Choosing Steels
Model Engineers' Workshop|May 2020
Stub Mandrel offers some advice on choosing the right steel for the job
- Stub Mandrel
Choosing Steels

One of the first challenges for anyone taking up engineering as a hobby is making the right choices of materials. Often the easy way out is to simply choose materials that other people have used successfully for similar applications, but sooner or later you will find yourself wanting to make better informed decisions. A particularly confusing area is choosing between different steels. You will often see descriptions like ‘bright mild steel’, ‘black bar’ or ‘case hardening steel’. While this may help you get something more or less right, it helps to understand the more formal designations used by steel stockholders and which you may come across in articles from time to time.

There are two systems you will probably come across in the UK. The longest standing are the ‘Emergency Numbers’. These were established during the Second World War to promote consistency in the products of different steel manufacturers. Clearly if you wanted steel for making guns or armour in wartime, you wanted to be able to specify the composition whatever the source, rather than having to work out which of each manufacturer’s range of products would suit. These numbers all take the form of the letters EN followed by a number for the composition of the steel and sometimes a letter to show how it has been heat treated. In very rough terms the higher the number the higher the carbon content of the steel.

この蚘事は Model Engineers' Workshop の May 2020 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Model Engineers' Workshop の May 2020 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

MODEL ENGINEERS' WORKSHOPのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
Readers' Workshops - Patrick Cubbon
Model Engineers' Workshop

Readers' Workshops - Patrick Cubbon

Patrick Cubbon describes his workshops – a portable one from 1963 and the current accommodation

time-read
2 分  |
May 2020
Desktop Gear Hobbing
Model Engineers' Workshop

Desktop Gear Hobbing

Toby Kinsey has designed this fascinating piece of gearmaking equipment

time-read
9 分  |
May 2020
The John Stevenson Trophy 2020
Model Engineers' Workshop

The John Stevenson Trophy 2020

Many readers and forum members will remember John Stevenson, a contributor to MEW but best known for his larger-than life presence on the Model Engineer forum.

time-read
3 分  |
May 2020
From the Archives: Twist drill Sharpening by the Four Facet Method
Model Engineers' Workshop

From the Archives: Twist drill Sharpening by the Four Facet Method

Giles Parkes, MEW Issue 64, February/March 2000

time-read
4 分  |
May 2020
Dividing on the Warco 220 Lathe
Model Engineers' Workshop

Dividing on the Warco 220 Lathe

Peter Shaw describes a mandrel dividing attachment for this popular lathe that can be adapted to fit many other benchtop machines

time-read
8 分  |
May 2020
Choosing Steels
Model Engineers' Workshop

Choosing Steels

Stub Mandrel offers some advice on choosing the right steel for the job

time-read
7 分  |
May 2020
A Storage Story
Model Engineers' Workshop

A Storage Story

Robin King shares the lessons learned from his experience of workshop moves

time-read
8 分  |
May 2020
A Simple Drill Grinding Aid
Model Engineers' Workshop

A Simple Drill Grinding Aid

A newcomer to our hobby was having trouble sharpening drills, so Howard Lewis made a simple aid for him

time-read
2 分  |
May 2020
Yet Another Bodge-Up!
Model Engineers' Workshop

Yet Another Bodge-Up!

Peter Shaw finds a use for some aged homebrew slot drills.

time-read
5 分  |
March 2020
Workshop Press Tooling Part 2
Model Engineers' Workshop

Workshop Press Tooling Part 2

Will Doggett makes a set of tooling for his press tool described starting in issue 285

time-read
5 分  |
March 2020