I've indicated my table and tooling to my milling machine spindle and now I'm ready to start machining. As luck would have it, I happen to have the right size washer to hold my part with.
 

This really doesn't take long to machine something like this, but it means taking your time when doing so. I know it's hard to see here because the machined part blends in with my tooling.
 

I've also added a 1/4" diameter hole in the tab. This hole will hold a key-ring that will attach to my flag. I think this should work good for this and if it wears out, I'll replace them. You can also see the 1/4 stainless setscrew that will be used.
 

Drilling for Fasteners

Here I'm drilling a 1/4" diameter hole through the steel base and into the aluminum adapter, but not all the way through. This adapter will go into the large aluminum tube and will be held in place by a screw as well. Note the gap between the steel and aluminum. This was planned and is bottomed out inside the steel base.
 

I'm giving the large tubing a light sanding to remove the scale of the aluminum. This will help the paint stick to it better.
 

I've been wondering what I was going to do for the top of the pole and I finally came up with an idea. I'm going to make a round piece, or sphere, that will go at the very top of the pole. This will be made out of aluminum and the piece that you see below is 7 1/4" long X 3 1/2" diameter.

There is something else that I'm going to incorporate into this piece, a shield or cover that will go over the end of the pole. The reason for this cover is because after installing the rubber seal (to keep the water out), it grips the inner steel tube to tight, not letting it spin like I wanted. I had the right idea with the seal but it just didn't work out. This way if I cover the end of the pole, say by about 1/2", this will help keep the rain out.
 

Notice that I've turned the one end to 2" in diameter, which has the cover/shield machined at the end (I'll show you later). I've also started roughing the end by just eyeballing. Yes I have a plan, so let's see how I'm going to machine a sphere and have it look nice.