# Cutting some d2 tool steel blocks on the wire EDM today



## jimmyjames (Apr 20, 2013)

I had to work today and was bored so i thought i would take a picture of the wire edm running. Its a machine that uses a .010" wire that cuts metal with an accuracy of .00005". The part is submerged under water and the wire is constantly fed through the block using electical current running through the wire. The metal is removed from the part and then filtered out of the water through a whole slew of water filters. The parts being cut are profiled cutoff blocks for a stamping press. The run time for this given block is about 12 hours. The machine will also 3 dimensional where the ire can follow 2 planes, say you had a picture of a star on top of the part and a circle on the bottom of the part, the wire can follow both pictures by angling the wire. I will be using this to cut some d2 tool steel to make some duck call jigs in the near future. Click the picture its a video


http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/th_VID_20130420_155159_819_zpsa3ee7e16.jpg


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## Wildthings (Apr 20, 2013)

Are those jigs gonna be for sale?


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## jimmyjames (Apr 20, 2013)

Wildthings said:


> Are those jigs gonna be for sale?



No, the jigs i will be making are not public call jigs and proprietary to the owner im making them for. If you have a call that needs a jig made to copy it i can do that but its not cheap and not cost effective to build 1 jig. First i have to get the dimensions for the jig by using a CMM measuring system to measure the call, then i transfer the draing to an optical comparator where i can compare the print to the call being copied to verify accuracy. Then they are milled from d2 tool steel, heat treated to a58-62 rockwell C, then ground on 3 sides to square the block and then the profile is cut for the toneboard with the wire edm. Most "custom" call jigs range in price from $250-$400 each to have made if the order is for 1 piece. Of course the price is cheaper as the quantity increases.


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## Jake Respondek (Apr 21, 2013)

I worked in a shop that had an EDM department. We made aluminum extrusion dies. EDMS are pretty damn cool!


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## brown down (Apr 21, 2013)

that thing is pretty damn cool.. how thick was that cutting? so it continuously feeds a wire through like a mig welder? how does it bend that thin of a wire and maintain shape?


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## jimmyjames (Apr 21, 2013)

those blocks are 3.25", the wire is held before and after the part with tension so the wire is taught.


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## HomeBody (Apr 24, 2013)

I had a chance to get an EDM machine for cheap from a friend that worked for a place that made them. Hansvedt in Urbana, IL. I passed as I really didn't have a use for it and no where to put it. Cool machines. Gary


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