What do i have??

[rooferParticipant @roofer]

Went to my local scrap supplier for a root the other day and came back with half a dozen slabs of alloy..about 6"x8" and 1/4" thick. Set a piece onto my milling table to see how it would machine up and was confronted by what i can only describe as hard sticky toffee….this stuff is insanely soft and theres no way you can even drill it without it warming up and going even softer. What the hell have i brought home??? as its only fit for door stops.

[rooferParticipant @roofer]

[Nigel McBurney 1Participant @nigelmcburney1]

Probably nearly pure aluminium, I have only seen pure alloy once,a one inch diameter bar could be bent into a staple shape by hand, Many years ago I was called out to see a precision engineering supplier,he had to make some parts from one inch ally bar ,ordered the correct spec to the drawing but could not do anything with the material, The draughtsman had called up the wrong spec aluminium.

[Enough!Participant @enough]

….. many more years ago, we had drawing checkers

[Anonymous]

Sounds like 1050a, nearly pure aluminium – 99.5%. Great for cold forming, welding, punching and bending. Good corrosion resistance too. But 'orrid to machine, more like fudge than toffee in my experience. I've only ever seen it available in sheet and plate form.

Regards,

Andrew

Edited By Andrew Johnston on 16/09/2014 22:49:25

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