12L14

[Ischgl99]

Machined some 303SS the other day. Wow, beautiful material to machine!!

I use 303 for a lot of things, so nice to machine, and the corrosion resistance is close enough to 304 that for most applications it’s not worth putting up with 304’s downsides.

A nice alternative to 12L14 is 1215, it’s a non-leaded version of 12L14 and machines really nice. I have all the common diameters up to 1” and that is my go to stock for most things.

 

[Batmanacw]

I use 303 for a lot of things, so nice to machine, and the corrosion resistance is close enough to 304 that for most applications it’s not worth putting up with 304’s downsides.

A nice alternative to 12L14 is 1215, it’s a non-leaded version of 12L14 and machines really nice. I have all the common diameters up to 1” and that is my go to stock for most things.

I've got some 1215 in 1.25" to 3". I'd love to have some smaller stuff.

I'm enjoying learning the 12L14. I just drilled some on the lathe and the chips break up instead of spiraling out. I'm having to use the pecking method withdrawing the tailstock to unpack the flutes. Cuts nicer with parabolic flutes on the small drills.

 

[Ischgl99]

I bought a bunch of 1215 and 4140 from McMaster up to 1” a couple years ago before the big price run up. They must have been going through some old stock and were well below what others were charging at the time. There is a place here in CT that sells drops and has 1215 occasionally, so when something bigger than 1” shows up, I plan to add it to my supply.

 

[Video_man]

Someone once said that 12L14 is to machinists as Carrara marble was to Michelangelo....it's nice stuff to work with, to be sure....

 

[Batmanacw]

I bought a bunch of 1215 and 4140 from McMaster up to 1” a couple years ago before the big price run up. They must have been going through some old stock and were well below what others were charging at the time. There is a place here in CT that sells drops and has 1215 occasionally, so when something bigger than 1” shows up, I plan to add it to my supply.

I like cutting 4140 too but I buy most of my stock surplus and most of it is mystery metal when I buy it. It would be much more expensive if it was all tested and marked.

 

[woodchucker]

Everything in red plus a couple 3ft plus pieces cost me $180. Now that I know what it is the value is a lot higher.

View attachment 462662

The longer pieces are 18" or longer. The shorter pieces are in the 14" range except a few

spray that down with some fluid film, or other rust preventive, it will keep it better. Nice score. great material to work with.

 

[Ischgl99]

I like cutting 4140 too but I buy most of my stock surplus and most of it is mystery metal when I buy it. It would be much more expensive if it was all tested and marked.

I do a bit of both. For my things that don’t matter, I use the mystery metal, but if I am doing anything for someone else, I only use the certified material. The place I buy drops from sends the certs with it, so I know what I am getting most of the time.

 

[pontiac428]

I love me some 12L14.

I know, I know, I'm the lead police...



...But 12L14 is only 0.3% lead, tops. Anything less than 0.5% doesn't even throw a flag anywhere except in the land of Prop 65. The material has 10x more sulfur in it than lead, atom for atom. The sulfur- as in the high pressure additive in oils- and lead make a huge difference in machineability over 1018, without giving up strength. It is really nice stuff to work with.

As for welding... Look, I've done it and I'll do it again. The lead starts to come out as vapor (gaseous) when you reach about 700 degrees F, which isn't very hot for hot work. With good ventilation, outdoors or using fans, there is little risk to us hobby folks. I think I'm safe to assume nobody here is using it to make eating utensils or smoking pipes. I would not put it in a furnace for any type of HT, that is a confined scenario with through heating. Welds are a relatively local input of heat, so the mass of metal affected is generally less.\

I hope the price doesn't go insane after the US Steel industry shut down leaded steel alloy production last month, but it probably will.