Have any of the builders here experimented with making metal parts out of aluminum or brass? Stuff like custom winding checks?

If you have a metal working lathe, it is a simple thing to do.

Yes. Both aluinum and brass are easy to work on a metal lathe.

To match factory winding checks, you need to be able to anodize aluminum ones - not hard, but does take a special setup

If you want a little more flexibility in what you can make out of metal, there was a complete article in past issue of Rodmaker that detailed Metal Spinning. This allows you to form most metals over a core to get shapes you couldn't do on a regular metal lathe by cutting. I don't have that issue in front of me but I think it was one of the issues published in the last couple of years. Pretty neat stuff.

Oh yeah, you don't have to have a metal or machine lathe to do this. It can be done on a wood lathe, even a small mini type wood lathe.

I actually spun metal for many yrs 15+. While at work I would make tools for rod building like a guide holder for grinding. The place I worked was in Germantown WI. They shut down that plant but still have the main one in Angola IN.

Lone Wolf Rods
"Keep your powder dry and your lines wet"
God Bless

Volume 12 #5 has the article on Metal Spinning.

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