Somewhere along the way I acquired a little bit of stainless rod. I
think it was an Ebay purchase a very long time ago. Its some of the
first metal I purchased specifically for getting into machining. Before
I even had a mill. Just the little Chinese Harbor Freight mini lathe.

I still have two pieces a couple feet long. The rest has been used up
and turned into chips many years past. One piece is the rod I use to
raise and lower the coolant manifold on the side of the Hurco Mill head.
The other for several years was being used as the mount for the length
stop on my little horizontal bandsaw. I decided I wanted a separated
rod on the other side of the head on the Hurco mill for the air blast
setup. I'd already made an adjustable and aimable mount to go on the
rod with the coolant manifold, but I quickly realized I wanted them each
on their own mounting rod. The piece in the saw was the only piece left
I could find that was the size for the mount I had already made for the
air blast saw its getting used for that.

I was just going to order some rod, or use some I already had. I have
several pieces of stainless rod on hand now. I keep some variety of
stock for various purposes. The problem is its an odd size (I think).
It measures exactly 0.475 inches. Not 0.472" like 12mm rod. I have
some 12mm linear round rail on hand and I checked against that. Except
where its dinged up from years of use it measures exactly 0.475
everywhere. Well every where I measured it. It doesn't matter really.
I have a piece for my project, and I can stick something else in the
little bandsaw if I really need a length stop on it again. (I have a
bigger horizontal bandsaw now.) I am just curious. What would be the
standard size of 0.475" stainless rod have been from? Is it just 0.475"
rod? What was it from originally?

These are the weird questions that keep me up at night.

On Wed, 22 Jan 2020 19:38:11 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

Somewhere along the way I acquired a little bit of stainless rod. I
think it was an Ebay purchase a very long time ago. Its some of the
first metal I purchased specifically for getting into machining. Before
I even had a mill. Just the little Chinese Harbor Freight mini lathe.

I still have two pieces a couple feet long. The rest has been used up
and turned into chips many years past. One piece is the rod I use to
raise and lower the coolant manifold on the side of the Hurco Mill head.
The other for several years was being used as the mount for the length
stop on my little horizontal bandsaw. I decided I wanted a separated
rod on the other side of the head on the Hurco mill for the air blast
setup. I'd already made an adjustable and aimable mount to go on the
rod with the coolant manifold, but I quickly realized I wanted them each
on their own mounting rod. The piece in the saw was the only piece left
I could find that was the size for the mount I had already made for the
air blast saw its getting used for that.

I was just going to order some rod, or use some I already had. I have
several pieces of stainless rod on hand now. I keep some variety of
stock for various purposes. The problem is its an odd size (I think).
It measures exactly 0.475 inches. Not 0.472" like 12mm rod. I have
some 12mm linear round rail on hand and I checked against that. Except
where its dinged up from years of use it measures exactly 0.475
everywhere. Well every where I measured it. It doesn't matter really.
I have a piece for my project, and I can stick something else in the
little bandsaw if I really need a length stop on it again. (I have a
bigger horizontal bandsaw now.) I am just curious. What would be the
standard size of 0.475" stainless rod have been from? Is it just 0.475"
rod? What was it from originally?

These are the weird questions that keep me up at night.

Bob..that is indeed 12mm rod.

Most of this rod is used in screw machines of various types and as
such..are usually sold a few thousands bigger so any surface
scuffing/scratches can be machined out to get it exactly to 12 mm as a
finished part.. If you have rod that is dead nuts to a given common
size..its because its been pre ground to that dimension. What you have
is the extruded raw rod. I have probably 500-800 lbs of such rod, from
..050-3" in diameter, some of it in pieces only a few inches long to
others at least 8' long. Flat stock is also commonly found just a
few thou bigger, though its less common..most of it is pretty close to
dimension.
As a side note...stainless has become the de facto material in most
turning shops, with the exception of the 4000 series steels. I see so
little "common" steels as to raise an eyebrow when I encounter it.

More importantly is knowing what type of stainless it is. Is it
303/316/416 etc etc?

Gunner
__

"Journalists are extremely rare and shouldn’t be harmed, but propagandists are everywhere and should be hunted for sport"

Yeah..with no bag limit.

On 1/23/2020 5:44 AM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 22 Jan 2020 19:38:11 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

Somewhere along the way I acquired a little bit of stainless rod. I
think it was an Ebay purchase a very long time ago. Its some of the
first metal I purchased specifically for getting into machining. Before
I even had a mill. Just the little Chinese Harbor Freight mini lathe.

I still have two pieces a couple feet long. The rest has been used up
and turned into chips many years past. One piece is the rod I use to
raise and lower the coolant manifold on the side of the Hurco Mill head.
The other for several years was being used as the mount for the length
stop on my little horizontal bandsaw. I decided I wanted a separated
rod on the other side of the head on the Hurco mill for the air blast
setup. I'd already made an adjustable and aimable mount to go on the
rod with the coolant manifold, but I quickly realized I wanted them each
on their own mounting rod. The piece in the saw was the only piece left
I could find that was the size for the mount I had already made for the
air blast saw its getting used for that.

I was just going to order some rod, or use some I already had. I have
several pieces of stainless rod on hand now. I keep some variety of
stock for various purposes. The problem is its an odd size (I think).
It measures exactly 0.475 inches. Not 0.472" like 12mm rod. I have
some 12mm linear round rail on hand and I checked against that. Except
where its dinged up from years of use it measures exactly 0.475
everywhere. Well every where I measured it. It doesn't matter really.
I have a piece for my project, and I can stick something else in the
little bandsaw if I really need a length stop on it again. (I have a
bigger horizontal bandsaw now.) I am just curious. What would be the
standard size of 0.475" stainless rod have been from? Is it just 0.475"
rod? What was it from originally?

These are the weird questions that keep me up at night.

Bob..that is indeed 12mm rod.

Most of this rod is used in screw machines of various types and as
such..are usually sold a few thousands bigger so any surface
scuffing/scratches can be machined out to get it exactly to 12 mm as a
finished part.. If you have rod that is dead nuts to a given common
size..its because its been pre ground to that dimension. What you have
is the extruded raw rod. I have probably 500-800 lbs of such rod, from
.050-3" in diameter, some of it in pieces only a few inches long to
others at least 8' long. Flat stock is also commonly found just a
few thou bigger, though its less common..most of it is pretty close to
dimension.
As a side note...stainless has become the de facto material in most
turning shops, with the exception of the 4000 series steels. I see so
little "common" steels as to raise an eyebrow when I encounter it.

More importantly is knowing what type of stainless it is. Is it
303/316/416 etc etc?

Gunner
__

"Journalists are extremely rare and shouldnt be harmed, but
propagandists are everywhere and should be hunted for sport"

Yeah..with no bag limit.




I think I was told it was 416, but that was a very long time ago. I
recall it was easily machined on the 7x10 and doesn't have the grainy
finish typical of 303.

I have some TGP in a couple alloys and of course its spot on, but I have
a fair amount of 303 and 304 and its pretty darned close to final
dimension. Maybe I'll have to go mic a few pieces today and double check.

I think most of the 1018 and 1144 I have on hand is slightly oversized
though. Very slightly.

I have noticed some types of flat bar is quite often oversized. I see
it all the time in aluminum and its highly variable. From a few
thousandths to 50 thousandths. The 4140 I get is pretty consistently
..025 oversize. Consistent enough that for most jobs I can face off
..0125 on each face and be within spec.

On Thu, 23 Jan 2020 10:09:50 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 1/23/2020 5:44 AM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 22 Jan 2020 19:38:11 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

Somewhere along the way I acquired a little bit of stainless rod. I
think it was an Ebay purchase a very long time ago. Its some of the
first metal I purchased specifically for getting into machining. Before
I even had a mill. Just the little Chinese Harbor Freight mini lathe.

I still have two pieces a couple feet long. The rest has been used up
and turned into chips many years past. One piece is the rod I use to
raise and lower the coolant manifold on the side of the Hurco Mill head.
The other for several years was being used as the mount for the length
stop on my little horizontal bandsaw. I decided I wanted a separated
rod on the other side of the head on the Hurco mill for the air blast
setup. I'd already made an adjustable and aimable mount to go on the
rod with the coolant manifold, but I quickly realized I wanted them each
on their own mounting rod. The piece in the saw was the only piece left
I could find that was the size for the mount I had already made for the
air blast saw its getting used for that.

I was just going to order some rod, or use some I already had. I have
several pieces of stainless rod on hand now. I keep some variety of
stock for various purposes. The problem is its an odd size (I think).
It measures exactly 0.475 inches. Not 0.472" like 12mm rod. I have
some 12mm linear round rail on hand and I checked against that. Except
where its dinged up from years of use it measures exactly 0.475
everywhere. Well every where I measured it. It doesn't matter really.
I have a piece for my project, and I can stick something else in the
little bandsaw if I really need a length stop on it again. (I have a
bigger horizontal bandsaw now.) I am just curious. What would be the
standard size of 0.475" stainless rod have been from? Is it just 0.475"
rod? What was it from originally?

These are the weird questions that keep me up at night.

Bob..that is indeed 12mm rod.

Most of this rod is used in screw machines of various types and as
such..are usually sold a few thousands bigger so any surface
scuffing/scratches can be machined out to get it exactly to 12 mm as a
finished part.. If you have rod that is dead nuts to a given common
size..its because its been pre ground to that dimension. What you have
is the extruded raw rod. I have probably 500-800 lbs of such rod, from
.050-3" in diameter, some of it in pieces only a few inches long to
others at least 8' long. Flat stock is also commonly found just a
few thou bigger, though its less common..most of it is pretty close to
dimension.
As a side note...stainless has become the de facto material in most
turning shops, with the exception of the 4000 series steels. I see so
little "common" steels as to raise an eyebrow when I encounter it.

More importantly is knowing what type of stainless it is. Is it
303/316/416 etc etc?

Gunner
__

"Journalists are extremely rare and shouldn’t be harmed, but
propagandists are everywhere and should be hunted for sport"

Yeah..with no bag limit.




I think I was told it was 416, but that was a very long time ago. I
recall it was easily machined on the 7x10 and doesn't have the grainy
finish typical of 303.

If you have 416...might want to offer it up to the boat guys for pins
and whatnot. You can triple your metal pile..or more by simply
trading it for different types of stainless. 416 is THE marine
stainless. It will NOT corrode, while most of the common stainless
steels will in salt water.

I have some TGP in a couple alloys and of course its spot on, but I have
a fair amount of 303 and 304 and its pretty darned close to final
dimension. Maybe I'll have to go mic a few pieces today and double check.

Ayup..303 and 304 are often ground stock as its used in automated
machinery.

I think most of the 1018 and 1144 I have on hand is slightly oversized
though. Very slightly.

I have noticed some types of flat bar is quite often oversized. I see
it all the time in aluminum and its highly variable. From a few
thousandths to 50 thousandths. The 4140 I get is pretty consistently
.025 oversize. Consistent enough that for most jobs I can face off
.0125 on each face and be within spec.

Good to have it. It may be more common in some places than others.
Here in So Cal, mild steel tends to be pretty close to final, the
4000s tends to be almost dead nuts and needs little surface cleanup.
At home in the oil fields..its much wider in dimensions..not so much
precision machining..more welding than anything else.

Aluminum..yeah..its so soft that handling it tends to scar it up so
its often bigger to allow surface cleanup (and cheap production)

Gunner
__

"Journalists are extremely rare and shouldn’t be harmed, but propagandists are everywhere and should be hunted for sport"

Yeah..with no bag limit.

On 1/23/2020 1:18 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Thu, 23 Jan 2020 10:09:50 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 1/23/2020 5:44 AM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 22 Jan 2020 19:38:11 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

Somewhere along the way I acquired a little bit of stainless rod. I
think it was an Ebay purchase a very long time ago. Its some of the
first metal I purchased specifically for getting into machining. Before
I even had a mill. Just the little Chinese Harbor Freight mini lathe.

I still have two pieces a couple feet long. The rest has been used up
and turned into chips many years past. One piece is the rod I use to
raise and lower the coolant manifold on the side of the Hurco Mill head.
The other for several years was being used as the mount for the length
stop on my little horizontal bandsaw. I decided I wanted a separated
rod on the other side of the head on the Hurco mill for the air blast
setup. I'd already made an adjustable and aimable mount to go on the
rod with the coolant manifold, but I quickly realized I wanted them each
on their own mounting rod. The piece in the saw was the only piece left
I could find that was the size for the mount I had already made for the
air blast saw its getting used for that.

I was just going to order some rod, or use some I already had. I have
several pieces of stainless rod on hand now. I keep some variety of
stock for various purposes. The problem is its an odd size (I think).
It measures exactly 0.475 inches. Not 0.472" like 12mm rod. I have
some 12mm linear round rail on hand and I checked against that. Except
where its dinged up from years of use it measures exactly 0.475
everywhere. Well every where I measured it. It doesn't matter really.
I have a piece for my project, and I can stick something else in the
little bandsaw if I really need a length stop on it again. (I have a
bigger horizontal bandsaw now.) I am just curious. What would be the
standard size of 0.475" stainless rod have been from? Is it just 0.475"
rod? What was it from originally?

These are the weird questions that keep me up at night.

Bob..that is indeed 12mm rod.

Most of this rod is used in screw machines of various types and as
such..are usually sold a few thousands bigger so any surface
scuffing/scratches can be machined out to get it exactly to 12 mm as a
finished part.. If you have rod that is dead nuts to a given common
size..its because its been pre ground to that dimension. What you have
is the extruded raw rod. I have probably 500-800 lbs of such rod, from
.050-3" in diameter, some of it in pieces only a few inches long to
others at least 8' long. Flat stock is also commonly found just a
few thou bigger, though its less common..most of it is pretty close to
dimension.
As a side note...stainless has become the de facto material in most
turning shops, with the exception of the 4000 series steels. I see so
little "common" steels as to raise an eyebrow when I encounter it.

More importantly is knowing what type of stainless it is. Is it
303/316/416 etc etc?






I think I was told it was 416, but that was a very long time ago. I
recall it was easily machined on the 7x10 and doesn't have the grainy
finish typical of 303.

If you have 416...might want to offer it up to the boat guys for pins
and whatnot. You can triple your metal pile..or more by simply
trading it for different types of stainless. 416 is THE marine
stainless. It will NOT corrode, while most of the common stainless
steels will in salt water.


That doesn't make any sense. From my sources 416 is the cheaper
stainless. I buy 303 for best machinability, 416 for machinable and
high strength and price, and 304 if I have to have it today because
that's all the local yards stock. Occasionally I'll buy 316 for special
applications.

On Fri, 24 Jan 2020 08:45:26 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 1/23/2020 1:18 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Thu, 23 Jan 2020 10:09:50 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 1/23/2020 5:44 AM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 22 Jan 2020 19:38:11 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

Somewhere along the way I acquired a little bit of stainless rod. I
think it was an Ebay purchase a very long time ago. Its some of the
first metal I purchased specifically for getting into machining. Before
I even had a mill. Just the little Chinese Harbor Freight mini lathe.

I still have two pieces a couple feet long. The rest has been used up
and turned into chips many years past. One piece is the rod I use to
raise and lower the coolant manifold on the side of the Hurco Mill head.
The other for several years was being used as the mount for the length
stop on my little horizontal bandsaw. I decided I wanted a separated
rod on the other side of the head on the Hurco mill for the air blast
setup. I'd already made an adjustable and aimable mount to go on the
rod with the coolant manifold, but I quickly realized I wanted them each
on their own mounting rod. The piece in the saw was the only piece left
I could find that was the size for the mount I had already made for the
air blast saw its getting used for that.

I was just going to order some rod, or use some I already had. I have
several pieces of stainless rod on hand now. I keep some variety of
stock for various purposes. The problem is its an odd size (I think).
It measures exactly 0.475 inches. Not 0.472" like 12mm rod. I have
some 12mm linear round rail on hand and I checked against that. Except
where its dinged up from years of use it measures exactly 0.475
everywhere. Well every where I measured it. It doesn't matter really.
I have a piece for my project, and I can stick something else in the
little bandsaw if I really need a length stop on it again. (I have a
bigger horizontal bandsaw now.) I am just curious. What would be the
standard size of 0.475" stainless rod have been from? Is it just 0.475"
rod? What was it from originally?

These are the weird questions that keep me up at night.

Bob..that is indeed 12mm rod.

Most of this rod is used in screw machines of various types and as
such..are usually sold a few thousands bigger so any surface
scuffing/scratches can be machined out to get it exactly to 12 mm as a
finished part.. If you have rod that is dead nuts to a given common
size..its because its been pre ground to that dimension. What you have
is the extruded raw rod. I have probably 500-800 lbs of such rod, from
.050-3" in diameter, some of it in pieces only a few inches long to
others at least 8' long. Flat stock is also commonly found just a
few thou bigger, though its less common..most of it is pretty close to
dimension.
As a side note...stainless has become the de facto material in most
turning shops, with the exception of the 4000 series steels. I see so
little "common" steels as to raise an eyebrow when I encounter it.

More importantly is knowing what type of stainless it is. Is it
303/316/416 etc etc?






I think I was told it was 416, but that was a very long time ago. I
recall it was easily machined on the 7x10 and doesn't have the grainy
finish typical of 303.

If you have 416...might want to offer it up to the boat guys for pins
and whatnot. You can triple your metal pile..or more by simply
trading it for different types of stainless. 416 is THE marine
stainless. It will NOT corrode, while most of the common stainless
steels will in salt water.


That doesn't make any sense. From my sources 416 is the cheaper
stainless. I buy 303 for best machinability, 416 for machinable and
high strength and price, and 304 if I have to have it today because
that's all the local yards stock. Occasionally I'll buy 316 for special
applications.

Hummm...let me check on this. Ive read a number of studies that
claimed..claimed 416 was superior to strength and corrosion resistance
in sal****er. So Ive been using just about all 416 to machine parts
for the sailboats I restore. I think I had Better check on this...

Gunner
__

"Journalists are extremely rare and shouldn’t be harmed, but propagandists are everywhere and should be hunted for sport"

Yeah..with no bag limit.

On 1/24/2020 2:26 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:

If you have 416...might want to offer it up to the boat guys for pins
and whatnot. You can triple your metal pile..or more by simply
trading it for different types of stainless. 416 is THE marine
stainless. It will NOT corrode, while most of the common stainless
steels will in salt water.


That doesn't make any sense. From my sources 416 is the cheaper
stainless. I buy 303 for best machinability, 416 for machinable and
high strength and price, and 304 if I have to have it today because
that's all the local yards stock. Occasionally I'll buy 316 for special
applications.

Hummm...let me check on this. Ive read a number of studies that
claimed..claimed 416 was superior to strength and corrosion resistance
in sal****er. So Ive been using just about all 416 to machine parts
for the sailboats I restore. I think I had Better check on this...

Gunner


I don't know about its corrosion resistance persaye. Just that its
cheaper than any of the other common stainless alloys I can buy from my
regular vendors.

I always thought 316 was the most corrosion resistant of the common
alloys and 303 was the least. There is also a 316L which is slightly
more machinable than 316, but not as easy as 416.

"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 24 Jan 2020 08:45:26 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 1/23/2020 1:18 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Thu, 23 Jan 2020 10:09:50 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 1/23/2020 5:44 AM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 22 Jan 2020 19:38:11 -0700, Bob La Londe

wrote:

Somewhere along the way I acquired a little bit of stainless
rod. I
think it was an Ebay purchase a very long time ago. Its some
of the
first metal I purchased specifically for getting into
machining. Before
I even had a mill. Just the little Chinese Harbor Freight mini
lathe.

I still have two pieces a couple feet long. The rest has been
used up
and turned into chips many years past. One piece is the rod I
use to
raise and lower the coolant manifold on the side of the Hurco
Mill head.
The other for several years was being used as the mount for
the length
stop on my little horizontal bandsaw. I decided I wanted a
separated
rod on the other side of the head on the Hurco mill for the air
blast
setup. I'd already made an adjustable and aimable mount to go
on the
rod with the coolant manifold, but I quickly realized I wanted
them each
on their own mounting rod. The piece in the saw was the only
piece left
I could find that was the size for the mount I had already made
for the
air blast saw its getting used for that.

I was just going to order some rod, or use some I already had.
I have
several pieces of stainless rod on hand now. I keep some
variety of
stock for various purposes. The problem is its an odd size (I
think).
It measures exactly 0.475 inches. Not 0.472" like 12mm rod. I
have
some 12mm linear round rail on hand and I checked against that.
Except
where its dinged up from years of use it measures exactly 0.475
everywhere. Well every where I measured it. It doesn't matter
really.
I have a piece for my project, and I can stick something else
in the
little bandsaw if I really need a length stop on it again. (I
have a
bigger horizontal bandsaw now.) I am just curious. What would
be the
standard size of 0.475" stainless rod have been from? Is it
just 0.475"
rod? What was it from originally?

These are the weird questions that keep me up at night.

Bob..that is indeed 12mm rod.

Most of this rod is used in screw machines of various types and
as
such..are usually sold a few thousands bigger so any surface
scuffing/scratches can be machined out to get it exactly to 12
mm as a
finished part.. If you have rod that is dead nuts to a given
common
size..its because its been pre ground to that dimension. What
you have
is the extruded raw rod. I have probably 500-800 lbs of such
rod, from
.050-3" in diameter, some of it in pieces only a few inches long
to
others at least 8' long. Flat stock is also commonly found
just a
few thou bigger, though its less common..most of it is pretty
close to
dimension.
As a side note...stainless has become the de facto material in
most
turning shops, with the exception of the 4000 series steels. I
see so
little "common" steels as to raise an eyebrow when I encounter
it.

More importantly is knowing what type of stainless it is. Is it
303/316/416 etc etc?






I think I was told it was 416, but that was a very long time ago.
I
recall it was easily machined on the 7x10 and doesn't have the
grainy
finish typical of 303.

If you have 416...might want to offer it up to the boat guys for
pins
and whatnot. You can triple your metal pile..or more by simply
trading it for different types of stainless. 416 is THE marine
stainless. It will NOT corrode, while most of the common stainless
steels will in salt water.


That doesn't make any sense. From my sources 416 is the cheaper
stainless. I buy 303 for best machinability, 416 for machinable and
high strength and price, and 304 if I have to have it today because
that's all the local yards stock. Occasionally I'll buy 316 for
special
applications.

Hummm...let me check on this. Ive read a number of studies that
claimed..claimed 416 was superior to strength and corrosion
resistance
in sal****er. So Ive been using just about all 416 to machine parts
for the sailboats I restore. I think I had Better check on this...

Gunner

https://www.beststainless.com/416-stainless-steel.html

They suggest 416 for pump shafts, valve components and boat shafts so
maybe it's acceptable in fresh water.

On Fri, 24 Jan 2020 13:26:45 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Fri, 24 Jan 2020 08:45:26 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 1/23/2020 1:18 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Thu, 23 Jan 2020 10:09:50 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 1/23/2020 5:44 AM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 22 Jan 2020 19:38:11 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

Somewhere along the way I acquired a little bit of stainless rod. I
think it was an Ebay purchase a very long time ago. Its some of the
first metal I purchased specifically for getting into machining. Before
I even had a mill. Just the little Chinese Harbor Freight mini lathe.

I still have two pieces a couple feet long. The rest has been used up
and turned into chips many years past. One piece is the rod I use to
raise and lower the coolant manifold on the side of the Hurco Mill head.
The other for several years was being used as the mount for the length
stop on my little horizontal bandsaw. I decided I wanted a separated
rod on the other side of the head on the Hurco mill for the air blast
setup. I'd already made an adjustable and aimable mount to go on the
rod with the coolant manifold, but I quickly realized I wanted them each
on their own mounting rod. The piece in the saw was the only piece left
I could find that was the size for the mount I had already made for the
air blast saw its getting used for that.

I was just going to order some rod, or use some I already had. I have
several pieces of stainless rod on hand now. I keep some variety of
stock for various purposes. The problem is its an odd size (I think).
It measures exactly 0.475 inches. Not 0.472" like 12mm rod. I have
some 12mm linear round rail on hand and I checked against that. Except
where its dinged up from years of use it measures exactly 0.475
everywhere. Well every where I measured it. It doesn't matter really.
I have a piece for my project, and I can stick something else in the
little bandsaw if I really need a length stop on it again. (I have a
bigger horizontal bandsaw now.) I am just curious. What would be the
standard size of 0.475" stainless rod have been from? Is it just 0.475"
rod? What was it from originally?

These are the weird questions that keep me up at night.

Bob..that is indeed 12mm rod.

Most of this rod is used in screw machines of various types and as
such..are usually sold a few thousands bigger so any surface
scuffing/scratches can be machined out to get it exactly to 12 mm as a
finished part.. If you have rod that is dead nuts to a given common
size..its because its been pre ground to that dimension. What you have
is the extruded raw rod. I have probably 500-800 lbs of such rod, from
.050-3" in diameter, some of it in pieces only a few inches long to
others at least 8' long. Flat stock is also commonly found just a
few thou bigger, though its less common..most of it is pretty close to
dimension.
As a side note...stainless has become the de facto material in most
turning shops, with the exception of the 4000 series steels. I see so
little "common" steels as to raise an eyebrow when I encounter it.

More importantly is knowing what type of stainless it is. Is it
303/316/416 etc etc?






I think I was told it was 416, but that was a very long time ago. I
recall it was easily machined on the 7x10 and doesn't have the grainy
finish typical of 303.

If you have 416...might want to offer it up to the boat guys for pins
and whatnot. You can triple your metal pile..or more by simply
trading it for different types of stainless. 416 is THE marine
stainless. It will NOT corrode, while most of the common stainless
steels will in salt water.


That doesn't make any sense. From my sources 416 is the cheaper
stainless. I buy 303 for best machinability, 416 for machinable and
high strength and price, and 304 if I have to have it today because
that's all the local yards stock. Occasionally I'll buy 316 for special
applications.

Hummm...let me check on this. Ive read a number of studies that
claimed..claimed 416 was superior to strength and corrosion resistance
in sal****er. So Ive been using just about all 416 to machine parts
for the sailboats I restore. I think I had Better check on this...

Gunner
__

"Journalists are extremely rare and shouldn’t be harmed, but propagandists are everywhere and should be hunted for sport"

Yeah..with no bag limit.


Gack! I believe you are absoutely correct. I should have been using
316 rather than 416. Sigh..and I have a **** ton of 316 too.

Thanks for correcting me!!

https://www.machinemfg.com/stainless-steel-grades/

Gunner
__

"Journalists are extremely rare and shouldn’t be harmed, but propagandists are everywhere and should be hunted for sport"

Yeah..with no bag limit.

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
... ...What would be the standard size of 0.475" stainless rod have
been from? Is it just 0.475" rod? What was it from originally?

A piece of 1/2" brass rod I added to an Amazon order to meet the $25
free shipping minimum measures 0.490".

Several batches of electronic components from them were out-of-spec
rejects, though still usable. For example "75V" gas discharge voltage
limiters conducted at either under 70V or over 80V.

On 06/02/2020 12:18, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
... ...What would be the standard size of 0.475" stainless rod have
been from? Is it just 0.475" rod? What was it from originally?
A piece of 1/2" brass rod I added to an Amazon order to meet the $25
free shipping minimum measures 0.490".

Several batches of electronic components from them were out-of-spec
rejects, though still usable. For example "75V" gas discharge voltage
limiters conducted at either under 70V or over 80V.


Jim,

I've seen that in the UK with regards to sheet metal thickness from my
local suppliers over the last decade or so. In the past when I wanted 16
swg (0.065" 1.6mm) sheet it was bang on within like 0.001", then they
metricated it to 1.5mm and it was good for awhile but subsequently I've
seen nominally 1.5mm sheet at 1.3mm which was unacceptable for some
jobs. I guess the mills are trying to squeeze a few more sheets out to
increase profitability. I've not seen bar stock like that but it isn't
oversized in my experience.

"David Billington" wrote in message
...
On 06/02/2020 12:18, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
... ...What would be the standard size of 0.475" stainless rod
have
been from? Is it just 0.475" rod? What was it from originally?
A piece of 1/2" brass rod I added to an Amazon order to meet the
$25
free shipping minimum measures 0.490".

Several batches of electronic components from them were out-of-spec
rejects, though still usable. For example "75V" gas discharge
voltage
limiters conducted at either under 70V or over 80V.


Jim,

I've seen that in the UK with regards to sheet metal thickness from
my local suppliers over the last decade or so. In the past when I
wanted 16 swg (0.065" 1.6mm) sheet it was bang on within like
0.001", then they metricated it to 1.5mm and it was good for awhile
but subsequently I've seen nominally 1.5mm sheet at 1.3mm which was
unacceptable for some jobs. I guess the mills are trying to squeeze
a few more sheets out to increase profitability. I've not seen bar
stock like that but it isn't oversized in my experience.


I keep 4" dial calipers in the car to measure stock when I go
shopping, or happen onto a useful piece. They are short enough to stay
in a shirt pocket, much less likely than 6" ones to catch on a rack
or machine I'm squeezing past and flip onto the floor.

They also fit under the head of the mill better to measure height.

Sometimes at an industrial supply store the reaction to the calipers
is "Oh, you're an engineer", in a tone that suggests they expect I'll
be demanding and difficult. When I reassure them that I'm a tech who
has to build what the engineers dream up, and this is for a home
project, they may offer some leftover that can be made to do the job
at half price.

On 2020-02-06, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
... ...What would be the standard size of 0.475" stainless rod have
been from? Is it just 0.475" rod? What was it from originally?

A piece of 1/2" brass rod I added to an Amazon order to meet the $25
free shipping minimum measures 0.490".

It is pretty close to 12mm diameter (which is really 0.4724"
diameter). How precise was your original measurement (the OP's 0.475"
measurement)? I get 12.065 mm from 0.475".

Some rod stock is slightly oversized, expecting turning to final
dimension. It could be this way with your stainless rod.

Several batches of electronic components from them were out-of-spec
rejects, though still usable. For example "75V" gas discharge voltage
limiters conducted at either under 70V or over 80V.

Sounds like the rejects which are sold through some low-budget
vendors.

Who is the "them" from "from them"? If a low budget vendor, it
could easily be the rejects after testing and separately selling those
that passed to a high-dollar vendor. :-)

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Remove oil spill source from e-mail
Email: | (KV4PH) Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

"DoN. Nichols" wrote in message
...
On 2020-02-06, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
.......

Several batches of electronic components from them were out-of-spec
rejects, though still usable. For example "75V" gas discharge
voltage
limiters conducted at either under 70V or over 80V.

Sounds like the rejects which are sold through some low-budget
vendors.

Who is the "them" from "from them"? If a low budget vendor, it
could easily be the rejects after testing and separately selling
those
that passed to a high-dollar vendor. :-)

Enjoy,
DoN.

Them's Amazon. Radio Shack components sometimes showed a gap around
the nominal value too, for instance no 10% resistor would be within 5%
of nominal since those that were sold separately for more $. The
measured breakdown voltage of their diodes and bridges could be
anywhere from slightly below spec to far above it, but below a higher
spec, ie 450V for a 50V bridge.

I only bought the brass rod to reach $25 for free shipping, as it's a
size I don't have in my stock, and will be turned down smaller anyway.
I need steel shafting to be correctly sized to fit bearings but for
brass or aluminum that doesn't I have small 3 and 6 jaw chucks on 5C
mounts that are better than collets for moving the work between lathe
and mill because they stay clamped.

I have a lot of experience testing electronic components so I don't
mind buying cheaper out-of spec parts and confirming they'll work for
my one-off designs. I was the repair tech for the testing machines
Analog Devices used to ensure their op amps meet specs.

Most DC parameters can be measured with a voltage and current limited
power supply. Usually the data sheet gives everything you need to
know, such as the reverse current at the breakdown voltage. High speed
production testing uses brief pulses to avoid heating but you can test
a few parts mounted on a heatsink.

This can measure milliAmps with a different shunt. The current trimpot
range is quite wide, I set it to 199.9mA and 19.99mA with 0.5 Ohm and
5 Ohm shunts.
https://www.droking.com/Digital-Mult...Shunt-Resistor

Type T thermocouple wire is a source of Constantan for low current
shunts. The exact resistance of the shunt doesn't matter as long as
you can trim the reading to match a DVM in series.