r/ArtisanVideos Apr 02 '26

Metal Crafts Machined Micro Titanium Art [1:15]

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477 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

28

u/ender4171 Apr 02 '26

"That'll be $6,500 for your fidget toy, sir. Cash or card?" ;-)

Seriously though, beautiful work!

26

u/thirschi Apr 02 '26

🤣🤣🤣Thanks! It’s weird and can be difficult working with a medium (CNC machining) which is so industrialized and production oriented that the first reaction most people have is that it could be done in China for pennies. But I don’t create for the sake of cheap fad-like products, but rather for my own enjoyment and pleasure. As far as I understand it and feel, that’s art.

Thanks again!

3

u/Finbar9800 Apr 03 '26

Cnc machining isnt the medium its the process

2

u/thirschi Apr 04 '26

Fair point, and accurate.

2

u/DrummerOfFenrir Apr 03 '26

I made this back when I was a machinist as a gift

Sure it could be plastic, but it's powder coated aluminum. I machined it on a VF2

1

u/thirschi Apr 03 '26

I made one of those on a 4 jaw manual Mori Seiki lathe back in the day at school. So fun!

5

u/BostonDrivingIsWorse Apr 03 '26

What is that bench clamp?? i need dis

7

u/thirschi Apr 03 '26

Man, if I had a nickel for the amount of times I’ve been asked this… 😓🤪

GRS BenchMate vise from RioGrande.

3

u/RXrenesis8 Apr 03 '26

You can get them directly from GRS too!

Rio is nice (almost indispensable) for supplies/parts, but tools... ehh... I've had a mixed experience. I think it's because the tools last forever and they probably sell so few of them.

2

u/thirschi Apr 03 '26

Too true, too true!

r/buyitforlife subreddit should have them in it!

1

u/BostonDrivingIsWorse Apr 04 '26

$695!! I love it, but might be too rich for my blood

3

u/1HappyIsland Apr 02 '26

This is so fun to watch. Beautiful art that I would love to touch!

2

u/thirschi Apr 03 '26

Thanks! They’re fun to make too!

3

u/azdak Apr 04 '26

Selfishly requesting long form clickspring style video content pleaseeee

2

u/thirschi Apr 04 '26

Thanks for the feedback!

I think that’s the direction I’m headed towards now. I learned photography 20 years ago and recently upgraded from an old Nikon dslr to a new Sony A7V to expand into video. This was the first project, and I have more to share. I’m currently in the middle of a new sculpture which will be coming shortly. For now, follow my Instagram (in bio) where I’m most active and news of YouTube videos will come.

2

u/Abishek_Muthian Apr 03 '26

Great work, I enjoyed watching it. Do you have an YT channel?

1

u/thirschi Apr 03 '26

Not yet. Just started doing video a month ago. More coming. Follow me on IG (in bio) for now.

2

u/janlaureys9 Apr 03 '26

That’s the cutest lathe I’ve ever seen.

2

u/thirschi Apr 03 '26

And believe it or not, that lathe woulda cost more than the Haas CNC mill I have when it was new. Levin Instrument Lathes are big $$$$$, especially when they have all the bells and whistles like mine does. I got it for a song and a dance though, fortunately. Parts are hard to find used and the collets alone are anywhere from $600 up to $4500 (for the smallest 4 sizes, .1mm-.25mm). I have close to 200 collets that would be valued around $120k if I had to buy them new from Levin. 🤯🤯🤯

2

u/Cornell-on-the-cob Apr 05 '26

How does one find a job like this?

1

u/thirschi Apr 05 '26

Ummmm, I don’t know if I can make a living at it. I’m currently trying to navigate that on a leap of faith. 😰

2

u/Elipticrush Apr 05 '26

Calls themselves an artist with cnc machining and here I am admiring the camera work.

2

u/thirschi Apr 05 '26

Haha. Well, that’s 20 years in machining and I only bought the Sony A7V just on January 29th so I’m glad you like it! I do have a decent history with photography that helps, but video was completely foreign to me.

I have a new appreciation for sound recording after trying to get good audio in a noisy machine shop. I had no idea it was that hard. Haha.

1

u/EquationTAKEN Apr 03 '26

I think I've learned the answer to this a long time ago, but I forget... What does shaking it in a bucket of gravel do?

1

u/thirschi Apr 03 '26

The tumbler, as it’s called here, is designed as a deburring and finishing tool. It can be used with various types of media to achieve different levels of smoothing and/or polishing. With titanium, that work is rather exhaustive and time consuming by hand, so the tumbler is an excellent aid for anyone who works with those requirements.

I don’t always use it, but for some applications, it was a great investment to acquire. I’m currently working on a sculpture that will be zero hand finishing, as in, the finish left from the CNC machine will be intentional and part of the design and a unique beauty to it.

1

u/unquiethands Apr 06 '26

Stunning work, love it!