Brass Key Fob for Oregon Resort

First attempt carving brass for a customer that owns a resort. I LOVE IT. Carve like a dream. 40 ipm @ .005 depth.

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looks cool!

That looks sweet what kinda end mill did you use?

Destiny viper .125 2 flute for cut out and eye hole. Destiny engraving bit for the detail. From drillman on Ebay.

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Cool!

What type of brass?

This looks really great! Nice job

Really nice, The detail is super clean. Evokes a nice lure look and the brass is very classy.

FYI - It is supposed to be “Damselfly” not “Damsel Fly.” BUT - this was a proof of concept so… no harm done, except that brass is EXPENSIVE.

This was cut from .093 x 2 x 12 bar I found at the local True Value. Lord knows what kind. I am ordering some from Online Metals today and they have some specifically for machining. Unless someone has a better source. The stuff is EXPENSIVE.

beautiful, what sort of spindle are you using?, and how powerfull is it?, I am trying to carve metals and I am having trouble :slight_smile: Thank you

The makita router on a custom machine that is very rigid. Here is a pic: Any interest in a Makita RT0701 spindle mount for X-Carve - #196 by Earwigger

awesome thank you, that really helped

How long did it end up taking to mill? Also, how did the engraving bit fair? I have an Amana v-bit that uses the replaceable blades. Works amazing on wood but I’ve never considered it on metal.

I have to do 24 of these. I made a two-up jig. First tool path drills the eyes and two other hold down holes. Next, is the engraving. Two passes for a total of .005". Then the cutout which is 24 passes. While two are milling, I am finishing two. So I can do about 4 per hour with lots of wasted time changing bits, etc. I re-zero the z axis for each fob even though they are two up. I’ve milled a flat pocket but subtle variances in each bar plus variances when it is screwed down yields unpredictable results. It would be best to face mill each one before engraving. I am using an actual engraving bit - not a v-bit. After 13 fobs I am beginning to notice degradation in quality from the engraving bit. The Viper .125" bit that has been doing the drilling and the profiling is still going strong.

Here is a new shot. My new finishing routine is yielding better results. You can see the original on the left and the new ones in a pile. 220 grit; 400 grit; 001 steel whool; buffing wheel. Much faster. You can also see variations in the depth of the engrave. For this project, speed is the key. Otherwise, I would make an aluminum jig and do one at a time.
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Project finally completed. Only two had to be pitched out because of ID-10-T errors. Not bad.

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Looks great. Nice job!