I prefer engine turning softer materials like aluminum. It’s not hard, but it does require a lot of time and you need to be painstaking about how you overlap the pattern for best effect. But, you can also buy single sticks very cheaply.Įngine Turning, also called Damascening, is a very straightforward process. I use Cratex sticks quite a lot around the shop, so I bought their big assortment of sizes and grits. On a CNC, your machine’s normal coolant should be fine–no need to contaminate it by adding oil. Use with a little WD-40 or other convenient lubricant and they work great. A method I like better is to chuck up an abrasive stick, such as a Cratex:Ĭratex sticks are just abrasive embedded in rubber. This technique works, but is messy and a bit fussy. For the brush, a wire brush will last a long time. Many like to use Mag Wheel Polish as the abrasive. You can use a brush or buff with some abrasive compound. Try programming a plunge milling toolpath to achieve the desired effect.įor your jeweling tool, there are a variety of possibilities. Most jeweling is done by hand, often with a drill press, but a CNC machine can make short work of the task and CADCAM software can achieve a perfect layout. Image via Tin Can Bandit’s Gunsmithing Blog… Typically, you overlap the plunges by half the diameter of your jeweling “cutter”: You take an abrasive of some kind, put it on a rotating brush or buff, and drop it down onto the work in a pre-defined pattern. How to do engine turning and jeweling of bolts and other partsĮngine Turning is very easy to do, at least in principle. It’s often scene on the bolt and other parts of firearms as a decorative touch:Īnd of course, Charles Lindberg’s Spirit of St Louis airplane featured engine turning on the cowl: Here’s a motorcycle instrument pod done by reader Nate: Classic automobiles and hot rods used engine turning as ornamentation. It’s seen in a number of different applications. The beautiful patterns on the pieces in the image at the top of the page are made by engine turning, also referred to as jeweling. This article will sample some of the techniques involved. There is a huge body of knowledge concerned with machining for artistic effect. Machining is often about mechanical precision and function, but not always.
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