Post #777855

2026-03-26 00:33 UTC

Ok, internet. I&#39;m reaching out here. 😮‍💨 I&#39;ve been trying for a few months now to find someone capable of doing a machining project. After MANY frustrating conversations with machinists who find this job either too small (for their big shop) or too large (for their boutique shop) I&#39;m posting here for reach and boosts, etc... My goal is to take steel rod stock (likely stainless, but this is flexible based on pricing) in either 7/16&quot; or 15/32&quot; diameter (either should work, i believe) and do the following operations to it: 1. cut to 6&quot; length (ultimately, if this has to be done in long batches first, it could then be parted out at the end) 2. give one end a very small radius (either 1/16&quot; or 1/32&quot; radius) 3. machine the other end down toward a point shape but then leave a &quot;ball&quot; on the end. (this ball doesn&#39;t have to be perfectly round at the tip, but it would be nice to come as close as possible) I have a STEP file for this project, but you can see a rendering of it in this post. Thankfully the source rod stock would be easily-obtained sizes and nothing exotic. (We can also adjust the overall length of the resulting parts so that there&#39;s no waste... like if we take a 4&#39; segment of source rod but the cutting kerf means that the resulting pieces are a shade under 6&quot; in length overall, that&#39;s fine... the idea would be to yield eight parts from a 4&#39; source piece of stock) The goal would be to produce at least a dozen of these rods, but ideally we&#39;d scale that up to 50 or even 100 pieces, if that improves the pricing. The timeline would be for me to take delivery of at least a dozen finished pieces no later than May 5th... but if we can turn out more of them well before that, well this is a plus. Does ANYONE out there find this project appealing to take on? Or, if you KNOW a machinist, would you share this project with them to see if they are interested? Feel free to boost this, etc etc. Thanks! 😊👍

Replies (20)

@Mataway@hachyderm.io 2026-03-26 00:38

@deviantollam@defcon.social can PCB Way do it? Seems like their sort of thing.

Open ##2206855
@johntimaeus@infosec.exchange 2026-03-26 00:39

@deviantollam@defcon.social Where do you need them? And what precision does the ball end need?

Open ##2206865
@rusty__shackleford@mastodon.social 2026-03-26 00:41

@deviantollam@defcon.social Stainless steel tig welding rod may help. Good luck.

Open ##2206866
@mbirth@social.mbirth.uk 2026-03-26 00:52

@deviantollam@defcon.social The pointy end reminds me of a periodontal ballpoint probe. https://www.ddgroup.com/hand-instruments/probes/dir200--instrument-bulk-packs-cpitnc-probe/

Open ##2206867
@GreatBigTable@mastodon.social 2026-03-26 00:55

@deviantollam@defcon.social you might give Evansville Sheet Metal Works a call. They do custom jobs of all sizes. https://esmw.com/ You can talk to an account rep who can go over your options with you.

Open ##2206868
@multioculate@mastodon.social 2026-03-26 01:04

@deviantollam@defcon.social if you just need 12, that's vaguely in the realm of a weekend project on a small manual lathe, depending on tolerances. What sort of price range are you looking at?

Open ##2206870
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info 2026-03-26 01:22

@deviantollam@defcon.social As a hobby machinist who isn't bidding the job (sorry...) I'll try to provide helpful feedback that might make it easier for someone else to work this with you... This is going to be a pain to do in stainless. Stainless work-hardens easily. There are different grades, but all of them work-harden somewhat; stainless is not a "free-machining" steel. Consider specifying a free-machining steel of the machinist's choice, e.g. 1215 or 12L14, if you don't need to harden it, or tool steel like O1 if you do need it harder, because it can be heat treated. If you are concerned about corrosion, consider nickel plating; it's easily within the realm of the home hobbyist. You'll want to give tolerances. If the radius at the blunt end is cosmetic, then it's just a quick touch with a file; maybe 30 seconds of work, so just say that it's cosmetic. If you are asking for a selection of some precise radius that needs to be matched to another feature you will make, then it's probably detailed work with a form tool — and a right pain. Similarly, the tolerances for the ball can make a huge difference in cycle time here. Tolerance for length will matter too. You will have kerf, and also you have to clean up from the cut. But then you have to finish to length. Knowing the tolerance on overall length will be important as well, as well as the acceptable variation between parts. Like if they all have to be ±.1mm of each other but can be anywhere between 5" and 6" long, say that; without knowing your purpose it's hard to guess. If you really want stainless, and especially if surface finish is not a primary consideration, or you are willing to do polishing as a post-processing operation, you might consider having it printed with SLS (selective laser sintering) from your STEP files. Good luck!

Open ##2206871
@redback@aus.social 2026-03-26 01:23

@deviantollam@defcon.social have you tried sendcutsend?

Open ##2206872
@helplessduck@beige.party 2026-03-26 01:25

@deviantollam@defcon.social I may have just the person for you. I don't know anything about machining, so I can't speak to what they can/can't do, but I can attest to Scott's intense perfectionism and giddy joy at complex problems. Old friends with whom I cut ties over their fawning for our putative president.

Open ##2206873
@foundthefault@tech.lgbt 2026-03-26 01:30

@deviantollam@defcon.social I think people are turning down this job because it's a bastard thing to make. If the ball is at most 1/8" wide that necked down section looks closer to 1/32" proportionally. It's not very strong to resist machining forces. Think about a (non-hardened) rod stock that size, you could just bend it with your fingers. This feels more like a tool making process. It reminds me of a ball burr with no cutting edges on it. I wonder if you could get a tool company to make some that way or grind one smooth. Could this be done with SLS 3D printing instead? What kind of forces are this thing going to encounter?

Open ##2206874
@emily@fedi.uni.horse 2026-03-26 01:40

@deviantollam@defcon.social this is too large for my boutique shop (read: one girl with a manual lathe and a short attention span) but I am deeply curious what you're doing with these

Open ##2206876
@DemonXanth@mastodon.social 2026-03-26 01:54

@deviantollam@defcon.social This shop is likely able to do what you need done and is somewhat local to you: https://wellerindustries.com/about

Open ##2206877
@KenVale@mstdn.ca 2026-03-26 03:12

@deviantollam@defcon.social This is one of those things that might need a redesign to be easier to make to get more people interested in manufacturing it. I wonder if you could use parts from various measurement devices (height gauges, dial indicators; specifically the probes) as an off the shelf component simplification.

Open ##2206878
@federicomena@mstdn.mx 2026-03-26 03:27

@deviantollam@defcon.social @j_angliss@fosstodon.org if you look for edupuertas on youtube, he may know someone who can do it. He does CNC machining for the small, repetitive pieces of stop-motion armatures.

Open ##2206879
@DesertRainFrog@aus.social 2026-03-26 04:41

@deviantollam@defcon.social Can you adapt to existing item ie already made, something like embossing tool ball end or similar for leather working? Edit: or a stylus or some type of pointer.

Open ##2206880
@PythonLinks@mastodon.social 2026-03-26 06:07

@deviantollam@defcon.social What are you building?

Open ##2206881
@Antonyo@mastodon.social 2026-03-26 09:04

@deviantollam@defcon.social It might help to ask a draftsman to clarify what you want.

Open ##2206882
@ciphermonger@infosec.exchange 2026-03-26 12:38

@deviantollam@defcon.social If PCBWay can't do it, you could check with SendCutSend. They do small batch work like that too.

Open ##2206883
@Fabian83@chaos.social 2026-03-26 22:24

@deviantollam@defcon.social '3D Edge Finder Probe Tips' are very similar shaped, if you find you need them manufactured to higher precision. But if not they are too expensive.

Open ##2206886
@Curve25519@infosec.exchange 2026-07-14 19:55

@deviantollam@defcon.social Ahh, it all makes sense now https://youtu.be/WV-ftU0zxCo

Open ##3816664