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12/26/06 – Wire EDM to make a custom oil pan plug

 Why buy round stock for the plugs when you can just make it? 1

 1.225" Round 6061 Aluminum cut from 4" square of Billet 6061 Aluminum on a wire EDM. 2

 

 

 

 Cutting the plug on a bandsaw:

 

 Plugs inserted... I don't trust myself enough to weld this (can't warp + oil infused) so I'm going to have a pro do it today.

 

 

I didn’t even wind up using this.  This gave me an excuse to play with the EDM and to cut down on the wait time if I ordered aluminum round.  This was scrapped in favor of pipe plugs (the post after next) after speaking to the welders in the shop.  They were concerned that the pan would warp too badly, and the fact that the porous cast material would be difficult to weld after spending 15 years in an oil bath.  They were probably right.


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(1)       why make a plug when you don’t even bother to use it?

(2)       The EDM is really cool.  Posting this picture led to a flood of people asking me if I could EDM things for them…