I want to incorporate this into a project. It will have to slide down into a tube that is almost exactly 3mm ID too narrow for it. The body of the egg is aluminum and the ID of the tube is constrained by another part so it can’t change. The egg is effectively a solid since I can’t remove the internals without destroying it, and the wall thickness is a hair over 3mm. Any safe and effective ways you can think of to trim 1.5mm off the wall at the thickest part of the egg?
Are you sure the wall thickness at the shiny area is ~3mm? Is it possible that it has already been turned and it is less than 3mm?
You could put the egg on a slowly rotating longitudonal axis and then use a belt sander to grind away to your desired thickness.
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You could make some cups. One for the lathe chuck and the other would have a centerdrilled hole in it for the lathe steady rest.
How hard you snug the live center would control how deep a cut you could take on the lathe?
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Absolutely possible. No clue. It FEELS like it is actually marginally raised and I am guessing that it was built in three parts, but I haven’t confirmed.
I’ll look into that. You are thinking something like the easter egg painting contraptions?
Actually… someone at the space has/had an Eggbot [ http://egg-bot.com/ ] maybe that with a hand file could do the trick if the motors have the torque to handle a little pressure?
yup pretty much that.
It was funvill with the egg-bot IIRC.
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Frank Howarth posted an easter egg video a couple days ago. At around 10:00 he describes a “jam chuck” which might give you some ideas.
Dip it in liquid nitrogen, it may contract enough to slide down the
tube until it warms up again.
Use a jam chuck in the headstock and cone centre in the tailstock of a wood lathe and turn it down with a square nosed scraper (woodturning tool) and then sand smooth. Turning aluminum or brass on a wood lathe is quite doable. If you’re nervous about taking too much material off with the scraper then just sand it off with the lathe turning.
Would a quick tumble in the sand blasting cabinet help?