- Joined
- Nov 16, 2012
- Messages
- 5,596
Here's an example of 1045 heat treated to the maximum and tempered just enough so it doesn't break like glass. ... Kinda... One of the pieces did chip as you can see.
I just made these about an hour ago and would estimate their hardness at RC 56-58 which is about as hard as 1045 can go. These pieces are too small to test with a Rockwell impactor or Leeb tester. I know they're hard because not much happens to them when you drag a file over them. They were turned about 1.5 thou oversize, heat treated then, used emery cloth wrapped around small pieces of metal flatstock to "grind" the surface to final dimensions. These pieces are for an experimental side-project of mine and are very tight tolerance.
This one didn't survive the heat treating and it cracked/chipped. -Happens when I don't pay attention.
The point is, you can do a lot of fine work on small pieces like this, using common metals like 1045 and/or 4140. Tool steel has specific applications and I believe there are 4 basic types -and each has a specific purpose (hot working, cold working, impact resistance, temperature resistance). Then, there are super-alloys which have combined features of the 4 basic types.... You just don't need all that for home hobby work.
Ray
I just made these about an hour ago and would estimate their hardness at RC 56-58 which is about as hard as 1045 can go. These pieces are too small to test with a Rockwell impactor or Leeb tester. I know they're hard because not much happens to them when you drag a file over them. They were turned about 1.5 thou oversize, heat treated then, used emery cloth wrapped around small pieces of metal flatstock to "grind" the surface to final dimensions. These pieces are for an experimental side-project of mine and are very tight tolerance.
This one didn't survive the heat treating and it cracked/chipped. -Happens when I don't pay attention.
The point is, you can do a lot of fine work on small pieces like this, using common metals like 1045 and/or 4140. Tool steel has specific applications and I believe there are 4 basic types -and each has a specific purpose (hot working, cold working, impact resistance, temperature resistance). Then, there are super-alloys which have combined features of the 4 basic types.... You just don't need all that for home hobby work.
Ray