• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

ASR makes me go back to other expensive hobbies ...

Timcognito

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 28, 2021
Messages
3,349
Likes
12,555
Location
NorCal
I've canned round stock and bored a lot using stainless and cobalt bits as well as when assembling electronic-over-hydraulics systems with instrumentation stainless is common and I did a lot of drilling there with cobalt. Pre-cobalt bits it was a mess. Post cobalt bits it was a work of art. What are you doing with stainless and cobalt?
Put myself through college studying mechanical engineering working at a testing lab machining test specimens, hundreds of different steels aluminum, titanium, NP47 and such Later I spent 35 years in medical device startups working with a lot of stainless steel. Simple carbide tools machine stainless easily. I do it now in retirement in my garage on my little Prazi lathe.
 

Doodski

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 9, 2019
Messages
20,747
Likes
20,758
Location
Canada
Put myself through college studying mechanical engineering working at a testing lab machining test specimens, hundreds of different steels aluminum, titanium, NP47 and such Later I spent 35 years in medical device startups working with a lot of stainless steel.
Cool and impressive. :D
Simple carbide tools machine stainless easily. I do it now in retirement in my garage on my little Prazi lathe.
I had no idea carbide would cut stainless easily with good results. Do you think carbide cutting tools are better or cobalt for stainless? What do you do about drill bits. I have never seen a carbide drill/boring bit in 3/4" and smaller. I used a Prazi extensively when I worked with downhole tools. I would can them to refurbish the exterior before stuffing new electronics inside. That Prazi was tight as could be.
 

tomchris

Active Member
Joined
May 14, 2021
Messages
210
Likes
415
Location
Denmark
Ha-ha! Folks who aren't well versed in timepieces are rarely able to recognize an outstanding watch, and typically gauge a watch's worth by the size of its dial. I have a Patek Philippe 3711 that no one EVER compliments me on. The dial is way too small. :rolleyes:

Ah, Genta's porthole design, complete with “ears” to represent the window’s hinges. It is said that he was primarily a case and bracelet designer and not into designing actual watch dials.

Three anecdotes about Gerald Genta:
- He genuinely disliked watches and wearing them.
- The Nautilus was sketched on a restaurant napkin in 5 minutes watching Patek people eating.
- He claimed to have designed over 100,000 different watches.
 

Soandso

Senior Member
Joined
May 30, 2022
Messages
393
Likes
1,060
B58EF5A4-92DA-446B-8405-BE5D8A9D3943.jpeg
 

Mart68

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 22, 2021
Messages
2,609
Likes
4,861
Location
England
Ha-ha! Folks who aren't well versed in timepieces are rarely able to recognize an outstanding watch, and typically gauge a watch's worth by the size of its dial. I have a Patek Philippe 3711 that no one EVER compliments me on. The dial is way too small. :rolleyes:
That's a great-looking watch though. Personally I don't like those watches with the huge dials, like having a kitchen clock strapped to your wrist.

if you're a big bloke with wrists the width of the Suez Canal then they look good but for everyone else they just look silly.
 

tomchris

Active Member
Joined
May 14, 2021
Messages
210
Likes
415
Location
Denmark
@Mart68
Bulky and top heavy watch cases are more annoying than diameter, IMO. A watch should fit under a shirt cuff. I hate wearing/seeing watches that are always visible due to being bulky and not going under the shirt cuff without being forced.

I think it is great that Patek kept the Nautilus series under 10mm instead of needlessly bulking up to 15mm.

@Anton S
As a owner of the PP3711 what do you like about it and what would you change if you could?
 

Vict0r

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Nov 6, 2020
Messages
647
Likes
1,580
Location
The Netherlands
After I finished my ASR-quest and had my audio where I wanted it to be, I drifted back into knives. Oops. I never stopped buying watches and spamming Watchuseek, though. :p

The problem is that I can't just buy anything like a normal person. I have to obsess and dive head first into the nerdiest circle of hobby-hell.
 

Anton S

Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2021
Messages
90
Likes
146
@Mart68
Bulky and top heavy watch cases are more annoying than diameter, IMO. A watch should fit under a shirt cuff. I hate wearing/seeing watches that are always visible due to being bulky and not going under the shirt cuff without being forced.

I think it is great that Patek kept the Nautilus series under 10mm instead of needlessly bulking up to 15mm.

@Anton S
As a owner of the PP3711 what do you like about it and what would you change if you could?
Because of its thinness, the 3711 just feels like a part of my wrist. That's what I I like most about the watch, but its unique dial and elegant bracelet are tied at second place.
 

pseudoid

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 23, 2021
Messages
5,116
Likes
3,416
Location
33.58 -117.88
Do you buy handmade pens from people in the local area that make them? I ask because I met a guy downtown one day and he had pens that he turned on a small lathe and they started at $20 each and went to about $100.00 each for the fancier ones. He used German made high quality pen ink refills and his pens where really nice.
Wasn't Sylvester Stallone (Rocky fame) who had a line of designer pens, he had created w/some big name pen company?
202210_MonteGrappaStalloneChaosPen.jpg

Yes! You forced me to confirm (Him+Montegrappa); the pricing was somewhere north of a rocket-ride w/Bezo...
Between me and the missus, we got his and hers collections to be ashamed of.
This one is my latest fave:
202210_Siphon2Closed.jpg
202210_Siphon2Open.jpg

202210_Siphon2PartsBD.jpg
Titanium-alloy and advertised as SelfDefense/EDC pen, that will fit in most any pocket (10cm)!
 

Doodski

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 9, 2019
Messages
20,747
Likes
20,758
Location
Canada
Wasn't Sylvester Stallone (Rocky fame) who had a line of designer pens, he had created w/some big name pen company?
202210_MonteGrappaStalloneChaosPen.jpg
This one is very cool. The SD/EDC pen is cool but just not my thing.
 

pseudoid

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 23, 2021
Messages
5,116
Likes
3,416
Location
33.58 -117.88
202210_PensDark.jpg

Stallone musta peek'd at my collection to get his design idea.
The 3rd pen is carbon-fiber that I have owned for years and just realized (while taking photo) that it says "Montegrappa USA" << I had assumed it was an Italian brand.
The 4th pen is called the MontBlanc "Imperial Dragon". Originally offered with a snake clip which had riled the Japanese clan of collectors. 500 of the 1500 Limited Edition sets were brought back to the factory (?) to replace the clip with an Ag dragon with real ruby eyes.
The last pictured pen is a crazy design marvel brought to us by the Chinese brigade (same w/10cm pen) which has become a metallurgical tech hub. Close examination will reveal a a titanium body, with a gun-like (thumb-operated) cocking mechanism. Also notice the ribbing both on the body and the clip. Closer examination reveals a ceramic-bearing spinner at the top and the pointed/rounded tip (left side) is an emergency glass breaker.:oops: Yeah, all for about 20dB down from the price of the Imperial Dragon.
 
Top Bottom