Cutting and Drilling Hard Steel Alloys

737captain

737captain

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I’m not sure if this is the correct place to ask this, if not I’m sure the moderators will move it appropriately.

I need to repair the rocker part of my patio chairs, They’re manufactured using two 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 1/4 fiberglass plates to provide the rocking motion. Obviously they deteriorate quickly so give a very insecure feeling when you rock. I was thinking about using spring steel to replace them. Its 5160 alloy steel from McMaster-Carr but its hardness is C25, I have no idea what that means. Will I be able to cut and drill it or is there a better idea?

Thank you
 
Could you post a photo of the part you want to make? If you can, show it in-place, too.

The hardness is Rockwell C scale, which is for hard material for which a conical diamond point is used. How far the point penetrates the material is related to how hard that material is. Mild steel is off the scale on the bottom end. R_C 25 is hard but can be machined without too much trouble. What kind of saw do you have handy? bandsaw? Skinny wheel? Send a picture so we can see what you're up to.
 
I've not worked with that alloy but you should be able to cut and drill C25 hardness steel with HSS. Use a slower cutting speed and a cutting oil.
 
It's an odd choice, 5160. It's a medium carbon steel used in springs, IIRC. If you're outdoors, I wonder if you'd be better served with a stainless alloy.
 

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737captain said:
I’m not sure if this is the correct place to ask this, if not I’m sure the moderators will move it appropriately.

I need to repair the rocker part of my patio chairs, They’re manufactured using two 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 1/4 fiberglass plates to provide the rocking motion. Obviously they deteriorate quickly so give a very insecure feeling when you rock. I was thinking about using spring steel to replace them. Its 5160 alloy steel from McMaster-Carr but its hardness is C25, I have no idea what that means. Will I be able to cut and drill it or is there a better idea?

Thank you
Click to expand...
McMaster is showing the hardness in the annealed state (C25). Normal HSS tools should be north of C60, so quite a bit harder than annealed 5160. If you heat 5160 to critical temperature (bright yellow give or take) and quench in oil you can get it to around C60...that's where it would be challenging.

The one thing that comes to mind is that you'd probably have to change the dimensions of the part significantly to get it to actually flex like the original.
 
How about an old leaf spring, if you were near me I would give you a pair
 
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