Looking at all my lathe tools...

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Conrad_R_Hoffman
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Looking at all my lathe tools...

Post by Conrad_R_Hoffman »

I seem to have a little bit of everything, some quite old. Found this very good listing of about every type under the sun-
http://www.tttg.org.au/php/ArticleView.php?id=71 They even "borrowed" some text from my own page on cast alloy tools.

I've got an Electrite Uranium tool in the pile of stuff. Probably not one to breath the dust from grinding.

I always considered the REX 95 bits just old tech, but it seems they're highly regarded, even today.

Normally I've considered a tool a tool, but I've got examples of T3, T4, T5, T8, T15, M44 and a couple others. Never consciously compared them, but now that I know what they are, I'll experiment a bit.

Anybody here a connoisseur of tool steel types?
Conrad

1947 Logan 211 Lathe, Grizzly G1006 mill/drill, Clausing DP,
Boyar-Schultz 612H surface grinder, Sunnen hone, import
bandsaw, lots of measurement stuff, cutters, clutter & stuff.


"May the root sum of the squares of the Forces be with you."
Glenn Brooks
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Re: Looking at all my lathe tools...

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Conrad, Many thanks for posting this article from Australia. Someone did a yoeman's job of organizing all that detail.

I have a bunch of old 1/4" lathe bits that were included in a batch of tooling I bought off eBay. Kind of dark brown to black in color - just an old patina from sitting around for decades, I guess.

Ive always wondered what alloy they are. Maybe pre- tungsten?

Anyway to tell without lab analysis? Some kind of spark test maybe??

Glenn
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Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

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Harold_V
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Re: Looking at all my lathe tools...

Post by Harold_V »

Don't know that I'm a "connoisseur", but I am somewhat familiar with the non-magnetic types---Tantung or Stellite. If you're not familiar with them, you'd be impressed to see that they offer higher machining speeds with little effect on the cutting edge. One of them, Haynes Stellite, is reported to be tougher at 1,500° than at room temperature.

All tool steels are not alike, as you'll discover.

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
Conrad_R_Hoffman
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Re: Looking at all my lathe tools...

Post by Conrad_R_Hoffman »

I've got a nice collection of cast alloy, Tantung, Stellite, Blackalloy and Crobalt, and use them for certain tough jobs. My page on them is here- http://www.conradhoffman.com/stellite.htm What I didn't realize was how many types of steel existed for lathe tool blanks. I've also got some of those dark brown unmarked tools, plus a pile of other more normal unmarked ones. A spark test would be great, but one of those metal ID guns would be even better. Not a clue who has one around here. No doubt a metallurgist would have some chemical tests, but finding info on how to do those tests is difficult. I'm just going to cut some metal. I can see the tool mattering for steel, but for my typical aluminum parts, does it really matter?
Conrad

1947 Logan 211 Lathe, Grizzly G1006 mill/drill, Clausing DP,
Boyar-Schultz 612H surface grinder, Sunnen hone, import
bandsaw, lots of measurement stuff, cutters, clutter & stuff.


"May the root sum of the squares of the Forces be with you."
earlgo
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Re: Looking at all my lathe tools...

Post by earlgo »

Mr. Hoffman: Most metallurgical labs have some sort of XRF (X Ray Fluorescence) tester for just such an occasion. The one that was used in the lab at the last place I worked was non-destructive and could tell the difference between alloys of the same genre. I.e. 303 from 304 from 316.
I am assuming a similar device could tell the difference between Stellite and Tantung or even what is in Rex95. May not be able to tell much about Chindian metals though as they may not be in the data base that comes with the particular instrument.
Your neighbor to the north, RIT may have a similar device. Be prepared to open your wallet, though.
https://www.olympus-ims.com/en/innovx-xrf-xrd/
--earlgo
Before you do anything, you must do something else first. - Washington's principle.
Conrad_R_Hoffman
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Re: Looking at all my lathe tools...

Post by Conrad_R_Hoffman »

The wallet of a hobbyist is a tough thing to open, and the contents are usually disappointing once you get there. OTOH, I've worked with RIT in the past and that might be the easiest way to get a few pieces examined.
Conrad

1947 Logan 211 Lathe, Grizzly G1006 mill/drill, Clausing DP,
Boyar-Schultz 612H surface grinder, Sunnen hone, import
bandsaw, lots of measurement stuff, cutters, clutter & stuff.


"May the root sum of the squares of the Forces be with you."
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GlennW
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Re: Looking at all my lathe tools...

Post by GlennW »

I've had a few things identified at the semi local NDT lab and it was $75.00 per sample by the time the paperwork was done and the dust settled.
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
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