Making PAF Slugs?

[peskywinnets]

They are 2$ for a 6 pcs set and if you contact them you will get an OEM discount. In the end I don't think it is worth the time and money to make your own if you can buy good looking slugs for 20 cent each if you consider the time you need to maufacture these and the cost of having them plated. Of cause it all cooks down to how you value your own time.

Or whether you can source the slugs in the size you need- I need about 5mm high x 6mm diameter, so I haven't much option! (just need to figure out how to use my 7 x 10 mini lathe well enough!)

Nickel plating seems simple enough....

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0xFlIQ9MhQ"]YouTube - Nickel Plating[/ame]

PS What does a bulls eye slug look like?! (there's only one gooogle image & it's not close/detiled enough!)

[Possum]

...

Turns out I had to make slugs tonite. I get a kind of sick Zen satisfaction out of making my own that look exactly like real PAF slugs, even plated the same cheesy way. It takes me about 30-40 seconds to cut and bevel one slug on both ends. The real time is in blade preparation and dialing in the machine to make repeat cuts that are the same, takes about an hour maybe to get my 7x12 done up right. Set up is tricky because the cuts at operating speed can drift a little and you have to repeat your actions precisely or you cuts will differ. I imagine any kind of machine you get will be about the same amount of work, maybe the machine in the video I posted would speed it up some, but that doesn't look like an inexpensive machine either. Wish there were an optional cross slide for the Harbor Freight machines that had a backside tool mount to put a V blade to do the bevels, not sure it would really make it faster, there's room back there to add one some how but man that would probably be a couple day project at least...

[JGundry]

The Mojotone slugs are nice but the diameter is a little over sized if you are making PAF correct bobbin.

The slugs I'm getting made are going to be made on a Brown and Sharpe screw machine. The shop is about 10 minutes from my office. I will try and take a video of it in action when I stop by to approve the first articles.

[David King]

Possum, do you have a quick-change tool post (QCTP) for your lathe yet?

The lathe in the video is obsolete, Hardinge stopped making them in 1990. There are probably thousands of them looking for work at any given time.
I paid $1500 for mine, new they were about $16,000 I think. If you look around for "DSM" or "second operations" or "speed lathe" you will see them all over the country going cheap ($400) except for the pacific northwest. best bet is big machinery auctions. Freightliner is going off line soon and they must have several dozen of these that will get auctioned off at the Swan Island facility. That's were mine came from but mine was a cull and it's turret was pretty trashed. Elgin and Rivett also made very similar lathes and some parts are interchangeable but there are different models over the years and the beds are different so you have to know what goes with what.

I think there is a kit for a lever action cutoff slide to fit the Atlas 12 lathes but I've never seen anything for the 7x10s or the 9x20s. They are just too light to handle production capabilities. It's easy enough to set up a second toolpost behind the spindle with upside-down cutters -people do that all the time.

[jonson]

This should explain all that David has just said Possum.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB3CvBFEbP0&feature=related"]YouTube - Dick's Turret Tool Post Demo[/ame]

[David King]

Did I OD on Zanex or is this guy.....just.....a......slow.......talker. .....

[jonson]

No he just knew Possum was gonna watch it.

[Possum]

...

Yes I have a quick change tool post, thing is I removed the little spring stop so I'd have to square it up every tool swap, I don't see this would really be a viable quick way to alternate tools anyway, you'd have to swap tools every 30 seconds, would be real tiresome. Do you have any links how to add a second tool post? The bitch there would be to have it perfectly aligned with the first tool post, I don't see how you could do that.

[David King]

Dave, your cross slide has T slots in it that go front to back. You need a riser block the same height as your compound slide that has slots on top that go parallel to the spindle. You put a second QCTP on top of that and lock it down in line with the front post. You can then fine tune the two cutter's alignment by using the front compound set at 90º to the saddle. You'll need a locking stop on the bed to stop the saddle at the same point relative to the chuck.

You can order a second compound slide from Grizzly instead of buying a riser (if they don't exist for that lathe).

Read through Frank Ford's http://www.frets.com/HomeShopTech/hstpages.html list of lathe tricks. Frank's a good guy and he'll answer your emails too