I posted a link in response #16. I’m not 100% positive it’s the correct one, but I believe it is. Check it out. I’m actually starting to machine a couple of these pins from Titanium this week. We’ll see how it goes.Originally Posted by ArtinNC
I posted a link in response #16. I’m not 100% positive it’s the correct one, but I believe it is. Check it out. I’m actually starting to machine a couple of these pins from Titanium this week. We’ll see how it goes.
Yeah ,I have ordered one from Numrich the picture looks like it is what I need .
Thanks , Art
I started making a new Cocking Pin from 6AL4V Titanium today. Got the body turned down. I still need to shave just the tiniest bit off. Then machine the head to depth and cut it correct length. Love that Titanium, but man o man the stuff can be frustrating if you let it. A new level of patience is needed with it. Especially when no using the best of tools. Again, no Lathe for me, so all turning is done via Mil.
How are you making these on a mill? If u need me to do anything on the lathe for you lmk. Any worries about the Ti not being hard enough? I assume the cocking pin is hardened steel. I know in the machine shop I have seen titanium have wear resistance issues.
Appreciate that…How do I turn things on a mill? Veeeery carefully, LOL! Seriously, the same way items are turned in a lathe. I can only do small items. And it doesn’t have very high precision of a good lathe, so I have to finish by hand. And also, I don’t make things which require precision to the Ten-Thousandths decimal. Oh, and nothing intricate. I can’t turn on a bevel or do threading. Just small pieces parts.. like this, or the Firing Pin I made.
No, I’m not worried. You said in the machine shop you’ve seen Ti have wear issues. Compared to what? The factory Pins are a low alloy steel & firearms parts aren’t as “hard” as people think. Certainly not to a custom Knifemaker like myself. I deal with many very high alloy Tool & Stainless steels which I heat treat & temper in the low 60’s HRC Rockwell. That’s HARD! And no gun part is hardened anywhere near that level. Firearms parts are heat treated in the low 30’s to 40’s Rockwell, typically. A 1911 Sear is probably one of the harder gun parts, and they are only maybe 43HRC. Now Titanium is actually harder than many people think. At least Grade 5 Titanium. That’s 6AL4V, denoting the chemical composition of 6% Aluminum & 4% Vanadium in the mix! It’s typically 30-34 Rockwell in the full Annealed state. Properly solution & aged treated Titanium will reach 41+ Rockwell. Work hardening can add another point or so. So the numbers are actually very close. I’ve actually played around with making titanium knives, and while it’s certainly not blade steel, it’s still pretty hard.
Oh, just for reference: Remember on the Rockwell “C” scale, a Diamond is the hardest substance at 100HRC. The Hardest steel used for cutting tools, like the lathe bits many people use, are maybe 65-67HRC. The hardest steel we can produce currently is REX 76 & 121 which will reach about 71HRC. That is CRAZY hard!
That makes sense, we have had a company have us make pins that were used in harsh environments mainly for corrosion resistance, they ended up having wear issues and going to a heat treated stainless. I can remember which one now it's been several years. But you are correct if it's not a hard steel there are no worries at all with ti. Also you must have some extreme patience to make these how you do. They look impressive, I don't like running Ti even with a 50k lathe lol
I do have some other-worldly patience… but also, I’m disabled & not on a clock. I can’t do much for very long. So I might do a little for 45mins to an hour and need to stop. By means, my patience is pretty much a given, LOL! Little projects take me days & days, or even weeks! If I was my old self, pre-accident, and machining full time or even very regularly, I would not be using Titanium much. It’s too time consuming, too hard on equipment & WAY to costly..both in material & tool usage! I can get away with it for little items like this because I’m slow & only making 1 or 2 of these small parts I make. Even the firing pin I machined was made from S7 tool steel, not Titanium. (Although I’ve thought of doing one in Titanium.)
Dave Hoback , I made custom knives for about 34 years had to quit because of my back I could never grind a knife setting down . Last year my hip got to hurting so bad I give my Boys in Ohio my mill and lathe . Now I'm a lot better and wish I had them back , but at 83 I'll just do with out . You can go to my FaceBook page and see some of the knives that I have made , there is about 3 Art Summers on faceBook so you have to get the right me .
Very cool! I actually don’t do FacePage or Tweeter.. or Instawhobody.. Hobby forums are the only form of social media I’ve been a part of since about 1999-2000.
Are you a Blade Smiff, Hammer/Anvil & Forge? Or a Knifemaker like me? Take a piece of steel & remove any material that isn’t the blade? Forging is cool.. it’s fun. But it’s more for making “pretty” knives. I’ve never pretended with Knifemaking. I’m no artist, LOL! I make high performance cutting tools from high end materials. The steels I use are all modern PM steels. (Not powder metal, but rather Particulate Metallurgy.) A person could heat these steels as hot as can be in a forge & try to shape it with hammer & Anvil….and these steels will literally laugh! I hear you on the tools. I’ll never part with my equipment. My son can have everything when I’m gone. (He’s not the least bit interested though! Loves Firearms/knives, but he rather just buy them. Makes me sad.)
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