If I got this corretly, hardened parts are stronger but brittle. My quess is that recievers and bolts are hardened but barrels and firing pins are not. What other parts are hardened? Thank you, Joe
Gunsmithing Hardened Parts
- Thread starter Joe Perlo
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Re: Hardened Parts
I would have thought that the firing pin is hardened... Receivers and bolts tend to be pretty soft. Hardening doesnt make a material brittle, but they can become less ductile (more brittle). That doesnt mean that they are brittle, as hardened metals still can undergo severe plastic deformation. It all depends on the hardening method, and there are plenty of them
I would have thought that the firing pin is hardened... Receivers and bolts tend to be pretty soft. Hardening doesnt make a material brittle, but they can become less ductile (more brittle). That doesnt mean that they are brittle, as hardened metals still can undergo severe plastic deformation. It all depends on the hardening method, and there are plenty of them
Re: Hardened Parts
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Muffler Man</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If I got this corretly, hardened parts are stronger but brittle. My quess is that recievers and bolts are hardened but barrels and firing pins are not. What other parts are hardened? Thank you, Joe </div></div>
Hardened relative to what?
All critical parts have undergone some form of heat treating, either before or after machining. Often, this is done to prevent galling between two parts that contact one another.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Muffler Man</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If I got this corretly, hardened parts are stronger but brittle. My quess is that recievers and bolts are hardened but barrels and firing pins are not. What other parts are hardened? Thank you, Joe </div></div>
Hardened relative to what?
All critical parts have undergone some form of heat treating, either before or after machining. Often, this is done to prevent galling between two parts that contact one another.
Re: Hardened Parts
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RADcustom</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Muffler Man</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If I got this corretly, hardened parts are stronger but brittle. My quess is that recievers and bolts are hardened but barrels and firing pins are not. What other parts are hardened? Thank you, Joe </div></div>
Hardened relative to what?
All critical parts have undergone some form of heat treating, either before or after machining. Often, this is done to prevent galling between two parts that contact one another. </div></div>
This article boils it down to the basics pretty well.
Heat Treating Basics
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RADcustom</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Muffler Man</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If I got this corretly, hardened parts are stronger but brittle. My quess is that recievers and bolts are hardened but barrels and firing pins are not. What other parts are hardened? Thank you, Joe </div></div>
Hardened relative to what?
All critical parts have undergone some form of heat treating, either before or after machining. Often, this is done to prevent galling between two parts that contact one another. </div></div>
This article boils it down to the basics pretty well.
Heat Treating Basics
Re: Hardened Parts
One detail the heat treating article doesn't mention is case hardening where the metal is rapidly heated to a shallow depth for a very short time. The interior of the part doesn't get hot and the surface of the part is quenched because the heat is transmitted very quickly to the interior. This can be done with a very hot flame (wouldn't want to try it), but an induction heating setup if far more controllable because it heats only within the skin depth. The skin depth is a function of the metals electrical resistivity and the frequency of the induction heater. So if you can control the frequency you can, within limits, dial in the depth to which the part is hardened. In some actions, (my memory says Mausers), the locking lugs on the bolt and maybe on the receiver are case hardened.
One detail the heat treating article doesn't mention is case hardening where the metal is rapidly heated to a shallow depth for a very short time. The interior of the part doesn't get hot and the surface of the part is quenched because the heat is transmitted very quickly to the interior. This can be done with a very hot flame (wouldn't want to try it), but an induction heating setup if far more controllable because it heats only within the skin depth. The skin depth is a function of the metals electrical resistivity and the frequency of the induction heater. So if you can control the frequency you can, within limits, dial in the depth to which the part is hardened. In some actions, (my memory says Mausers), the locking lugs on the bolt and maybe on the receiver are case hardened.
Re: Hardened Parts
Hardening steel does tend to make it crunchy. (Think peanut brittle)
Tempering/drawing back the steel takes some hardness out and makes it tough. The idea being keeping it strong (hardening generally increases tensile strength) but stil ductile enough to tolerate shock/shear/compression/torsion, etc. . . Its all relative to the application. A carbide em is harder than a whore's heart. Great for cutting but if you tried to make a spring from it, it'd shatter instantly.
These are broad/sweeping generalizations. Its highly dependent upon the type of material and what you need it to do.
C.
Hardening steel does tend to make it crunchy. (Think peanut brittle)
Tempering/drawing back the steel takes some hardness out and makes it tough. The idea being keeping it strong (hardening generally increases tensile strength) but stil ductile enough to tolerate shock/shear/compression/torsion, etc. . . Its all relative to the application. A carbide em is harder than a whore's heart. Great for cutting but if you tried to make a spring from it, it'd shatter instantly.
These are broad/sweeping generalizations. Its highly dependent upon the type of material and what you need it to do.
C.
Re: Hardened Parts
I quess I was just wondering what on a gun was hardened. On another forum someone was saying something about getting their bolt hardened to a 35 rockwell hardness and it just got me thinking. Joe
I quess I was just wondering what on a gun was hardened. On another forum someone was saying something about getting their bolt hardened to a 35 rockwell hardness and it just got me thinking. Joe
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