Delrin Cross Slide Nut

Hey David,
It sound like a plan re molding the nut. According to Matweb, Delrin has a melt temperature of about 200ºC and experiences a 2% shrinkage.

Looking at my Atlas 6x18, I could use the cross slide base as a mold. I would need to bushings to form the end caps. The existing nut could be used as one. I actually have a spare, having replaced my leadscrew and nut several decades ago so I would have both end caps. I guess that I would preheat the leadscrew and cross slide base. Matweb gave a mold temperature of about 80ºC but that would be for injection molding where the injection time is measured in millisec. and they want fairly rapid freezing of the melt. I think that I would look for something like 100ºC or more. I expect that other lathes could be done in a similar fashion.

Anyway, good luck with the project and let us know how it works out.
 
If I stay healthy enough & don't forget to :) .
I do indeed hope to make a new heat formed nut or three ...not particularly because I need to , but primarily because I want to , as I have many many 30 to 40 mm thick x 180 mm dia off cut rounds of Delrin .
I'd like to become good at making them in many different thread forms as well as doing the simple work bench pressure forming / casting I've mentioned . Learning to do them & the castings accurately & cheaply may well see me with a nice little retirement fund $ earner $ that the larger companies don't want to bother with .
 
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