Anyone know if a chrome-vanadium steel socket can be hardened by oil or water quenching after doing some "rework" to it??
I ground a slot across the flats (on business end) to create a type of "spanner socket" and want to harden the "ears" to make them less susceptable to bending. I don't want to harden them so much that they break like glass. Just sufficient to make it a little tougher to bend.
Problem.........A friend has this black powder pistol with a stuck primer nipple in one cylinder. Actually all six nipples were stuck, but he managed to remove all but one, but in the process destroyed 2 of the "removal tools" that he bought for the task. They cost him about $10 each and he'd rather not invest in too many more. He has a 3rd that he wants to use to put the nipples back in after he cleans the pistol, but didn't want to chance tearing it up.
The original nipples were apparently installed too tightly at the factory.
Seems these removal tools are a mild steel and can't take too much torque without distorting/bending the tabs on the side. He tried straightening the
bent tabs and heated them (cherry red......he said) and quenched them in oil but they wouldn't harden. Just stayed soft.
I offered to try and make a "tool" for him, but I don't have any drill rod the correct size or I'd use that.
I thought that a small 3/16" hex socket "modified" might work.
The nipple has 2 flats on opposite sides of a round base (flats are 3/16 wide). Below is a photo showing nipple, damaged removal tool, and the modified socket that I made.
Just need to find out if I should be able to harden the socket in the area that I cut. I'm sure it's not hardened now, as I was able to use a file on the slotted area to clean it up a little. The outside is chromed, so that was fairly hard, but once I got past that, it was pretty soft.
Thanks.........Rodger
I ground a slot across the flats (on business end) to create a type of "spanner socket" and want to harden the "ears" to make them less susceptable to bending. I don't want to harden them so much that they break like glass. Just sufficient to make it a little tougher to bend.
Problem.........A friend has this black powder pistol with a stuck primer nipple in one cylinder. Actually all six nipples were stuck, but he managed to remove all but one, but in the process destroyed 2 of the "removal tools" that he bought for the task. They cost him about $10 each and he'd rather not invest in too many more. He has a 3rd that he wants to use to put the nipples back in after he cleans the pistol, but didn't want to chance tearing it up.
The original nipples were apparently installed too tightly at the factory.
Seems these removal tools are a mild steel and can't take too much torque without distorting/bending the tabs on the side. He tried straightening the
bent tabs and heated them (cherry red......he said) and quenched them in oil but they wouldn't harden. Just stayed soft.
I offered to try and make a "tool" for him, but I don't have any drill rod the correct size or I'd use that.
I thought that a small 3/16" hex socket "modified" might work.
The nipple has 2 flats on opposite sides of a round base (flats are 3/16 wide). Below is a photo showing nipple, damaged removal tool, and the modified socket that I made.
Just need to find out if I should be able to harden the socket in the area that I cut. I'm sure it's not hardened now, as I was able to use a file on the slotted area to clean it up a little. The outside is chromed, so that was fairly hard, but once I got past that, it was pretty soft.
Thanks.........Rodger
Comment