Is It Me Or The Material?

M

mzvarner

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So I have a new addiction of turning pens out of metal on the mini lathe. They require lots of operations (facing, drilling, tapping, tapering, threading, parting off...etc). It all started when I wanted to get something for my dad for his 60th. I made his from brass. Then I wanted one after his turned out well so I made it out of stainless. Then my wife saw them and something I was watching on bluing then she wanted one blued.

So I know brass is gummy and grabs. Honestly not my favorite to work with. I feel like I just got done rolling around on a beach when I'm done cause chips are everywhere. The Stainless was awesome to work with. The lathe would just make beautiful deep cuts with awesome finish. Now I'm using 1018 and it is just awful to work with. Horrible finish cuts. Hot little brass sized chips that get all over me and burn.

At first I thought it was my setup, and it kinda was. The HsS tool needs a little sharpening and it was a hair above center. So now I'm getting better finishes but it is still a gummy material I don't enjoy.

Is there a better carbon steel I should be using that may have more properties like stainless but still be able to blue?
 
It is difficult at best to get a good finish on 1018, as you say it's gummy. You might try some 12L14, it machines like butter, will finish nicely and I think it would blue OK. Maybe someone else has actually tried bluing 12L14.
 
What are you using to blue the finished parts? If you don't have anything yet to blue them, you can pick different bluing solutions for different materials...even stainless I think.
 
mzvarner said:
So I have a new addiction of turning pens out of metal on the mini lathe. They require lots of operations (facing, drilling, tapping, tapering, threading, parting off...etc). It all started when I wanted to get something for my dad for his 60th. I made his from brass. Then I wanted one after his turned out well so I made it out of stainless. Then my wife saw them and something I was watching on bluing then she wanted one blued.

So I know brass is gummy and grabs. Honestly not my favorite to work with. I feel like I just got done rolling around on a beach when I'm done cause chips are everywhere. The Stainless was awesome to work with. The lathe would just make beautiful deep cuts with awesome finish. Now I'm using 1018 and it is just awful to work with. Horrible finish cuts. Hot little brass sized chips that get all over me and burn.

At first I thought it was my setup, and it kinda was. The HsS tool needs a little sharpening and it was a hair above center. So now I'm getting better finishes but it is still a gummy material I don't enjoy.

Is there a better carbon steel I should be using that may have more properties like stainless but still be able to blue?
Click to expand...
Machining 1018 is like machining bubble gum (I do a lot of it because most of my material is ag scrap). You can get a slightly better finish by doing the last few thous with a shear tool but it will still look awful. I often end up filing and sanding.
 
Randall Marx said:
What are you using to blue the finished parts? If you don't have anything yet to blue them, you can pick different bluing solutions for different materials...even stainless I think.
Click to expand...

I was goign to blue with a torch. nothing fancy. Have not done it before. Saw a video by chris at click spring that talks about it.
 
I'd go with 4140, but that's only because I make firearm stuff and have it hanging around. the 12L14 is probably your best bet, as suggested. You can go with rust bluing or flame bluing, or even home anodizing. Google is your friend. Good luck. Please post pics...everyone loves pics.

Best,

Doug
 
you can get some nice colors with flame
 
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