[DonFrambach]

I have been setting up my Minitech 4 mill for the last several months. The mill is placed in an enclosure in my home office. I have a most understanding and supportive wife. Buying the mill and running it in the house has tested the limits of her understanding and support.

To help her understand what the mill can do, I have been working on a pendant for her. When our relationship became serious about 20 years ago, I wrote her a note that concluded with the words "I love you!" which she cut out and framed.

I scanned the words, used Aspire to create a 3d model and cut the model in brass. I added few other words to the other side. Here is the result. Once I get the pendant perfect, I plan to cut a wax model so it can be cast in gold. This project has greatly increased my wife's support and understanding!

[lerman]

Why not care some plaster into the shape you need and cast your part in a plaster mold?

Ken

[Fixittt]

Don,
I seen this on the 3dcad forum, I have to say, I am very impressed!. I am also envious. While I have a good woman that allows me to have 2 desktop cnc`s in the home office, I dont have a spindle that would allow me to cut directly into alloy.....
The pendant looks great. I am interested to see in future cuts if you get that line thru the model.
Good job!

[Khalid]

To Don and Fixit
Good to know ur wives supports that much... I have 03 routers inside my home... these are not desktop..One of my Room is badly occupied by those monsters..and u know how much noise they generate when they eating wood...

My wife is also involve in my hobbies... I am making things for my home so she enjoy it... Some time when i see that she want those monsters out of home..i make something for her or home..

Thanks

[DonFrambach]

Fixitt,

That horizontal line in the model is from where I set the Z axis a little high after I broke my finishing bit and had to do the finish cut again. I didn't realize the line was there until I removed the workpiece from my vise. (darn!)

I used the high speed spindle from Wolfgang Engineering to make this. First rough cut with .05" bit, 12k rpm, doc=.004, feed 10"/min. Second rough cut with .010" bit, 12k rpm, doc=.002, feed 10"/min. Finish cut with .010 ball mill, 12k rpm, doc=.002, feed 10"/min

Don

[ImanCarrot]

Man, that is nice work!

Thinking about how to get it shiny though, cos women like shiny things (mine mostly likes tetrahedron carbon thingies, lol diamonds)- could you tumble polish it with walnut husks? or, how about electroplating it with gold or silver or platinum?

Just a thought! Nice work mate.

[TarHeelTom]

Don,
I seen this on the 3dcad forum, I have to say, I am very impressed!. I am also envious. While I have a good woman that allows me to have 2 desktop cnc`s in the home office, I dont have a spindle that would allow me to cut directly into alloy.....
The pendant looks great. I am interested to see in future cuts if you get that line thru the model.
Good job!

The time honored way to do that is to first carve the pendant from wax. You could probably bum some from your local dental lab. After you have it looking like you want it (int the meantime, keep remelting it and reusing it) then pour plaster around it. Let the plaster set well, then immerse in boiling water to remove the wax. Then pour in the metal, then break away the plaster. This is called lost was casting.

Tom

[Fastest1]

"lost wax casting" is what he meant to say.

[TarHeelTom]

"lost wax casting" is what he meant to say.

Yep. That IS what I was trying to say.

Tom