开云体育

ctrl + shift + ? for shortcuts
© 2025 开云体育
  1. BridgeportMill
  2. Topics

Dial indicator crystals (new rabbit hole for me!)

 

Hello all,
First off, I apologize for any cross posts. ?Lately, I’ve been fixing a few “parts only”?dial and dial test indicators that I picked up on eBay. ?I’m thinking about getting some 1/25” clear?acrylic sheet and making some nice new?dial crystals. ?Anyone ever worked with acrylic sheet? ?Is this something I’d?knock out with a punch and die setup? ?I did see one guy on YouTube make?his dial crystal on a lathe. Clamped the acrylic sheet between two silicone rubber pads and turned the O.D. ?The Mitutoyo crystals have a beveled edge, so maybe the lathe is the way to go. ?Thoughts and comments from the the collective group?brain power please!

Thanks,
George H. Meinschein, P.E.
Firearm and Ballistics Engineering LLC
150 Brittany Drive
Freehold, NJ 07728
gmeinschein@...
Cell#: 732-580-1736


Sent from for iOS

--
-George M.
 

The lathe is the way to go. Brittle materials like acrylic don't respond well to punching. Sharp tool bit with zero rake angle and a little nose radius works very well. The rubber padding is completely unnecessary as long as the acrylic is flat and you have a back-up surface that supports the diameter and is also flat. If the material has no masking, use blue painter's masking tape for low-tack protection.
 

Thanks for the idea. ?I was thinking about just plunging into the flat sheet with a?mini fly cutter. ?I can see a benefit to using the lathe though. ?Quicker to just?dial into the right O.D. Instead of?trying to?adjust?the fly cutter.

Thanks,
George H. Meinschein, P.E.
Firearm and Ballistics Engineering LLC
150 Brittany Drive
Freehold, NJ 07728
gmeinschein@...
Cell#: 732-580-1736


Sent from for iOS


On Fri, Dec 15, 2023 at 9:11 AM, telecentric33 <mbostonsprint@...> wrote:
The lathe is the way to go. Brittle materials like acrylic don't respond well to punching. Sharp tool bit with zero rake angle and a little nose radius works very well. The rubber padding is completely unnecessary as long as the acrylic is flat and you have a back-up surface that supports the diameter and is also flat. If the material has no masking, use blue painter's masking tape for low-tack protection.

--
-George M.

1 - 3 of 3