Finished my AXA toolpost

[Chuck K]

Thanks Mark. I needed a couple of toolposts for lathes that I'm getting ready to sell. I've always gone to Frank at CDCO to tool up machines that I sell. This time I decided to make them instead. I needed two so I'm making four. I figured as long as the machine is setup it doesn't take that much time to mill a couple more.

 

[Chuck K]

Thanks for the replies guys. When I finish machining everything, I'm going to get the turkey fryer out and blacken all of the parts. That's such a nasty process that I prefer to wait until I can do a lot of parts at one time.

I did a lot of hot bluing today. Here's a tool post and holder.

 

[Cadillac]

Care to explain your hot blue process looks really good along with your qctp! Nice job

 

[martik777]

How did you cut the dovetails? What steel alloy did you use?

 

[Chuck K]

I used lye and nitrate of soda. Mix with water and heat with a turkey fryer.

 

[Chuck K]

How did you cut the dovetails? What steel alloy did you use?

Tool post was 4140. Holders 1018. Used a dovetail cutter in the mill.

 

[martik777]

4140 is pretty hard stuff, was the cutter carbide?

 

[Chuck K]

Care to explain your hot blue process looks really good along with your qctp! Nice job

The last dozen or so holders came out of the cooker with a green soot on them. I think my mix got contaminated with kerosene. I've had the holders in a bucket with kerosene to keep them from rusting. I'm thinking I didn't get it all cleaned off. That stuff is a ***** to scrub off, but it's still nice and black underneath.

 

[Chuck K]

4140 is pretty hard stuff, was the cutter carbide?

It was carbide. The 4140 was some material that I bought at an auction years ago. It was marked 4140 but it cut easy enough and finished a lot nicer than the 1018.