A Custom Built Light from A to Z

[aljsk8]

I love the details too - i told Fred from the start i wanted a thread on CPF about the making of this light

you want more - how do you think i feel - the excitement is indescribable!

Fred any progress? - show me a photo of some ss and then...:thumbsup:

 

[PhotonFanatic]

Work on the stainless steel pieces has commenced. Since it is the easiest to produce, I've started with the head.

First, turn down the 1" stock so that a stub will fit my 19.5mm collet:

This is a tedious job, since it just involves the same operation over and over again until the right diameter is achieved. Then I face off the shoulder that the collet will butt up against:

Then a quick check to see that the collet does, in fact, fit:

Next up was the milling of the lines and the dimples. The lines were to be milled with a 1mm diameter ball nose end mill, but the stainless steel proved too much for that small a tool--I broke five of them while trying to get some lines done. At first, I thought that perhaps I was taking too deep a cut, but changing to a lighter cut didn't help. Nor did slowing down the RPMS, using lubricant, etc. In the end, I moved up to a 1.5mm end mill and had no problem with that diameter.

The dimples were done with a 4mm endmill; here's the final dimple and the end of an exasperating couple of hours:

And after they were wiped off:

The head was then ready for drilling--I used three different drills to get close to the final bore diameter of 20.5mm. Here's the boring bar in action:

When boring, it's a good idea when the final diameter is reached to go back and forth with the boring bar to ensure that the spring in the bar is taken out and a smooth surface is obtained over the length of the bore. I used some Tap Magic for the final passes, although most of the boring cuts were done dry:

A close-up of the final bore:

That looks rougher than it felt.

Now the head was ready for threading; first, a thread relief section was cut inside the head. This allows the threading tool a little space when it comes out of the cut, plus it gives you a chance to withdraw the tool bit in time:

The front of the threads was also relieved, using a 45-degree cut, and then the head was internally threaded:

The head needs now to be parted off and then the front of the light needs some work--boring out the light opening and putting small bezels on the front edges. Plus, I may use a grooving tool to provide a bit more room inside the head for the O-ring that the lens will push against.

 

[DM51]

This is just great to see - it is nothing less than a master-class in how to do it, so clearly explained and with professional-grade pics to illustrate every step.

 

[MorpheusT1]

Man you make it look like a breeze,

And i do know its not.
Thank you for the detailed pictures and explenations.






Benny

 

[PhotonFanatic]

Man you make it look like a breeze,

And i do know its not.
Thank you for the detailed pictures and explenations.






Benny

Benny,

Aww, you do know that I only post the good photos?

 

[MorpheusT1]

Doesent everybody


You should make a book about machining from A to Z...




Then maybe i would take the big step,until then i will continue to admire the
people that makes this forum so interesting to be a part of.

 

[aljsk8]

outstanding!

somehow it just looks so much nicer in SS
and after lots of gazing at the photos i preffer the 1.5mm slots :twothumbs

im looking forward to seeing the rest

the fact that your still take photos :kewlpics: for us all after loosing 5 tools
is amazing! - i think i would just start throwing things

 

[PhotonFanatic]

Next up: The Battery Tube

Once again, I start with creation of the stubs that will be used at each end of the battery tube, so that I can cut the two tapers while the opposing end is held in the collet. The stub that is now being held by the collet was cut while the piece is originally held by the four-jaw chuck. Then I made the stub at the other end of the battery tube, which, as you can see, I've labeled "head end" so that I will be sure to cut the right taper at each end. The head end has a 10-degree taper, while the battery end has a 15-degree taper.

Next, I turned down the diameter of the battery tube since it has a pinched waist due to the tapers.

Now, I am ready to turn the tapers. Here is the start of the first taper. I took many passes using the compound slide, which was first set to a 10-degree angle to the cross slide:

And the actual cuts being made:

The actual depth of the taper is set using the cross slide, which is gradually moved toward the axis of the piece as each taper cut is made by moving the compound slide.

Completion of the first taper.

I then flipped the tube around and cut the 15-degree taper at the other end, followed by the grooving cuts:

The tube is now ready for the dimples to be added. This is basically a milling operation, and is quite an involved set-up. Here you see the overall set-up--a right angle workholding block is attached to the cross-slide and then the indexer is bolted to it:

And another view showing the piece in the indexer with the headstock on the left. That is where the ball nose endmill is inserted.

Once in place and everything is indexed, then the cross slide is moved along the ways of the lathe so that the piece is cut perpendicular to its axis:

Once the dimples were done, I then turned down the grooved and dimpled section of the battery tube to remove unwanted debris from the previous operations:

That carbide insert creates a 45-degree angle where it touches the taper, but it is hardly noticeable and provides a nice transition between the surfaces.

With almost all of the external surfaces now completed, the stub was parted off and the space for the battery was drilled:

That was bored to final size and then the negative battery button at the bottom of the light was also bored out.

Next up was to bore out the top of the battery tube to create the threads that will connect to the copper converter module:

At the bottom of that bore, I put a thread relief groove, too.

Now, we are almost ready for the threading, but first some thread relief is provided by placing the O-ring groove at the top of the tube:

OK, now were are ready to create the internal threads. Bear with me as I explain how I do it, so that others trying this might find something of interest to guide them.

First, the compound slide is set to a 29.5-degree angle to the cross slide:

Then the holder for the threading boring bar is aligned parallel to the axis of the workpiece. Here you can see the compound slide at its correct 29.5-degree angle, while the toolholder is perpendicular to the cross slide:

And a closer look at the holder and the piece:

Once the boring bar is in place, then the compound slide's dial is zeroed out:

The tip of the carbide insert is then brought to touch the surface of the battery tube that will be threaded, using the cross slide only to move the insert out to the piece. At that point, the compound slide's dial is backed off for the depth of cut. Since I was cutting .5mm pitch threads, the depth of cut is .27mm, which when adjusted to the near 30-degree angle, is really closer to .31mm. Now the tool bit is away from the workpiece, so one needs to bring it back to make contact for the first cut--that is done by using the cross slide to move the tool bit back to the surface to be machined. If your cross slide has a dial that can be zeroed, do it, otherwise, you need to note the setting .

Then the cross slide is moved in slightly, the tool bit withdrawn along the axis of the light so that it is outside the battery tube. Now we can cut the thread by first bringing the cross slide back to the zero mark, or the noted reading when the bit was in contact. Normally, I don't take any cut with depth at first, I just run the threading tool while the cross slide is set on zero--that will usually mark the threads just fine, so you can verify that you've set-up the thread gears for the proper thread.

Since I've posted threading pics before, we can skip them for now. Here are the two main components in their almost completed state:

And a view of the two threaded areas that will be in contact with the converter module:

Here's a SolidWorks jpeg showing the copper module that will be the next item to be made:

Not shown are the O-rings that will be on both sides of the exposed portion of the module.

I will post some pics of the module work once I get off my lazy butt and stop playing on the computer.

 

[aljsk8]

Fred

Truly mind blowing stuff

my favorite shot has to be the one showing the ends of the pieces - finally a light that is made of metal and not air!

your model-works skills are equally outstanding

:bow:

Edit - when the stubs are parted off - could you give me the weight of the 2 pieces (grams if possible but oz is ok)

 

[aljsk8]

come on people - Fred's last post was outstanding and im the only one who cares?!!!!!

 

[DM51]

come on people - Fred's last post was outstanding and im the only one who cares?!!!!!

Just seen it - I completely agree with you, it is absolutely fantastic work. I may be repeating myself, but this is a GREAT thread.

 

[PhotonFanatic]

Copper Converter Module

Next up is the converter/driver module, which is being done in C11000 copper, also known as [SIZE=-1]Electrolytic Tough Pitch ETP copper[/SIZE]. Little did I know that on a machinability scale, where brass, which is rated as 100, meaning it is very easy to machine, that the ETP is rated 20 and has a reputation for being 'gummy' and tough on tools.

I use carbide inserts, which are pretty tough, so I was interested to see the match-up.

I had no clue, at first, what to expect, nor did I know what kinds of speed to use, so I used what I normally would use for 6061AL. The tools seemed to cut OK most of the time, but then you'd feel a little snag, a hesitation, in the cut, and that I presume was the 'gumminess' coming into play. The first bits of cutting were just to make the stub:

I did discover that using some cutting fluid of some sort seemed to help. I used Relton 19, made for threading aluminum. It helped. Then I did the second stub. Each stub was roughly 10mm long and the converter module itself is about 20mm, so I was starting with a 40mm long piece of copper.

After those were done last night, I did a little reading and found that I should be using slower speeds, but, to be honest, I really didn't see any big difference, other than it took longer to get stuff done.

Next up was to cut preliminary O-ring grooves and the area to be threaded:

When cutting threads, it pays to check the basics once in a while, just to make sure that you aren't making any stupid mistake. Here I check that I'm cutting on center:

And when setting the threading tool in place, I make sure that the insert is truly perpendicular to the axis is the light:

And then you cut the threads:

And then you need to be sure that everything fits together properly:

So the module / head threading was now done and I next did the battery tube / module threads. Here is that area just prior to threading:

Once those were done and the fit checked, I then screwed all three pieces together and took a light pass over the head, module and the top of the battery tube to ensure that everything was equal. Here's the fit after that:

or from a different angle:

Now, the module needs a fair amount more machine work--space for the driver, space for the LED, and the holes for the wires to the leads, plus, due to the heavy weight of the copper, a bunch of bores just to reduce weight. I'll post those pics later.

 

[MorpheusT1]

Awsome Pictures :twothumbs


This must be one of the best threads in a long time:thumbsup:


Thank you for sharing.
Benny

 

[cmacclel]

Awsome Pictures :twothumbs


This must be one of the best threads in a long time:thumbsup:


Thank you for sharing.
Benny

Agreed

Nice work Fred.

Mac

 

[LuxLuthor]

come on people - Fred's last post was outstanding and im the only one who cares?!!!!!

I haven't looked at this thread in a while. I'm stunned with the photos, workmanship, small details. I always wondered why some of the LED lights are many hundreds of dollars, now I understand. I would expect this one to be worth $1,000+

I would never sell this either, Alex.

 

[PhotonFanatic]

Thanks for the nice words, guys. :kiss:

Actually, I sent Alex an e-mail saying that I thought I should keep this light and that I'd be sending him a refund. Seems fair to me, no? :devil:

Seriously, there is a lot to making a custom light that one overlooks--I will attest to that. For instance, it is definitely cheaper to buy metal in some other size than 1' increments, so the builder ends up over-ordering--I ordered 3' of copper, while I only need inches. Now I do have some inventory for the next job, but I did have to spend $80 just to get the copper. We won't even mention the stainless steel. :mecry:

The work that doesn't show up at all on this thread is the SolidWorks modeling needed to be able to ensure that all components work together and the amount of back-and-forth communication between the buyer and seller. Both of those can take hours and hours. Hi, Alex!

So, I consider custom work to be a loss-leader, as though I need that! But the satisfaction that comes from taking someone else's ideas and turning them into reality is very satisfying. I only hope that others who can afford to do so will give it a shot, too.

 

[aljsk8]

Fred - you can keep the light - i actually dont like the styling :thumbsdow













as if!

as i know a bit about you i can say that you knew exactly what you were getting into - your a lot older and wiser than me



if i had the money id give you more but i cant afford this light as it is
this is my one chance to cure a huge part of flashoholism for me :help:

my aim is 10 lights if i can stick to just 10 then my bank account will be safe!

its nice to see some of CPF big guns giving props here too

Alex

 

[65535]

That's going to look great in a mirror polish.

 

[luminata]

Damn that coppper looks freakin' awesome !!! The band of coppper when the pieces are put together is very classy:twothumbs

I would patent the design rights on this Fred. I would bet it will be "borrowed" after the completed pics are posted for all to see

 

[PhotonFanatic]

luminata,

Thanks. A lot of designs get copied, or closely copied. I try not to do that myself, but it's pretty hard to be original since folks have been playing with lathes and cylindrical shapes for years.

On the other hand, when you have guys like Larry(tvodrd), and I'd like to include myself with him, willing to share their designs and how-to instructions, it should encourage others to either share their work, or to start their own projects.