Daniel,
machining kinda soft things, in brief. (from thin wall composite machining)
If the tailight housing is a cylinder (not conical) then you can make soft
jaws (alum inserts for jaws) but that is pricey. Or, an easier way, is to
turn a piece of alum or wood so that it has a female (concave) impression of
the OD of your housing, but a little undersized (how much under depends on
how thin the wall on the housing, how much you can spring it in). Then,
slip it in (possibly double-back tape here) and turn using medium feed
rates/shallow cuts. (called free-cutting, ~no torque-ing force applied to
part). don't go too slow (feed) or heat will build up, surface will go
soft, and you'll start to push rather than cut.
If you want to get real fancy (2nd or 3rd try), cut the female slip surface
short, and screw on a clamp ring to hold the part in. The axial force will
overcome any torque applied from the machine tool. (oops, if your housing OD
is conical, then the slip surface must be similar shaped, and a clamp ring
works best)
OR, slice the overhanging part you want machined off into little tabs, bend
the tabs around, then fill the area with bondo, coat the entire interior in
blue denim,.... sorry, got off topic there.
Fergus O
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