422 Stainless, anybody ever work it?

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I'm looking at some 422 stainless and just wondering if anyone knows anything about how it is to machine. Seems to be harder than 316, maybe closer to 4140? any experience?
 
Yes - certainly not in the annealed condition (pretty hard, but not crazy). It is quite different than 316SS. 316 work hardens so much. I had a big old steam rack (which I understand is 422 SS) and it cut okay with my power hacksaw (using HSS blades) - it is a Kasto PSB, which is a pretty heavy duty unit. It was a thick section (3" thick and 9" deep), so I used a 3 tpi blade, low speed and coolant. I ended up making 10 slices, the blade wasn't new to start and was still cutting well when I finished.

If you are using carbide tooling, it won't be a problem. Given the choice between 316SS and 422SS, I would choose 422
 
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If you want stainless that's easier to machine 303 might do the job for you.
 
What is the source of your 422 material? Is it "repurposed" material? 422 material can be heat treated (the 300 series not so much), so you may find that it has been nitride - or some other hardening process. I like some of the 400 SS materials (for example 416) as they cut well, finish well and don't rust under typical atmospheric conditions. I get lots of mystery metal as scrap - my preferred material is: magnetic, not prone to rusting & cuts okay with a file (the actual material I don't know exactly what it is). 422 is often used in elevated temperature service, but not really hot (about 700 to 1000°F) - I work around this type of equipment all the time. I've probably cut 422SSS lots of times, without even knowing it.
 
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