Rounding dies for 8" air tank

[Frank S]

Thanks, Frank! Question- how did you learn metal spinning? I've been wondering if it's something that can be self-taught.

Rocky I visited a spinner in Sydney Au back sometime in the early mid 1970's. I needed to interview him and get his statement regarding an AWOL I had been sent to retrieve and return to Germany. I was intrigued by what I saw the men in the spinner shop doing so I asked a lot of questions of the process. the AWOL I was there to pickup had made friends with the guy while they were in Vietnam together a few years earlier. For my report I needed to learn why a career soldier of 17 years would suddenly risk not only his career but being brought up on desertion charges so late in his career.
However I probably asked the man more questions about the process of spinning than I did about the AWOL. Then after I had returned from my TDY detail I read a few books on the subject I even found an ARMY technical manual that briefly touched on spinning. It wasn't until many years later that I tried my hand dabbling briefly with spinning. I never tried free form, I only tried spinning over a predetermined machined shape or like in the case of the pipe ends just rolling over the lip.
One word of caution if you are considering learning the are of machine spinning get some books and read of course now there are many videos out there on the subject. If I had the time and was so inclined to make videos I would do one in a step by step process from machining the die to making a special flat faced spring loaded live center with a very stiff spring in it. I learned that from the spinner in Sydney. Having a center with a real stiff spring is useful incase during the spinning process you push too hard and cause the tail stock to back off, a red line indicator will let you know if that is happening and you can reset before wearing a hunk of deformed metal moving at near orbital velocity. That brings up another key point rotational speed is your best friend . The centrifugal force will aid in moving the metal keeping the wobble down to a minimum preferably non existent. Working from the center outward in small increments is another. Not trying to get the final shape over the die until close to completion is the 3rd factor.
Here is a short video I found that shows some of the process as well as one way of how to work the tooling

Edit I almost forgot the AWOL was not intentional it turned out the Sargent First Class had 60 days accrued leave and had to use some of it up so he had flown to AU and looked up his old chum. Mates doing what mates do and believe me I have a few mates in Au as well so I know. Nearing the end of his leave they had bar hopped it a little too much he had gotten separated from his mates wound up in Kings cross had gotten rolled woke up in a hospital not knowing who or where he was nothing left on him but his dog tags and his military ID and $300.00 US stuffed in his socks. It was days before being taken to the police station still not fully aware of himself. My unit was contacted and I was detailed to bring him back since his leave had expired over a month prior and the 1sg felt it best if he were escorted home.