This newbie is asking if one messes up the chemistry of automobile leaf springs when they use acetylene to cut them? I mean a long cuts to make slender lengths, to make thinner and narrower springs. I can't find my copper plate to use my hot cut chisel, so I'm thinking of using gas. The band saw would take forever. in advance thanks.
There may be some effects on the heat treatment, but if you are a decent hand with a cutting torch, and have it set up correctly, these are minimal. You should be able to get it started and cutting pretty quickly. Maybe raise a burr at the start point to get the burn going even faster. The stuff that will be burnt looking will be shaped off with an angle grinder to finish the edges, yes? That's the stuff that will be most affected. The rest of it will remain as was, but it will become softer and easier to bend, if allowed to overheat. I'd suggest getting some Tempilaq sticks (about 350-375 deg F) and using them to monitor the heat that goes into the springs.
Cheers Trevor Jones
**************** ************************ I was forunate to scrounge a large quanity of auto and truck leaf springs, today. And three different auto size coil springs too. The thinner leaf springs I would like to make into pieces, when I am finished, that are about 1"x1/8" x24", so I can make some top and bottom swage type dies. Thanks for the help. I hope I can find my sheet of 3/16 copper. . . . . .charlie . . . . .
Adjust the torch tip, so that one of the peripheral preheat jets is in line with the cut, and you should do fine. With practice, you can do some pretty cool stuff with a cutting torch!
If you are not just pruning them down to use then as lighter truck springs, don't worry too much about it. You can always reharden and temper the springs to get them to do what you want. And they are cheap....!
Cheers Trevor Jones
Today I cut off some of the heavier springs ( close to 3" x 7/16") to make Hardy hole hot cuts. One tapered, and one beveled with a flat side ( both about 3" x 2.5" x 7/16"). I did the bevel cut with the metal chop saw set to 45 degrees, so I won't have much work to get it in shape. On the tapered one I will have to form the second side of the bevel, with heat, or grinding. I imagine heat is best as I can cold hammer it some what. Now I'm at a loss about heat treating them. If I heat treat them before I weld them to 3/8" base plates, will the welding heat destroy the tempering? Can I take enough time welding them to the bases so that the heat doesn't build up too much? I can have the 3" x 3/4" square Hardy peg already attached to the base so it will heat sink even more of the welding heat. I can weld them vertically, with a drip set up to keep the cutting edges from getting too hot. How do you people do this? I doubt if heating and tempering the entire completed fixture is the way to go...???? I don't yet know what color to watch for before the oil quench, so I need help there too. As before.....thanks 1 & all.
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** Posted fromAre they going to be hot cut or cold cut. If hot cut then it doesn't matter and you probably wouldn't heat treat them at all.
If it's cold cut, and you want to weld after you've heat treated the cutting surface, then electric weld would probably be your best bet.
You can always choose to heat treat after you have welded the pieces.
It's spring so then it can be a dull cherry red for the hardening phase. I think a dark bronze to a full blue would be a good temper colour to aim for (but that's just my opinion).
Regards Charles P.S. Just finished tempering a sword outside, it's for sport so more dark blue than anything else, and currently it rings G# :-)
theChas. wrote:
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