Prototyping

[NateS]

Hello All.

I'm currently in the design and prototyping stage of some armoring tool designs and want to guage interest in tooling material. Would anyone be interested in tools and forms made from A2, W1, or S7 tool steel or would sticking to high carbon steel or mild steel be better? I'm particularly insterested in S7 for its high impact shock strength. Would anyone be interested in tooling made in these materials?

[Pitbull Armory]

Some of my stakes are softer material. It doesent really matter to me though they still shape the metal good. I have most of the tools I need at this time I just need to learn to use them all now. Other people may be interested though,.


Take care

Pb

[wcallen]

I probably have more tools than I need.
I like my tools to be hard. I hate dings and dents.

The tooling we made for the power hammers was S7. It is a really cool material and makes a really hard tool that takes lots of abuse. I expect people who actually work with the tools don't know that they want it, but would be real happy with the result.

I have some 4145 I used for tooling too. It seems to do very nicely as well.

Wade

[NateS]

PB & Wade.

Thanks for the feedback. I figured I would get mixed responces. For the moment I'm leaning tward softer material or carbon steel for more blunt tools like soft edged creasing/fluting stakes and harder material for tools with sharper edges like cutoff or edge rolling tools. What do you think?

[Pitbull Armory]

No prob. I should add that I use alot of brass, copper, plastic, leather, and wood hammers on my stakes so its not too hard on them and that probably is why Im not too concerned with hardness.

I should have been more clear in my last post, Creasing and Fluting stakes are actually items that I think need to be hard. Ball stakes and other shapes less so. I have a Pexto hatchet stake and creasing stake so I they are hardened I guess.


Take care

Pb

[Scott Martin]

Hi Colin

I'd certainly be intrested in some hardened tool steel stakes, particularly for fluting and anticlastic raising. I need to do some testing with 5160 (leaf spring material) to see if I can weld / thicken this enough to make hammers and whether this results in a hard enough face for some of the work I do.

I just smooshed a friends mild steel hammer face by bouging a 1050 helm top on an anvil. He tried to keep a straight face when I showed it to him, since I complain about the amount of time I spend resurfacing his tools after his squires "armour repair" attempts, and I'll give him 8/10 for effort and 5/10 for execution (I think that he went inside either to laugh or scream though) What alloy do folks recommend for hammers / hammer faces?

Scott Martin

[NateS]

I believe 5160 is commonly used in power hammer tooling. If you have it heat treated it should last through many attempts at "armour repair".

PB do you have a photo of your creasing stake? I want to make sure were talking about the same thing/shape. I have two or three different versions I'm considering.

Thanks,
Collyn.