Timascus? Mokume?

Anyone try cutting timascus or mokume with the nomad? Thanks in advance

Not that I’ve heard.

Apollo cut Damascus:

and titanium:

But neither of those materials has been cut by anyone AFAIK (timascus is new to me — had to look it up, way cool!) — suspect Mokume will cut similarly to Damascus. Do you have any specifications for them?

Thanks, i guess i’ll just have to give it a shot!

Yes, I’ve cut Mokume with my Nomad. Works great; easy to cut, similar to when I cut Sterling Silver.

I used 24 gauge Mokume that I purchase through Reactive Metals.

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What speed did you cut at? And did you use the hot glue method? Thanks!

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I used 9000 RPM, a feed rate of 12.300". The tool I used was Carbide’s #112 with a depth per pass of 0.008". Also chose Brass as my material (even though it was Mokume).

To adhere my metal, I used the Blue Machinable Fixturing Wax that Carbide has, although I plan on switching to the White wax when I run out of the blue, because it’s water soluble. For now, I’ve found that soaking my pieces in a Goo Gone solution works great on the small pieces to remove the blue wax residue.

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Hi Kathleen,
Have you successfully used Carbide tool #122 (.032") on sterling silver? If so, would you mind sharing feed and speed info that you used? Or any other cutters you recommend in addition to #112? I’m going through the same learning curve to learn to cut metal on my new Nomad that you and others experienced. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated!

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Yes, I have used it on sterling (first metal I cut with the machine when I purchased it). I primarily work with sterling silver and Nomad cuts it perfectly at the feed, speed I mentioned in my Jan '17 post.

Currently, my cutting tool of choice is PreciseBits 2-flute end mill. Stock number MN208-0313-005F

I order them with the depth ring so the end mill inserts at the correct position. http://precisebits.com/search_results.asp?tsPT=MN208-0313-005F&tsPC=ALL&I1.x=0&I1.y=0&tsPTy=ALL&iLevel=1&tsPM=ALL&tsPV=ALL&tFS=fromSearch

I also use their cutting fluid on the top of the metal surface to keep the cutter cool and extend its life. http://precisebits.com/products/chemicals/cutting_oil.asp Added bonus, the cutting fluid also captures all the metal shards so I can collect them easily once the job is complete.

Enjoy your Nomad! I love mine; best studio assistant ever. :slight_smile:

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Thank you for your information and quick response! I have just one more clarifying question. With the .032" cutter, do you use the same or different feed and speeds than what you mentioned in your Jan “17 post for the .063” (#112) cutter.
I notice that In Carbide Create, the auto settings for the two cutters have different RPM, feed rate and depth per pass settings. Thank you for the cutting fluid info as well!

I do not use the auto settings for either cutter. I use the ones specified in my Jan '17 post for both cutters. That’s what has worked best for me with Sterling Silver. One of the support techs developed those settings for me and I have stuck with it.

Another thing I do is keep my cutters labeled for the material they cut. That is, only cut sterling with one, mokume with another and brass with its own. That way the cutters do not cross contaminate and they are designated for a certain type of metal only. I read this in another forum and thought it was a good idea.

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Great, thanks for the clarification and tip on separating out the cutters.

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You’re welcome. Happy creating. :grinning:

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Did you ever try it?