Aug
18
2009
Metalworking: cufflinks
One of my first metalworking projects was making cufflinks for my wedding. They are aluminum and I turned them on the lathe, and used the mill for some drilling and flattening (by eye). The back piece screws on and off.
Very nice Corbin. A great idea, one I might have to knock off.
Did you use a die for the male threads, or did you singlepoint them? I assume you used a tap for the female threads, as that would be a teensie boring bar to grind.
If you’re into doing more jewelery, I highly recommend you pick up some 316 stainless steel and/or titanium. Both of them are totally hypoallergenic (other stainless steels can irritate nickel allergies, and rust). Titanium is easier to machine, but more expensive and not as scratch resistant. I think it looks better, but it depends on the piece, of course. Stainless polishes up better.
Warning, both of them work-harden (stainless is worse, but only because it’s ahrder to cut int he first place), so it’s good to have a bit of carbide tooling on hand as a backup (one endmill and a couple brazed turning tools is usually enough). But it’s best to just never let a tool dwell on them. Use slow speeds and aggressive feeds with sharp tools, and they both machine like a dream. Both of materials are a pain to knurl, in case you decide to try that.
Yeah, thanks! I did use a die for the threads and a tap for the hole; it was quite easy, especially with the Al. I definitely want to get some 316 stainless to work with; the aluminum was mainly to get my feet wet and get a feel for the machines. It’s definitely fun!!