Looking for someone to turn brass in Guelph, KW or Cambridge

[DaveinGuelph]

(Absolute Newbie)

I'm a hobbyist woodworker, with zero metalwork experience.
But I'm intrigued by the potential to integrate metal with wood into some funky art projects. (Yes, I have that much time on my hands )
I'm looking for anyone who's willing to discuss a small, brass prototype "thing" for a larger project I'm designing.

Message me and thank you lots.

Dave (in Guelph)

 

[DPittman]

Do you have a metal lathe? Brass is an excellent and fun material to begin with.

 

[DaveinGuelph]

Do you have a metal lathe? Brass is an excellent and fun material to begin with.

I do not have a metal lathe. I've turned wood but metal is a whole different thing (from what I've seen online).

 

[DPittman]

Ok. I suspect there will be a few people closer to you that will offer help as brass is quite enjoyable to turn.

 

[Susquatch]

I do not have a metal lathe. I've turned wood but metal is a whole different thing (from what I've seen online).

So you have a wood lathe then.....

I've never done it, but brass is so easy to turn that I'd bet you could turn it on a wood lathe. The chucking is the easy part. But you will need to make a plinth or something similar to hold the cutting tool. I'd certainly be tempted to try.

Lots of members in your area who would love to help you. If not, I'm about a 2 hour drive West of you - south of Chatham. Bring your brass and ideas, an empty stomach, and an open attitude about hairy crazy old men.

 

[Susquatch]

Oh ya, shame on me! I see you are new.

Welcome to our crazy world of turning junk metal into useful things we are proud of.

 

[SomeGuy]

Glad to see you found your way here Dave!

(FYI - he commented on one of my videos on youtube asking for help with this, I'm not really in a position to help him out, but I was pretty certain someone here would be able to help so sent him this way)

 

[DaveinGuelph]

So you have a wood lathe then.....

I've never done it, but brass is so easy to turn that I'd bet you could turn it on a wood lathe. The chucking is the easy part. But you will need to make a plinth or something similar to hold the cutting tool. I'd certainly be tempted to try.

Lots of members in your area who would love to help you. If not, I'm about a 2 hour drive West of you - south of Chatham. Bring your brass and ideas, an empty stomach, and an open attitude about hairy crazy old men.

Hah! I was much hairier many years ago. And yes, I've seen that soft brass can be turned on a metal lathe. But not the best approach for what I'm thinking.

 

[Dabbler]

@DaveinGuelph turning brass to accurate dimensions can be done -with effort and patience. Clock makers turn brass all the time on what amounts to a tiny wood lathe. It depends on size, some of it depends on how close a tolerance you need to achieve to see if this is practical in your case. Certainly a project for the future. There are a lot of guys in S Ontario the might step up to help you. I know for sure there is one in Brantford, but I haven't seen them in a while on the forum.

If the work is small enough, perhaps time for a small, cheapish metal lathe?

 

[DaveinGuelph]

@DaveinGuelph turning brass to accurate dimensions can be done -with effort and patience. Clock makers turn brass all the time on what amounts to a tiny wood lathe. It depends on size, some of it depends on how close a tolerance you need to achieve to see if this is practical in your case. Certainly a project for the future. There are a lot of guys in S Ontario the might step up to help you. I know for sure there is one in Brantford, but I haven't seen them in a while on the forum.

If the work is small enough, perhaps time for a small, cheapish metal lathe?

I have a friend with an EMCO Unimat 3 (the Austrian-made one). Neither of us have experience with it though. It'd be great to get some schoolin' before messing with it. Are there any hobbyist workshops (like group meets?) in southern Ont?

 

[Dabbler]

I know of a bunch. But they will have to make the offer, I shouldn't volunteer them.

Other sources: Youtube videos - Blondihacks on youtube has a great intro to the lathe series, for instance. For good starter reading material:

https://archive.org/details/howtorunlathecar00sout (can be read online, but not downloaded)
https://archive.org/details/firstyearlathewo00sout (this can be downloaded)

The Unimat 3 is small enough you can take it to @Susquatch house or another member and they can get you started...

 

[Susquatch]

Are there any hobbyist workshops (like group meets?) in southern Ont?

We have had the odd meet-up in various places here in Ontario. None included anything remotely like "how to run a lathe". They are more like a meet N greet to put a face to a user name, show off something you made, and swap lies. We are also in the very early stages of trying to make something happen in April next year around the 2024 Solar Eclipse. In fact, @Dabbler plans to be here then. It just so happens that we are thinking about the Kitchener/Brantford area. There is zero done just yet other than dreamin and yackin by a few of us.

Your best bet so far is to hit the 401 and aim for Susquatch country with or without your buddie's lathe. My crops will all be off in a week or two and then I'll be looking for somebody's machine to ruin...... LOL!

 

[LenVW]

I have a friend with an EMCO Unimat 3 (the Austrian-made one). Neither of us have experience with it though. It'd be great to get some schoolin' before messing with it. Are there any hobbyist workshops (like group meets?) in southern Ont?

How big are the ‘brass’ parts you need turned ?

I used to design metal parts and machine applications in my career,
but, I started as a machinist in the 1980s.
With some idea of scale of what you want, I can plan processing accordingly.

 

[trevj]

So you have a wood lathe then.....

I've never done it, but brass is so easy to turn that I'd bet you could turn it on a wood lathe. The chucking is the easy part. But you will need to make a plinth or something similar to hold the cutting tool. I'd certainly be tempted to try.

Lots of members in your area who would love to help you. If not, I'm about a 2 hour drive West of you - south of Chatham. Bring your brass and ideas, an empty stomach, and an open attitude about hairy crazy old men.

Ayup, to this above. It's been done. It worked out fine! LOL!

In all seriousness, clock and watch makers have been using hand held tools for the last couple hundred years, and it works.

Do you get to work to tenths of a thou? Not unless you practice!

For the most part, if it just needs to be round and smooth, you can do that on a wood lathe.

And further, FWIW, Rockwell/Delta used to sell a compound equipped cross slide for converting their wood lathes to metal lathes... May be worth looking around for one. They will fit a LOT of wood lathes!

 

[DaveinGuelph]

How big are the ‘brass’ parts you need turned ?

I used to design metal parts and machine applications in my career,
but, I started as a machinist in the 1980s.
With some idea of scale of what you want, I can plan processing accordingly.

How big are the ‘brass’ parts you need turned ?

I used to design metal parts and machine applications in my career,
but, I started as a machinist in the 1980s.
With some idea of scale of what you want, I can plan processing accordingly.

Thank you for your interest. Pictures attached. I'm looking to replicate the brass bodies of old steam pressure gauges. So 2.75" to 3" OD with a wall thickness of ? (whatever). Length of 7/8" to 1". There are 2 pieces; the body itself and the bezel that holds the glass/acrylic face in place. I have been trying to source brass tubing in Ontario but just can't find it. Any ideas?

 

[DPittman]

I have been trying to source brass tubing in Ontario but just can't find it. Any ideas?

An industrial plumbing/heating type supplier maybe?

 

[Rauce]

I think the most cost effective way to form the body would be metal spinning.

 

[LenVW]

I would ask . . .
Marmon-Keystone (Burlington)
Comco (Puslinch)
Wolseley (Guelph)
Westburne (Kitchener)

Have you tried any tubing distributors ?
You can also Google ‘Brass fabricators’ like . . .
Oskam Welding (Guelph)
Precision Metal Fabn (Waterloo)

They may have ‘drops’ that they would sell you.

 

[trevj]

I think the most cost effective way to form the body would be metal spinning.

My first thought as well. Likely to take several rounds of removing the work and annealing it.

Another thought is a deep draw die, though that will require access to a machine shop and some very careful work in order to get the correct clearances that the drawn metal is not folded.

Honestly, turning from solid looks a good alternative, and a metal lathe is going to make that SO much easier!

A cheaper alternative will be to start with oversize plate material, form and fit up the 'tube', and silver solder it in place before using the built up assembly as a blank for turning the main gauge body.

The expensive alternative, is to farm out the making of at least the basic blanks (possibly usable for several sizes) to someone else, either a casting or forming shop. The downside will be that most outfits want a minimum volume if they have to make or buy any special tooling.

 

[gerritv]

If you have a gauge that hasn't been messed with (as in steel brushed) you should see how it was made. Deep drawn and spinning both leave different makrs. The bezel is very likely to have been spun. For certain the ones for speedometers etc. were.