Subject: EDM

From: [email-masked] (Steve Barnes)
Date: Mon, 3 Oct 94 01:16:39 GMT

I missed the thread on EDM could someone repost the Magazine sources for the
plans?

Thanks
Steve

---

From: [email-masked] (James Kirkpatrick)
Date: 2 Oct 94 22:53:54 MDT

Steve Barnes asks about EDM.  From the soon-to-be-posted FAQ:

     An easily-built system is described in Popular Science, March 1968,
     pages 149-153.  However, it is electrically dangerous from a shock
     standpoint, and suggests using kerosene as the dielectric which is
     a strong fire hazard.  This machine was reworked a bit in the
     January 1991 issue of Home Shop Machinist (HSM), with a few
     notes in March 1991 (page 11), May 1992 (pages 10-11), and May 1994
     (page ?).  EDM was described in February 1993 in Electronics Now
     (pages 79-81) along with a list of EDM resources, with a followup in
     the May 1993 issue (pages 78-80) that references the Popular Science
     and HSM articles.  This machine requires "manual" feed of the
     electrode.  Please note that non-flammable dielectrics should be used,
     and are available from supply companies such as MSC (I have also
     heard of using de-ionized water as the dielectric).

     A more complex system was described in the July and August 1976
     issues of Model Engineer magazine (with a followup in the October 2,
     1981 issue).  In this case a small stepping motor is used to
     automatically feed the electrode.  This is a great improvement, but
     complicates building the system unless one of your other hobbies is
     electronics.

     From August 1993 to April 1994, Strictly IC magazine published
     a serial on building another stepper-driven machine.  Being
     newer, it may be easier to build because the parts listed are
     probably still available.  But, again, electronics should be
     another hobby (or perhaps you have a friend who needs some
     machining done?).  The series also suffers a bit from the
     author re-designing the system as the series was published,
     but who ever builds something as published, anyway?

---

From: [email-masked] (James Kirkpatrick)
Date: 2 Oct 94 22:53:54 MDT