On Mar 8, 10:54*pm, "DoN. Nichols" wrote:
On 2009-03-09, Dar wrote:

'normal' (I don't recall the alloy I already have, probably 300
series, whatever was cheap) stainless , unhardened, round rods *around
3/16" thick and 6' long , just don't hold the weight I need them to,
without bending. I checked in McMaster and MSC but didn't find
prehardened rods ,or spring steel rods. Any suggestions as to where to
look?. I'd be open to some alloy that I could torch harden a bit, if
such a thing is practical . Don't want one breaking and dropping one
of my beauties to the ground !. *I suppose such rod is sold somewhere
in large coils but I don't need much (or do I?) .

* * * * You know that the hardening does not change the bending
properties of the steel. *It only changes what the failure mode is when
it reaches a certain point. *Unhardened, it simply takes a permanent
deformation. *Severely hardened, it will bend the same for a given
load, but will eventually break -- a lot sooner than you would like.
Tempered, you might get more deflection without permanent deformation,
but it still will keep bending the same for the same load.

* * * * So I don't think that hardened rod is what you need. *You need a
larger diameter rod -- or another material. *Carbide rods give a lot
less for a given load, but I don't think that you will find them in
3/16" diameter, and if you do, be sitting down when you get the price.

* * * * Good Luck,
* * * * * * * * DoN.

I did not know that about hardening and loads and bending .
Looks like larger diameter is the way to go. I get bent(so to speak,
but not broke) paying for a $15 carbide drill , so...

These will be for hanging my wire sculpures from a central base, which
is a wire pyramid with a 2" solid chunk of Al at the apex. The rods
will go vertically into holes drilled in the chunk , and sculptures
will hang from the ends of the rods in arcs going up, outwards, and
down from the central apex/hub. My first try ended up with them
hanging down to the ground (the hub is about 60" off the ground) which
is not the effect I'm after
(^; .

Just because I like to yap sometimes .... I've been making these
sculptures for years off and on , and I mostly always went small (24"
to 60" diameter usually) because I never had anywhere to put them,
living in a small place in a city .
Now I'm a country boy (a bit like Oliver Wendell Douglas, but without
the law degree and goofy-ass wife, and the cows; there are cows and
such next door , which is close enough for me, but I digress) with
some open land and nothing much to do with it. Naturally, my thoughts
turn to making BIG geometric wire things , since these little ones ,
and even the 60" one, shrink and disappear from sight out here in the
grass and trees . Between these vague plans and the more definite
ones "Mrs. Douglas" has for our house , oh, and work (finally room for
all my stuff in the 3-space attached garage WOO HOO !!!!! ) I'll
have plenty to do until I'm too old to keep doing it ....

Someday I'll get back here with some pix


Dar