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hardest stainless steel in 3/32

jpatz18

Plastic
Joined
May 11, 2013
Location
usa
I am trying to find the hardest stainless steel (round rod) in 3/32. I tried 303 but its just way to soft. I am trying to reduplicate a piece. Its slightly magnetic, but not hardened by any means. Just hard after its pressed in place. They call it spring steel, but it doesn't rust. I am also finding it hard to find any stainless in 3/32. There part is has round rod 5/64 (stainless)
 
If you need short straight pieces, dowel pins.. If it doesn't have to be straight, look for
wire. (you can actually buy it in straight 1ft lengths) 304 "spring temper" wire is easy to get..
Check McMaster Carr.

McMaster-Carr

5/64. 0.0781" McMaster Carr has .075 and .080, less than $20 for 100ft in straight(ish) 1ft lengths.
 
Misumi and PIC Design carry hardened 416 stainless dowel pins in 2.5mm (.0984") diameter. It doesn't sound like you're dealing with any kind of volume - polishing out ~5 thou wouldn't take very long with some diamond compound.
 
Misumi and PIC Design carry hardened 416 stainless dowel pins in 2.5mm (.0984") diameter. It doesn't sound like you're dealing with any kind of volume - polishing out ~5 thou wouldn't take very long with some diamond compound.

Umm - it'd be a right PITB, and not give a great cylindrical shape when done. Much better to go with ground to size material if possible.
 
I am trying to find the hardest stainless steel (round rod) in 3/32. I tried 303 but its just way to soft. I am trying to reduplicate a piece. Its slightly magnetic, but not hardened by any means. Just hard after its pressed in place. They call it spring steel, but it doesn't rust. I am also finding it hard to find any stainless in 3/32. There part is has round rod 5/64 (stainless)

Hardest? Seriously? Would an ignorant M42 drill blank do yah?

:D
 
We got a bunch of whip antennas from a company that sounds like Neutron or something like that. Anyway they are made from 300 series stainless and very spring like. We use them for gaps in the dividing a field for a center pivot irrigation system. They are hooked up to a fence charger and keep the cattle in a particular field but allow the pivot to go through with no intervention. They are near 3/32 and very springy.
As much as I like machining heat treated 416 it is no where near as springy as antenna stock. After one of these antennas gets hit by lightning they are about as limp as a wet noodle.
 
M42 being known for it's stainless steel-like rust resistance. And for being stainless steel.

And 'drill blanks' being available a tad + or -, you choose... so less likelihood of having to mess with "re-sizing".

OTOH, we've not been told if the OP needs ONE (I keep index-boxed sets handy as "problem solvers") .. or ten-thousand... nor how long, each.. so...
 
sorry 2-1/2 inches is probably the shortest I can go. Are drill blanks stainless steel? I can to do volume I just need to know what stainless I need fist.
 
Umm - it'd be a right PITB, and not give a great cylindrical shape when done. Much better to go with ground to size material if possible.

If possible, no doubt. Just pointing out an alternative if 3/32 isn't readily available.

Building a cylindrical lap isn't the quickest thing in the world, but it's probably on par, time wise, with making a D-bit reamer out of drill rod for an odd sized hole when you're in a pinch. I've done it before, doesn't take much more than 10-15 minutes once the lap is built.

For the technique:

CUSTOM CALIPERS PART 1 - YouTube

Skip to 9 minutes in. Takes about 5 minutes to polish a .052 gauge pin to an even 50 thou, and he's using a solid carbide drill blank.
 
If you only need one or two, just buy a 3/32 shaft from McMaster made out of 17-4 at Rc40. It's probably not economical if you need a bunch, but it's easy.
 
sorry 2-1/2 inches is probably the shortest I can go. Are drill blanks stainless steel? I can to do volume I just need to know what stainless I need fist.

Most of the "HSS" clan are de-facto "stainless" if only as a byproduct of the alloys needed. A few don't even have significant iron in them at all, cannot 'rust', so "High Speed STEEL" is a misnomer.

M2 and M42 are common as drill blanks but length in typical 'sets' varies by diameter.
HSS Gage pins are another option.

Downside is that either of those costs a great deal more than longer precision-ground stock that you'd at least have to cut to length and de-burr.

I brought them onto the menu because we otherwise tend to think our only 'stainless' choices have to be 3XX or 4XX.

Not so.

Your project, your decision as to convenience vs cost.
 
I am trying to find the hardest stainless steel (round rod) in 3/32. I tried 303 but its just way to soft. I am trying to reduplicate a piece. Its slightly magnetic, but not hardened by any means. Just hard after its pressed in place. They call it spring steel, but it doesn't rust. I am also finding it hard to find any stainless in 3/32. There part is has round rod 5/64 (stainless)

We need more information:
1) How long is your piece?
2) What is the hardness of the existing part? "Hard" stainless can be 30-60 HRC
3) Why do you need stainless, or more importantly what environment does this pin need to live up to? Stainless steels are designed for particular environments. Not every alloy will work in every environment.
4) How big is your need? You want one, two, or a couple dozen of these you get a different answer than if you want thousands.
 
Most of the "HSS" clan are de-facto "stainless" if only as a byproduct of the alloys needed. A few don't even have significant iron in them at all, cannot 'rust', so "High Speed STEEL" is a misnomer.

M2 and M42 are common as drill blanks but length in typical 'sets' varies by diameter.
HSS Gage pins are another option.

Downside is that either of those costs a great deal more than longer precision-ground stock that you'd at least have to cut to length and de-burr.

I brought them onto the menu because we otherwise tend to think our only 'stainless' choices have to be 3XX or 4XX.

Not so.

Your project, your decision as to convenience vs cost.

I have to disagree - M42 only has about 4% chromium. You need at least 13% chromium in an iron alloy to create the passivation layer necessary to prevent corrosion.

I've got a mushroom knife I ground out of a piece of Mo-Max, it's definitely not corrosion resistant to any significant extent.

D2 might get you where you need to go, that's got 12% Cr. Not sure where you'd want it as far as hardness goes, though. In its fully annealed state from the mill, it's going to be spheroidized (tiny carbides all bound up in a ferrite matrix. ie, cementite). At full hardness, all the carbon will be in the form of martensite and carbides, and at 12% Cr there's not enough in there to have an excess. I'm gunna pull a # out of my ass and say 40 HRC.
 
Something makes me think this person really has no idea what he needs. Sorry if I am wrong. Answer the questions in post #14 and much of that may be cleared up. For example if your part is going to live in salt water, then you are going to need a SS different than 303 regardless of the hardness. Is it hardness you are after, or toughness? I would think with any kind of quantity I would just get 17-4 TGP and it would be plenty hard and tough, if it doesn't work you know what failed and have a better question to ask.

R
 
Most of the "HSS" clan are de-facto "stainless" if only as a byproduct of the alloys needed. A few don't even have significant iron in them at all, cannot 'rust', so "High Speed STEEL" is a misnomer.
.

I guess that explains my drawer full of rusty old scrap m-2 and m7 drills and m-42 endmills .....

never seen rust on t-15 though....must be stainless! (the most expensive stainless?)
 








 
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