Favourite 12L14 - Was turning threads

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Jacek Zagaja 21 years ago

Gentelman,

Continuing our theme. I was searching for 12L14 alloy equivalent in 10 years old catalog. No hits. Today I've found a new book with materials' cards and voila:

12L14 =~ 11SMnPb30 known for its lack of thermal hardening.

Few pages further and we have 36SnMnPb28. This is some change in carbon (0,36%) but now it can be austenitized! The problem is that the hardness written was ~100 HB =~ 10 HRC - the same as our 2H13 (0,2C

13% Cr, ~X20Cr12) stainless steel. This is quite small value so that I think this steel can't be hardened using Martensite structure. Correct me if I am wrong.

My question is do you know or use such steel with lead (superb for turning) which can be hardened?

Cheers, ______________________________________________________________________

Jack Zagaja - photographer, designer, programmer free photoshop plugins, photographic assistance opinions and much more ... snipped-for-privacy@poczta.onet.pl

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Grant Erwin 21 years ago

Can't it be case-hardened? - GWE

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Jacek Zagaja 21 years ago

I don't think so. I wonder about bending durability. However carbonized steel needs some sort of thermal hardening too so ?

jz :)

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Tony 21 years ago

12L14 can be case hardened quite nicely.

Tony

"Jacek Zagaja" materials' cards and voila:

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Eric R Snow 21 years ago

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 22:56:46 +0200, Jacek Zagaja materials' cards and voila:

Greetings Jack, I don't know of a 12L14 steel that can be anything but case hardened. But, 41L40 machines nicely and can be hardened. It does not machine as easily as 12L14, (also known as "dark aluminum"), or get quite as good a finish, but is a lot easier that 4140 without the L. I make lots of parts from it. BTW, I'm not sure 12L14 still has lead in it. I was reading a couple years back about a different alloy that machined the same but used something besides lead or sulfur to make it free machining. It was supposed to machine exactly like 12L14. Cheers, Eric

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Jon Grimm 21 years ago

I was under the impression that lead was no longer used in "L" alloys, but I can't state that as a fact

I am running 50 pc production job now, adapter fittings from 2-1/4 hex

12L15, beautiful finishes

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williamhenry 21 years ago

most of the leaded steels are being replaced with tin, seems to work just as well

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Dan Thomas 21 years ago

1144 machines really nicely and should be hardenable, if you need hardness, but it's already at around 125KSI in the as-rolled state so it's plenty strong. No lead.

Dan

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Randal O'Brian 21 years ago

Annealed 41L40 machines nicely and responds to heat treating in a similar manner to regular 4140.

Randy

"Jacek Zagaja" materials' cards and voila:

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Jacek Zagaja 21 years ago

Dan,

Aha - sulfur can be used instead. Good. Do you chave chemistry info about 125KSI? Still lost in symbols :) ______________________________________________________________________

Jack Zagaja - photographer, designer, programmer free photoshop plugins, photographic assistance opinions and much more ... snipped-for-privacy@poczta.onet.pl

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Grant Erwin 21 years ago

I rather think that when he wrote "125KSI" he meant 125,000 pounds per square inch, not a grade of steel. Thus a 1" square bar of 1144 steel would fail in tension at 125,000 pounds. If I'm not wrong, which I often am.

GWE

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Jacek Zagaja 21 years ago

Hi there Grant,

Heh :) you're right this is some Rm = 860 MPa steel with Mn and sulfur for fine turning. Everything's fine but now much harder to find such seller who sells small rods and is located in home city. Surprisingly only few sells small sections (1m) :/

jz.

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