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“User Friendly Steel”

User Friendly or Extended Service? Choose Metals and various heavy industrial maintenance materials are basically dumb. There is no consciousness on their part that knows bad heat from intentional thermal processing. It’s all just heat. There is no discernment of difference between machining, grinding, and in-service abrasive wear. Remember that when you are reviewing specs on a new material that has the incredible ability to resist wear in the application, but it is listed as […]

January 3, 2019 /0 Comments/by

What is Welding? And, What Makes Welds Crack?

Let’s begin with a short protect your butt statement; Welding may be dangerous. it is always recommended that certified welders be utilized. Welding; alloys, tool steel and stainless may be tricky and caution is to be observed; especially if the metal has been hardened. Appropriate protective gear, and adequate ventilation is required. There are fumes, potentially harmful light rays, intense heat, and big and heavy sharp things that you should be concerned with. This is […]

December 14, 2018 /0 Comments/by

What is Fatigue Failure?

Let’s say you are leaving the house and you see your new credit card on the counter. You replace the expired card in your purse or wallet, but there are no scissors to cut up the old card. So, you start bending it back and fort until it breaks in half; then pitch it. You have just induced a fatigue failure. So too with steel. A piece of steel that undergoes repeated motion (twisting, bowing, […]

December 3, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Surface Hardening vs. Through Hardening

In the world of heavy industrial maintenance steel, whether you call it Case Hardening, or, Surface Hardening, or, Skin Hardening, it is all the same thing. This is a localized method of hardening employed to develop a wear resistant surface while maintaining a somewhat ductile (shock resistant) core. With production items, such as gear teeth, this may be very fine tuned, sophisticated, accurately measurable. In maintenance, “one-off” items, it can be somewhat erratic and capable […]

November 8, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Bearing Quality Vs. Bearing Fit

Be careful, the two are often confused between end-user and vendor. They are not interchangeable. BEARING QUALITY refers to manufacturing restrictions that are employed, when the mill makes the steel. It is commonly referred to as “Clean Steel Production”. The processing refines the steel, removing non-metallic inclusions and generally improving the quality and core integrity of the steel. This is not something that can be achieved in subsequent processing; it either is bearing quality, or […]

October 18, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Centerless vs. On-Center Grinding

Bar Grinding Centerless Vs. On-Centers – Second Part of Four Part Set As we mentioned in our last blog; in the maintenance industry, if someone refers to grinding a steel shaft, they are most likely talking about “Centerless Grinding”. There is another method, however, and that method is called “On-Center Grinding”. A misunderstanding on which method is actually required usually results in expensive errors, and general unhappiness for all parties. Of the two types, centerless […]

September 5, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Who’s Wallet Comes Out

ALLOWANCE TO FINISH Between the end-user, machine shop, and/or service center, when discussing round steel shafts, there are issues with “allowance to finish”, and even with the method of grinding that will be utilized to produce the finished polished shafts. If subsequent bar finishing or grinding will be done, always let your vendor know what method of grinding will be utilized; are you centerless grinding or grinding on centers. Remember this: “When the bar doesn’t […]

August 6, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Does Heat Affect Steel?

This is directed to: steel novices, steel challenged, and people who might otherwise cause harm to themselves, those around them, or pieces of steel. So, will steel be affected by temperature? That depends. What Temperature? That depends. Let’s define temperature as “Service Temperature”. That is, the temperature the steel will encounter where it is being used. It is worth mentioning that service temperature may be “Intermittent”, or “Constant”. If the steel is exposed to intermittent […]

July 5, 2018 /1 Comment/by

Straightness Is Perishable

Bananas turn brown, avocados turn mushy, cars rust. Those are things we recognize as having a shelf-life. They are not permanent. They are perishable. When discussing steel shafting, especially in the field of maintenance, straightness is an important property. If a shaft is received at the end user’s plant bent, It is not usable. You can’t grind it. You can’t machine it. You can’t install it. In fact, unless you are cutting it into little […]

May 17, 2018 /0 Comments/by

What is the Length of a “Random Steel Bar”?

While there may be typical answers to that question, it is still a little like asking “What is the price of a car?” It depends on a lot of variables. The most universally accepted random bar length would be 12ft random. A close runner-up would be 20ft random. The problem that comes into play is relative to the fact that there is no literal interpretation for random bar lengths. Further, in the steel industry, twelve […]

April 2, 2018 /0 Comments/by