Making A Branding Iron // First Time Milling Aluminum With My Benchtop CNC

[@Charlie-xr5lg]

I like to use WD-40 as a lubricant when machining aluminum. It keeps the chips from building up on the end mill, leaves a nice finish, and it doesn’t take much to go a long way.

[@AndyBirdBuilds]

Thank you for the tip!

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

Very cool that you're jumping in to aluminum milling!

[@AndyBirdBuilds]

Thanks man! I love trying new things

[@GARYCARLTON1]

Thanks for your encouragement... Im needing custom stamps for leather.

[@sczygiel]

I use paintbrush to get rid of the shavings. The oil will always clump them. Maybe the oil-water emulsion will not but that adds separate set of problems. So I use silicon lubrication and just brush off the shavings.

[@83colinb]

I use an isopropyl/water mix and air blast on alu

[@AndyBirdBuilds]

Thanks for the info

[@mp180170]

Great video thanks Andy another project to my list 👌🏼🇬🇧

[@splinterfingerswoodworking8995]

How is this branding iron holding up?

[@benmckenney5035]

Pretty sweet dude. I've thought about branding for my cnc based business. They have heater blocks that attach to the brand that can be chucked into a drill press. Just an idea for you if you have a large order you could just make a jig to hold it in the drill press and knock a bunch out at once without having to put a flame to it

[@AndyBirdBuilds]

Thanks! I've seen those. I'll check it out👍

[@UnstupidTube]

I used to hate milling aluminimum. Tried a lot of things and really hated using any oil, wd40 or other lubricants because the cut chips would always clump and stick everywhere. Not to mention the oil would ruin any spoiler board.... the best thing I found was a constant flow of air from an air compressor to simply blow the chips out of the way. Better yet look for a "Cold Gun" by a company called Exair. It will keep the bit cool and remove the chips at the same time. You will need a good size compressor though! ;)

[@daviddnx632]

What a great video, nice one

[@AndyBirdBuilds]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@PeterWa666]

Put on some kind of extra sacrificial board, the oil will mess up your spoilboard and possibly stick to your woodproducts on the next run...

[@AndyBirdBuilds]

Thats a great idea, thanks!

[@kraigrichard7043]

Heard this is getting popular. Let me know if that reads well. I think it would heal like a blob "The heat damages the surrounding tissue and not just where you strike the design," he says. "Just like if you touch a hot pan and get burned, it can create a blob on your skin." 😁

[@andreww6738]

I Love it, Thanks for showing g how it's done. The thought has crossed my mind months ago to try one, but wow that looked pretty easy and you have some Nice detail there. Maybe over Christmas I'll give it a shot, just gotta get my hands on a small block of aluminum. Any idea what grade aluminum heartbeat you used?

[@rosspearson9277]

Tap a rod into it that will fit into an electric soldering iron. Switch it on, get it up to heat and you're done.

[@daviddnx632]

This is gold! Stealing that

[@benjaminh772]

Use air to blow the chips away for aluminum

[@markadamarnold]

Great work!!

[@davelevee7385]

Too cool

[@AndyBirdBuilds]

Thank you, dude!

[@jasonmpd2946]

A low power homemade induction heating coil would heat that brand up really fast and save on MAPP gas.

[@JonathanKolodner]

It's aluminum, induction is not a great choice because induction works much better on ferrous metals. Instead consider resistance heating given how conductive aluminum is-take a look at the ones used in 3d printer hot-ends. You can drill holes in the side of the block to drop them in. A quick googling shows you can get one off Grainger for less than $20 for a 1/4" diameter one from Tempco.

[@ScottSmith-bx5xv]

Hi You where using 3 in 1 oil. This was three years ago so maybe you have found something better. Try varsol. That’s what we use for aluminum for cutter Coolant/fluid

[@ClintonCaraway-CNC]

Suck is up. As long as you have a cyclone separator nonferrous metals are safe in your dust collection system.

[@AndyBirdBuilds]

Interesting, will it damage the impeller over time?

[@ClintonCaraway-CNC]

@@AndyBirdBuilds with a cyclone separator the metal never makes it to the impeller. If wood dust drops out of the airstream before it gets to the impeller then aluminum dust would for sure. If you are using a shop vac instead of a real dust collector I'd say it would be fine as well. It is made to suck up dirt which contains small rocks and worse.

[@SMS14411]

@@AndyBirdBuilds I don't believe it would, the cyclone separator will drop the shavings into the bucket before it even gets to the impeller.

[@woodruffwoodruff6853]

Use kerosene for Aluminium milling cheap and works well.