An idea for hardness testing

[Hal A Looyah]

I've been pondering hardness testing. This may be something that someone studies every few years and it fizzles out. I offer it here for public study and scrutiny. The idea is using spring loaded device to make an indention to be measured with a dial caliper. It would be more portable and more easily measured than with the pocket microscope. I bought a car window breaker, used by cops, today. I'll start experimenting. I'd like to trade for some small quantities of KNOWN hardness alloys. Any input?

[runfiverun]

lee allready ripped that idea off and sells it..

[454PB]

Yeah, I have the Lee tester, and I use a dial caliper sometimes because it's quicker. I've compared the results to using the microscope, and I'm usually within 5%.

[Hal A Looyah]

That requires a press to use, and a tiny microscope.

[303Guy]

I've used a digital caliper. It's more practical in so far as one can zero the device before applying the indenting force plus they can switch between inches and millimetres. I just need to figure a way of putting it all together conveniently. One could use the existing jaws as indentation paces (two of them). The trick would be to get them to read in a fashion that relates to BHN. No reason why it could not be set up mechanically to give a reading in BHN.

[220swiftfn]

There's one guy on here that uses a modified auto-punch....... I'll see if I can find it.......

found it.....

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=69416&highlight=hardness+tester+punch

look for the post by Jbunny.......


Dan

[HARRYMPOPE]

I've been pondering hardness testing. This may be something that someone studies every few years and it fizzles out. I offer it here for public study and scrutiny. The idea is using spring loaded device to make an indention to be measured with a dial caliper. It would be more portable and more easily measured than with the pocket microscope. I bought a car window breaker, used by cops, today. I'll start experimenting. I'd like to trade for some small quantities of KNOWN hardness alloys. Any input?


Lee's tester is a cheap version of smaller( very expensive) commercial BHN testers.The Lee works fine.

George

[303Guy]

What we're talking of is not measuring the diameter of the indentation but rather, the depth. For that a dial caliper was suggested by the OP and a digital caliper by me. The digital would be cheaper by now and real easy to read. The accuracy would sufficient to set the zero, apply the load then read off the value. The trick is to make that value linear over a wide range to match Brinell values (or supersede Brinell even).

The simplicity of the proposed tool is; place sample in 'jaw', set the zero, apply the load, take reading, done! And we'd be looking at a tool no bigger than a 6"/150mm caliper with a bit of mechanism added above the moving jaw and attached to the the long bit. There'd be something attached to each jaw to make the appropriate indentation. I'd think of a ball or something on both sides to double the resolution. Or a pair of dissimilar anvils to get a more 'average' hardness value like a wedge and a ball combo or pyramid and ball combo or something.

[runfiverun]

that makes more sense now.
it works similar to the saeco but is easier to read and guage.

[zomby woof]

I've rounded the end of one of those spring loaded center punches. Then match those results to known alloy with my arbor press method. It works very well.

[willy3]

Lee makes tester. Check out titanreloading.com for best price.

[MikeS]

The biggest problem with the SAECO tester IMHO is the fact that you have to cast the lead into a boolit before you can test it. Other than that my SAECO tester works fine for me, I've never had a problem reading it.

[AndyC]

That and its price ;)

[Larry Gibson]

I've used a variaty of methods over the years from a 6' conduit drop tube with a steel piece of rod with a pin in it to the bathroom scale on the drill press with a modified bolt in the chuck to sweezing alloys against lead in a vice to using the SAECO and the Cabin Tree testers. I got the lee and quickly put it on a slightly modified toy microscope I got for $12. The Lee now is so quick (uses the small indent made with a spring loaded die) and accurate that I wouldn't use anything else.

Larry Gibson

[pdawg_shooter]

I am with Larry on this one. I drop my scope in a 45acp die in my press and run the bullet up to it. Quick, easy and accurate.

[MBTcustom]

Its really hard to improve on lee's system. I want to get one someday.

[PanaDP]

You could do a very similar thing with a steel center punch like this (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM3433199101P?sid=IDx20070921x00003 a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM3279592502) and a length of copper pipe 2 or 3 feet long that the punch fits into. Set the sample to be tested on the ground. Stand the pipe goes endwise on top of the sample as plump as you can eyeball. Drop the punch through the pipe, starting with the end of the pipe lined up at a predetermined line you scribe on the punch. Measure diameter of the dent. Calibrate by doing this with some known alloys.

[Moonman]

Get a Cabine Tree unit, it's the BOMB!

[Stick_man]

Lee does group buys on their dies, anybody ever check to see if they would do one on hardness testers?