Jump to content
I Forge Iron

Rockwell tester set up?


Recommended Posts

I had a tester "thrown in" to a package deal when I bought my last cnc machines. The previous owner never used it but was confident all the necessary parts were there. The machines are gone but I still have the tester. The last time I used a tester was in college (30 or so years ago) and I have no recollection how to set it up or use it. An internet search has been all but useless.

Is anyone here versed enough on these tools to help me out either personally or direct me to a resource who can? I'd be happy to post pictures and any other info. one might need to get this up and "running". Better yet...if there's someone here in the P.N.W. near enough for me to make a short trip and get someone hands on with it that would be best case scenario. Otherwise it will continue to be a rather large paper weight and I'll just sell it to someone who can actually use it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been ruminating on this a bit. Not having any luck getting this set up and to be honest I don't know that I "need" it. Even if I do need it, I've got a list a mile long of stuff I need sooner. So, my thought was to offer this up for trade to someone who may need it worse than I do.

I'm just starting out so I need to get the basics in my inventory (basic tools). Tongs, hammers, hardies, etc., etc.. I could use a decent belt grinder too. What I really could use would be some lessons. :rolleyes:

Anyway, if any of you good folks think this hardness tester is something you can use, feel free to speak up. If you're not too far away, I'd be happy to meet with you and have you give it a good once over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My humble suggestion is to keep the hardness tester. As you progress, you will want to test the tooling you make and keep notes on what works and what doesn't. Sure, you can live w/o one, but to have one is to be incredibily fortunate imho.
When I first started in blacksmithing 20+ yrs ago, I naively thought I really wouldn't have to learn a lot about heat treating. Just a few basics and I'm good. If you stay with the craft, reality is much different, and you'll find yourself wanting to know everything there is about heat treating and how to approach it scientifically to meet your needs. It really is fascinating.
Keep it, learn how to use it, and keep notes on you experiments.
If you want to take a vacation to the coast, I'll show you how to use it.
John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...