bryan_machine
Diamond
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2006
- Location
- Near Seattle
I am making "molds" and perhaps also "extrusion tools" - but for a material that is sort of cross between putty and cement.
While I can machine flat surfaces very very smooth (like anybody else) getting the convex and concave surfaces ultra smooth requires a lot of post machining work.
These are not plastic injection molds, but issues of sticking and flow still apply, so similar principles apply.
I have finishes that we are going to try soon, achieved with just lots of sanding with various grits of wet-dry sandpaper.
I am finding that polishing stones don't seem to work any better (I have some different ones coming.)
Do folks have a notion of the highest return-on-time tool to try next? (For example is an NSK with the reciprocating polishing handle the bees knees, or is it something only useful for special applications? Is there some particular flap disk, flap cylinder, etc. that I should likely try?)
So far these molds are aluminum...
While I can machine flat surfaces very very smooth (like anybody else) getting the convex and concave surfaces ultra smooth requires a lot of post machining work.
These are not plastic injection molds, but issues of sticking and flow still apply, so similar principles apply.
I have finishes that we are going to try soon, achieved with just lots of sanding with various grits of wet-dry sandpaper.
I am finding that polishing stones don't seem to work any better (I have some different ones coming.)
Do folks have a notion of the highest return-on-time tool to try next? (For example is an NSK with the reciprocating polishing handle the bees knees, or is it something only useful for special applications? Is there some particular flap disk, flap cylinder, etc. that I should likely try?)
So far these molds are aluminum...