PFG Live

Shop Organization: Pieces, Paths, Power - How do you organize your shop? We discuss various systems. McMaster-Carr Catalog Drawing - Who will win? Did you get your entry in? Follow-ups, Your Questions, and More... ----- Save $500 at FormLabs by using my referral code at the Links page, below. Links for products/designs mentioned are at pfg.gg/links Follow me on Instagram at "spencer_webb_nh". ("PF...

Countersinks: Oh, What A Relief It Needs! - I bought a set of countersinks that... well... sucked. So I learned how to re-grind them with my equipment, and learned a bunch. Then, I had a failure with a known-good one... and learned MORE!! Successful Teeny-Weeny Form 4 SLA Parts - For one of my antenna consulting gigs, I needed some little parts which I figured I can make on my FormLabs Form 4 resi...

Soldering: Alloys, Eutectics, Fluxes Planning For Not Crashing Your Questions, Comments, and More... ----- Save $500 at FormLabs by using my referral code at the Links page, below. Links for products/designs mentioned are at pfg.gg/links Follow me on Instagram at "spencer_webb_nh". ("PFG Stones®" is a registered trademark of Kinetic Precision) Local Elevator by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Cr...

Two Guys And A Pencil - The Problem Process No. 1 Robin Renzetti and Tom Lipton are presented with a problem they have not seen in advance. We have the privilege of watching them solve it, or at least try to. ----- Save $500 at FormLabs by using my referral code at the Links page, below. Links for products/designs mentioned are at pfg.gg/links Follow me on Instagram at "spencer_webb_nh". ("PFG Sto...

Cyanoacrylate Management - An awesome tool in the shop, cyanoacrylates have some do's and don'ts, and ways to optimize their use. Spencer's CA management trays. Safety tips. Know Your Envelope Of Action - Ask a machinist about their milling machine, and you will no doubt hear about it's work envelope. How about your's? Upcoming Events, Your Questions, & More... - Do we finally have a date for the...

Collet What You Will: The Many Types - With all the different collets available, it's confusing. Isn't the good ole' 5C collet all you need. Um, no. A Blivet In Three Ops: Engineer vs. Machinist - Boy you should hear the arguments between the engineer upstairs and the machinist downstairs. They have the same goal, don't they? Specialization: Was Heinlein Right? “A human being should be able to cha...

Focus Is Critical - It's critical for laser cutting, and it's critical for YOU and your business. When Vendors Get Acquired, Beware. - The story of vendor relationships, and it has a happy ending. Resistance is not futile. New Toys, Your Questions, And More... - We get a new toy for the shop, it finally snowed, and hope... there is always hope. ----- Save $500 at FormLabs by using my referral code...

Laser Lessons Learned - Getting the job done with not enough power, Scotty. The Optimization Process - It gets complicated quickly. The Gentle Art of Getting a NO - How I turned a brush-off into new shop capabilities, and more money in MY pocket. Your Questions, And More... ----- Save $500 at FormLabs by using my referral code at the Links page, below. Links for products/designs mentioned are at p...

Lasers: CO2, Fiber, Diode... How To Choose - There are many choices in lasers for the shop and sometimes it's not clear what is appropriate. We discuss the types, the physics behind them, and how they interact with various materials. Engraving, Cutting: In-House Or Outsource? - Sometimes it is better to send it out than to do it in-house. What is the ROI on a laser? What services are available? Yo...

Shop Batteries We Need, Prefer, And Avoid - Primary vs. Rechargable, Alkaline vs. Lithium, Duracell vs. Energizer... There are a lot of choices. Let's look at history, facts, and experience. Shipping: Is Shippo A Win? Canada Strike - Yep, some problems solved and some delivered to our doorstep. There is a little bad news, and a whole lot of good from the shipping department. Your Questions, And Mo...

Is Hard-Milling Hard? - We Ask Adam - Adam Demuth helps us get started in hard-milling. Machine, tool, and workholding considerations. When does hard-milling make sense? Why I Dumped ShipStation, And Like Shippo - You ever go to a doctor who insists that you use his prescription drugs instead of over-the-counter solutions, and doesn't even understand the science? (I did and... I fired him.) You ev...

The Many Lubricants In The Shop - Seriously, how many different ones do we have?!? Do we really need all of them? Can we get Clutter Credits by clearing some out? Recipes Are Your Business - You can read that two ways, and they are both correct. And no, patents are NOT the answer. Dryness Update, Your Questions, And More... ----- Save $500 at FormLabs by using my referral code at the Links page, b...

EDM Is Not Just For Dancing. Amazing! - A beautiful gift from a member of our Discord community, LanceK, inspires us to learn more about EDM. Magnetism and Aluminum: Don't Panic. - This ain't your grandfather's refrigerator magnet. There is a lot more to magnetism than we thought. Dry Updates, Your Questions, And More... - What does the very slow race to dry look like? We reveal the latest data an...

[This is an edited version of the locally recorded PFG.Live. The YouTube stream broke for unknown reasons, but all the good stuff is here. Enjoy! - Spencer] Lapping: Finally Making Flat Mirrors! - After a discussion in the After-Party Round table with Robin Renzetti, I tried a version of what he suggested and started getting some really nice results: mirrors. I am bringing that recipe in for a lan...

First Humidity Data Points! - A long-ish term experiment has completed it's first week, and the first data points are ... interesting! 1-Micron Diamond Laps Initialized - A set of hand-laps for 1-Micron diamond have been made ready to work, and we discuss the process and preliminary results. Problem Solving in the News - Yes, SpaceX stuck the landing(s), but the real story is why their problem sol...

Your 3D Model's Great. Got Drawings? - With all the new tools available for designing solid objects, we mustn't lose the skill of making good drawings that show Design Intent. The Problem Process Needs You! - Tom and Robin will return in a special segment called The Problem Process. But, we need YOUR input to prepare. Dry Filament Experiments Update - Quantified measurements are underway to charac...

First, we wrap up the EINSTAR scanner project with intern Shaylie. Parameterizationalism in Fusion - Parameters can save your bacon. How to use them, test them, and best practices... in one man's humble opinion. Filament Dryness Epiphanies - It was right in front of us the whole time. We figured out that dry filament is good. We figured out how to get it dry. Now let's keep it dry... there are som...

Special Guest - Tom Zelickman of Tormach - We catch up with Tom, who's been a friend for a long time. We learn about the new Tormach machines, and where they fit in the journey of machinists and makers. First Bambu X1C Crash! - Yep, it had to happen. I was messing around with some custom g-codes, and... well... we survived to tell the tale. IMTS Wrap-up, Your Questions, And More... ----- Save $500...

Tucker of Tuck's Garage ( @tucksgarage7614 ) reports from IMTS... LIVE! ----- Save $500 at FormLabs by using my referral code at the Links page, below. Links for products/designs mentioned are at pfg.gg/links Follow me on Instagram at "spencer_webb_nh". ("PFG Stones®" is a registered trademark of Kinetic Precision) Local Elevator by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4....

EINSTAR Scanning And Object Replication - We used the EINSTAR to scan and replicate a Thumb CMC Splint. It's a very organic shape and it weren't easy. Peel Grinding Success for Lapzetti Plates - Peel Grinding is an interesting technique introduced to us by Adam Demuth ( @adamthemachinist ). It was a win for an application we did not predict. Ford Lightning 20K report... and More! - 20,000 electric...

Bambu Filaments Shakeup! PETG-HF? - TWO of our favorite filaments are discontinued, forcing us to evaluate replacements. Inventory is good for a few months while we do that, but initial experiments indicate a possible overall winner. Pining For The Fjell - A Grimsmo Visit - We had a nice social visit from John Grimsmo ( @JohnGrimsmo ) and his kiddos. Pizza was consumed. Knives were discussed. More...

Tom Lipton ( @oxtoolco ) and Robin Renzetti ( @ROBRENZ ) collaborate on a tight-tolerance design of a rotary grinding attachment. Each has different requirements, and the cross-pollination of knowledge is of huge value. Notes will be taken. Knowledge will be gained. ----- Save $500 at FormLabs by using my referral code at the Links page, below. Links for products/designs mentioned are at pfg.gg/li...

FormLabs Rigid 10K... It is! - This resin is highly glass-filled, and it's amazingly dense and stiff. I am testing it for it's electrical properties at RF frequencies! https://formlabs.com/store/materials/rigid-10k-resin/ Fanuc, Haas, and Batteries... Oh My! - I use a product from Haas to solve a Fanuc problem. But, the origin story of this product has a twist. Links discussed: https://www.practic...