I made this out of natural colored delrin. It cuts like butter.... and makes a comparable mess!!! The stuff machines great but it is strong even in thin strings... so a 4' long .010" or so diameter "String" is not uncommon during machining. That wraps aound the stock, the chuck, anything it can grab and trys to beat you to death!! But, everytime I make one they come out so nice I want to do another. We call them "Battery Buckets" here... not sure where that came from! The Delrin is near indestructable.
While turning this one I had the thought that if you used Old-Lumens "Human Lathe" process, some PVC pipe, a cut off threaded PVC nipple, and a little PVC cement, anyone could make these even without a lathe.
That looks really nice. The human lathe can’t do internal threads(or external ones either). Ooh I’m jealous. I use a RadioShack solder tube for my spare 14650, for 18650’s I ream out grey PVC 2 1/2” threaded nipples with a 3/4” bit.
Well, think about that a minute. If you took a PVC threaded pipe nipple, cut the threads off witth a little left... cut that down to fit inside a just larger PVC pipe...cemented it in... then use a screw on cap... you have threads. Look at Old-Lumens method of fitting the Mag bodies he cuts down by hand back together... thats the method.
Thanks Scaru, let me think on that a little and see what material cost now... I have had this Delrin for a zillion years. This is a plain one... I'll do one like we normally make and post an image or three... You'll like those better.
fyi, there is a size of black polyethylene pipe at Homedepot that fits 18650s very nicely.
There are plastic pipe plugs that can go in one end (cut most of the plug off so it doesn’t take up interior space), and threaded pvc caps will (lightly) self tap on the other end if you heat up the poly a little bit. Alternatively, a wrap or two of electrical tape on the end of the polyethylene and the pvc push on caps will fit very snugly.
Yeah, it works but the caps aren’t flush so not nearly as slick. I do my AA mods using thin brass tubing to marry the tail cap section to the cut down tube. What makes yours so nice is … Everything! From the detail on the cap to the o-ring sealing it. My version of the human lathe is an imitation of things done on a lathe. I can’t do this, no way no how. Yours is the superior intellect.
I should off added that that is one classy looking battery carrier. I had a chuckle about the swarfe and chuck. I've machined a little bit of plastic and teflon type materials and theres not a hope any chip breaker is going to work on this type of material. I'll put my hand up for a couple at a couple off dollars each. I need a couple off 26650 ones as well.
Sissy! everyone sing along.... MRsDNF is a sissy...lalalalala!!! Just chuck it up, set the knobbers, shove a tool into it and you got threads!!! Ha! You know, in reality, YOU ARE RIGHT! A tap & die is the way to go...BUT.... I always end up with this off the wall stupid size that would force me to either own $10K in taps & dies or .... perhaps plan a design as I SHOULD so something would be industry standard!! Who Me??? NEVER! Ha! That would be too easy, too fast and too convenient!