Has anyone mastered engine turning?

[softailgarage]

The swirls found on vintage Craftsman drill press bands, tablesaw faces.
Several years ago when I was into restoring Craftsman machinery I tried to teach myself this art (and it really is an art). I tried everything from pencil erasers to wood and fiber dowels to create the swirl pattern, but had a hell of a time with "pattern alignment" if you will. Curious as to how many have tried and failed vs. tried and succeeded. If you have succeeded, whats the trick?

 

[CraigStu]

I haven't the patience for it. One guy I saw made an extra large table for his drill press and then cut a bunch of strips of wood like a yardstick. He put a fence at the back of the table like on a radial arm saw. He laid a bunch of the strips on the table and had one clamped on one end also. He cut one of the strips into squares. He used something like these but smaller
https://www.ebay.com/i/232493122788...1291&msclkid=2eea0916266b1cd3a4ae57c1a12186f6
So he had all the strips in place and slid his work into the right rear corner and brought the scotchbrite down. Then he pulled the work away a little and put one of the squares in the corner and slid the work to it. So now it was one square to the left and scotchbrite. He added squares until he had done all the way across, pulled the squares, added a strip and started on the 2nd row. The size of the strips and squares has to work w/ the diameter of the scotchbrite. It's tedius as can be but a nice end result.

 

[lowdowndodge]

I have seen guys using a abrasive rod chucked into a drill press to do this with good luck. I believe cratex makes these rods just google engine turning abrasive rod.

Sam

 

[shawnspeed]

When I was younger, I worked in a prototype/hot rod/whatever paid the bills type shop. We had a rig for engine turning that was Basically a piece of plywood with slots down all 4 sides, and strips of pine that fastened thru the slots to make adjustable fences...they were marked in even intervals, and there was usually a strip of tape with a register mark on it to get everything regular. I would make the burnishing tool by bonding a piece of rubber to a washer welded to a 3/8 bolt, true it up on the lathe , and then apply valve grinding compound to it... even pressure .. and a 123 count move 123 count n move .... well ... rinse and repeat...

 

[4xdog]

I've always liked engine turning, although I've never tried it.

For a step beyond, look at the scraping done to the surface of, say, a Bugatti engine block.
https://www.bugattirevue.com/revue23/scrape.htm

Here are a few of my photos of Bugatti engines over the years. They're works of art as much as mechanical engineering.

 

[Simplytodd]

I thought about this a little as I have a speaker project coming up that I want to do some engine turning on. My idea was basically to make a board with a grid pattern of holes laid out on the dimensions I would want the pattern of the swirls to be taking into account the size of the tool that I would be using to create the swirls. Then I would use a few dowels as a reference fence for two of the sides. When it was time to move to the next swirl just remove the dowel and shift it to the next hole. Once one layer was done shift the dowels down one line to start the next row.

 

[gatewaysysop]

The swirls found on vintage Craftsman drill press bands, tablesaw faces.
Several years ago when I was into restoring Craftsman machinery I tried to teach myself this art (and it really is an art). I tried everything from pencil erasers to wood and fiber dowels to create the swirl pattern, but had a hell of a time with "pattern alignment" if you will. Curious as to how many have tried and failed vs. tried and succeeded. If you have succeeded, whats the trick?

I stumbled on this the other day, seemed like a reasonable way to go about it:

 

[Bobf]

Many years a go I made a gauge panel for a fibreglass replica Auburn dash for a Model A rdstr. I used various previously mentioned Cratex sticks in a drill press with a piece of marked/lined plywood clamped to the drill press. Very tedious and time consuming but it did work very well. I no longer have the patience for such projects

 

[4xdog]

My neighbor at a house several states away works for one of the bigger fire apparatus and equipment distributors in the area. He gave me a tour of their shops a few months ago. Most interesting. They had a collection of twenty or more engines under roof that we looked over.

And I learned something I'm surprised I hadn't noticed before.

It's common for firefighting equipment to have gold leaf lettering for cities, department names, engine numbers, and so on. Those letters can be done two ways. The traditional and more expensive way involves hand work. On those the engine turning common inside the character outline is well centered and spaced. If the characters are made by cut vinyl transfers the engine turning is independent of the letter or number and there will be off-center engine turning or parts of patterns that run off the letter.

People who live in that world notice *instantly* how the lettering was done. Plus points for hand done work for sure.

 

[MBfreak]

I worked in an industrial instrumentation workshop in the sixties.
The foreman for the mech part was a licensed Rolex Master watchmaker.
He used 2 mm diamondpowder filled stainless rods in a small mill and moved the part ( usually smaller than 15 mm) on the xy table. The part was submersed in kerosene.
Took several hours , outstanding results.
Applying the right force and time for each swirl was an art.
I tried, looked like chickens..t

Good for small parts only.
Ola

 

[ZRX61]

I've seen it done with the part clamped to the table on a mill.

 

[matt_i]

If one could get the "cutter" to be long-lasting it would be easy money in a VMC. More time editing out the points which weren't needed but only cycle time would be a penalty if they were left-in (turning "air" where the gages go)

 

[DGersic]

My 37 Chevy gauge cluster, made from stainless and turned last winter.



A license plate backer, also stainless, turned this winter.



It takes a little while to do, but it’s kinda fun. And cool to see what comes out of the process when you’re done.




Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[txvwnut]

It's common for firefighting equipment to have gold leaf lettering for cities, department names, engine numbers, and so on. Those letters can be done two ways. The traditional and more expensive way involves hand work.

I've been through the Pierce plant several times, all of the gold on a Pierce firetruck is hand done and hand turned. The guy doing the gold leafing showed me how it was done and looked at me and says your turn. The application is easy its the hand swirl turning that takes the most patience. The guy doing that say you aint getting a turn at this to which I reply and say your right I'm going for a beer.

 

[Copymutt]

Roloc and scotchbrite pad in the drill press. Establish layout before beginning.
Replacement hood brace for 55 chevy.

 

[Manny]

I haven’t tried it, but I have watched several YouTube videos about it.

‘ScoutCrafter,’ on YouTube, has two videos with 3 different methods of ‘jeweling/engine turning.’

In the first video (beginning at the 8:30 mark), he used a red 3M Scotch-Brite pad and wood dowels. Towards the end of the video, he used Lapping and Grinding Compound and a wood dowel.

In the second video, he used a Cratex Rod. I like this method the best, but he had to figure out a way (now I need a milling machine and a lathe) to hold the Cratex Rod in his drill press.

Good luck!

 

[Robert Haas]

I like the look so much I did it large scale on my 12 foot long bench

 

[Simplytodd]

I like the look so much I did it large scale on my 12 foot long bench

Not that I am going to do this but curious how you accomplished it on such a large piece? By hand, mag drill? What’s your secret?

 

[Robert Haas]

Not that I am going to do this but curious how you accomplished it on such a large piece? By hand, mag drill? What’s your secret?

drew it out as a grid with a sharpie, then used a 4 1/2" angle grinder mounted to a simple fixture that rested on the bench. I have done three other benches with the same technique. FYI the "Pad" is a 4" wire brush.

I think I have a couple pictures I will look for to show you

 

[Simplytodd]

Please do. On second thought I have a bathroom vanity that I am wanting to build this might be a cool feature to add to it.

 

[Robert Haas]

Now before I get lit up that this is not a machined turned surface....I just do this to get a finish that does not show scratches like a plain stainless top.

That said here are the pictures I promised. Please be nice, You don't have to like it, in fact it is fine if you hate it.

 

[lowdowndodge]

Robert
That looks awesome great job.....

Sam

 

[txvwnut]

Since you used an angle grinder and not a brace and bit I'd say it qualifies and machine turned. While the effect may not be exactly the same its still cool as hell.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I've always liked engine turning, although I've never tried it.

For a step beyond, look at the scraping done to the surface of, say, a Bugatti engine block.
https://www.bugattirevue.com/revue23/scrape.htm

Here are a few of my photos of Bugatti engines over the years. They're works of art as much as mechanical engineering.

I LOVE real Bugattis. They can keep that two-tone upside down salad bowl Veyron. I don't care how much power it has. It's uglier than blue mud.

Tommy

 

[tmax]

I've been lurking on the site since 2008 but never posted before so I can't send any links or pm. If you can go to the H.A.M.B. site and use their search bar and enter engine turned it will take you to an excellent thread with good info and pictures on how to do turning.

 

[Earp69]

I've been lurking on the site since 2008 but never posted before so I can't send any links or pm. If you can go to the H.A.M.B. site and use their search bar and enter engine turned it will take you to an excellent thread with good info and pictures on how to do turning.

talk about a longtime lurker lol

 

[DGersic]

I haven’t tried it, but I have watched several YouTube videos about it.

‘ScoutCrafter,’ on YouTube, has two videos with 3 different methods of ‘jeweling/engine turning.’

In the first video (beginning at the 8:30 mark), he used a red 3M Scotch-Brite pad and wood dowels. Towards the end of the video, he used Lapping and Grinding Compound and a wood dowel.

In the second video, he used a Cratex Rod. I like this method the best, but he had to figure out a way (now I need a milling machine and a lathe) to hold the Cratex Rod in his drill press.

Good luck!

Local hardware store. Buy some K&S brass tubing of the appropriate size for the Cratex you’re using. Leave about 1/8” sticking out, and chuck it in the drill press.




Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[gunguy]

Now before I get lit up that this is not a machined turned surface....I just do this to get a finish that does not show scratches like a plain stainless top.

That said here are the pictures I promised. Please be nice, You don't have to like it, in fact it is fine if you hate it.

Wow. Just Wow.

Jim

 

[Dutch01]

A couple of years ago I did that finish to an electric frying pan. True and flat surface was not important, only looks. I used a wooden dowel stick on a drill with valve grinding compound at the end. The dowel was a brooms stick iirc turned down at one end to fit my drill.

 

[softailgarage]

I have seen guys using a abrasive rod chucked into a drill press to do this with good luck. I believe cratex makes these rods just google engine turning abrasive rod.

Sam

I tried the Cratex rods but had a few issues, 1. cost, they're not cheap, 2. getting them to hold in the chuck is a challenge, 3. the rods flex under pressure which leads to a uneven pattern.

I stumbled on this the other day, seemed like a reasonable way to go about it:

Tublacain...been a subscriber for a long time but never saw this, I wish I had. I never considered using an abrasive powder and the wood dowels would be perfect, cheap, any size available and durable, worth giving it a shot. Thank you

My 37 Chevy gauge cluster, made from stainless and turned last winter.



A license plate backer, also stainless, turned this winter.



It takes a little while to do, but it’s kinda fun. And cool to see what comes out of the process when you’re done.




Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

Absolutely beautiful work

Roloc and scotchbrite pad in the drill press. Establish layout before beginning.
Replacement hood brace for 55 chevy.

Very nice...I tried the scotchbrite as well, had a helluva time using it.

I like the look so much I did it large scale on my 12 foot long bench

Love it, want one and by all means would consider that to be engine turning

 

[Fueler]

I have used those 2" round scotchbrite type pads that quick attach to a mandrel. Redneck cut the diameter down to the size I needed by spinning it against a belt sander.
They can be used by hand, drill press or mill.

 

[DGersic]

I tried the Cratex rods but had a few issues, 1. cost, they're not cheap, 2. getting them to hold in the chuck is a challenge, 3. the rods flex under pressure which leads to a uneven pattern.







Tublacain...been a subscriber for a long time but never saw this, I wish I had. I never considered using an abrasive powder and the wood dowels would be perfect, cheap, any size available and durable, worth giving it a shot. Thank you







Absolutely beautiful work







Very nice...I tried the scotchbrite as well, had a helluva time using it.









Love it, want one and by all means would consider that to be engine turning

Can’t help with the price of the Cratex rods.

I solved the chuck and wobble problems, though. Get a piece of brass tubing the right size for your Cratex. Leave about 1/8” stick out, and the drill chuck holds it in place.



Full thread on making the dash insert is here:

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/making-a-37-chevy-dash-insert.1139385/



Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Manny]

Local hardware store. Buy some K&S brass tubing of the appropriate size for the Cratex you’re using. Leave about 1/8” sticking out, and chuck it in the drill press.




Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

Great idea. Thanks!

 

[gunguy]

There's about 3 seconds of engine turning in the movie, "Spirit of St. Louis" with Jimmy Stewart. It's shown while they're building the plane in the Ryan factory.

Jim

 

[dffay]

All good advice gang. Just one more offering....If you start your passes going left to right, always do that on the workpiece. If you do some passes left to right then get bored and go right to left. It will stick out like a bagel in a bucket of grits.

 

[nadogail]

From the pictures I have seen in this thread my short answer is YES, there are Masters of Engine Turning.