MAKING AN ALUMINIUM DOGTAG 🏅

For the past few weeks we have been working towards completing an aluminium dog/name tag in technology. 

Our end product was to be 50mm long by 25mm wide. 

In our first period I used a ruler and right angle to measure out the correct length. Using some blue ink and a scribe, we drew a line on the aluminium to ensure our cutting would be accurate. Then, using a hacksaw and vice I cut off the excess length of the aluminium leaving approximately 2mm of aluminium extra. 

I used a smoothing file to file away the excess until it was the accurate 50mm length. Then, using an emery cloth, I smoothed away any rough edges. At this point I also used the emery cloth to round out the edges of the tag. 

Next, I measured out the centre of the tag to punch out a guideline for where I required to drill. The equipment I used for this task was a hammer and a hole punch tool. It is important for you only to tap the hole punch once with the hammer to achieve the desired guideline. 

Here is my friend using the hacksaw to get rid of the excess aluminium length.

For the next part, we were to use a hand drill to drill the holes for the dog tag. Using a hand drill instead of the drill press ensured we could have the task completed in a less amount of time.

When we got the drill going, we put on the mandatory safety gear (safety goggles, hair tied back, sleeves rolled up, jackets off). We learned that we could use our partner to ensure the drill was not positioned at an angle. 

We got our holes drilled quickly and then moved on to remove the excess ink we used. For this task we used a piece of emery cloth, and positioned the aluminium tag in the vice. 

One thing that is important to know is that aluminium is a soft metal, so tightening the vise too tight can leave 'jaw marks' on the surface which will not contribute to a good finished product.

Using the emery cloth we sanded away the ink until the surface was smooth and shinier. The next task was to use the buffing machine to get a polished finish on the aluminium. 

This next step was optional, but we used a hole punch tool with letters in them to imbelish letters into our dog tags. For mine, I wrote my initials 'J L B'. Again, it is important for you to only use one tap with the hammer. 

A visor was mandatory while using the buffing machine so we ensured we were wearing it properly before starting.


It was important to hold the aluminium correctly. If we positioned it at an incorrect angle the machine could send it flying. 
It was also essential that there was enough polish on the buffing machine without any excess product. 
Since there was a lot of friction acting on the machine wheel and the aluminium there was a bucket of water to dip our hands into. 

This is my finished product! I'm proud of how it turned out. I think next time I would try and make my hole a little more centre because it would make it more attractive. But I really enjoyed making it and looked forward to every Friday to do it. 

Below is a presentation we made of what aluminium is and what it is used in.