tools, materials & knowledge for model makers
There are many different metals used in model making with different requirements for machining, forming and bonding/welding.
The image shows a pewter flywheel on a solenoid engine. The outer surface has a hammered finish. Traditionally pewter is an alloy containing 80% tin and 20% lead. Modern pewter is 85 to 95% tin with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth. Casting If you just want to cast a rough shape then it is … Read more
Parting off aluminium in the lathe can be nerve racking and especially if you’ve got it wrong in the past and either the work piece has come out of the chuck or the tool has broken. Aluminium has the tendency to snag and stop the lathe dead. Based on this I’ve noted down some simple … Read more
Machining cast iron can be quite easy with the right tools, but you do have to be careful with cast iron that might have sand still in the surface and so I thought a page giving hints and tips would be useful. There are a number of different grades of cast iron and within these … Read more
Cast iron is a ferrous alloy; the carbon content is greater than the maximum solubility in austenite at the eutectic temperature. It tends to be brittle, except for malleable cast irons. With its low melting point, good fluidity, castability, excellent machinability and wear resistance, cast irons have become an engineering material with a wide range … Read more
The recommended cutting speed for silver steel is 15 to 25m/min Using this speed I’ve created the following table of cutting speeds: Diameter of material [mm] Spindle speed [rpm] Roughing Spindle speed [rpm] Finishing 3 1590 2650 5 950 1590 7 680 1130 10 470 790 15 310 530 20 230 390 25 190 310 … Read more
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, but often other elements such as aluminium, iron, manganese, tin and lead are added. There are two basic classes of brass: Alpha alloys – less than 37% zinc – ductile and can be cold worked. alpha/beta or duplex alloys – 37-45% zinc – have limited cold ductility … Read more
Is it Carbide or Tungsten Carbide, nowadays tools are often referred to as being made from “carbide” – what they actually mean is Tungsten Carbide. The reason for using Tungsten Carbide is it has some great properties: melting point 2,785–2,830°C hardness of 9 on Mohs scale, 2600 Vickers number Some tungsten carbide tools consist of a mild … Read more
Just bought some case hardening compound from EKP Supplies. I want it for a cylinder that I have machined and would like to try and harden the inner surface. I bought 250g for around £14.00 maybe a tad expensive, but if it is anything like the Kasenit of the past then it will last for … Read more