Underhead 501 jigmaster

[Alto Mare]

Imagine working on a multi-tonne block of alabaster for months (or even years), then realising you've made an arm too short or removed too much material from a knee joint! 
We're heading to Italy later this year and will have to put the Florentine museum on the list - it sounds fascinating!
Thanks Dominick.
Justin

I wish I could remember the name.  I tried Googling it but I struck out.  I did learn that there is a Leonard Di Vinci museum that from the website looks fascinating.  Check it out.  Dominick

Nice Justin, you will have a great time.
You can't go wrong in Firenze, there are many places to visit, but put this one at the very top: Galleria Degli  Uffizi.
How long are you staying?

Sal

[redsetta]

Thanks Sal.
Debbie's putting it all together (I call her my 'Community Outreach Manager' ), but I believe we've got a few days in Rome on the way back to Ireland for our 20th Anniversary, then another week there on the way back to NZ.
I have a Sicilian mate (my 'best man' all those years ago) who I'm hoping will join us - can't beat local knowledge!
Galleria Degli, Uffizi is now on the list.
Thanks again

[oc1]

Really nice Mike.  You have great imagination, excellent skills and a lot of guts.  Coming up with another billet like that couldn't be cheap.
-steve

[Tiddlerbasher]

Sid, here's a photo taken between drilling the holes and the rough stand that I hope explains the process a bit better. Most of the saw cuts had been made to join the drilled holes.

Thanks, MIke, I get it, it's like sculpting rock, you take away what's not part of the final product. But it takes a vision I haven't yet developed, but seeing what you've done I have a good idea what's going on in your head now when you see a block of aluminum. You're Michaelangelo with metals. Metallic Michaelangelo. Catchy!

Metal Micky - 

[mhc]

Thanks guys, I was a bit ambitious thinking I would wrap it up the following weekend  . There has been a slight change in direction for the 1st Al stand - I'm not entirely happy with it. The two grooves along the base are deeper than I had intended and it's messed up my plan of a narrow stand. I contacted Dominick's museum in Florence that specialises in sculpting/statue mistakes but they aren't taking new exhibits this year and suggested I try again after the current staff retire. Plan B was to put it on a Surfmaster 100.
The first step was to make another jig to drill surfmaster / squidder frame holes;





Next was shape the spacer bars and finish shaping the stand;



The surfmaster 100 doesn't generate the same drag capacity as a modified jigmaster so I thought it would OK to do away with the stainless spacer rings and drill the Penn side plates for the mounting holes. Using the jig, I made a template of the side plate holes, drilled and tapped the holes for a stock plate and dilled 3.5mm through holes for the new stand. Screwed the plates to the template and drilled the holes through the rings and tail plate;





The stand was made from 40 mm square because I had intended to narrow it - now that it is going into a SM100 that is 41.5mm wide, 40mm is a bit narrow. To get closer to the correct width, I cut a couple of 0.5mm teflon spacers for each side;



And a test fit;





Everything seems to be working fine, next step will be to decide how to fill the unused side plate holes - and final finish the frame components. Next weekend 

Mike

[Alto Mare]

  ...beautifully done Mike. One day I'm going to fly over, just to watch you work

Always an amazing job, I always look forwards to your postings.

Thanks Mike!

Sal

[Rothmar2]

Same here Sal, and there is much more to come with this project, which I'm sure Mike will reveal when he's ready.

[Donnyboat]

How much accomadation do you have over there Mike, we might all turn up, thanks for keeping us entertained, cheers Don, it would possibly be cheaper to fly from America, or Canada, that to fly across Australia.

[mhc]

Thanks guys, but I'll warn you I work at a glacial pace - if anyone wants to watch they had better bring a good book or something to fill in their day!  

Same here Sal, and there is much more to come with this project, which I'm sure Mike will reveal when he's ready.

Chris is correct, there is still a bit more to do do with this project. Finish the Surfmaster 100 for a start, then get back on track with the original plan of an aluminium 501 underhead. I've also been side tracked with setting up a small home anodising bath, using the type 2 low current density system promoted by Casswell - it's early stages yet but the few trials I've done look promising. I'm using Rit fabric dye for these trials but will either do a clear finish or use an anodizing dye when I do reel parts. The same dye batch, temp and time were used to color the two pairs of test pieces of 6061 T6 Al shown below. The pair on the left were timed to form a 0.5 MIL (~0.5 thou) thickness at 6 amps/Ft² and the two on the right were timed to produce a 0.7 MIL thickness at the same current density.



A run timed to produce 1.0 MIL was trialed after this photo and produced a deeper red than the 0.7 MIL, as you would expect - I'll take more photos later when I've experimented with it a bit more.

Thanks
Mike

[Tiddlerbasher]

Keep it coming Mike - I'm luving it

[Fishy247]

This is such a cool thread....

Beautiful work!

[oc1]

Not to short change your machinist skills Mike, but the anodizing looks great.  I've been hoping that someone would sort that out and show us how it's done.

-steve

[Dominick]

Not to short change your machinist skills Mike, but the anodizing looks great.  I've been hoping that someone would sort that out and show us how it's done.

-steve

I agree with Steve those colors look great.  I am in awe with the skill you are showing in this project.  Dominick

[Swami805]

Great thread, that is a good looking red on those parts

[Maxed Out]

Wow Mike, love the anodizing. Wish I could do my own because the anodizing shops are very expensive nowadays