I am looking for some Mild Steel bar, 1/16" square, but I can't find any. I have tried O.K. Services (Sutton in Ashfield), Gratton (Derby), Egglestons (Derby) and one or two other places, all to no avail.
This is for a part on my Lady Stephanie Beam engine. (It is a lattice framework, like a crane gib).
Although they might not list it on their website, they stock a good range of square and round bar. That sure is small bar though. I work in engineering, and can get most steels, but I think that a 6 metre length would probably be supplied in a coil! I can enquire if you're still stuck. If Inwoods aren't too helpful, mail me directly at joelandyman postmaster.co.uk and I'll pop in and see what they have. I work 100 yds from them. Cheers. Joe. P.S We use Parker steel suppliers, ASC Metals and sometimes even RS Components. I'm sure they all have websites. RS are great for key steels e.t.c, and you can't fault their delivery. Must be the only thing they're price competitive on!
Presumably you don't need long lengths. How about slicing it off some 16 swg sheet with a fine slitting saw in a mill? I've done this with brass and it works well.
I have some 1/8" BMS that I could use, however, having been apprentice trained in engineering, I know what would happen.
BMS is drawn cold. This sets up stresses in the material. Machine one side and you relieve the stress. The other side, still under stress will now try and relieve itself and guess what?
(During my apprenticeship, this was demonstrated with a practical exercise, making a U shape out from solid, for a pipe clamp, many of the trainees who didn't relieve the stresses properly had problems.)
The only way to get truly parallel material from doing this would be to do both sides simultaneously and in even quantity. (Surface Grinding may be a possibility). I would rather exhaust other options before I even attempt to go there.
Best regards, Dave. ~~ Customise your internet experience
Just thinking out loud really, is there a process or part that uses this material that you could get into and blag some material?
Sometimes it's the only way to get something that appears to be non-available but you're sure you've 'seen it somewhere' !
I checked on RS Comp's and our local key steel stockists, the only one I didn't check but have done now was Macreadys, and they have only 1/16" in Silver Steel rounds, only 1/8" in squares unfortunately.
Peter
-- Peter & Rita Forbes snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Engine pages for preservation info:
I was thinking about 3ft originally. I think I need about 24". It will be cut into 4 pieces of approx 6" each. It will then be silver soldered togethor.
It probably doesn't have to be exactly 1/16", I was thinking anywhere between about 1.5mm and 2mm would be OK.
If you do have any, that would be great, if not, then I will look at some of the other suggestions here.
Best regards, Dave Colliver. ~~ Customise your internet experience
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