luck w/ him so far

http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item518f8bc209

 

[Charles Perdue]

I have been making head inserts for various engines since the 1970's from 2011 aluminum. The reason for this is this alloy contains a larger percentage of copper than other aluminum alloys, allowing the inserts to expand more. This helps the insert to seal better to the cylinder ( especially for inserts that recess into the cylinder ). For those of you who like to squeeze the head clearance to the bare minimum the 2024 alloy seems to take the "blasting" better than the 2011 alloy. Both materials machine very nicely, with the 2024 being the tougher of the two. Keep in mind, all of the machined edges that are exposed in the cylinder area need to be sharpe and crisp. Buff the money side of the insert with some extra fine 3M pad, but don't over do it. I've been getting my material for turn fins, etc. from onlinemetals. I seem to get better deals when I talk to the boss, Steve Pierce.

Dick Tyndall

Hello Dick, in the past I made head buttons from 2011 and 2024. These were OK as long as we ran fairly cool engine temps, but as we restricted the water and built more temp in the engine, to better burn the fuel, the 2011 and 2024 would expand faster than the sleeve and push the sleeve away from the piston, loosing the fit and loosing power.

Jack O'Donnell told me about the 4032 aluminum. It is a high silicon aluminum with almost the same expansion rate as the sleeve. The button-to-sleeve fit that you start with when the engine is cold, is the fit that the engines run with at full temp, this is allowing us to keep more heat in the engine without the power dropping off.

Maybe Jack will come on here and explain this better than I can.

Charles

 

[Sean Bowf]

Sean, Make sure you google your lathe model #, there is a upgrade kit (aftermarket) for many of the HF lathe's that tightens up the tolerance all the way across the slide. Might be worth looking into, I think the kits run ruffly $100.

Some of the HF lathe's my friends have, are out by +- .012 past 4" on the slide, in stock form.

I'll look and see what is out there. Main thing I saw so far that I want, was the quick change tool rest. It has the ability to raise and lower the cutter without having to shim it (I have to shim right now) to get it to the center of the turning chuck. I think this accessory was $85, and came with about 4 holders.

Only thing I am having a problem with right now, is the indicator on the tool bed wheel that brings the cutter on the tool bed closer to the chuck...it does not turn with the handle some times. So hard to get a reference off it. I will take it apart later and see if I can figure it out. I am pretty sure that it is supposed to be able to turn freely (with some friction), so you can set zero reference, but I am betting there is some of that grease/wax/goop in there holding it to the bed instead of the handle.

That...and I could not figure out why, when I adjusted the cutter .001 toward center, the item I was turning got .002 smaller... I am sure I am not the only person that did that one...heh. Had to laugh at myself when I finally thought it through.

Sean

 

[El Zorro]

I have been making head inserts for various engines since the 1970's from 2011 aluminum. The reason for this is this alloy contains a larger percentage of copper than other aluminum alloys, allowing the inserts to expand more. This helps the insert to seal better to the cylinder ( especially for inserts that recess into the cylinder ). For those of you who like to squeeze the head clearance to the bare minimum the 2024 alloy seems to take the "blasting" better than the 2011 alloy. Both materials machine very nicely, with the 2024 being the tougher of the two. Keep in mind, all of the machined edges that are exposed in the cylinder area need to be sharpe and crisp. Buff the money side of the insert with some extra fine 3M pad, but don't over do it. I've been getting my material for turn fins, etc. from onlinemetals. I seem to get better deals when I talk to the boss, Steve Pierce.

Dick Tyndall

Hello Dick, in the past I made head buttons from 2011 and 2024. These were OK as long as we ran fairly cool engine temps, but as we restricted the water and built more temp in the engine, to better burn the fuel, the 2011 and 2024 would expand faster than the sleeve and push the sleeve away from the piston, loosing the fit and loosing power.

Jack O'Donnell told me about the 4032 aluminum. It is a high silicon aluminum with almost the same expansion rate as the sleeve. The button-to-sleeve fit that you start with when the engine is cold, is the fit that the engines run with at full temp, this is allowing us to keep more heat in the engine without the power dropping off.

Maybe Jack will come on here and explain this better than I can.

Hi Charles,

Everything you are saying here makes perfect sense but I don't believe that I ever experienced this happening with any engines of mine. Even when going from controline airplanes to boats ( air cooled versus water cooled engines ) I don't recall this happening. I made a lot of different combustion chamber shapes for many different engines, so I guess it is possible that what you are saying occured to me. It is possible to pick up a 200-300 RPM loss with a tach running an engine on a test stand but not so running a boat checking RPM with an audio tach ( at least not mine! ). Of course, the radar gun doesn't lie...................

Dick Tyndall

Charles

 

[Tom Foley]

Sean, Make sure you google your lathe model #, there is a upgrade kit (aftermarket) for many of the HF lathe's that tightens up the tolerance all the way across the slide. Might be worth looking into, I think the kits run ruffly $100.

Some of the HF lathe's my friends have, are out by +- .012 past 4" on the slide, in stock form.

I'll look and see what is out there. Main thing I saw so far that I want, was the quick change tool rest. It has the ability to raise and lower the cutter without having to shim it (I have to shim right now) to get it to the center of the turning chuck. I think this accessory was $85, and came with about 4 holders.

Only thing I am having a problem with right now, is the indicator on the tool bed wheel that brings the cutter on the tool bed closer to the chuck...it does not turn with the handle some times. So hard to get a reference off it. I will take it apart later and see if I can figure it out. I am pretty sure that it is supposed to be able to turn freely (with some friction), so you can set zero reference, but I am betting there is some of that grease/wax/goop in there holding it to the bed instead of the handle.

That...and I could not figure out why, when I adjusted the cutter .001 toward center, the item I was turning got .002 smaller... I am sure I am not the only person that did that one...heh. Had to laugh at myself when I finally thought it through.

Sean

Sean , be ready for the Quick Change Tool Post to be your first "Machine Shop Project " When I got my Phase III from enco I had to make a T - Plate Nut for the post to fit my cross slide . Keep us posted .....