Looking really good already Paul, I'm looking forward to the next episode. Have a verry merry Christmas and a happy New Year, all the best from the UK.
That's actually a quote that I just learned from Douglas Adams. I thought it was kind of funny to suddenly hear him say it out of the blue lol but it's so true.
I now recognise that I am somewhere along the scale in terms of Asperger's. It is both a blessing and a curse. I tend to get fixated on a problem and I won't let it go until I have found a solution. Most people learn to recognise a lost cause but I have issues with leaving things unfinished. Regards, Mark
Gday Preso, this is going to look absolutely beautiful hanging on the wall, I brought a clock movement to make a clock using a face plate off a lathe but then realised I needed to remove the gap in the lathe and couldn’t bring myself to do that, I very keen to see the next episode, have a great Christmas and thank you for all the awesome content this year, cheers
Thanks Matty. I felt very conflicted taking that gap piece out but it did go back in OK and I cannot detect any misalignment. A faceplate clock would look awesome. You could use strap clamps for the hour markers. Regards, Mark
Mark, Keith Fenner makes frequent use of his Clausing lathe's gap bed and he seems to have few (if any) problems maintaining accuracy. Keith "floats" the bed on a substantial amount of oil. Perhaps his technique should be emulated.
Hi Mark, will look nice on the wall. Couple of popular youtubers with wartime monarch lathes have the tailstock prism ground off to give extra swing. But in those dark days it was production at all costs!
I actually had no problem putting the gap piece back but I think the key is to make sure that everything is super clean and I did run a precision ground flat stone over the surfaces first. I did totally overlook the rear vee on the bed. Dumb mistake really. Regards, Mark
As a woodworker, I tend to see machining problems as it related to the tools I own and for the problem of making the clock face perfectly round (and also to skim off the powder coat for the numbers), I would have used a wood router with a carbide bit (which cuts aluminum with no issue) along with a simple circle cutting jig. It would have prevented a lot of the hassle you went through with your lathe although admittedly this wouldn't be a good fit for you if you don't already own a router and bit. Great project, looking forward to seeing the next one!
I do have a router and the appropriate bits, and a circle cutting jig but I sort of got fixated on using the metal lathe. Also, I wasn't sure if the router might chip or score the powdercoat. I did get some minor chipping using the lathe tool for cutting and this job wasn't easy to selectively repair with fresh powdercoat. You will see the end result in the next video due out shortly. Regards, Mark
Now days the only thing I need a clock for is doctor appointments , and normally “ She who must be obeyed “ keeps me on track. 😉. And the only thing wrong with this video is I missed the birds at the end 🤔 LOL . Happy Holidays !
This is a cool project Mark, and a good start as well. Can't wait for part 2. Good timing as I have just brought a laser engraver. I'm learning a lot and I cut my first test item today. The laser will bring another dimension to my workshop. At the end I was expecting a musical number from you and Mrs Preso like last year... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from us here in NZ.
The clock is looking great mate. Have fun trimming the arms. I’d just like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a beaut New Year. 👍🇦🇺
They are both relatively easy processes to carry out in a home workshop. There are some initial capital costs but the cost of consumables is fairly low. Regards, Mark
Thank you. We almost visited Switzerland on our recent European holiday. We were literally standing on the border but we found out that we needed a permit to drive on Swiss roads. Maybe next time. Regards, Mark
Great job Preso and I’m really looking forward to seeing it finished. Then you’ll have a decent sized clock to watch those deadlines whiz on past.😂 Cheers, Stuart. Canberra.
another great video. I don't mind longer videos . I love you projects , and the care & precision you put in to them. great narrating too. Happy Holidays
Thanks Mark. I absolutely love your videos, you make everything look so 'doable'. I think poweder coating is something im definately going to have a go at!!
In my view, a powdercoating setup is one of the investments that I don't regret buying. The initial purchase cost of the Eastwood gun and power unit was high (because I had to import it from the USA) but that's about the only capital cost. I already had an old toaster oven and the kit came with 8 or so cans of powder. If you already have a smallish compressor, that's about all you need. The powder lasts for ages and never goes off if you keep it dry. The process is pretty fool proof too. Regards, Mark
Thanks. Don't be too jealous. My old laser is a bit of a basket case but it does work well enough for what I do. I have then next episode ready to be published tomorrow. The clock looks great and it's big enough to see easily. I have made the vector file and the bitmap available on my Dropbox if anyone wants it. Regards, Mark
Coming along nicely, Merry Xmas Mark to you and yours from a somewhat chilly Thailand this morning, the one week of winter we see here has finally set in, which always happens around Xmas 👍
Thanks. I did a world map update in the next video in this series. It's nice to hear where people are watching from. Always interesting for me too when I check out the locations on Google Maps. Regards, Mark
Very interesting project Mark. It looks fantastic already. By the way, I used to work the exact same model Student back in the late 80's, it was a very nice machine. Cheers, Jon
Thanks Jon. My Student lathe was always meant to be a "temporary" machine until I could afford something better. It literally fell off a truck when it was being delivered to the school where I bought it from and I had heard that you should never buy a lathe that had been dropped. However I have gradually tuned it to the point that it can do accurate work and I only just found out recently that there were adjustment screws under the headstock to allow for alignment of the spindle. I don't think I will be needing to replace it after all. Regards, Mark
Fenner has taken the gap out on his clausing several times. No issue, just make sure everything is clean when you put it back. I was wondering if burning off powder coat with a laser would work and now I see that it does. I have a project in mind now. Thanks for the video!
I did put the gap piece back without an issue but I cleaned everything as you suggested and I also ran a precision ground flat stone over all the surfaces. A bit of tapping with a copper drift got everything aligned again. Most powdercoat surfaces do etch off but there is always some residue. and it can be hard to get a really uniform finish when trying to acid etch brass with ferric chloride. I have tried and failed to etch aluminium with ferric chloride. You get a runaway exothermic reaction and it just destroys the powder coat. Sodium hydroxide can be controlled more easily by using a weak solution first and then increasing it a little at a time. Regards, Mark
That story about the old time machinists refusing to remove the bed from the gap is hilarious because my brother to this day refuses to remove the bed from the gap of our old shared lathe and his new one... I went and bought my own lathe just so i could remive s bed from the gap if needed
I agree on the gap. I'd rather have a second lathe without the gap bed in it than to take mine out of my current lathe. I didn't catch the kind of laser you have. It looks like a C02. I've seen people criss cross the laser to clean up the etch properly. Not sure if your style is capable of that. It still looks really good though. Hope you have a merry Christmas, happy Hanukah, Happy Festivus for the rest of us or whatever it is you celebrate or don't celebrate. LOL. 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎅🎅🎅
My laser is a 50W CO2. It's a bit of a mongrel but it does perform well enough for what I do. I can set it to scan in the Y axis but I have never used it that way. In the next episode due out tomorrow I show how to clean off the remaining surface residue with a solution of sodium hydroxide. Regards, Mark
@@Preso58 50W is pretty good. I have a 50W fiber laser. it's really fast and I can do angled sweeps with it pretty fast. The downside is my work area is 7.5 inches and I can't burn certain Materials. Always a trade off. Someday I'll have a C02 laser as well. Looking forward to the new video.
Those parrots have been driving us mad. They have found a possum's nest and they harass it all day. In the next episode it's the kookaburras that try to steal the show. Regards, Mark
I didn't have any issue putting the gap piece back in. You just need to make sure everything is very clean and I ran a precision ground flat stone over the mating surfaces before nipping up the bolts. Once they are semi tight I tapped it in and you get a pretty good alignment just running your finger tips across the vees. I believe that our fingers are able to discriminate down to a few microns. Regards, Mark
No, I drink that. But according to guru Stefan Gotteswinter, Isoproply Alcohol is an excellent lubricant for aluminium and it's great on brass. Regards, Mark
Excellent project and execution as usual Mark. I know you are a powder coat devotè, but could you have used spray paint? I understand it’s a design choice, but is there a down side to cutting spray paint with a laser etcher? It’s a method I’m considering, so I’m curious.
I have used automotive acrylic spray paint. Probably an epoxy 2K would be more durable but some of those paints have isocyanate in them which is probably going to be toxic when it is exposed to heat. There is a video by Wesley Treat where he paints aluminium with a black spray paint from a can and he then lasers of the paint. He seems to get really good results with it. th-cam.com/video/vdl1vDUQXL4/w-d-xo.html Regards, Mark
Yes, the Rotex is a pretty amazing tool. I bought it to refinish our decking boards. It was the only sander that had sufficient power to handle the job without burning out. Regards, Mark
Thats pretty cool! Too bad you didnt catch the oblong circle till after you laser etched it or you probably could have accounted for it in the vector program. Personally though those clock hands look an awful lot like each other and its kind of hard to tell them apart already. I think shortening the minute hand would just make that harder if you dont at least do the hour hand as well.
You will see in the next episode (due out shortly) that I did shorten the minute hand only. It's not ideal but I'll see how it goes. It turned out way easier than I thought it would be to reshape it without damaging the material. Regards, Mark
Hi, the link is in the description for the second video in this series but here it is anyway www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/kv8qr8oxjgfttd9ssud0g/h?rlkey=vyliffxem6azb4v4obicoyzzx&dl=0 Regards, Mark
While watching, I thought that if doing that myself I would have rounded the part then engraved. Any particular reason you did it this way? My lathe badge is an oval shape, so I don't think I will be following your lead immediately...
It could be done after turning the part circular. However, accurately aligning the part in the laser for the engraving becomes a bit more difficult if you don't have a registration pin for the centre. I have seen some lovely mid century modern clocks with elliptical dials. Regards, Mark
Hi, Mark, new subscriber here. May I ask how you managed to use the powder-coated button-head screws? I would have thought the regular sized Allen Wrench wouldn't fit after powder-coating the screws, so maybe you used a ground down Allen wrench to fit properly? That way you wouldn't chip the powder-coating in the socket by forcing in the regular sized Allen wrench? Love your channel, so thank YOU! Dave
Socket head screws are difficult but Philips head and slotted screws are a bit easier. You just need to use a slightly smaller cross sections screwdriver. Chipping of the powder coat is also likely so you need to be careful about the screwdriver camming out of the slot or the cross. Regards, Mark
Just a warning to those with Diode Lasers (WITHOUT fume extraction enclosures) in particular. Take EXTREME caution burning off in particular random Powder Coatings (even if you are doing your own check the MSDS) some are FLuorine based which is very dangerous.
Most of the powders that I have are epoxy or urethane and I generally steer clear of the more exotic powders. But I get what you mean. A lot of those diode lasers are sold as is with no fume extraction and the sales brochures often show users with them sitting on a kitchen table inside a house. 😦 Regards, Mark
For what it's worth, it did go back in without a problem. I did clean everything and I ran a precision ground flat stone over the mating surfaces. The manual for the Colchester says to nip up the screws and then tap the surfaces until they align. I kept running my fingers over the surfaces until I couldn't detect any misalignment. I believe our fingertips are capable of detecting changes in level of about 5 microns. Regards, Mark
Have you seen the slightly bigger clock moments that connect to your home wifi for automatic daylight saving time adjustment and daily time synchronisation. Im Not sue if they arehigh torque clock mechanism.
I have not seen them but it doesn't surprise me that such a thing exists. Where I live we don't have daylight saving so that's one less complication in my life. 😁 Regards, Mark
I didn't time it but I am thinking about 45 minutes. You can increase the speed but there is a fair bit of mass in the laser head and it's carriage so things start to rock and roll a bit. Regards, Mark
I did an image search on Google and found a reasonably accurate (but not totally accurate) version. It took some processing but I cleaned it up fairly well. You can download the artwork from my Dropbox as both a vector and a bitmap image if you would like it (free). www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/kv8qr8oxjgfttd9ssud0g/h?rlkey=vyliffxem6azb4v4obicoyzzx&dl=0 Regards, Mark
Some fellows would have simply grabbed an angle grinder and ground some clearance rather than remove the gap piece. After all, the tailstock will never reach that spot. But I know you would find that intolerable.
I had not realised that quote had come from Douglas Adams. I had read it on someone's business card and it always struck me as being funny. Regards, Mark
@@Preso58 He said it in an interview and later it was included in one of his books. Apparently, he rarely met deadlines. 🤣 One of my managers a couple of decades ago told me that you only have to provide quote attribution three times. After that, it's yours!
Marc, you are quite the "manufacturer". Really enjoyed all the steps so far in process. One question though. Do you think the use of lexan backing for clock hours might have a problem with uv? Thanks for your time and skills. The best to you and yours this Christmas season.
I didn't use Lexan (polycarbonate). The backing pieces are just clear acrylic (PMMA) and they shouldn't be exposed to much UV inside the workshop. Regards, Mark
"I love deadlines. I love the sound that they make when they go whooshing past." Comedy gold.
Gold
Looking really good already Paul, I'm looking forward to the next episode.
Have a verry merry Christmas and a happy New Year, all the best from the UK.
That's actually a quote that I just learned from Douglas Adams. I thought it was kind of funny to suddenly hear him say it out of the blue lol but it's so true.
I absolutely love the way you use your OCD to your advantage. It is perfection.
I now recognise that I am somewhere along the scale in terms of Asperger's. It is both a blessing and a curse. I tend to get fixated on a problem and I won't let it go until I have found a solution. Most people learn to recognise a lost cause but I have issues with leaving things unfinished.
Regards,
Mark
Gday Preso, this is going to look absolutely beautiful hanging on the wall, I brought a clock movement to make a clock using a face plate off a lathe but then realised I needed to remove the gap in the lathe and couldn’t bring myself to do that, I very keen to see the next episode, have a great Christmas and thank you for all the awesome content this year, cheers
Thanks Matty. I felt very conflicted taking that gap piece out but it did go back in OK and I cannot detect any misalignment. A faceplate clock would look awesome. You could use strap clamps for the hour markers.
Regards,
Mark
Mark, Keith Fenner makes frequent use of his Clausing lathe's gap bed and he seems to have few (if any) problems maintaining accuracy. Keith "floats" the bed on a substantial amount of oil. Perhaps his technique should be emulated.
Enjoyed…great discussion and build….tick tock waiting for the next episode 😂😂😂
Out tomorrow!
Regards,
Mark
Hi Mark, will look nice on the wall.
Couple of popular youtubers with wartime monarch lathes have the tailstock prism ground off to give extra swing.
But in those dark days it was production at all costs!
I actually had no problem putting the gap piece back but I think the key is to make sure that everything is super clean and I did run a precision ground flat stone over the surfaces first. I did totally overlook the rear vee on the bed. Dumb mistake really.
Regards,
Mark
An interesting new project to sign out of 2023. Thank you Mark for all your videos in 2023. Here’s to a productive and healthy 2024. 🥳
Great Douglas Adams quote!
I didn't realise that. I watched "The Hitchhiker's Guide" that long ago that I have forgotten all the quotes.
Regards,
Mark
As a woodworker, I tend to see machining problems as it related to the tools I own and for the problem of making the clock face perfectly round (and also to skim off the powder coat for the numbers), I would have used a wood router with a carbide bit (which cuts aluminum with no issue) along with a simple circle cutting jig. It would have prevented a lot of the hassle you went through with your lathe although admittedly this wouldn't be a good fit for you if you don't already own a router and bit. Great project, looking forward to seeing the next one!
I do have a router and the appropriate bits, and a circle cutting jig but I sort of got fixated on using the metal lathe. Also, I wasn't sure if the router might chip or score the powdercoat. I did get some minor chipping using the lathe tool for cutting and this job wasn't easy to selectively repair with fresh powdercoat. You will see the end result in the next video due out shortly.
Regards,
Mark
From me and my family to you and your's family. Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄
Now days the only thing I need a clock for is doctor appointments , and normally “ She who must be obeyed “ keeps me on track. 😉. And the only thing wrong with this video is I missed the birds at the end 🤔 LOL . Happy Holidays !
Thanks, I shall try to include more birds. Some noisy kookaburras feature in the next video.
Regards,
Mark
Sir Cumference here.
A job well done man. Keep up the good work 😆😆
Im loving that laser, I could watch that all day :) Merry Christmas
It's both scary and satisfying at the same time.
Regards,
Mark
G'day Presa, Merry one to you Dude and Mrs Presa! TFS, GB :)
This is a cool project Mark, and a good start as well. Can't wait for part 2. Good timing as I have just brought a laser engraver. I'm learning a lot and I cut my first test item today. The laser will bring another dimension to my workshop.
At the end I was expecting a musical number from you and Mrs Preso like last year...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from us here in NZ.
I suspected those big boxes at the door might have been a laser! Best tool ever in my view. I hope you enjoy the new toy .... tool!
Regards,
Mark
The clock is looking great mate. Have fun trimming the arms. I’d just like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a beaut New Year. 👍🇦🇺
I have a cunning plan for that operation.
Regards,
Mark
Interesting project. 👍
Cool project. Happy Summer Solstice. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Hmm, powder coating and laser etching. I might have to try that. Thanks Mark.
They are both relatively easy processes to carry out in a home workshop. There are some initial capital costs but the cost of consumables is fairly low.
Regards,
Mark
Absolutely brilliant. Another amazing creation. Very much looking forwards to the next instalment. Seasons greetings from Switzerland.
Thank you. We almost visited Switzerland on our recent European holiday. We were literally standing on the border but we found out that we needed a permit to drive on Swiss roads. Maybe next time.
Regards,
Mark
That looks great Mark. Was amazing to see the etching with the laser. Merry Christmas to you & Mrs Preso.
Steve.
It's just like magic.
Regards,
Mark
Looks fantastic, I want one !
way cool bud,now i want to build a clock.thanks for sharing
Thanks. A warning though. Making clocks can become addictive! 😁
Regards,
Mark
Looking forward to Part 2. 👍
Great job Preso and I’m really looking forward to seeing it finished. Then you’ll have a decent sized clock to watch those deadlines whiz on past.😂 Cheers, Stuart. Canberra.
Thanks Stuart. I didn't realise how much I missed having a clock in the workshop.
Regards,
Mark
Awesome work Mark, best of the season to you and Mrs Preso from Vancouver Island!
A great project there and a unique clock. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
A timely video for a rainy Friday here. Thanks Mark, have a merry Christmas 🎄
Merry Christmas Mark to you and your family. Thank you for all you do. Your work is always impeccable..
Look amazing Mark Merry Christmas to you and your and Happy new Year.
Great work thanks.
another great video. I don't mind longer videos . I love you projects , and the care & precision you put in to them. great narrating too. Happy Holidays
Lovely work. Well done.
Merry Christmas to you and yours Mr P!! Wishing you a healthy and wonderful New Year!!! Cheers
Thanks Yves. Are you wishing for a white Christmas?
Regards,
Mark
Looks amazing so far. Great workmanship as always Preso
Good Show Mate: As per normal. That was fun. Merry Christmas to You and Yours.
Very cool project, as usual!
Thanks Mark. I absolutely love your videos, you make everything look so 'doable'. I think poweder coating is something im definately going to have a go at!!
In my view, a powdercoating setup is one of the investments that I don't regret buying. The initial purchase cost of the Eastwood gun and power unit was high (because I had to import it from the USA) but that's about the only capital cost. I already had an old toaster oven and the kit came with 8 or so cans of powder. If you already have a smallish compressor, that's about all you need. The powder lasts for ages and never goes off if you keep it dry. The process is pretty fool proof too.
Regards,
Mark
A great project - that is going to be a beautiful clock! Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
fantastic! excited for part 2
Very jealous of the laser engraver...
Im going to have to up my game.
Happy Christmas to you both.
Thanks. Don't be too jealous. My old laser is a bit of a basket case but it does work well enough for what I do. I have then next episode ready to be published tomorrow. The clock looks great and it's big enough to see easily. I have made the vector file and the bitmap available on my Dropbox if anyone wants it.
Regards,
Mark
That looks absolutely amazing!! 👍
Great job Mark, and an interesting video.
Thanks Jim. It's now finished and up on the wall. It's big enough to be clearly visible from all over the workshop.
Regards,
Mark
Very cool!
Great Job Mark, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, 🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲
Very nice !!
Coming along nicely, Merry Xmas Mark to you and yours from a somewhat chilly Thailand this morning, the one week of winter we see here has finally set in, which always happens around Xmas 👍
Thanks. I did a world map update in the next video in this series. It's nice to hear where people are watching from. Always interesting for me too when I check out the locations on Google Maps.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 I still haven't got around to getting some stickers made, but I will and I'll send you one when I do. 👍
Very interesting project Mark. It looks fantastic already. By the way, I used to work the exact same model Student back in the late 80's, it was a very nice machine. Cheers, Jon
Thanks Jon. My Student lathe was always meant to be a "temporary" machine until I could afford something better. It literally fell off a truck when it was being delivered to the school where I bought it from and I had heard that you should never buy a lathe that had been dropped. However I have gradually tuned it to the point that it can do accurate work and I only just found out recently that there were adjustment screws under the headstock to allow for alignment of the spindle. I don't think I will be needing to replace it after all.
Regards,
Mark
Great project! You should find a way to back light the clear acrylic numbers with led lights
That would look cool.
Regards,
Mark
Fenner has taken the gap out on his clausing several times. No issue, just make sure everything is clean when you put it back. I was wondering if burning off powder coat with a laser would work and now I see that it does. I have a project in mind now. Thanks for the video!
I did put the gap piece back without an issue but I cleaned everything as you suggested and I also ran a precision ground flat stone over all the surfaces. A bit of tapping with a copper drift got everything aligned again. Most powdercoat surfaces do etch off but there is always some residue. and it can be hard to get a really uniform finish when trying to acid etch brass with ferric chloride. I have tried and failed to etch aluminium with ferric chloride. You get a runaway exothermic reaction and it just destroys the powder coat. Sodium hydroxide can be controlled more easily by using a weak solution first and then increasing it a little at a time.
Regards,
Mark
That story about the old time machinists refusing to remove the bed from the gap is hilarious because my brother to this day refuses to remove the bed from the gap of our old shared lathe and his new one... I went and bought my own lathe just so i could remive s bed from the gap if needed
I have heard a similar thing myself from more than one source. However if you've only got one lathe........!
Regards,
Mark
I agree on the gap. I'd rather have a second lathe without the gap bed in it than to take mine out of my current lathe. I didn't catch the kind of laser you have. It looks like a C02. I've seen people criss cross the laser to clean up the etch properly. Not sure if your style is capable of that. It still looks really good though. Hope you have a merry Christmas, happy Hanukah, Happy Festivus for the rest of us or whatever it is you celebrate or don't celebrate. LOL. 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎅🎅🎅
My laser is a 50W CO2. It's a bit of a mongrel but it does perform well enough for what I do. I can set it to scan in the Y axis but I have never used it that way. In the next episode due out tomorrow I show how to clean off the remaining surface residue with a solution of sodium hydroxide.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 50W is pretty good. I have a 50W fiber laser. it's really fast and I can do angled sweeps with it pretty fast. The downside is my work area is 7.5 inches and I can't burn certain Materials. Always a trade off. Someday I'll have a C02 laser as well. Looking forward to the new video.
Don't you have a clock on your phone? :)
Lol, it's a great idea and it looks cool.
Those new fangled mobile phones will never catch on! 😁 There will be an interesting Belgian reference coming up in the next video.
Regards,
Mark
Great video as ever Mark……….who upset the Parrots at the start of the video… 🫣😂
Merry Christmas to you and Mrs Preso
Those parrots have been driving us mad. They have found a possum's nest and they harass it all day. In the next episode it's the kookaburras that try to steal the show.
Regards,
Mark
Is this for the town square tower clock lol? Btw what is involved in realigning the Gap? Maybe film it!? Happy holidays.
I didn't have any issue putting the gap piece back in. You just need to make sure everything is very clean and I ran a precision ground flat stone over the mating surfaces before nipping up the bolts. Once they are semi tight I tapped it in and you get a pretty good alignment just running your finger tips across the vees. I believe that our fingers are able to discriminate down to a few microns.
Regards,
Mark
You just have to lurn how to tell the time now Mark!
Great
Mark, you use India Pale Ale as a lubricant for aluminium??? ;)
No, I drink that. But according to guru Stefan Gotteswinter, Isoproply Alcohol is an excellent lubricant for aluminium and it's great on brass.
Regards,
Mark
Excellent project and execution as usual Mark. I know you are a powder coat devotè, but could you have used spray paint? I understand it’s a design choice, but is there a down side to cutting spray paint with a laser etcher? It’s a method I’m considering, so I’m curious.
I have used automotive acrylic spray paint. Probably an epoxy 2K would be more durable but some of those paints have isocyanate in them which is probably going to be toxic when it is exposed to heat. There is a video by Wesley Treat where he paints aluminium with a black spray paint from a can and he then lasers of the paint. He seems to get really good results with it. th-cam.com/video/vdl1vDUQXL4/w-d-xo.html
Regards,
Mark
Did the Rotex leave that grid pattern on the surface ? Its was extraordinarily uniform.
Yes, the Rotex is a pretty amazing tool. I bought it to refinish our decking boards. It was the only sander that had sufficient power to handle the job without burning out.
Regards,
Mark
Thats pretty cool! Too bad you didnt catch the oblong circle till after you laser etched it or you probably could have accounted for it in the vector program. Personally though those clock hands look an awful lot like each other and its kind of hard to tell them apart already. I think shortening the minute hand would just make that harder if you dont at least do the hour hand as well.
You will see in the next episode (due out shortly) that I did shorten the minute hand only. It's not ideal but I'll see how it goes. It turned out way easier than I thought it would be to reshape it without damaging the material.
Regards,
Mark
I checked the ...more for a link to the graphics for this project and surprisingly it was not there. Where can this graphic be found?
Hi, the link is in the description for the second video in this series but here it is anyway www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/kv8qr8oxjgfttd9ssud0g/h?rlkey=vyliffxem6azb4v4obicoyzzx&dl=0
Regards,
Mark
While watching, I thought that if doing that myself I would have rounded the part then engraved. Any particular reason you did it this way? My lathe badge is an oval shape, so I don't think I will be following your lead immediately...
It could be done after turning the part circular. However, accurately aligning the part in the laser for the engraving becomes a bit more difficult if you don't have a registration pin for the centre. I have seen some lovely mid century modern clocks with elliptical dials.
Regards,
Mark
Hi, Mark, new subscriber here. May I ask how you managed to use the powder-coated button-head screws? I would have thought the regular sized Allen Wrench wouldn't fit after powder-coating the screws, so maybe you used a ground down Allen wrench to fit properly? That way you wouldn't chip the powder-coating in the socket by forcing in the regular sized Allen wrench? Love your channel, so thank YOU! Dave
Mark, thank you for answering my question in your Part 2 video, about the Allen Wrench fitment! Dave
Socket head screws are difficult but Philips head and slotted screws are a bit easier. You just need to use a slightly smaller cross sections screwdriver. Chipping of the powder coat is also likely so you need to be careful about the screwdriver camming out of the slot or the cross.
Regards,
Mark
Just a warning to those with Diode Lasers (WITHOUT fume extraction enclosures) in particular. Take EXTREME caution burning off in particular random Powder Coatings (even if you are doing your own check the MSDS) some are FLuorine based which is very dangerous.
Most of the powders that I have are epoxy or urethane and I generally steer clear of the more exotic powders. But I get what you mean. A lot of those diode lasers are sold as is with no fume extraction and the sales brochures often show users with them sitting on a kitchen table inside a house. 😦
Regards,
Mark
The manual for my lathe (made in 2018) tells me to not remove the gap unless absolutely necessary and if I remove it to just leave it out permanently.
For what it's worth, it did go back in without a problem. I did clean everything and I ran a precision ground flat stone over the mating surfaces. The manual for the Colchester says to nip up the screws and then tap the surfaces until they align. I kept running my fingers over the surfaces until I couldn't detect any misalignment. I believe our fingertips are capable of detecting changes in level of about 5 microns.
Regards,
Mark
Have you seen the slightly bigger clock moments that connect to your home wifi for automatic daylight saving time adjustment and daily time synchronisation. Im Not sue if they arehigh torque clock mechanism.
I have not seen them but it doesn't surprise me that such a thing exists. Where I live we don't have daylight saving so that's one less complication in my life. 😁
Regards,
Mark
🤔 If the clock face is not completely flat does that mean a time warp?
Or maybe a space time curve.
Regards,
Mark
...Timey Wimey 🤣
Cheers mate 🍻
12:19 In real time how long did it take? Thanks
I didn't time it but I am thinking about 45 minutes. You can increase the speed but there is a fair bit of mass in the laser head and it's carriage so things start to rock and roll a bit.
Regards,
Mark
Thanks@@Preso58
Where did you find a good graphic file to use to make the resist for the etch?
Oh or rather to laser etch off the powder coat?
I did an image search on Google and found a reasonably accurate (but not totally accurate) version. It took some processing but I cleaned it up fairly well. You can download the artwork from my Dropbox as both a vector and a bitmap image if you would like it (free). www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/kv8qr8oxjgfttd9ssud0g/h?rlkey=vyliffxem6azb4v4obicoyzzx&dl=0
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 That's awesome Mark. Many thanks.
Some fellows would have simply grabbed an angle grinder and ground some clearance rather than remove the gap piece. After all, the tailstock will never reach that spot. But I know you would find that intolerable.
Gasp! Go to the naughty corner immediately! 😁
Regards,
Mark
Hahah, did you steal that deadlines whooshing past quote from Douglas Adams? If so, I wonder who he stole it from!
I had not realised that quote had come from Douglas Adams. I had read it on someone's business card and it always struck me as being funny.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 He said it in an interview and later it was included in one of his books. Apparently, he rarely met deadlines. 🤣
One of my managers a couple of decades ago told me that you only have to provide quote attribution three times. After that, it's yours!
Shouldn't the 12 be at the bottom of an Australia Clock. Small attempt at humor from Ohio USA. Happy new year.
Ah, but the earth is flat, or at least that's what I read on Facebook! 😁
Regards,
Mark
Sorry, I missed the memo. Maybe I am not on the distribution list, ( don't rate high enough)@@Preso58
🎄🎄👍🎄🎄
Marc, you are quite the "manufacturer". Really enjoyed all the steps so far in process. One question though. Do you think the use of lexan backing for clock hours might have a problem with uv? Thanks for your time and skills. The best to you and yours this Christmas season.
I didn't use Lexan (polycarbonate). The backing pieces are just clear acrylic (PMMA) and they shouldn't be exposed to much UV inside the workshop.
Regards,
Mark