Case hardening help

[treehugger]

Can anyone tell me a backyard way to case harden some 1018 steel? This piece is a little large to properly heat to use casenit. I will have to use a carbon source with heat.



Thanks

[ace admirer]

What shape and size is your part? function ,if not top secret...if you require any depth of case, i don't know what would do better than casesite...stainless foil can be used to try to contain the carbon around your part. blacksmiths used leather and trimming from hooves for carbon....but i don't think you will be happy with that method...1018,,,i'm going to assume you're going for something that receives a fairly high shock load and you're wanting a hard surface for wear resistance?

[treehugger]

Casenite will only work properly if the part can be evenly heated and the size of the part prevents this from happening.

I am looking for a tough surface.

[Ken Scharabok]

Question would be why you want to case harden 1018. It is about the lowest carbon iron known to mankind short of wrought iron. Rather sounds like trying to make the pig's ear into a silk purse. Why not just use a higher carbon steel to start with?

[treehugger]

I already had the 1018, and there is no way to anneal any "high carbon" steel as soft as the 1018. I have no machine tools so I needed it to be super soft so I could work with it.

[ace admirer]

actually 1018 is one of the perfect choices for a flexible core and a case that will take carbon...i figured you chose it. not an accident. if so, your accidents turn out better that mine .

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconVall...eels/1018.html for more info or or the machiners handbook...the book that solves all my really important problems.

[treehugger]

Thanks for the link Ace!


Tommy

[ace admirer]

Oh yeah sure. glad you could use it.

...don't know how much u know about metal...don't want to insult you....but in old days any container that would stand heat would be used to contail the part and the carbon...the usual was black iron pipe capped off at each end...it would hold up to a few cycles before needing replacing...i think stainless foil has just about replaced all the old contailers....charcoal fires are used by a lot of back yard heat treaters...but a oven of dry stacked firebrick and a home made lp burner are used by people that need to do a fair amount of heattreating. ..

[treehugger]

Do you know any of the specifics about the charcoal fires and stainless foil method?

I know a little about charcoal blueing but it is for finishing "as far as I know" and not hardening

Tommy

[ace admirer]

what i ment was to use the ss foil to hold the part and case hardening media. make a envelope of the foil....the charcoal is used for a long term heat source..for a few dollars you can keep a fire going for 24 hours (with some shift help that is. ) but i wonder if the charcoal itself could be crushed to make a case hardening media? do you mind if i ask the general size and thickness of the part to be heat treated?

many years ago i worked for a disston plant (hand saws stuff like that) they had a dozen heat treating ovens and vatts....use to make my own sway bars for scca racing....they would sneak my parts into their production runs...

[treehugger]

Ace,

I think the charcoal could but I cant find any documentation on that. The charcoal blueing recipe calls for Royal Oak charcoal because it is real oak charcoal. The piece is 1 1/4" x1 1/4" 8" long.

I have researched case hardening and there are no specifics such as if the bone or leather is raw or already charred and they mention quenching it in water but nothing real specific. However the method is extremely similar to charcoal blueing

One of the reasons I want to use a "backyard fire" type method is kind of "old worldish" if that is explainable.

[ace admirer]

Sure i understand "old worldish" i think i have a book around here that discusses old caseing methods.....in conjunction with color case hardening...i think its in a series of machine shop books called "bedside Reader" i guess cause it would put the average person to sleep.. i'll look around for it this week.

a pipe container would work good for your part. how worried are you about warping of the long part?

[moopups]

There is a link in the Links Library near the bottom of the forums list that mentions a place you can get the info your seeking. Look into the metalworks sticky.