Steel gun parts custom-made in small batches? [more inside]
posted by jjsonp on Feb 27, 2009 - 8 answers

Designing a COMPUTER CONTROLLED MILLING MACHINE, small, very precise, and specialized to one type of task. Help me understand the bits and drills that will do the actual carving of the metal. [more inside]
posted by StickyCarpet on Feb 23, 2009 - 24 answers

Hi all, I am doing some writing on the history of baking, and I was wondering when flour became pure. We take for granted the fact that flour in our grocery stores is free from insect larvae, twigs, and other contaminants. I have heard that the purpose of sifting flour was once to get this stuff out. Now we sift for nostalgia's sake or possibly to make flour fluffy. I want to say that flour became pure with the advent of large flour millers in the 19th century like Wasburn-Crosby and Pillsbury (both now are part of General Mills). But that is just a guess. When did things really get cleaned up? Do any of you foodies and bakers know? Thanks!
posted by tnygard on Feb 5, 2009 - 23 answers

I've been trying unsuccessfully to figure out how to route a channel in a piece of plexiglass for quite a while and now, having run out of ideas, I turn to the hive mind for help.
I've tried both a Dremel and a full-size router, but since they both spin at high RPMs (even at the Dremel's lowest setting), the plastic winds up melting and burring all over my bits as well as turning opaque due to the heat. My goal is to make the channel as translucent as possible, and I believe that I can put the plexiglass sheet in an oven after routing causing the plastic to smooth out and clear up any opaque areas caused by roughness. Can anyone recommend the proper combination of tool, bit, speed and technique to achieve my goal? Note that I am not wedded to plexiglass; I just need a very translucent material that I can carve channels into. [more inside]
posted by mjbraun on Dec 11, 2006 - 14 answers