How do I ID HSS vs Carbide vs coated etc?

J

joe_m

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I'm going through a pile of end mills and wondering if there is some way I'm supposed to be able to tell high speed steel from carbide or from all those various coatings? Half are unwrapped so all I've got is the writing on the shank and that's usually just the maker logo and the size. The other half are in tubes but not all are clear as to what they are made of.

For example, I find an orange cardboard tube with a Brubaker label: Special Endmill SE, 2 FLUTE HNA 1/2 DIA. F9A085 5122601 3-90. I assume 3-90 is production date, so those numbers aren't going to match anything I find on their website. What does HNA stand for? The endmill itself says #5122601 (so I think that's the model #) LEAD 2.243 BTC M7 OC. M7 sounds familiar, is that a type of metal? BTC?

And while I'm asking what are probably embarassingly easy questions - what is the lead 2.243? I see lead marked on a lot of endmills, but what is it measuring? (It's NOT flute length - I figured that much out.)


thanks
Joe
 
I know it's so rude to reply to one's own question, but that's the way I roll....

I just found a note on this tool sellers page that explains to me that M7 is HSS (I thought it sounded familiar) and, I think it's saying that M42 is cobalt. So if I find the secret code for carbide and the titanium coatings I will be in the know.

Joe
 
Hi Joe

I don't remember evwr seeing an M7 before but ut probablt is HSS. Anything starting with M (M2, M4, M42) usually is.

To answer your first question, HSS is usually a silver colour, carbide is more gray and much heavier than HSS. If there's a gold colour to it then it's been coated with Titanium Nitride (abbrev. TiN).

Hope that's some help to you.

Sandro
 
FarFar said:
HSS is magnetic,Carbide not.
Click to expand...
That's something I would never have thought of as a testing means. For anything not clearly marked as HSS, or which has a different silver sheen than the ones I know are HSS, I'll test with a magnet.
Thanks!
 
Pontiac Freak said:
let me know if you are getting rid of any undesirable tooling :-)
Click to expand...

Does such a thing exist? I'm just trying to get a handle on what I do have. Years of collecting machinist boxes have left me with quite a stash - 99% HSS. 2-flute, 3-flute, 4-flute, single and double sided, every width I can think of up to about 1.25", a bunch of those double-sided center drills, round-over and round bits etc. I just figured eventually I'd need to know what I have for when I get to the point where I would know enough to say "I need a 3/4" 3-flute right-hand twist with a 2.5" lead for this cut because a 4-flute just won't do!"
 
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