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Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 5:04 pm
by MK
First thing that comes into my mind is laser engraving.
How about asking the tube cutting guys if they can engrave, too?

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 5:24 pm
by Smoker
Started eyeballing titanium sheet. Will need 2.

Not sure the exact size I need yet, but I think 8.125 inches square is enough. The thickness should be around .205 inches (or more). Then, the design could be about .125 inches deep, and still have a couple of mm of thickness left over.

Before I buy the titanium sheet, I need to make sure the designs can be transferred to a CAD drawing and CNC cut into the plate.

Thanks, Martin. After I get the 2 CAD drawings done, I'll check with the laser cutting shop. Got a feeling it might be more expensive than CNC, but we'll find out. Whatever it takes to do a good job.

If everything works out, it should be quite a work of art! :mrgreen:

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 5:42 pm
by silverstrom
Smoker wrote: it should be quite a work of art! :mrgreen:
I hope that is all it will ever be used for.

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2018 10:57 pm
by Smoker
silverstrom wrote:
Smoker wrote: it should be quite a work of art! :mrgreen:
I hope that is all it will ever be used for.
Thanks for that, bro. But, someday it'll come in handy. :smt003

Was trying to figure out a way to mount the plaques without any screws or mounts showing.

Forget that. Will just weld the plaques onto the tank. The plaques can have tabs that will sit exactly on the center (high point) of the tubing. Can machine the tabs to whatever thickness is best.

Now, need to look at how and where to attach the stand.

The cap will be a bit more difficult to design, but the machine shop I use said they could pretty much make threads any size and pitch on the filler neck and cap. Doesn't have to be anything standard.

Then, I'll ship the tubing to the laser shop. :smt041 Don't think I need to wait for the other parts to be machined.

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 7:05 am
by MK
How about laser engraving the logos on Ti sheet and weld it to the ring of segments?
(or even better : engrave after welding?)

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 7:46 am
by Smoker
MK wrote:How about laser engraving the logos on Ti sheet and weld it to the ring of segments?
(or even better : engrave after welding?)
Yes, welding the plaques to the ring sounds good.

Too afraid to engrave after welding, just in case something goes wrong.

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 9:21 pm
by Smoker
Worked on the drawings for the tank filler and cap.

Problem was the cap. Threads inside and design cut into the outside. Pretty much impossible for my local machine shop. So, I changed the design to make it easier to fabricate.

Now, on the filler neck, threads inside and smooth outside, no design. Cap is now like a bolt with threads outside. Will make a sleeve to slip over the filler neck and be held on by the cap.

If the machine shop can't cut the design into the sleeve, the Laser cutting company can.

Waiting on the machine shop to get back to me. The bottom of the titanium filler neck needs a 1.5 inch radius, to sit flush on the 3 inch tubing. Also needs a counterbore (internal thickness reduction at the bottom), to make welding easier. Machinist needs to figure out if he can do that. I'll bet if I send the threaded filler to the Laser company, they could cut the radius. Still need to ask about laser cuttting the filler hole, too.

Whatever it takes. Should know more soon.

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:38 am
by Smoker
Laser cutting company told me to ship my tubing to their Sun Valley location and talk to Steve.

Sent the tubing and spoke to Steve. He knew nothing. Had to forward all my email to him so he can see what his company told me.

Not very confidence inspiring.

I'll just keep plugging away.

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:04 pm
by Smoker
Laser company said they need to send a formal quote to my company before proceeding. :mrgreen:

Yesterday, the quote comes by e-mail. No mention of the holes or indexing.

Also notice, it says 12 pieces. Surely, after all the e-mail, they know it's 16 pieces (so I have extra). Maybe they're writing it up like this to give me a break on the price. I okay the quote.

Today I'm sitting here and my heart stops for a second. There was already lack of communication on their part and I'm dealing with 2 people at different locations. I'll be fucked if I okayed the wrong info. I might have to pay another mimimum fee to get the rest done, and wait longer.

Got on the phone and got it straight. I hope. Dude did know exactly what I wanted. Just wasn't on the invoice. Evidently, I didn't need to call.

Need to work on more parts for this pronto.

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 4:24 pm
by Smoker
Hopefully, I can draw the filler neck and have it machined at my local machine shop. Working on that.

Want to make 2 titanium plaques, one for each side. Will need help with these.

This is the "Man in the Maze" design. I think the first step is to scan the design to CAD. Then, I want to add a couple more rings around the outside. To match with my tattoo design. (Photo coming soon.)

Image

Once I get the CAD drawing done, I'll figure out who can machine it out of titanium. Laser or CNC or ?

Need to find someone who can scan the design to CAD. Not looking for freebies, happy to pay whoever can do it.

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 8:30 pm
by Smoker
Back to where I was before. :mrgreen:

On the plaque construction, looking at a single 5mm 6Al4V plate with the design carved into it 3mm deep. Not sure cnc could cut out the details on the "Man". Might need laser. Hope laser can do it.

Would be cool if the floor of the 3mm deep cutout could be DLC coated black, but not the sides of the cutout. I doubt it's possible, though.

One way would to be to cut out the design straight through a 3mm plate and attach it to a solid 2mm plate. The 2mm plate could be DLC coated. Could make the 3mm plate a cap, out of 5mm plate- so the DLC plate could be inset from the back. Eliminates welding around the circumfrence. Problem is, when the cap is welded to the urn, it will mess up the DLC coating.

And there's a design issue. If I cut the design all the way through any plate, the "Man" in the design has to be negative, cut out like a keyhole. I want the "Man" to be positive, if possible.

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 2:20 pm
by Jeff B
Have the hole thing machined out of one piece of stock. Paint it. Then have the paint machined off of the sides. Not cheap but feasible.

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 2:59 pm
by Smoker
Jeff B wrote:Have the hole thing machined out of one piece of stock. Paint it. Then have the paint machined off of the sides. Not cheap but feasible.
My description of what I want is not very good.

I don't want paint on the inside walls of the cutout design.

The piece will probably be one piece of stock, and I'll have to forget about adding black DLC. I could probably find someone super talented to paint in the black without getting it on the inside walls, but paint isn't going to last. At least it's a possible option. I think the design is too difficult to mask, so I don't see DLC or even powder coat working.

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:22 pm
by Jeff B
I'm saying the paint could be machined off of the inside walls of the design.

Re: Need Help With Tank Calculation

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 3:13 pm
by Smoker
Jeff B wrote:I'm saying the paint could be machined off of the inside walls of the design.
Got it. If they could cut the same pattern again, exactly, with less depth.

Seems like it's worth an ask. Might need to be CNC. Laser cutting up to the coating might damage it.