# Anyone have a HR-150A hardness tester?



## Jim F (Dec 19, 2020)

I have everything except the tester its self.


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## benmychree (Dec 19, 2020)

more info needed, what is it?


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## Jim F (Dec 19, 2020)

Rockwell hardness tester from PRC


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## Diecutter (Dec 20, 2020)

I have an HR-150A and everything else that came with it.  Not sure of what exactly you need though.


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## Jim F (Dec 20, 2020)

Diecutter said:


> I have an HR-150A and everything else that came with it.  Not sure of what exactly you need though.


I just have parts, not the actuall machine.
I have the wooden box of plates and such and 4 cylinder type things, and some ball bearings.
Next time I am up there, I will check if the tester is there hidden away somewhere.


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## benmychree (Dec 20, 2020)

I looked online, and found sales info on it, but there is very little info posted as to what its capabilities are, in terms of what Rockwell hardness ranges that it can perform.





						Bench Top Rockwell Hardness Tester HR 150 A Testing Table Test Block HRC HRA B - - Amazon.com
					

Bench Top Rockwell Hardness Tester HR 150 A Testing Table Test Block HRC HRA B - - Amazon.com



					www.amazon.com


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## Diecutter (Dec 20, 2020)

Ranges are:  Rockwell B scale = 25-100 HRB with 1.588mm steel ball.  C scale = 20-70 HRC with 120 degree diamond.  A scale = 20-88 HRA with 120 degree diamond.  A scale measures metal with a hardness over HRC 70 as well as hard sheet materials and surface quenched materials.    C scale measures hardness of heat treated  steel parts.  B scale is used for measuring softer or middle hard metals and unquenched steel parts. All this from the HR-150A operating instructions.  Machine originally came with large, small, and v- notch anvils; diamond penetrator, steel ball penetrator (and 5 spare balls), as well as 5 standard test blocks and misc. other parts.  Looks just what benmychree posted.


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## benmychree (Dec 20, 2020)

Diecutter said:


> Ranges are:  Rockwell B scale = 25-100 HRB with 1.588mm steel ball.  C scale = 20-70 HRC with 120 degree diamond.  A scale = 20-88 HRA with 120 degree diamond.  A scale measures metal with a hardness over HRC 70 as well as hard sheet materials and surface quenched materials.    C scale measures hardness of heat treated  steel parts.  B scale is used for measuring softer or middle hard metals and unquenched steel parts. All this from the HR-150A operating instructions.  Machine originally came with large, small, and v- notch anvils; diamond penetrator, steel ball penetrator (and 5 spare balls), as well as 5 standard test blocks and misc. other parts.  Looks just what benmychree posted.


Here in the good old USA, 1.588mm is 1/16".  Interesting that in the ads, the manufacturer is identified as "generic".  Almost certainly Chineric ---


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## ACHiPo (Dec 20, 2020)

benmychree said:


> Here in the good old USA, 1.588mm is 1/16".  Interesting that in the ads, the manufacturer is identified as "generic".  Almost certainly Chineric ---


This looks like a modern Chinese copy of the Rockwell hardness tester we used in school to measure hardness.  As I recall the ball or diamond is used as diecutter said, and the size of the indentation indicates the hardness.  The one we used from Rockwell directly read the hardness based on the z penetration of the ball or diamond and the force it took to make the indentation.  Other standards (Vickers, Brinell, etc.) use similar approaches.









						Hardness testing | School of Materials Science and Engineering - UNSW Sydney
					

Hardness testing determines the strength, ductility and wear resistance of a material. Discover more at UNSW Materials Science & Engineering.




					www.materials.unsw.edu.au
				







__





						Hardness testing insight | Struers.com
					

Knowledge and insight into materialographic hardness testing – including how to test metallic and other materials, and the definitions, applications and conclusions of different hardness tests – from Struers, the world’s leading materialographic and metallographic experts.




					www.struers.com
				




It's a lot cheaper to use the "calibrated" files, but if you've got the real deal it's pretty nice to have!


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## benmychree (Dec 20, 2020)

ACHiPo said:


> This looks like a modern Chinese copy of the Rockwell hardness tester we used in school to measure hardness.  As I recall the ball or diamond is used as diecutter said, and the size of the indentation indicates the hardness.  The one we used from Rockwell directly read the hardness based on the z penetration of the ball or diamond and the force it took to make the indentation.  Other standards (Vickers, Brinell, etc.) use similar approaches.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Functionally it is a copy of the Rockwell Hardness Tester, but not a physical copy, the Rockwell testers are much more substantial, an easy 100 lbs., even without the weights.  I have seen the term for the indenter described as a pyramid, it is actually a cone.


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## metric_taper (Dec 20, 2020)

I have this model. Purchased new in 1995 from Penn tool company. I use it at least once a week. It is darn accurate, and I trust it to give me repeatable numbers. I check it maybe once every 5 years against the calibration plates that came with it. It's always within tenths of them. I only use the C scale.
It's great when you have mystery steel, and want to verify if it needs to be annealed in the heat treat furnace.
I got it originally as I made some shafts for my skid loader that roller bearings run on. Oil hardening tool steel was used, and I wanted to check temper.
I used it this week as I purchased some HSS 90 degree point spotting drills from eBay. They should all be greater the Rc>65. But I found the smaller drills to be softer. I wrote the hardness on the label for each drill. The 3mm was Rc=51, the 8, 10, and 12mm drills were acceptable hardness.


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## Jim F (Dec 21, 2020)

metric_taper said:


> I have this model. Purchased new in 1995 from Penn tool company. I use it at least once a week. It is darn accurate, and I trust it to give me repeatable numbers. I check it maybe once every 5 years against the calibration plates that came with it. It's always within tenths of them. I only use the C scale.
> It's great when you have mystery steel, and want to verify if it needs to be annealed in the heat treat furnace.
> I got it originally as I made some shafts for my skid loader that roller bearings run on. Oil hardening tool steel was used, and I wanted to check temper.
> I used it this week as I purchased some HSS 90 degree point spotting drills from eBay. They should all be greater the Rc>65. But I found the smaller drills to be softer. I wrote the hardness on the label for each drill. The 3mm was Rc=51, the 8, 10, and 12mm drills were acceptable hardness.


Is this a part for it ? I have 4. 
It looks like #7 in the drawing in the back of the instruction book.


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## Jim F (Dec 21, 2020)

This is what else I have.


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## metric_taper (Dec 21, 2020)

Jim F said:


> Is this a part for it ? I have 4.
> It looks like #7 in the drawing in the back of the instruction book.


I don't think that is for this tester. Simple set screw is used to change between the Rockwell C and B test points. Otherwise the wood box of accessories has different plattens, the V is the one  in my machine now, but there is a small round, and large round, and then the calibration test plates.


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## metric_taper (Dec 21, 2020)

Jim F said:


> This is what else I have.


Mine came with this same box of accessories. If you have this without the tester, someone is missing a needed set of components.


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## Jim F (Dec 21, 2020)

metric_taper said:


> I don't think that is for this tester. Simple set screw is used to change between the Rockwell C and B test points. Otherwise the wood box of accessories has different plattens, the V is the one  in my machine now, but there is a small round, and large round, and then the calibration test plates.


It looks like it might go inside, at the bottom back.


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## Jim F (Dec 21, 2020)

metric_taper said:


> Mine came with this same box of accessories. If you have this without the tester, someone is missing a needed set of components.


Like I said, next time I am up there, I will look for the tester.


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## metric_taper (Dec 21, 2020)

Jim F said:


> It looks like it might go inside, at the bottom back.


I have no idea what that would be for testing. I'll have to take a photo of the jack screw in mine, it has a plastic cover tube that expands as the jack is raised I assume to keep dust off the threads.


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## Jim F (Dec 21, 2020)

I thought it might be this part.
From the back of the instruction pamphlet.


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## metric_taper (Dec 21, 2020)

I uploaded a photo in the previous post, so this post should generate an email notification.


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## metric_taper (Dec 21, 2020)

Jim F said:


> I thought it might be this part.
> From the back of the instruction pamphlet.


It could be that part.  Don't know why that would ever be removed unless the seals leaked oil. It's the slow damper controller, so when you pull the lever on the right side of the machine, the preload weights are slowly applied.


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