Long Tom
Stainless
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2011
- Location
- Fiddlefart, Oregon
Hey folks! Been a while. I've been very busy, hope the same is true for you (if that's what you want).
A customer wants me to make some small stainless "straws" to retrofit into old Italian espresso machines. I made a batch of them from solid stock (T303) a year ago and swore not to do that again, at the price point anyway. Took too long to drill out; it's a long, small, hole to drill with lots of pecking to clear chips. I can get tubing that eliminates that step, but not in 303, only 304. In my first year doing this I got humbled by 304, primarily it's propensity to work-harden, so I'm a bit put off by the thought of threading it.
The straws are 1/4" on the OD and get a metric OD thread. My concern is that threading is just asking for work hardening issues since DOC will necessarily be small on some passes. The straws thread into brass so the threads must be very smooth. Anyway, before I order a stick of 304 tubing, anyone thread 304 on a lathe? How'd it go? Getting tool height right on such a small OD will be critical, I'd think, and not easy.
Thanks for any info.
A customer wants me to make some small stainless "straws" to retrofit into old Italian espresso machines. I made a batch of them from solid stock (T303) a year ago and swore not to do that again, at the price point anyway. Took too long to drill out; it's a long, small, hole to drill with lots of pecking to clear chips. I can get tubing that eliminates that step, but not in 303, only 304. In my first year doing this I got humbled by 304, primarily it's propensity to work-harden, so I'm a bit put off by the thought of threading it.
The straws are 1/4" on the OD and get a metric OD thread. My concern is that threading is just asking for work hardening issues since DOC will necessarily be small on some passes. The straws thread into brass so the threads must be very smooth. Anyway, before I order a stick of 304 tubing, anyone thread 304 on a lathe? How'd it go? Getting tool height right on such a small OD will be critical, I'd think, and not easy.
Thanks for any info.