[salukikev]

I need a hollow sphere for my current project.
I have a mock up of this made from a little glass snowglobe, which is actually a pretty darn lucky likeness of the final product. Basically I need a sphere with a hole in it. Hole should be about 30% to 50% of the outside diameter. A flange would be nice but it's not essential. I thought about using a distilling flask like this which is also pretty close (I would trim the tube section) but I think any blown glass result would have way too many distortions.

That said, the weight of glass is both a benefit and a detractor in the big picture. A lighter weight polycarbonate would be cool to have also due to impact resistance and strength.

Any way- from what I've seen so far it sounds like single point diamond turning is my best bet, but I've never quoted that process. This project is getting funded out of pocket, so looking for something cost effective- I worry that lots of these resources are used to billing military and industrial clients and I'll be unable to afford it.

So, I welcome any suggestions to materials, processes, or individual vendors who might be a fit. Thanks a bunch!

[Jim Dawson]

Try Googling ''polycarbonate sphere'' or ''acrylic sphere'' Maybe a stock item would work for you. These are pretty common in both solid and hollow Cast acrylic should be water clear.

[salukikev]

Try Googling ''polycarbonate sphere'' or ''acrylic sphere'' Maybe a stock item would work for you. These are pretty common in both solid and hollow Cast acrylic should be water clear.

I see that I neglected to include that this sphere certainly needs to be hollow, and since it needs to be more than a hemisphere there will necessarily be an undercut that could only happen (with adequate clarity) by a machine process. Blow molding or blown glass is always going to produce too many distortions to be used in the final item.

Thanks for the suggestion though! I do have a collection of various clear acrylic balls and their outer surface is pretty decent!