PTG Die blank hardness

[Jay Christopherson]

Donovan, when you say "oven", do you mean a standard baking oven, or some sort of furnace? If a standard oven, how do you get the steel up to hardening temps? 4140 needs to get up to something like 1500º+ to be hardened, right?

 

[JRS]

From my rare and limited edition google machine:

www.crucible.com/eselector/prodbyapp/stainless/cru416rs.html

 

[savagedasher]

4140 can be harden at 450 to 500 temp . But it still can be worked It is not fully harden at that temp.
Larry

 

[Jay Christopherson]

Jay -

Posting a picture (below) of an oven similar to what I am referring to.....
Small, not all that expensive, and will heat to +2000-F (with timed cool down).
Donovan

Ok, that makes WAY more sense than what I was envisioning when I saw you reference "oven". I figured it had to be something like that.

 

[Eddie Harren]

Donovan, my limited experience with having 416SS dies hardened was with an outfit nearby. Baltimore Heat Treat in, where else, Baltimore, Md. They said they could harden the die blanks to an acceptable level in their vacuum furnace. I was in and out of the die making business when they told me they had an $85.00 minimum charge on anything less than 100 Lbs.

 

[EWaugh]

O1 tool Steel would be my first choice. The die could be heat treated in a gas forge then tempered in the kitchen oven. O1 is Nothing fancy and it makes a good knife blade as well

 

[Steve morgan]

So, is my heat treat vendor blowin' smoke or is he correct when he says vacuum furnace?

He is not blowing smoke

 

[Steve morgan]

O1 tool Steel would be my first choice. The die could be heat treated in a gas forge then tempered in the kitchen oven. O1 is Nothing fancy and it makes a good knife blade as well

O1 is oil hardening steel it will distort when guenched use air hardening mat. Ht in avac furnace. A2, S7, D2 etc.

 

[ireload2]

Die blanks are not hard at all. They have to be soft to enabling machining.
I estimate around Rockwell B80 to about B100. On the Rockwell C scale this would be off scale at C zero to about C 22. This is too soft for a sizing die.
When heat treated they probably vary from about 58 to 62 Rockwell C scale. For comparison a file is about Rockwell 64 to 67. A 440C knife blade is usually about 55 Rockwell C.

Are die blanks harder steel than off the shelf dies. I know this sounds like a stupid question and I apologize. I thought I read of guys getting dies cut with the same as they're barrel reamer and am curious do you HAVE to purchase a separate die reamer or do some cut the dies with the chamber reamer....Again I apologize of the question makes no sense. If it doesn't please PM me with proper nomenclature and I will update.


Very Respectfully

 

[Steve Jennings]

Seater dies and neck dies can be cut with the chamber reamer and is a very good way (for a perfect match).
Sizing dies are cut smaller then chamber dimensions, there for they are cut either by a die reamer or single-point cut (CNC).
Sizing dies are then hardened after there cut, but can be polished out some after hardening.

Donovan

How much smaller for 284 Win Brass ?