Metal question

boostin53

boostin53

Registered
Registered
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
293
I was sent a length of material claimed to be 303 SS. The color of the metal doesn't resemble stainless. And it sure doesn't cut like stainless. It faced off fairly easily and turned okay, leaving a beautiful finish with carbide inserts. I was applying oil to the tip of the tool while turning the OD and was still seeing small sparks coming off the tool tip.

I then decided to try and part this mystery steel. Parting blade started off cutting well. Nice, long curly chips. Then stopped cutting. Chewed right thru the blades tip. I'm attaching two pictures, one of the curly chips and one of the end of the stock. The metal has stampings at the end. I'm hoping somebody could give me some clarification on what type of material I have. Also, I did a spark test. The shower of sparks were bright white, no orange or yellow that I could see. 20170206_181913.jpg 20170206_181903.jpg
 
Another picture of the chips, but with the flash on the camera. 20170206_181924.jpg
 
If someone went to the trouble of stamping numbers on the bars it may well be a material made specifically for a large manufacturer and could thus be an alloy made for a single customer for a specific application by the mill.

Are there many large machine shops in the area that supply parts to the automotive, aerospace, medical or weapons industries? Such customers often require the vendors to track such material and keep the chips and drops, they do find their way into the wild on occasion however. It may well be a high nickle steel often used in oil field components, these are notoriously difficult to machine.

Many scrap yards consider any steel that is non magnetic to be "stainless", they do not consider 440C which is magnetic to be "stainless".
 
Last edited:
Yes, there are shops like this in my area. But this was purchased from a vendor in another state. I have contacted the vendor, but no response yet. I have a feeling it is Iconel.

Edit: it may not be Iconel after all. Just watched a video of Iconel spark tests. They didn't match my tests.
 
boostin53 said:
Yes, there are shops like this in my area. But this was purchased from a vendor in another state. I have contacted the vendor, but no response yet. I have a feeling it is Iconel.

Edit: it may not be Iconel after all. Just watched a video of Iconel spark tests. They didn't match my tests.
Click to expand...
Well good luck with materials of unknown composition, one never knows what will happen, try tapping a test specimen, if it proves very difficult run away. Some metals will turn beautifully under ideal conditions yet inside work, drilling and tapping for example can be difficult, titanium comes to mind.
 
Wreck™Wreck said:
Well good luck with materials of unknown composition, one never knows what will happen, try tapping a test specimen, if it proves very difficult run away. Some metals will turn beautifully under ideal conditions yet inside work, drilling and tapping for example can be difficult, titanium comes to mind.
Click to expand...

I'm waiting for the vendor to enlighten me with the name of this alloy, if he even knows. But turning the OD and facing leaves a very beautiful finish. Nice and shiny, smooth as silk. That's with carbide insert tooling. This material just laughs at HSS. Bandsaw won't cut it. It starts to cut then just rides on the metal. Weird stuff, at least for me.
 
You are probably correct, however I have not often seen a heat number that was not preceded by HT in a while, he could have a piece that has been stored in a shops drop rack for 20 years, who knows(-:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top