Hello,

I have made dovetail base blanks for a metalshaping power hammer.  I made them as blanks for urethane insert dies,  but I have extras.  I was considering boring and welding an s-9 round insert to make what are called "pin dies" in the metalshaping cirlcles (see image below).  I don't know anything about welding such exotic alloys as S-9.  Any input? 

-Adair

Are you sure it's S-9 material and not S-7?? I personally have never heard of S-9 before but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist... Regardless, S-series tool steels are shock-resistant, air-quenched tool steels (although they can be quenched in oil) used in punch-press type operations. What type of welding do you have access to? I, personally, am very fond of tig welding in which case I would use either ER312, ER-309, or ER80S-D2 filler with a 400F preheat and let it air cool. I would say you could easily get away with only a 1/8" weld because of inserting the pin down inside the dovetail block and that it being a punch, there won't be much stress transversely loaded onto it. If you don't have the accessibility to tig weld it, same preheat with E-7018 or E-309-16 stick rods should suffice.

Preheat is definitely needed. Hope this helps you, post pix when finished!

-Hillbilly

I was checking my ASM Metals handbook from the 1960's and they topped out at S7; so I checked the desk top manual from 1985, same thing. So I dropped back to the 1948 edition and they didn't use the "S" classification for shock resistant tool steels at all.

I'm a wondering about "S9" tools steel myself now.

Oops,  my brain is going.  S-7 is the steel in question.  I must have mislabeled this one on the rack many years ago. 

-Adair