Steel Equivalents

[Chewy]

Getting ready to make Harold Hall's Grinding and Sharpening jig. I plan on this being a total Metric build with the exception of the flat table plate. I'm going to use 1/4" instead of 6mm. He uses 230M07 steel for everything round, which crosses to 12L15 on a couple of charts that I looked at. I have 12L14 which is slightly softer. I have used 12L14 which is a dream to work with but it doesn't wear good for me. I was looking at what the local supplier had and I started to look at 1144. Never used it before. Would this be a good selection to try? It is for pins (some threaded), feed screws, collars, collets, washers, etc. The application would be light duty, but a lot of use. I have on hand O1, 1018 & 12L14. Would like to try not heat treating or case hardening, but I'm looking for long life on the feed screws.

Thanks In Advance..... Chewy

 

[MrWhoopee]

1144 is far superior to 1215/12L14 in the strength category while still possessing excellent machinability. In the as received, unhardened state, I'm not sure that the wear resistance would be that much of an improvement. It can be flame hardened, which is what I would recommend. If you want to avoid hardening the parts, ask your supplier if they can get you some ETD-150 or order it off eBay.

 

[Chewy]

How is it to work with? I float between O1 and 1018 all the time. Have not done any alloys or stainless. Price is not problem. Ebay is $16 for 1/2". ALRO is almost local. Will call on sizes and price. 1/2" will do about all threading items. Will have to turn down to 8mm for most items. Looks like it will be threading into 1018.

 

[MrWhoopee]

ETD-150 has great machinability, much better than 1018 or O-1.

http://www.niagaralasalle.com/pdf/etd150casestudies.pdf

 

[Chewy]

Ordered a foot of 1/2" from Ebay. Will give it a try and see how it cuts and knurls. I remember hearing about it on Forum, but never gave it a thought when looking for substitutes. Thanks!! Charles

 

[Nogoingback]

If you start using 1144, you won't go back to 1018 again. It machines so much better, with a nice surface finish and it's stronger.

 

[Chewy]

In your opinion, would this make good bushings for wood turning? I made the first bushings out of 12L14. They don't last. My wife runs a skew up on them and then uses sandpaper. They wore out too fast. Switched to O1 and have not had any problems. The O1 is not heat treated yet. It does not look as pretty but that is not important in this case. Would the 1144 be a good substitute? It is available down the street where as the O1 is mail order. Half of the bushings are under 1/2" and the other half is under 5/8". Eventually want to end up with hardened bushings for her. She uses them to turn pen blanks.

 

[Nogoingback]

I'm not sure I'm qualified to make that call, though I just looked up hardness values for O1 and 1144 and the O1 is harder which
I assume translates into greater wear resistance.
Since you have the 1144 available locally, why not just try some and see if it works for you?

 

[Chewy]

Will do. Going to the supplier in a week or two. I will make a set of bushings from 1144 and ETD and see if she can notice any difference.
She is pretty hard on the popular ones she uses. There are probably 100 different bushings from .25-.55 diameter, in all sorts of steps about 3/4-1" long. The commercial bushings are really sloppy. Mine are all around 1-2 thousands where they should be. Actually makes a difference in the quality of feel when you hold the pen. Bonus is that it keeps the other half happy.

 

[Illinoyance]

1144 (Stressproof) is my favorite metal for turning. It mills nicely, too. Unfortunately, due to the sulfur content, it is not suitable for welding. I don't use it much anymore because it is difficult to find dumpster diving.