Scratch Build – In Progress Project: CircleButterfly (080403 New PSU comes with trouble)

Thanks Mankz.

I´m working hard to do this as great as possible, I know the work looks a bit sloppy at the moment but off course it will look great at the end

 

if there is a dremel grinding wheel designed to work with aluminum you might find that more useful. I work with Al all the time and there are angle grinder wheels that don't gaul up all the time when working Al. I will post a link with a product number if I find it. They have to be out there. your project looks amazing. I love the cutouts you are doing and the round shape is great. Quite a work of art keep it up.

 

Thanks for the nice comments saxman,

It would be very helpful if you could find a product number because at the moment I just don't know what to look for at my local hardware store

 

I belive you are working with aluminum oxide wheels. They are the standard and work great for most materials. You need to be looking for silicon carbide tools. http://www.dremeleurope.com/dremelocs-uk/Search.jsp;jsessionid=37E1617C4F4EA6FE9BE17F1FA175D00B?&language=en-GB&
that is the dremel UK page that has the product numbers on it.
one thing to warn you about. The silicon carbide wheels tend to be more brittle and will wear away faster. But they will not gaul up the tool and you can keep grinding they lose a little longevity but not to have to stop and clean your wheel all the time is well worth it.
Good luck

 

thanks saxman,
I´m looking for those right now and I hope I can find some at my local hardware store.

 

Once you get those let me know how they work.. I always wondered what kind of longevity those would have. i never had one to use and if they don't just fall apart then I will definitly go buy a bunch. Just wish they were easier to find in the hardware stores.

What kind of finish were you going for in the final project? I personally love the look of brushed but the hiigh polish can be very very inpressive. Keep it up it is looking great so far.

 

@ saxman, I haven't found those silicon carbide tools, I thing I got some with the dremel copy think and they work kind of good but I like the changeable ones better at the moment.
Anyhow, I´m going for a combination of high polish and a mat look for the finish i think, haven't really decided just yet I´m still trying out som stuff at the leftover parts to see what I like.

 

So after quite a long pause from updating the log I´m back and this is the reason why I had to take a break,



yep I broke the front panel and I took tome time to think about if I was going to work around the problem and fix it or do a new one and after about 2 days of thinking I decided to do do a new one, mostly because I wasn´t happy with the cutouts, they really looked like crap, I´m going to take some better pictures of that.

So after I decided to star over I thought to myself why not change the picture as well to something a little more contemporary but still in the same look

and this is what I came up with


And this time I have a little better tool to cut out this stuff

It´s not the best brand but it works like it should.

And now fast forwarding a bit with pictures and not so much text because you all know how to do this stuff.

This time I covered the aluminium so it wouldn't get so many scratches


traced the new cutouts



starting to cut out the circle


and I´m done cutting


A little preview of whats to come


starting to cut out the cutouts


and a little closeup


that is not me sawing cricked, it´s me drilling like a noob


it still is a little cricked but it is allot better than the first one, or what do you think?


almost done


and it´s all cutout


new vs. old what do you gyes think, better or wors?


the lower circles and the flowers was fist drilled and then cutout using this


and this really itches after a while


so thats all for now, now all I have to do is do file everything and that really is´t a fun update to see, but there will come a day when I´m done with that (I hope )

Anyway there you go for now.

 

lookin good! i like the new design and i bet it's nice to have the right tools for the job

 

Absolutely awesome work, im floored....looking forward to seeing this progress (likes the tool used to cut the alu with - on the end of your dremel?)

Seth

 

+1

 

.............I'd say better.........nice work

Alan

 

Thanks everyone

@ mvagusta - It´s so nice to have the right tools and the work goes so much faster,
@ sethnmalice - thoes gravers cost more than my dremel copy and they work really good, but it start to itch alot and I´m getting alot of aluminium splints in my hand´s and that dont feel so good.

Now I´m going to go file away on this so I can continue to do some more cool stuff

 

The new one looks much better! Some of the filligree patterns on the older panel were prettier, but compromised the strength of the aluminum. The new design has a lot fewer deadly spikes too.
You will want to remove your jewelry for cutting. The ring can work shavings into your skin, and your more likely to snag something. I once found some exposed electrical wires with a watch band.-bzzzzt!.

 

Thanks for the advise about the ring I never thought about that actually, I and completely agree with you that some of the older patterns looked better but as it was my first time working in aluminium it didn't really turn out the way it should and you all know the result, anyway thanks for the advice.

 

what tool is that that u used to make the second (and better ) cut?

 

Well I don't know the English word for it but It´s called a contour saw in Swedish, the one I use is a pretty cheep one costing only £50 ($107 or 695 SEK current currency conversion) the one I really want is the dremel one with variable speed adjustment from 500-1500 SPM, my have 1440 SPM I think.
But it´s really good and worth every penny I just broke some blades and I´m trying to find some that are like the one that come with the machine I can only find with smaller or larger teeth.

Here is the link to the Dremel one.
http://www.dremeleurope.com/dremelo...C846C2E38919D79C2679?&ccat_id=673&prod_id=306

 

what you are looking for is a scroll saw they are pretty much the most amazing cutting tool. just make sure you get the right blades. Something with pretty small teeth and says a metal cutting. you should be good with that. they are great for any thing you are doing with crazy curves. I love using mine when I have it.

 

After I had cutout the front panel and filed on it fore some days I started to get a bit tired of doing that so I continued on the PSU front instead.

As with the front panel there is a bit of filing on the edges and to do that I use some files off course



And then I started to sand and polish the surface,
Here is the progress, but I don´t show all the different sanding papers I used,

Here is before I started


I started with a 80 grit paper because it had a lot of deep scratches and I could´t even get rid of them with an 80grit paper.


Continuing with in grit order 120, 240, 400....


...600, 800, 1000, 1200...


...and then I polished the surface so it would shine.
And what is an polish without a coin reflection image
The first one did´t go some good with the flash on...


but with bad lightning in my workspace this one is´t that good ether


Anyway I will have to redo the final polish from maybe 1200grit because I was a little bit eager with getting a result so there are some scratches that 'I have to take care of, and thats it until next time.

 

mhh maybe change the speed of your tool or use something to cool. dish soap is very usefull when cutting or drilling aluminium