Metal spinning without the need for skill, well almost without the need

Hi Guys, in case anyone is interested I put up a couple of videos showing the start of making some pieces for a friend, yes I do still have one or two left, using a bodger's way of metal spinning.

If you comment, please be kind or at least polite.:>

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chriStephens

Edited By JasonB on 08/05/2018 07:10:52

Nice work. What's the bearing in the roller - which latter is presumably silver steel or suchlike?

Thanks for the compliment.

It's a random 10mm bore ball race from the scrap bin, and the dome shaped part is scrapbinium stainless, shaped by use of handwheels and a little bit of abrasive. I shall take a series of pictures of it in pieces and put them up as a video.

Chris, that's an effective method to achieve the form required without press form tooling.

Emgee

Sure is, and doing it this way you can vary the OD, within reason, unlike standard spinning or press tooling.

Very neat; I'll file that idea a way for future use.

Think I prefer the second video, due mainly to the paper towel, rather than the cloth one, to protect the lathe bed.

Bill

thanks for compliment.

There is a black neoprene bedway cover that is always on the lathe, the paper and cloth were there for photographic contrast only. There is no need for any covering at all as there is no residue from the process.

I have just taken some photos of the roller in pieces which shows the cover. I'll load them as a YT video as a friend in the US asked for them.

I might be over cautious, but am always concerned about rags near spinning things. I have had the odd incident myself, so can't claim to take the moral high ground.

Even though you know it's safe in your own controlled environment, someone else viewing the video might not have as much common sense as you or me.

Bill

Thanks for your concern, that's why I mentioned in the video about the paper. If it should get caught,very very low risk in the situation,no harm would be done. The cloth was only about 9 inches square and again should it have been caught in the jaws no possible harm would occur.

For a one off you can do it without making up the roller tool, I did this decorative cylinder end cover in the same way with the end of a ring spanner held in the toolpost, you just need something smooth and hard.

Chris, you made metal spinning look so easy dispelling the myth that it is some form of black art. Watching your videos I was heartened to hear the high noise level from your lathe, I have a Warco BV20 lathe which is a small geared head lathe and I was always of the opinion that my lathe was excessively noisy, have revised my opinion since hearing yours, the noise from mine is not so bad after all.

Dave W

My Bantam is 1966 and sounds almost the same as Chris's in the video if the power feed box is engaged, must be something about Bantams !!!

Emgee

Fascinating and informative, thanks for showing us.

What is the blank made from and do you prepare the metal in any way? (Other than making it the size you need.)

Jim

Surprised that you didn't have to locate the disc onto a spigot, looks so easy - I am off to make a roller tool this afternoon. One of the best tips I have seen on here for a long time.
BobH

I,v got a roller tool, but it would be improved if I fitted the shaped roller instead of just the bearing.

Ian S C

JasonB. You clearly have the knack but you and I know mild steel is pi** easy to spin. You may have noticed in the second part that I was making more than a one.off and also that the spun part is not actually in contact with the mandrel, something you do more easily with a roller in the toolpost.

Samsaranda, Proper spinning is a black art, till you give it a try that is, this technique is more than fit for purpose for the task in hand and as the video title implies anyone can have a go. A caveat would be I was spinning mild steel which does not need annealing, unlike brass or copper, and in real spinning the art is knowing when to anneal before it's too late and things go pear shaped.

Don't be fooled by the noise, that is a function of closeness of the camera and the microphone. I have heard a Warco and I can assure you a Bantam is very much quieter than the particular Warco I am thinking of.

Emgee, indeed the power feed increases the noise level but even when running it is not oppressive, especially if you use thick chain saw oil on the gears.

Jim Nic,You are welcome, I thought if the mysteries were dispelled more folks could have a go. The blanks are bog standard mild steel sheet about 0.8mm thick. Had it been a copper or copper based alloy it would probably have needed to be annealed several times during the process.

SB5, Although I put a hole in the discs they are for the second part of the operations, I will put up a video of that later when I get back to making the parts. As you can see from the video once even the slightest bend is formed it holds the disc in place adequately. Give it a go, but try MS rather that copper or brass till you get the hang of it. The advantage of a roller in the toolpost is you don't have to go down to the mandrel, you use the cross feed for OD sizing, which means you are unlikely to over stretch the metal which is a problem when learning the proper way of doing it. Oh and thanks for the compliment, much appreciated.

Ian SC, That was my thought too, and I think I was right.

Interesting, just need a use for an small dish now.

When posting videos please use consistent naming thinking how it might be found by a search engine. My stb/TV couldn't find the first title but did find the second. Also please post the name as well as the link as my work computer blocks the link.

With the thread title and both videos starting with "Metal spinning without the need for skill" I don't think you could get a lot more consistent

I did edit the thread to show the embedded video rather than just the two urls that were posted as most people prefer just to click rather than copy and paste etc.

Bazyle, Doesn't everybody have a need for small dishes? As the description under the video says these are repair parts and when finished they will not look like dishes at all, hopefully.

You are of course quite correct about titling, but a bit late now as it might confuse people. Following either link would give everybody easy access to my channel where they can find part 2 and other things that might prove interesting with more to come, as and when. The channel name is the same as my name, which seems simple enough.