Author Topic: Uses for Delrin  (Read 21853 times)

Offline Chuck in E. TN

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Uses for Delrin
« on: December 26, 2012, 02:46:33 PM »
 I was given a large piece of delrin round stock, 2”x 24”. What can I make from it. I've seen spacers, bushings, and even a bench block made from it on the various forums. What tools or other interesting stuff have you made from delrin?
 Chuck
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Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2012, 03:47:14 PM »
You got a soft point hammer? Do you ever need to persuade bearings on their rightfull places gently, maybe assisted by a max. size soft bushing? Jacking pad (my favorite one is cut out of bar of something like 70 shore PU).

Don't just chop it, you will find uses for. My friends lug me all mystery "plastic" pieces they can find, mostly nylon of some sort, but occasionally even bakelite, russian extruded "teflon" or something exotic and they expect some small obscure parts. Don't blurt it out, unless you want to be popular.

Pekka

Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2012, 03:55:45 PM »
I use it for my trolley (shopping cart), tokens.

When I've run out of aluminium stock........




David D
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Offline PTsideshow

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2012, 04:14:55 PM »
Ski's for the walkers, locally they want $13.00 a set, my mother will go thru a set of them in a month during the better weather months. If you do wood turning, you can make finishing bushings. Or if you are turning pens,bottler toppers or other other handle jobs. the instant glue doesn't stick well to it so it is easy to remove the item being turned from the centers or bushings. Flat, and round in other dia get be had from ENCO with their deals at a good price when you need to stock up. The white and the black have differing lube qualities, White or natural has high lubricity, Black is normal lubricity.
 
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Offline David Jupp

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #4 on: December 27, 2012, 05:04:43 AM »
Great for light duty plain bearings that don't need any lubrication - you see it used widely inside computer printers.

Offline Swarfing

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #5 on: December 27, 2012, 07:37:26 AM »
I use it a lot on leadscrew nuts for my small machines i make.
Once in hole stop digging.

Offline Brass_Machine

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #6 on: December 27, 2012, 03:01:54 PM »
I use it a lot on leadscrew nuts for my small machines i make.

Oh? I have been thinking about doing that... Care to give us a walk through?

Eric
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Offline andyf

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #7 on: December 27, 2012, 03:10:00 PM »
This looks interesting, Eric, though I've never tried it myself: http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/threads/43645-Making-Acetal-leadscrew-nuts-the-easy-way

Sorry to interrupt!

Andy
Sale, Cheshire
I've cut the end off it twice, but it's still too short

Offline Chuck in E. TN

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #8 on: December 27, 2012, 03:12:37 PM »
David D, What;s a trolly token?
I tried cutting a slice off the Delrin bar for a project with my 4x6 bandsaw. I forgot it had a 22tpi blade on it. It cut a bit, then the blade just skated. The teeth filled up with swarf and it seemed to melt to the blade. I spent several minutes cleaning the blade off, LOL.
I have a 10-14 tpi blade but I'm not sure that will do much better.
Chuck
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Offline Swarfing

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #9 on: December 27, 2012, 07:09:22 PM »
Eric

Andy hit a good site of a reasonable process, failing that I've just made a tap from spare rod if it is a square thread.
Once in hole stop digging.

Offline Brass_Machine

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #10 on: December 27, 2012, 07:17:44 PM »
Yup. Read through that process quite a bit. In fact, that was the thread that prompted me to try it. I have bought the delrin, just haven't gotten around to it yet.
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Offline Swarfing

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #11 on: December 27, 2012, 07:35:27 PM »
I find i do have better success with using Acetol. It is a pain to using a tap on it as it takes a lot of back and forth to cut.
Once in hole stop digging.

Offline andyf

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #12 on: December 27, 2012, 07:53:21 PM »
I thought Delrin was a trade name for a variety of acetal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyoxymethylene
though that's only Wikipedia and the phrase "slightly different formulas" may be more significant than it appears at first glance.

Andy
Sale, Cheshire
I've cut the end off it twice, but it's still too short

Offline Swarfing

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #13 on: December 27, 2012, 08:01:47 PM »
You are correct but i have both Acetal and Delrin. I found that the Acetal has more slide quality and looking at the specs on line found you can get all sorts of grades. The Acetal i have originally came from a company that makes replacement hip joints.
Once in hole stop digging.

Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #14 on: December 28, 2012, 02:12:31 AM »
David D, What;s a trolly token?
Chuck

Chuck.
Over here, the supermarket shopping trolleys need a £1 coin inserted, to release from their storage area. The coin is released on the trolley's return, after use.

Many people have a coin size, (and weight), replica, attached to their key ring.

I make around 20 per year of my lightweight version, and give them away.......

David D
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Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Offline Chuck in E. TN

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #15 on: December 28, 2012, 06:56:29 AM »
Ah, yes. Like the luggage trollys in the airports. So you get a trolly without paying the £, and get a £ back when you return it? And the shop lad gets the dole?
Chuck
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Offline DMIOM

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #16 on: December 28, 2012, 08:49:18 AM »
Ah, yes. Like the luggage trollys in the airports. So you get a trolly without paying the £, and get a £ back when you return it? And the shop lad gets the dole?
Chuck
No Chuck.

You put your coin into your trolley to release it, and when you dock your trolley after shopping you get your own coin (or token) back.

The reason folk like a token on the key ring is that it's frustrating to go shopping and realise you can't get a trolley because you emptied all the coins out of your pockets last night ....

Offline andyf

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #17 on: December 28, 2012, 09:36:58 AM »
I parked at Aldi when shopping in the town centre today, and on returning to the car found one of their trollies abandoned nearby with a pound coin still in it. So I returned it to the trolley park and plugged it in to extract the coin  :ddb: :ddb:

Chuck, many folk over here arrive on the bus or have parked elsewhere, so the local bus stops,  car parks etc get cluttered with orphaned trolleys if you don't have to pay a refundable deposit to use them.

Andy
Sale, Cheshire
I've cut the end off it twice, but it's still too short

Offline Chuck in E. TN

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #18 on: December 28, 2012, 09:38:24 AM »
I see, said the blind man! Thanks for the explanation... Good idea, actually. Here in the US, we'd probably get mugged for the cart!
Chuck
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Offline andyf

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #19 on: December 28, 2012, 09:58:57 AM »
On the handle of each trolley or cart is a slide to entrap the coin, and dangling below that is a chain carrying a key affair of fairly simple profile. When you collect your trolley, it will be locked to the rank by having the key of the one behind plugged into it. Inserting your coin releases that key, so you can pull your trolley away. When you are done, you return it to the rank and plug in the key of the one behind it, which releases your coin. The chain is too short to allow the key hanging from your trolley to release your coin.

It did once occur to me that if one were to reproduce the key (or snip the chain holding an  original one), he could wander round the store with it, pocketing the coins from those trolleys whose users were distractedly wondering which tin of baked beans to buy. A false beard would be needed, because of the CCTV.

Andy
Sale, Cheshire
I've cut the end off it twice, but it's still too short

Offline dsquire

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #20 on: December 28, 2012, 11:13:16 AM »
On the handle of each trolley or cart is a slide to entrap the coin, and dangling below that is a chain carrying a key affair of fairly simple profile. When you collect your trolley, it will be locked to the rank by having the key of the one behind plugged into it. Inserting your coin releases that key, so you can pull your trolley away. When you are done, you return it to the rank and plug in the key of the one behind it, which releases your coin. The chain is too short to allow the key hanging from your trolley to release your coin.

It did once occur to me that if one were to reproduce the key (or snip the chain holding an  original one), he could wander round the store with it, pocketing the coins from those trolleys whose users were distractedly wondering which tin of baked beans to buy. A false beard would be needed, because of the CCTV.

Andy

Andy

Just for the thought alone you are hereby ordered to eat baked beans for the next 30 days as punishment. You may wear a false beard if you feel you need a disquise. Also, no shopping at stores that use token trolleys.  :lol: :lol: :lol:

Happy New Year

Cheers  :beer:

Don
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Offline andyf

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #21 on: December 28, 2012, 12:34:57 PM »
Hmm. "Blazing Saddles" comes to mind, Don.

Andy
Sale, Cheshire
I've cut the end off it twice, but it's still too short

Offline DavidA

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #22 on: December 28, 2012, 12:57:01 PM »
Andy,

A while back I was sat in my car in Morrison's car park awaiting the return of my wife.  A guy came swaggering  by (the only way you could describe it) and aimed his trolley at the trolley park and walked off.

'Ah yes',  I thought, 'a free pound here'. So I watched him until I was sure he wouldn't return for the coin,  then parked the trolley and then got the pound.
So what ? one may ask.

Well, the same guy got into one of these big 4*4 things,  which fit his swagger perfectly. Then fired it up, locking  the steering hard over the right he set of backward and promptly ripped off his front bumper on one of those short post that morrisons have.

Ah, yes.  could be expensive.  I considered giving him the Pound back to help with the cost but decided it was better (and probably safer as he looked annoyed) to just drive off.

Dave.

Offline raynerd

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Uses for Delrin
« Reply #23 on: December 28, 2012, 04:17:42 PM »
Dave, what a rotten idea - but one that I also have shared!!

I know I'm just taking this even more off topic but my wife has been pestering me to make some trolley tokens for her keying for over a year. I take it that it is just the £1 dimensions that are critical.

Chris

Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: Uses for Delrin
« Reply #24 on: December 29, 2012, 02:29:38 AM »
Chris.

The o/d works best at, .888".

Thickness, .120".

You don't need the bit in the middle. Mine are around .6" bore.  :thumbup:

David D

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Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!