Engine turning
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Engine turning is a form of ornamental turning. The finishing technique may use lathes or engines to produce a pattern. Aluminium is often the metal chosen to decorate. The technique has been used in various industries, including aircraft and document verification.
Description
Engine turning is a form of ornamental turning.[1] The technique geometrically applies a single-point cutting tool to produce a decorative metal surface finish pattern.[1][2]
Traditionally, engine turning referred to Guilloché engraving.[3] In the 20th century, it also came to refer to the different process of Perlée (also known as spotting, jewelling, perlage), which is a fine geometric pattern of overlapping circles abraded onto the surface.[3]
Equipment
Guilloché engine turning may be done with various machines, including rose engines, straight-line engines, brocade engines, and ornamental turning lathes.[1][2] Perlage uses an abrasive rotating disk or dowel.[1]
Material
Aluminium is often the metal chosen to decorate with jewelling, but any appropriate[clarification needed] surface can be finely machined to produce intricate repetitive patterns that offer reflective interest and fine detail.[1][4][3]
Uses
Aircraft
Perlée-style engine turning was used on the sheet metal panels of the engine cowling (nose) of Charles Lindbergh's aircraft, the Spirit of St. Louis.
The sheet metal parts of the World War I
Automobiles
In the 1920s and 1930s, automobile parts such as
Documents
Engravings produced by engine turning are often incorporated into the design of
Firearms
Perlage engine turning is also used on various firearm components to prevent corrosion by holding traces of oil and lubricants on the surface, in turn to a polished surface resulting in a smooth operation.
Watchmaking
Guilloché and perlage are traditional techniques used in have been used in the
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Engine Turning vs. Spotting". Circuitous Root.
- ^ a b "General Descriptions and Basic Sources (for Ornamental Turning and Straight-Line Work)". www.circuitousroot.com. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ a b c Warfield, Bob (18 July 2017). "Guilloche, Rose Engines, Jeweling, & Engine Turning for Artistic Machining". CNCCookbook.
- ^ "Eamonn Keogh's Engine Turning Page". Computer Science and Engineering - University of California, Riverside.
External links
- Engine Turning on YouTube by The Unemployed Prop Guy