hydraulic coffee mug

**sossol** · Aug 6, 2016, 11:53 PM

Made from the reservoir of a 70s-era bottle jack, and a stainless steel travel cup with the top cut off.
The birch plywood disks were cut on my metal lathe to fit the cup snugly and keep it from distorting as I rolled the lip over.
The cup is currently held in by the foam sleeve, and the bottom just has tape for now.

**Moby Duck** · Aug 8, 2016, 08:45 PM

Great job you have done with this build, and a novel idea. At least nobody is likely to steal it. Does the smell, or the residual taste of the carcinogenic Chinese hydraulic oil on your bottom lip, improve the taste of the coffee or does it make it worse?

**sossol** · Aug 8, 2016, 09:10 PM

It was Taiwanese oil (this was made prior to the Chinese MFG exodus), and how could that not improve the flavor?

I washed the reservoir with solvent, foaming degreaser, and finally, Dawn dish soap, so I'm sure that there's no oil left in or on it. My sense of smell was ruined years ago, so even if it did smell of oil, I wouldn't know. My brother-in-law said that it just smells like raw steel, though. Plus, I make coffee strong enough to eat with a fork, so that smell would overpower all others anyhow.

Neil

**Yury11** · Aug 10, 2016, 12:59 AM

Thank You!!

**billster** · Aug 11, 2016, 03:38 PM

Great build, a "must have" for any coffee achiever's workshop.

**BarryCarroll60** · Aug 13, 2016, 03:45 PM

Hi just joined always looking for new ideas!

**sossol** · Aug 29, 2016, 09:53 PM

I finally made a proper base for this mug out of ABS sheet. The hole in the bottom is where I had a brass nutsert to thread a rod into it. I used one of the handles from a tap wrench. Worked a treat. I used a parting tool to carve a groove that press fits to the bottom of the mug. The raised center on the bottom is supposed to look like it was left at a rough cut. Kinda failed after a few attempts, so I left it. I left the top rough because it's hidden.

**billster** · Aug 29, 2016, 11:42 PM

The rough cut on the ABS sheet doesn't look too bad, actually, until you look closely, but that rough cut is not visible, so no real failure. Do the grooves inside the lip snap-fit to anything on the cylinder outer wall, like threads (assuming the base of the bottle jack was screw-on type)? Great adaptation of the travel mug. I may have to copy that, use up an old tractor hydraulic cylinder left to die decades ago in the dirt on my farm. I find many uses for ABS and several other polymers - adds a good look to yours. I really like the idea of the heft. I constantly reach for coffee without really looking where my hand is going and it seems I bump the mug just enough to knock it off kilter...which is why ceramic mugs are banned from my workshop.

I hate when I do that.

**sossol** · Aug 30, 2016, 12:27 AM

Originally Posted by billster

The rough cut on the ABS sheet doesn't look too bad, actually, until you look closely, but that rough cut is not visible, so no real failure. Do the grooves inside the lip snap-fit to anything on the cylinder outer wall, like threads (assuming the base of the bottle jack was screw-on type)? Great adaptation of the travel mug. I may have to copy that, use up an old tractor hydraulic cylinder left to die decades ago in the dirt on my farm. I find many uses for ABS and several other polymers - adds a good look to yours. I really like the idea of the heft. I constantly reach for coffee without really looking where my hand is going and it seems I bump the mug just enough to knock it off kilter...which is why ceramic mugs are banned from my workshop.

I hate when I do that.

The cap on this jack was threaded to the pressure tube in the center, which I discarded. The bottom is a flat cut that seated against a plastic sealing ring, which was at the bottom of a ring groove in the cast iron base. I basically copied that groove in my plastic base. The bottom of the reservoir cylinder it has a bit of a mushroomed lip similar to that of a cabinet scraper on the inside and outside. The groove in the plastic grabs that lip. The base can be pulled off easily, but there is no strain on it otherwise, so it stays in place. The eventual plan is to use the base to hold the inner cup in place.

Originally, I did this on a lark, with no expectation to actually use it, but once I got it cut down, it went from an excuse to run the lathe to an actual project. It turns out that it weighs so much that12oz of coffee has little effect on the heft, so it feels the same whether it's full or empty. The weight also all but eliminates bump-spill. You'd damage a knuckle if you hit it hard enough to knock it over.

Please do copy this, and post the results. You could improve on it and give me more ideas.

I may, but probably won't, replace the travel mug and do a better job. I rolled the edge over cold (didn't want to burn the plywood), and didn't take the time it needed, and it split in a couple of places. I imagine that it was already work-hardened by the drawing process, and I should have annealed it, but I didn't.

**billster** · Aug 30, 2016, 09:59 AM

I have one cylinder that may be the one. Outside is totally rusted, but not flaking, so it has a nice patina. If I copy this, I'll post the result. I'm a patient person, but usually not when it comes to making stuff for myself - then it's quick-and-dirty. That will probably dominate the project if I do it, but I'm willing to show just about any Q&D work, almost always fun stuff.