Engraving Bats

[steve_g]

I’ve been asked to explore the feasibility of engraving some small “mini” bats... These are the ones readily found on line for trophies or memorabilia, roughly 1.25” D X 18” L.
The half dozen I was given vary in diameter by as much as .060 and the profile where the straight section goes into the curve of the handle varies by as much as an inch.

The little bit of messing around I have done has been disappointing. 3D toolpaths are unhappy when the profile “reality” doesn’t match the profile design, and flat or 2D lettering is very limited in height due to the curvature of the bat.

My Questions...
Any bat engraving I see on line is done with a Laser, Is a Laser more forgiving?
Has anyone else tried this with success?

Is my experience with size variations what others are finding?

Any suggestions are welcome... even if it’s to walk away!

SG

[MogulTx]

Steve

I have done a bunch of them that are more of a standard barrel diameter. They (indexers) are finicky about dimensions- as you know. And I did all mine on an indexer- after having done my own turning...

It can be done and I would like to see how you whip it if you decide to do the project...

Monty

[MogulTx]

OK. Now I see your set up. In that format, can't you just nudge your depth gently to make it work? How many are you doing??

[Jerome]

I have lasered a few bats and the laser is more forgiving than the bot. The problem with round objects like bats if your engraving is very large the laser will lose focus. They make indexers for them too but as I remember they are pretty expensive.
Jerome

[steve_g]

Hello Monty...
The half inch lettering in the photo is about as tall as I can go without the centers going so deep that they become hard to read. The customer would like them taller. The real issue becomes the logos. at .5 tall they are too small!

If they like my proposal it could be thousands... I can’t see myself re-zeroing for every one! I need to come up with a fixture that holds them at a constant Z and lets the variation go to the bottom side.

Jerome...
Thanks for your response! I suspected that the laser was more forgiving but didn’t know for sure, however it sounds like some of the same issues still exist. They have used laser in the past but are looking... I think the color is attractive to them.

SG

[bleeth]

Steve:
Could you make a trough with a spring loaded or hydaulic rammed bottom and flip down top clamps so the jig would always push the bat up to a constant height?

[steve_g]

Dave...
That’s along the lines I was thinking. The next step is to see how interested my customer is and if they are ready to commit to numbers!

[chiloquinruss]

Two questions, first do they already have a finish on them? Second if #1 is no how about making a smoothing pass to make them ALL the same diameter? Russ

[steve_g]

Hi Russ...
Yes, they are prefinished maple. I suggested machining a flat for the text but that wasn’t received well!

SG

[bcondon]

Hey Steve, this is part question and part statement.

ARe you planning on doing this without the lathe?

I assume that in the N/C side of Aspire, you can project the words and
logos onto the bat. The Bat would need to be a component.

I am assuming that Aspire can not transform the lettering onto the bat and cut in a "flat" (aka... no lathe world) unless the cutting on the bat would be less than 1/3 of its circumference... (only the side that is true reached by the spindle)

This is a great topic!

Bob Condon

[Burkhardt]

Hi Russ...
Yes, they are prefinished maple. I suggested machining a flat for the text but that wasn’t received well!

SG

I suppose Russ' idea was a prep pass with the indexer to make the bat precisely cylindrical before engraving, not a flat. I believe that should work but you would have to change bits, sand and laquer as well.

[gundog]

Would it be possible to make the font the size they want then draw a series of lines through the text evenly spaced then cut the text into segments, measure the bat and rotate cutting the text in segments. I would think you might have to do a fluting type path or a 2 rail sweep to get the right surface height.

The other idea that struck me was mill a flat make the text and then cover it with a clear thick epoxy sanded back off to match the contour of the bat.

These are just ideas that popped into my head and may not be feasible.

Mike

[steve_g]

I considered making my own bats but these cost $2.50-- $3.00 each... tough to compete with! Having them pre finished sure makes it easy to rub some acrylic artists paint on them and wipe it off with a wet rag! I’m going to have to do my part for less than $5.00 each, right now that involves two setups... one for each line. I’ll be thinking how I can set up my indexer to do the job, even if it’s only to rotate the 30°-- 45° between lines! I’m thinking I could pre-sort the bats according to sizes and run them as groups.

SG

[kern]

They make indexers for them too but as I remember they are pretty expensive.

Check out Universal Laser's indexing head.

[myxpykalix]

I think you will have to build a jig to keep them from flying away first:D

Steve,
Are your two lines of text in one toolpath? If so why not make them into seperate toolpaths and seperate models because you are then dealing with way less of a curve that each file has to deal with in turning.
I know i'm not explaining that understandably but your curved text now contains negative space above, between, and below the letters when calculating the spacing within the curve of the model and text and by splitting it up you can eliminate the expanse of the curve somewhat helping to eliminate some of the deeper and lighter cutting of the bit.

Now not knowing if your text needs to be lined up relative to some other logo or landmark on the bat, it would seem that you would have to mark each bat for 0 degrees start point but then have your second toolpath start at say 45 degrees.

Tell me if it makes sense because i can see in my head exactly what i'm trying to say but not sure if i'm conveying it properly.:confused:

I added this pic to try to illustrate what i'm trying to say. If you notice the longer line around the circle has more of a curve that may be different then the material itself but the smaller lines don't and that might help with depth issues.

[steve_g]

Hi Jack...
I worked out a fairly simple fixture to hold them... it involved pushing the blank into a cylinder with a window top and bottom. The engraving is done through the top window and the bats are pushed up with the tapered cam through the bottom window. This would allow multiple lines with a quick flip of the cam, rotate the bat about 45° and reset the cam...

“Talk” stopped when I asked about copyright issues. Every team in every age group is a professional team name. They have jerseys, hats etc. with logos on them, so someone must be licensed to use them, just not me. So far, I have been unable to find out if the city is licensed to use the names for their teams or just the jersey supplier, or if anyone is!

SG

[myxpykalix]

As long as they're not named the Redskins you shouldn't have a problem:eek::rolleyes::D

[chiloquinruss]

OK a programming question for the group!

Can I using a program variable to reset Z to Zero?

If I can how about making a test cut and if NOT deep enough, reset the Z and recut. This all WITHOUT actually doing a Z-Zero routine. After getting a good piece, then reset to my first Z.

I think premeasuring and sorting by size is going to be a big help.

And yes I was thinking of 'lathing' the pieces to size in my previous post. Russ

[jerry_stanek]

You could use the nudge feature to move the z up or down