Reamer steel

[n.h.schmidt]

Hi
I know that some here make their own reamers. Either for chambering or bullet swageing dies. I need some advice on what steel to order for this purpose.
I have done some of this in the past .Usually it worked good enough. Now I have need to do a little better job of it. For heating I have a mapp gas torch and a propane torch. What is a good steel to order? I need something that will not warp or at least minimize that. Also a steel that will harden with the heat from the mapp torch. I can get past red and get into orange hot with this torch. Is there a easily available tool steel that Enco,Travers or Onlinemetals sells that will work?
Thanks
n.h.schmidt

[theperfessor]

I have made cutting tools from A2 tool steel, it's an air hardening grade that machines pretty nicely and hardens well. I have also used O1, an oil hardening grade, and 4140, which also hardens good in oil but I only use it for tools to cut aluminum or brass.

Don't know about how hot your gas mixture can get, but you have to get any of those steels above 1400F to quench harden them.

There are other materials that will work, but those three are available in a lot of shapes and sizes from a lot of sources.

[n.h.schmidt]

Thanks for the reply. I have seen both of the steels you mentioned at several scources.
n.h.schmidt

[timbuck]

http://www.speedymetals.com/information/Material69.html

some info on hardening.

[theperfessor]

Good info at link.

[JIMinPHX]

If you want to stick with the inexpensive stuff, then you are looking at either O-1 or W-1 "drill rod". The W-1 is water hardening. The O-1 is oil hardening. I believe that the W-1 is specified to have less heat treat warpage than the O-1. A2 (air hardening) tool steel has stability that is close to W-1, , but it costs a little more.

[gzig5]

I've used W1 and O1 with equally good results. Your MAPP torch might get the job done and being real hard is only critical for multiple uses, but you'll be assured of reaching a higher temp by building a little forge out of cheap fire brick (the heavy kind) Just stack them up to make a little oven and stick the torch in one end. This will capture more of the heat output from the torch and your work piece will attain a higher temp, and be more likely to pass the critical temp around which a magnet won't stick to the work. You might find pics or videos on the net, I don't have any handy.

[theperfessor]

Does MAPP get as hot as oxyacetylene? I use a rosebud tip on typical gas welding setup and it works jut fine for heat treating. W1 is fine but the rapid quench can sometimes cause cracking, the O and A steels are a lot less likely to fracture from thermal shock. And plain carbon steels will soften at 400F +. Not a problem for a reamer but it limits speed when used as cutting tool in other forms.

[Reverend Recoil]

MAPP gas will provide all the heat you need for small parts if they are surrounded by insulation or refractory. Coffee can furnaces are simple to build. There are may examples on the Internet. Search for "coffee can forge" or "coffee can furnace". Check this link.

http://www.paragoncode.com/shop/micro_forge/

[n.h.schmidt]

Thanks for all the replies. This is good info. I'm looking into the things mentioned here. I have a two page article on making your own chambering reamers. You need a lathe to cut the body and only a drill press to cut the flutes. It's from a December 51 American Rifleman. Pretty cool . I'm eventually going to give it a try.
n.h.schmidt

[JIMinPHX]

You need ....only a drill press to cut the flutes.

If you would not mind enlightening me a little, how do you plan to cut flutes with a drill press? That's a trick that I don't know.

[n.h.schmidt]

If I can make my scanner work ,I will e-mail you the article. If you are interisted I could send you a copy through the mail.
The using a drill press for this involves a rotary file to cut the flutes. The blank is suspended between two pieces of hex stock . The hex stock provides the indexing too.
n.h.schmidt

[nanuk]

using the drill press as a vertical mill?

[leftiye]

You'd need a feeding table(like palmgren makes), and a spin index with tailstock. Even then, a drill press isn't a mill- the quill bearings aren't made for it. While you're at it explore cutting the flutes so that they provide front rake while being cut. Not necessary, but a good thing to have. Some flutes are cut with a tapered round nosed mill.

[colt1960]

I make reamers from W-1 drill rod. I get it from enco. I use a lathe to blank them out and a hardinge index fixture in a bridgeport mill to mill the flutes. I heat them up with a torch to bright orange and quench them in water. I them clean them up and heat them up till they turn blue and let them air cool till room temp. This draws them back and tempers them.

[n.h.schmidt]

Unless the auther was trying to jerk the readers around,you don't need a milling table or a spin index. This guy must have luck doing this. The Rifleman put it in the mag. It involves a rotary file not a milling cutter. The hex stock provides the indexing for the six flutes. I will be making a attempt soon. Will let you know how this comes out.
n.h.schmidt

[lmcollins]

Many drill presses (including mine) will not tolerate lateral loading on the quill.

Drill presses are made to work loaded on a straightdown motion: as in drilling a hole. When you try and push even a little from the side most with a tapered socket break the socket loose from the female recess in the quill. You get better accuracy from this type of set up from a design viewpoint. There are no thread tolerances and engagements for misalignment: both axil and radial.

This is the difference between a drill press and the famaous "Mill-drill." The way the bearings are loaded and the quill. Check out your machine before you do anything.

[n.h.schmidt]

I get what you are saying. It's way too late to worry about this drill press.I have put side loads on it many times including using rotary files to file things to a final shape. Really nasty work. I have completed the reamer cutting on the drill press. A better quality inverted cone cutter would have helped a lot. The one I got from Menards was cheap and cut like it too. Maybe a carbide burr would have done the job better. Also the drill chuck has some runout (nearly all do) .This had the unfortunate result of the cutter not making a good contact. I will be moving on to deburring and stoning the cutting edges. Then on to hardening.
n.h.schmidt