Epilog Rotary Attachment

[Steve Clarkson]

Is there a "minimum" width an item can be?

I have a metal rod that I'm trying to engrave that is about 1.5" in diameter and my rotary doesn't seem to want to work........

[Dee Gallo]

Steve,

Check some past posts where people have done pens. There were some ingenious devices created for them and they are a lot thinner than 1.5 diam.

cheers, dee

[Steve Clarkson]

I saw those, which made me wonder if there was a minimum.

[James Rambo]

I regularly engrave on 1/2 inch CPVC (for a local guy who makes it into whistles) which has a diameter of 5/8 inch OD. I use a ring of lead around the pipe to make it heavy enough to rotate with the wheel on the rotary device. http://parkswhistles.com/

[Steve Clarkson]

Thanks for the idea James,

[John Lewandowski]

Are both those ideas healthy? Lasering CPVC and using lead on a whistle that people put in their mouth?

Or is my perception incorrect on the process and application.

[Wayne Olsen]

From what I can see from the pictures James included and others on the whistle web site, the area engraved is completely separate from the mouthpiece. So I can't see a problem, especially if, as I presume, the whistles are cleaned prior to shipping.

[Mark Winlund]

Here's a toothpick engraved with the rotary attachment for a ULS. It can be done....

Mark :)

[Steve Clarkson]

Great picture Mark......but could you tell me how it was done?

[Dave Johnson29]

Great picture Mark......but could you tell me how it was done?

Looks like a square toothpick to me. Just lay it on the table -- but my guess is it was done with a galvo head.

[Steve Clarkson]

Looks square to me too Dave.......but Mark said it was done on a rotary attachment. I couldn't do a 1/2" pipe, so I have no idea how he did a toothpick!

[Dan Hintz]

I think it's a play of shadows... the toothpick actually looks round to me, there's just an axial shadow near the coin's edge that makes the middle look square.

[Dave Johnson29]

but Mark said it was done on a rotary attachment.


Yup, ... but there is no real rotary work as in wrapping around the surface. I would be more convinced if it was little logo or something that wrapped half the circumference.

[Brian Robison]

Steve, does the engraving need to wrap arounf the object? I do lot's of 28mm & 40mm dia. stainless with no
rotary.

[Steve Clarkson]

Brian....yes it does. I kind of solved the problem......I stopped using the auto focus.

[Brian Robison]

I took my auto focus of a couple years ago.

[Mark Winlund]

Hi guys.... it was rotary. If you look carefully, you will see part of Anthony's last name farther down on the toothpick. It was done on the ULS I have, no galvos! And, it is wrapped around the toothpick. The only thing I did was adapt a very small chuck to my rotary attachment. You can see it here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=58508&highlight=toothpick

The chucks are commonly used on very small lathes. Even cheaper would be a replacement drill chuck. The ULS has a 1/4" diameter shaft on the stepper shaft, so it is easy to adapt.

You need to persuade the software to accept the diameter, since ULS only built it to accept about 3/8" at a minimum. A distortion of the image is all it takes.

Regards, Mark

[David Fairfield]

Mark, that's a great solution, would prevent slipping too. I hope Epilog is paying attention to this!

Dave

[Steve Clarkson]

Thanks for the explanation Mark......now I just need to wait for an attachment for an Epilog rotary to be developed. So Dave, what are you doing this week?