Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Hardening rails

zxcvbnm12330134 wrote:

>I bought some W-1 Water Hardening Drill Rod to use with my
>hand-me-down Thompson Super Ball Bushing linear bearings.
>
>The write-up said it was usable as-is, which I suppose it is,
>but it isn't as stiff as I was expecting. Can I heat this with
>my little propane torch, then quench it in a bucket or with a
>water hose? I probably won't be able to get the whole thing
>hot at once. Maybe I could put it in the oven at 500deg?
>
>

Oh, the other big point I should have made, is hardening does NOT
make things any stiffer! If you want something stiffer, you need
a different material. Heat treating makes it possible to bend the
material farther before the bend becomes permanent, in other words,
the yield point is raised. But, the deflection at some specific load
(the modulus of elasticity) does not change through heat treating.

Hardened and ground shafting is noticibly stiffer than drill rod,
and WAY harder, too. I think that's what the Thompson rails are.

Jon