Custom sized HSS blanks?

R

rtchal

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Anyone know where I can get a 3/8" x 1/2" x 8" High Speed steel blank? 9mm x 12mm x 200mm will also do.

I am having a hard time finding anything, but I also don't really know where to look.
 
Thanks for the lead! I am not sure if 4" will be long enough, but I didn't think about checking Ebay so I'll look around there. I think I should be safe with 5" on the length.
 
I have been hand turning chess pieces out of brass on a fence. I have been using a spare piece of 1/4" x 1/4" HSS as my fence, but it has a bit too much flex. 3/8" x 1/2" is the max size that I can fit in my setup, and the length needs to be enough to reach across my chess piece.

I thought HSS would be the way to go as a cheap, hard steel, but after looking around and finding some close to my needed dimensions, it is gonna be a bit too expensive just to use as a fence. I may end up getting some cold rolled 1018 and hope it is hard enough not to flex. For the price of 1018, it will at least be worth a test.

Here are a couple photos of the chest pieces as well, since I haven't made a proper project log yet:

20190228_114133.jpg

20190307_190122.jpg
 
Those are nice! Brass is so nice to work with but they tarnish. I usually coat them with Everbrite so they stay nice and shiny.
 
Thanks! I have been lacquering them to stay shiny. For the dark team, they will be tarnished to a nice dark brown with some blue coloration, then lacquered.
 
Jeez! Really nice. I don t quite understand what and how your are doing what you are but like the end result. If I may ask, how? You may find that dimension and hardened in parallels. Maybe you need a set anyways or an excuse to buy a different style.
 
I am hand turning each piece the same way a woodturner would. The piece that I need will just go in the tool post and set up alongside the work to act as a fence. I then have some long HSS tools that I have shaped to some basic shapes. The ends of those tools rest on the fence while I make the desired shape.
The fence that I have been using is 1/4" x 1/4" HSS. It is a bit thin, so it tends to flex. Every time it starts to flex, the surface finish is compromised. My goal is to find something for less than 10 bucks because it doesn't need to be that precise and it will probably get beat up anyway.
 
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