New member saying hello

Uncle Ethan · Post by **Uncle Ethan** » Mon Aug 31, 2009 10:41 pm

Howdy, it was suggested that new members introduce themselves to everyone. I hope this is the right forum for that. I retired after working with machinists and calling on machine shops since 1970- I called on shops in Sou. Cal., Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Mn, and Wis. I work part time for a hardware wholesaler, and my favorite hobby is building 1911 pistols, as well as tuning up those needing it. I collect old tools- my shop has a 9" Southbend lathe, a Elgin vertical mill, and a WWII surface grinder [that I haven't assembled yet.] After reading the forum on old engines I may finish fixing my John Deere hit & miss and trade it in for a larger vertical mill. I am strictly a home type machinist- I can get it figured out, but I could never make a living at it. I'm too slow. Hope to get to know all of you, and try to learn more about machining.

Post by **Harold_V** » Mon Aug 31, 2009 11:30 pm

Welcome to the forum, "Unc".

Harold

Gunbuilder · Post by **Gunbuilder** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 10:26 am

Uncle Ethan,
First of all welcome to the group.

Wow what a territory, I can see how "Sou. Cal., Arizona, New Mexico, Texas" are so close together, but "Mn, and Wis." How did they get in your territory?

Thanks,

Paul

Jose Rivera · Post by **Jose Rivera** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 12:05 pm

Welcome to chaski.

Reading your posting I can see that you're no newbie to metal working.

I hope that your enjoy and stick around like lots of us here on this board.

Uncle Ethan · Post by **Uncle Ethan** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 7:59 pm

Thanks everyone for the welcome- Gunbuilder, I get bored easily, and I love new places , etc. I volenteered, and as usual, I loved the people I met and enjoyed a change in weather and scenery. I tried to explain to my wife how "nice and different" everyone was compared to many you meet in California- and now we live here she understands. Heaven- 5.3 miles to the gun range, 37 miles to deer hunting, a little farther to good dove hunting, four seasons, but none too rough, and lots of good people who love America- now if I can just find a clausing style vertical mill that takes a R-8 collet I can work happily. Regards

seal killer · Post by **seal killer** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:21 pm

Uncle Ethan--

Welcome to the forum! I hope to learn a lot from you.

I am a gun-guy. At a recent show here in The Land Of Oz, I saw a "raw" .45 ACP frame. It looked like a fairly easy machining job. I thought to myself--I mean, how else would one think?--that all I needed was my mill and a lathe with a 4 jaw. I would use the 4-jaw to turn the dust cover and the mill to do everything else.

Then, I would buy a slide and its guts and the trigger stuff and a barrel (+ bushing, etc.) and tie it to a log with a long string on the trigger and get my step-brother to pull the string.

It's not that I need to do this to have a .45. I have a bunch of them. I would just love to be able to MAKE one.

What do you think?

--Bill

Uncle Ethan · Post by **Uncle Ethan** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:33 pm

Bill- how good a machinist are you? I bought a 90% machined frame without a serial number and put a serial number on it [by law]- then with my friends help [he is a VERY good machinist] we set out to build him a 1911. I had an extra complete slide, and I asumed that the frame was to tolerance. After fitting parts to it, and correcting and completing the machining done on it so that all the parts worked as they should, the pistol is now shooting just fine. Is there any machining done to the frame at all? Are the pin holes and basic machining done at all? I downloaded and printed a blueprint of the 1911. I will hunt it up and find the web sight where I found it. With that print you should be able to eventually get the work done. Please let me know what has been done to the frame. Send a picture if you have one.

seal killer · Post by **seal killer** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:50 pm

Uncle Ethan--

I knew I could learn from you!

I did not buy the frame. I merely examined it to get an idea of how difficult it might be to machine such a workpiece. I would need detailed plans to actually do it.

I am a newbie. I have had a pretty good mill for about three years and have learned some of the basics and MAYBE a little more. I have plenty of tooling. (Except, of course, when I make something then I have to buy more tooling. Gee. I sure hate that!)

I am thinking that after I screwed up enough times, I could produce a .45 frame that would allow store bought components to fit. One of my MAIN--and dirt simple questions--concerns from what one would create such a piece? Is 4140 overkill? The bearing surfaces on a .45 ACP do realize a lot of slam-bang action.

The one I examined at the gun show seemed very light . . . much lighter than a piece of steel.

--Bill

Uncle Ethan · Post by **Uncle Ethan** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 10:11 pm

The original Commander had an aluminum frame, and such are still produced. If I was to want to build a frame from a block of metal, that would certainly be the metal I would begin with. The least expensive aircraft grade aluminum is 6061-T651, but 7075-T651 is stronger by approximately a third. If you have a metal supplier near you see if they have rolled bar, or plate that could be cut to the correct blank size. That would be the easiest way to start, and probably the most economical. Remember, bandsawing is the fastest and easiest way to remove excess stock to achieve the basic configuration. Good luck!!!

jrmjimmills · Post by **jrmjimmills** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:22 am

Just adding my first post. Hi to dgoddard

seal killer · Post by **seal killer** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 1:35 pm

jrmjimmills--

Welcome to the forum! I hope you enjoy it here.

--seal killer

dgoddard · Post by **dgoddard** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 9:14 pm

jrmjimmills wrote:Just adding my first post. Hi to dgoddard

And hi right back to you

And all you folks here, let me introduce to you Jim Mills. Wizard of the "Fabrication Lab" at the University where I taught. (And please guys, forgive us at the U. because if we had called it a "Shop" instead of a "Fabrication Lab" we could not have gotten it funded from up at the higher levels of administration).

JM has a bit of advantage on the rest of us. Not only does he run the Fab-Lab machine tools Lathe mill, surface grinder, it also has, calibrated hot press, hydraulic press, plastics injection molder, cnc mills, heat treat furnace, downdraft welding table tig, mig,stick, oxy acetylene, plasma, tool crib, sand blaster, sheet metal brake, sheet metal shear, tool crib.

Plus he has access to the metallurgy lab with hardness tester impact tester tensile/compression tester, metallography, precision measuring, his own office, nicely lit, clean, air conditioned, and it is all his fiefdom. (Oh yes, did I mention a budget

)

While I was teaching there he and I collaborated extensively. For the students, he is the primary anchor of reality, practicality, and conversion of theory into functionality in their senior design projects. He keeps a lot of the labs going and makes lots of special items for the professor's research projects. (I used to tell the sophomores, "Don't get sideways with this guy if you want your senior design project to work" )

I must not forget to mention his history in building race cars and racing boats. Some of the adaptations that have appeared on his own auto are a sight to behold. If you challenge him to a drag race, you and your machine had better have some excellent credentials.

It is nice work if you can get it, and it couldn't have happened for a nicer guy.

So lets give Jim a big howdy!

P.S. Jim, please fill us in on what other neat goodies have been put under your control since I retired.

The Home Machinist!

New member saying hello

New member saying hello

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