Steel types?

[Aaron_W]

I went to the local metal place I have just to get a few small pieces. My intent was to get 12L14 which the Sherline machining book says is the easiest to work with. Unfortunately the only place I have available locally is more tailored to fabrication, not so much machining and they don't stock 12L14.

I ended up buying a 4 foot remnant of 1" 1018 cold rolled, and a 2 foot piece of of 1 1/2" hot rolled (???maybe 1018, don't know for sure).

I looked online quickly before I went down there figuring there was a good chance they wouldn't have the first choice. The first place I looked suggested that cold rolled was better than hot rolled for machining and that also fit what I thought I had read elsewhere. Hot rolled potentially less uniform throughout the piece?

I grabbed the short piece of hot rolled because it is cheaper and the cut charge was much cheaper, and it is basically just going to be used as the "anvil" side of a die stamp thing so not going to need high precision or a pretty finish. I have several project ideas for the 1" rod, and it was a manageable length without a cutting fee.

Now looking further into it I am finding a ton of conflicting information some places cold rolled well above hot rolled, some the reverse and some fall into the "depends" category.


Plans for the 1" cold rolled rod are a 3/4-16 to 7/8-20 threaded adapter for a boring head (maybe 2" long total length), and as the "hammer" side of a die for shaping thin brass sheet. The 1 1/2" hot rolled rod is primarily to be the "anvil" side of the die. The die shape is going to be pretty simple (disc wheel centers for model trucks).


So did I do ok here or have I just bought $30 of less than useful material?


Working with a Sherline lathe and mill and HSS tooling if that matters.

 

[Wreck™Wreck]

"Hot Rolled" and "Cold Rolled" are the manufacturing processes not the material, 12L14 is generally cold rolled in small rounds so as to fit more consistently in collets when used in screw machines, lumpy, scaly not at all straight hot rolled rounds will cause problems with a bar feeder.

Most high carbon steels are cold rolled before they end up at the steel supplier where you will buy it, it may be post processed, pre hardened, annealed, stress relieved, Turned Ground and Polished Etc.

 

[markba633csi]

I've found that buying steel it's best to just buy enough for the project at hand; buying large quantities doesn't save much money EXCEPT if your
supplier is a long distance away.
1018 cold rolled is a good choice, you may not use it right away, but you'll use it eventually. You didn't waste your money.
Mark

 

[Aaron_W]

Ok, good to know, first time trying to buy steel for machining.

This is the only place close by. I was about to order online, but the shipping really kills a small order. I spent less than the shipping would have been.

I'll play with this and see how I do. I need to get in the habit of checking them for cast offs. The guy said they usually had a good assortment of short pieces, but someone came in a few days ago and cleaned them out.


They mentioned having stress free steel, is that something I might want to consider in the future for general machining use?


Thanks

 

[4GSR]

.......................
They mentioned having stress free steel, is that something I might want to consider in the future for general machining use?

Thanks

I'm sure they are talking about "Stressproof". Get your hands on all of it you can! It cuts decent and leaves a nice finish. It don't heat treat worth a darn, but has a tensile of around 100K, and yield of about 80K. Good stuff!

 

[Ray C]

I don't have a good feel for how much pounding these parts need to endure -especially if some features are for stamping dies. Please give more info on that if you feel like it.

Both hot and cold rolled steel may have a tough outer surface that's about 60 to 120 thou deep. In that initial range, it will resist your attempts to cut it. This is due to the manufacturing process. As hot-rolled cools, the outer surface air-quenches. Cold rolled is run through dies and rollers that compresses/hardens the outer surface. Either way, this will happen. Stressproof materials should not have this problem. Also, another easy material to work with is 1117. Strong stuff, cuts nice. Will never give a bright shiny finish but otherwise, just as easy to work with as the 1214.

Regards

Ray C.

 

[Aaron_W]

I'm sure they are talking about "Stressproof". Get your hands on all of it you can! It cuts decent and leaves a nice finish. It don't heat treat worth a darn, but has a tensile of around 100K, and yield of about 80K. Good stuff!

I'm sure that is what it was. I've mostly just used aluminum and a little brass at this point. Steel is a whole new world of stuff to learn. I'll keep my eyes open for that if I can get myself into the habit of going down and watching their remnants stock pile.

I don't have a good feel for how much pounding these parts need to endure -especially if some features are for stamping dies. Please give more info on that if you feel like it.

Both hot and cold rolled steel may have a tough outer surface that's about 60 to 120 thou deep. In that initial range, it will resist your attempts to cut it. This is due to the manufacturing process. As hot-rolled cools, the outer surface air-quenches. Cold rolled is run through dies and rollers that compresses/hardens the outer surface. Either way, this will happen. Stressproof materials should not have this problem. Also, another easy material to work with is 1117. Strong stuff, cuts nice. Will never give a bright shiny finish but otherwise, just as easy to work with as the 1214.

Regards

Ray C.

Shouldn't be a great deal of pounding, just being used to form thin brass. Most likely a few whacks with a mallet, or squeezed in a vise. At most I may invest in one of those small 6 ton HF hydraulic presses.

The project is described here in more detail.

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/need-some-help-with-a-project-forming-brass-maybe.65950/


The other use for the 1" cold rolled will be a threaded adaptor for a small boring head. I asked for 12L14 which they didn't have, so I asked about 1018 and he immediately said oh yeah, cold rolled we have that so I'm assuming that is what it is.

The threading might run into some resistance, but based on what you are saying the 7/8 end of the adaptor should be getting into the easier to machine level, and the 3/4 will be a female thread so well inside that tough surface.

The stamping die thingy will be working the ends which I am assuming should mostly be that easier to work with center.

 

[Ray C]

For thread adapters, arbor attachments etc any of those metals will be OK. How well it holds up to pressing thin brass in vise depends on how many fine features are in the die and how thick thick the brass is. If you have lot's of sharp edges and features you're trying to transfer into the brass, you might only get a few uses before the die starts going out of spec. Real live stamping dies (which I've made a good handful over the years) are made of heat treatable material and hardened to the material's limit. For what you're doing though, just make it out of what you have available and see how it goes.

Have fun... Make sure you show us how the die and the fire trucks are coming along.


Ray

 

[Cactus Farmer]

I'm sure they are talking about "Stressproof". Get your hands on all of it you can! It cuts decent and leaves a nice finish. It don't heat treat worth a darn, but has a tensile of around 100K, and yield of about 80K. Good stuff!

I've found it case hardens OK but welding is NO GOOD! Go ahead and burn some rods and then throw it in the scrap bin. Silversoulder is OK as is brazing but welding is "0" good.

 

[4GSR]

A big 10-4 on welding the stuff. I've seen my dad weld it before. Never pay attention to the rod he used.