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I am trying to make a Stirling engine, for the displacer piston I need to weld an aluminium tube to some aluminium plate and possibly bar but I don't have any welding equipment, so any suggestions?

Hi, I have got some 1 inch aluminium pipes (GI pipes) which I want to thread. I got the threading machine (hand held racheting type) and when I try to thread using that, it goes about 2 threads and after that, its pain - so stiff and even after exerting all my force, the pipe wont thread. I had read that to thread easier, you should coat the pipe with Wax or threading oil. Is there any other tips or tricks that you have used for threading? Any input is greatly appreciated. Regards, Sujith

I need the best technique for cutting a harmonica comb from aluminium or brass(or anything else for that matter!) with a router or hand tools. It needs to be fairly accurate but not necessarily that proffesional looking(I like the homemade look). I have no problem building a guide or template for the router but I want some advice on the best way to go about it. They need to be 100mm x 25mm x 6mm. I can buy sheets at the right thickness so it is just the comb shape I need to get. Thanks

Is there a better way to mold aluminium into tableware than using green sand molds?

My dad has a mig welder and i dont want to buy a gas kit for that so ive been thinking of buying a cheap stick welder WIll it be able to weld aluminium angle or box aluminium

What is the exact name for this type of aluminium extrusion/profile? Because I have difficulties finding these profiles, when I google places to buy. them.http://www.tradekey.com/product-free/Aluminium-Extrusions-industrial-Aluminum-Profile-275215.html Best regards Chris S. Ramming

 I recently made some Aluminium Chloride by electrolysis and evaporated the water off and powdered the crystals. I have about half a 35mm film canister full *That's a standard unit of measurement you know :-)* Just wondering what I can do with it. (Maybe try and get the Aluminium back?).

How can i sell in your site an aluminium cast foundry?

I'm looking for ways to get text and designs on to an aluminium sheet. I've been told that only anodised aluminium can be laser etched, but I wasn't told why exactly. I know laser cutting aluminium can reflect the laser back. I experimented with putting a sheet of paper on the aluminium, then etching just enough so I could use it as a stencil. However, I went too far and got an image on the aluminium. It's exactly what I wanted, but now I'm not sure if I should do any more for fear of damaging the machine. I honestly can't see any danger, because as far as I know, anodised aluminium just has a coating over regular aluminium Other ideas are painting the aluminium and etching that off. I've heard of the type of paint that's close to anodising the metal, but I was thinking a more conventional paint. Should I be worried about damaging the machine  by laser etching raw aluminium? I've been using a 75 Watt Epilog Fusion.

Hi Guys, Intrigued about this guys process... would it be heat gun? http://www.seventeengallery.com/artists/jon-rafman/new-age-demanded/

I just saw an aluminium stair (costing bout €30~€40) and wondered why i couldnt cut it up, and use it to create a heatsink for transistors and stuff like that. would this make any difference with comercial heatsinks? only in terms of heat-conduction i know shape is a factor, but i'd like not to get into that, i could bend the cut-up stair or something

I need a kind of high energy aluminum battery.help ...

Is there anyone in the UK that could do this for me at a reasonable price? I have some pieces of aluminium 25mm round bar that I need some simple turning work done on. I need one end of the bar taking down to 24mm and a 25mm deep hole threaded to take a 1/4 UNC bolt in the other end, Other aluminium 25mm round bars need a 25mm deep hole threaded to take a 1/4 UNC bolt in one end and a 25mm deep hole threaded to take a 3/8 UNC bolt in the other end. I am in Reading Berkshire.

My super clip (tainted glass attachment) frame broke near the center attachment. I've tried solder it with regular solder, but it's too weak, the frame seems to be made of aluminium. Any ideas how to fix it or should I spend the 40 $ fixing it at the local jewelry store?

This is a really basic question—I have managed to get to 66 years old and still be a complete handyman novice, I have tried but my best efforts are lamentable. I think it is because I have never had anyone to show me handy things and have never asked anyone so turning over a new leaf I am determined to start making a few things instead of spending a fortune buying them and paying people to do things for me. My first project is to make a simple slide carrier and I have bodged one up in cardboard but it really needs to be in something stronger so it is rigid, metal would be ideal but very stiff board would also do if I can not cut the metal. I do have a thin sheet of aluminium, (from the casing of an old laptop) that I would like to use buy am frightened of messing up & worse injuting myself! I now realize that I have no idea how to cut a square hole in a piece of metal or, for that matter, what tools I need to cut aluminium in the first place! My overiding consideration is to be safe so I don't want to try, (what to me is a daunting task but probably to you guys the simplest of things) not knowing what I am doing. So can someone please help me out and tell me what tools I need and how to go about cutting a square hole in a piece of metal? Rest assured I will not do it if I do not think I can safely. Thanks.  

Hello (excuse my English really bad I'm Belgian and French) I would like to cut aluminum sheet of + - 5 mm thick and also cut paper without "burning the edges" I would like to know what kind of "laser head" the cheapest possible exists and what would be even better, whether this kind of "laser head" is recovering ... I was thinking of a DVD laser burner but, even though I I'm as good at DIY as an elephant is good at skydiving, I guess a DVD burner will not cut aluminum ... A big thank-you

Hi there, I'm new here and pretty much to DIY in general (except for general repairs) - I'm planning to build a glass dry-wipe board with a simple aluminium T-Frame and need a bit of basic advice. Not knowing the lingo of the trade, its been very hard to find suppliers/information and my research seems to have gone as far as it will ever get, so I figured it was time to ask for some help. I've managed to find a supplier who stocks 25mm square al tubing and was wondering about the best way to construct the frame. My design for the frame is extremely simple - it's just a t-frame with a single crossbar which will run below the pane of glass. I have access to a reasonably well equiped workshop, but unfortunately no welding gear (I hear that al is difficult to weld anyway) which isn't too much of a problem as I would like to be able to deconstruct the frame. I would appreciate any tips which may be useful to a newbie, but mainly I need to know how to fix the al bars at right angles in a non-permanent manner. The desk which I'm sitting at right now has some sort of threaded inserts at the end of each crossbar, allowing it to be bolted a right angles to the frame. I tried googling these inserts, but couldn't find anything which seemed relevant. If anyone could point me in the direction of these inserts or provide an alternative solution, it would be very much appreciated. Thank you

Hello, I plan on casting some aluminium soon. However, I haven't decided on what to cast.... any ideas??

I make balls of aluminium rings from chainmail technics and in a test phase i filled those balls with kevlar, which is being used by the jugglers round here. So, aim was to make burning juggling balls from chainmail. I used aluminium cos it conducts heat very well, so that ppl hardly would get burned from juggling with these balls. Problem is, that the aluminium became rough and prim and the rings started to split shortly after the ball was being set on fire. I dunno bout forging, but is there a way that i can keep the aluminium rings away from this effect (tempering?)? Is there a way to light up such balls without damaging the rings?

I'm building an aluminium frame for a radio controlled car. Will JB weld be strong enough to join the individual rods, and handle a few crashes and rolls? Also the general stresses from acceleration etc. I've got some low temperature welding rods and a blowtorch but having huge problems with adhesion and flow to even get started with a join.

Hi Can anyone help this old codger trying his first casting please. What I am trying to make is an aluminium block, 150mm square by 52mm thick with a 100mm hole in the centre, hopefully with a decent finish as I am short on finishing equipment. I am planning to weld angle iron into a square to make the sides, use a section of 100mm steel tube for the centre hole and tack weld them onto a steel plate to make the mould. I also want to fill the tube to make a disc. Does this this sound feasible please, also will the aluminium, as it shrink as it cools, get stressed by the centre steel tube. When I have poured the aluminimium into the moulds, do I slide a scraper across the top to get a reasonable finish. Many thanks Keith

I am currently working on a new Instructable covering the topic of soldering aluminium and stainless steel. As I am "old school" and don't like to waste money on special equippment unless really necessary, I would like to get some feedback on what to include. So far I covered the basics of the materials, the general how to and what to llok out for. Pics and videos will be made once I am happy with the tutorials to give a better understanding. Aluminium is considered to be hard to solder with no experience and I would like to try to make it possible for the hobbiest to do it, same for stainless steel. For example: Should I include my recepies for stainless steel fluxes or limit it to the procedure of actually doing it without any flux? Is is better to document with nice pictures or videos showing the entire process? (asking the noobs that want to learn it) Is it necessary to go into details like what solder alloy is best for the purpose? For me it is quite hard to go back to a "I know nothing about it state" and make sure everything a noob might need is included. But the longer I work on it the bigger the Instructable is getting with informations that not everyone might need, like how to properly clean the surface, remove the oxide layerand provide the right temperature for the job. Trying to keep it simple but complete and not drifting into boring details is harder than I tough on this topic :( Feedback and requests are welcome!

I want to make a small backyard aluminium foundry, but I don't know what to use as a crucible. I've seen soup cans, but it says they rust away, and ceramic shatters. I've also seen things like the bottom half of a propane/co2 canister, but I don't have thing like angle grinders to cut it open.  Also, how would I make the foundry? I was thinking of laying down fire bricks in a pattern like this: (from top, looking down) []==== []  O []===O ====[] with mud to fill in the cracks. Would this work? Thanks, josh1324 PS. The two []'s and four ='s are just one brick.

NASA and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) have launched a water-powered rocket 1300 feet into the atmosphere!The rocket was actually propelled by a frozen mixture of "nanoscale aluminium" (isn't that "dust"?) and water, pumped in at the consistency of toothpaste and then frozen in place. The propellant is known as ALICE (aluminium and ice - convenient, eh?)Earlier this month, the collaborative team, Drs. Steven F. Son and Tim Pourpoint of Purdue, Rich Yetter and Grant Risha of Penn State, Vigor Yang of Georgia Tech, Harold Bell and Frank Bauer of NASA, and Mitat Birkan and Thomas Russell of AFOSR watched as the rocket soared high into the sky, to 1300 feet near Purdue University.ALICE is generating excitement among the researchers because it has the potential to replace some liquid or solid propellants. It is a promising propellant energetically. Theoretically, when it is optimized, it could have a higher performance than a conventional propellant. In addition, because of the abundance and easy handling of the raw materials, ALICE could potentially become the propellant of choice for missions leaving other planets, since it could be (relatively) easy to manufacture from local raw materials and far easier to store than cryogenic fuels. Story from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base via Rocket Dungeon.Video found by Jeff-O

For those aware of my open source solar energy project, I've just finished giving the first free construction workshop at the Riverside community in Motueka, New Zealand, which went really well. Details to be posted to the blog in the next couple days. But the point of this post is; for the previous two prototypes of the device I used kitchen foil for the reflective surface, stretched over the back of a welded wire mesh. This worked actually quite well, but takes a bit of prep and you can put your finger straight through the thing. But during the course of the workshop I was donated some 60 cm x 90 cm aluminium lithographic offset printing plates, which a guy had picked up for $1.50 a piece from a local newspaper. I rang their printers and was told that they were not only aluminium, but of a particularly high grade. His company alone, and it wasn't large, apparently scraps about 900 of these every week. He said it was a very common printing process, tho I don't know about countries other than NZ. I didn't really need to polish them, despite being over three years old, and they were a nice thickness to curve into a parabolic trough. So: very cheap, very highly reflective, can get everywhere and nice to work with. Should take environmental wear and tear well. Perfect? We just make home concentrated solar a lot more achievable?

I do not have access to any proper mold making materials, only items that can be found in a hardware store or a pharmacy. I would like to know if I can use plaster of paris as a mold material for a simple pour type casting using a lost wax type method. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Hi , I hope there is help here? I have wracked my brain s out !!!  I built an awning off the house - Well I didn't  ...a tradie did... but to my specs..and the awning is useless as it needs sides... so I want to put up bistro (Plastic ) blinds... I think the weight of them will be too heavy .. Or when I screw into a hollow beam I will have no way of stopping the beam from stretching as it's  has thin and light sides...  So I need help Do I go through to the other side of the beam to put into place a ????  Maybe I want a strong metal sleeve that will enable me to screw ? bolt? attach these blinds?? Any ideas? Thanks heaps if you read this ....and have any ideas...!

How do u get aluminium powder? do u just grind aluminium into a fine powder or what??

I know that hydrogen peroxide and alcohol equals well"whoomph", but what happens if I mix hydrogen peroxide and aluminium?

What kind of laser is required to be able to cut (thin) steel sheet, copper and aluminium plate?Thanks

I have recently been making helicopters out of empty aluminium cans by deconstructing 1 I bought. I'd really like to get my hands on some apache templates to start making these aswell. I only really need the main body of the helicopter as rotors, legs and wheels are all pretty much the same. A basic apache will be fine, not necessary to have all the other gizmo's and gadgets that some of the more 'tech' apaches have. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

hello, i have discovered my ball mill with its large (2cm) grinding media, cant mill 100% of my aluminium powder, however it does mill roughly 50% after 8 hours, so i want to know where i can find a super thin aluminium mesh flake separator  which i can periodically sift out my powder, from the powder /flake mixture. the powder size i am looking to sift, is sufficient for use in thermite and flash powder, essentially just standard super fine aluminium powder that stains whatever it touches silvery. i have seen one before for sale on diversehobbies before, but now its gone, and i cant find one anywhere else. does anyone here know where i can find one online?

Hello all, The left panel in the image I have uploaded represents aluminium frame, 1mm thick. What I would like to do is design another aluminium or plastic piece that can snap into the inside of this frame (something like the right panel in the image). The frame, once positioned in, would be a permanent fixture. I have looked at different kind of snap-fit joints but I'm not sure on what's the most appropriate design in terms of simplicity and functionality. Another issue is calculating the actual dimensions of the snap-fit joints. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

I was wondering, perhaps somebody has a creative idea how to fasten a piece of Velcro to an aluminium plank 3/8'' wide. I was thinking: 1. Riveting - the head is to big though and the result is not as flush as I would like to be. 2. Glue - I don't like gluing things, would rather have a mechanical\fusing solution. But even if I agree to do so, what kind of glue should I use?

I was planning to do this instructable https://www.instructables.com/id/Crystal-Ring/   and i planned to use aluminum wire that i pounded flat, since i have a hard time finding other materials suited for it but when i tried to solder it with silver solder the aluminium smelted first. next i tried to heat the whole ring and then drop a bit of smelted aluminum wire into the little gap wich worked better but not perfect. Any ideas to solve this?

I'm making a pedal board/road case with a buddy of mine. It's in its early stages, but it will consist of a pedal board and lift-away lid, covered in tolex with metal corners and such. I'd like to put some sort of small name plate or logo on the front end of it. I've found a blank switch plate cover, normally used to cover up spots where light switches or power outlets used to be, and by some means apply a logo or text to it. It's about the size that I'd like the logo/text to be anyways. I guess I could go and print a sticker and call it done, but I'm looking for a way to make this more permanent. It will be on the outside of what is essentially a small road case, so it will be up against the elements. So I guess if there was a good way to print off a design and put a layer of something over it so it will stay in place, possibly be shiny ( :D ), and be protected from the elements, I'd be all set! For the sake of aesthetics I've decided whatever plate I get, it will be some kind of metal. I've found brushed aluminium, stainless steel, and chrome.

Alright everybody, I have a project that requires aluminum rods that will fit together. Does anyone know of a place like mcmaster, in the sense that you can pick and choose your sizes and grades but with a quality that is not industrial? McMaster is just too expensive when looking at aluminum rods. Also, what grade of aluminum do all you DIYers find is the best for multipurpose use? All help is appreciated

I plan on making a small amount of flash powder for recreational uses, and would like to keep my limbs attached to my torso. What kind of anti static spray should i use? I can't seem to find any results on the web about what kind of anti static spray i should use... Does it matter? Is any better than the other? Thankies!

So I made a rad Yoda wax figurine recently and I'm looking into converting him into a aluminum via the lost wax casting method. I've seen some other instructables on casting the metal into plaster of paris, but that doesn't seem to preserve the very fine details that I want. There are a few other methods I've seen on other forums, like mixing fine sand with plaster and making a ceramic mold...I have even wackier ideas like using fireproof cement, but I haven't seen anything online to support using it...what other ideas can you think of that don't involve expensive investment powders I have to buy online? 

Vinegar + Bleach + Iron = Iron Oxide? Bleach + Iron = Iron Oxide? Vinegar + Iron = Iron Oxide? 12 volt energy + Iron = Iron Oxide? 12 volt Energy + Salt + Iron = Iron Oxide? Hydrogen peroxide + 12 volt Energy + Iron = Iron Oxide? Can someone clear me out?    I am trying to make thermite but I have heard that you can make iron oxide using just bleach, however, there have been claims that bleach can actully acumule impurities which makes iron oxide impure which means that thermite will not have the same "performance".    I found a 12 volt supply in my house and i put a steel inside of a glass, i put the negative and positive but i found no evidences of iron oxide.    The only thing i accomplish was the glass full of green stuff in it.

Hello. How strong is JB weld compared to cast aluminium? A broken lever from the quick snap from a "Supercut 2 Q" oscillating tool from "Fein".

Hi guys, I've been messing about with lost foam aluminium casting here in the UK. I've tried packing expanded polystyrene, and Jablite but they seem really difficult to get a good finish on the foam patterns. I want to be able to machine them, or use them in a basic foam lathe. I know that in the States they have a denser finer grained insulation material (blue and pink in colour). These both seem to be better for obtaining surface finish. I've tried to Google the stuff over here but it seems to be silly prices. Does anyone have any links to UK sites that sell a similar product? I was wondering if the harder stuff that you saw up and stick between the rafters for loft conversions would work as this seems a much denser fine grain foam to me. Any ideas or advice would be appreciated.

So I tryed melting some cans with a propane torch and they didn't exactly melt, been told they aren't the best for melting. I think I have some think aluminium wire lying around so I will try melting that , Anything else/ideas. I don't really know what i'm doing with aluminium. I have inkots trays steel ladels ect from my dad. We have done lead plenty of times but never aluminium.

Can i make a ''coin/penny battery'' with ''Bronze and Aluminium'' alloyed coin????. well my country's currency coins have following Composition: 1: Bronze and Aluminium       1 rs 2: Brass and Aluminium         2 rs 3: Cupro-nickel                      3 rs can i use any of them to make coin/penny battery?????please tell me if any of them will work.....

Hi I know that there are great and experienced pyrotechnics on this site so I need your advice if its good with you all. What type of aluminium powder is best for flash powder is it German dark, Indian dark, or 1250 mesh 10 micron aluminium powder. To all those into pyrotechnics I am glad to meet you through this site because I am obsessed with fireworks.

I'm painting some 1/16" plates of aluminium black. I gave them a wipe down, and used some generic primer and black spray paint. (I originally started off with a paint gun, but it broke). As the plate dries, it starts to crackle in some areas, but not all over. Any ideas what is going on? I've never had this problem painting steel, or wood. Do I need a different type of primer, specifically for aluminium?