jdinbr Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 To make a spring similar to the ones in these locks, assuming forging from scrap spring material... Would you harden and temper? To what color? Any recommendations on steel material? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Normalize would probably work for those as they don't see much throw. Try it and see! If you need to harden and temper: heat till the steel loses it's magnetism, quench in warm oil, (vegetable oil is ok, warm is around 140 degF); draw temper to a deep blue (this depends on the alloy used of course!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 As Thomas says draw to a deep blue. Although on a spring of this type it's hard to polish the entire spring to see the color. A traditional method to try (it still depends on the alloy used if it will work or not) is to dip in oil after hardening and flash the oil off over the fire. Repeat this atleast three times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearhartironwerks Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I may suggest trying it w/o using any heat treat and using it as forged. You can always work from there. I make tongs as forged with 5160, and learned that from Tom Clark many yrs ago. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L Smith Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 You might try an old clock repair guy. That is what the spring resembles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 you do not have to polish the entire spring to see temper color, just polish enough of an area so you can see the temper color there. If you are tempering in an oven, it should be consistant all over anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron quake Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Temper in the wife's kitchen oven at 550F its a perfect spring temper "dark blue" I doubt you need to do it at all as there is very little deflection in a springs of those types. I temper all my 4140 hammer dies and many other tools as well in my honeys oven. it's not just for pie you know. Just clean the parts well with a wire wheel so you don't take any left over quenching oil with you a stink up the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron quake Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Also I don't know why anyone makes anything that needs heat treatment from scrap. You have know idea what you'll wind up with. If you need a small amount of material order it from Mc Master Carr. If you need a lot order that from Hudson Tool Steel the best prices and high quality. Time is money and failed tools are a waist of both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I don't see any problem using scrap in this situation, especially if the scrap is already a spring of some sort. Many may do this just for sake of doing it, reusing otherwise scrap items, lack of funds, and some companies will not sell to non-business accounts. I have to supply McMaster Carr catalogs to my friend because they flat refuse to send him one. We get new ones all the time at work, so I take him the old one that we are getting rid of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron quake Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Well I guess if your making a spring from a spring and I see the value in reusing things and not waisting anything. I just can't get past putting a lot of time into making something only to have it crack in the first use. Anyone who has a computer can do their shopping online at the places I mentioned above, so no catalog is required, if you don't have a computer in 2014 that sucks . By the way a "8 x "12 ".032 thick piece of annealed 1075 is $16.42. that makes a lot of springs. And yep they are very stingy with there catalogs for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 old hay rake tines and potato planter belt make excellent springs. i treat them like W-1. they are 3/8 round and are usually give-a-way stuff. when tempering, i flash them once or twice in corn oil depending on my whim. advice from Tom Bredlow years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I see lots of hay rake tines use as fencing, and plant hangers around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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