Homemade hardness tester from 1973

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
It should work, but I got a LBT tester and it seems to work just fine. I would
recommend it if you are looking for one to purchase rather than a project.

Bill
 

sdharlow

New Member
Hi. My first time on here, and I know this is an old post, but I sure do appreciate low tech alternatives like this. Will definitely be giving this a try. I'm 100% new to casting.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
welcome to the place.
don't worry about some of the threads you see that get pretty deep, if your not sure about something just ask.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
Welcome sdharlow, you came to the right place. Got a few hundred years combined casting experience here and it's not likely you have any questions that can't be answered. You might get 5 different answers that all end up at the same place but you'll not be steered wrong. Being new you'll no doubt have many questions so keep in mind . . . The only dumb question is the question not asked.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Howdy a sdharlow!

I've made several DIY "hardness" testers over the last 40 or so years,can't find any of them?Now,it's how much flex a Lyman 450 exhibits when running nose dies.

The round ball indent measuring,even with reasonably sophisticated metrology and illuminated "glass",isn't without issues.Irrespective of how the indent was made....... enter long boring discussion here.

The irony for me,and this is just how I see it,everyone's a little different...... but,still using the ball bearing as the "probe" or tip,measure the handle in degrees of swing to achieve either, a known depth or predetermined force( bathroom scale,just don't use the wife's?) of the tip.... is a more acc qualifier than trying to mic the edges of a crater?
 

KeithB

Resident Half Fast Machinist
When we did Brinell testing on ferrous materials we used a small microscope device with a graticle (graduated reticle) divided into .05mm units to measure the diameter of the indents. A lookup table attached tot he tester allowed a direct value of BHN to be determined. Couldn't have done it with a caliper and the naked eye.

I've been told that the variation in gravity on the Earth's surface is less than the variation in force due to manufacturing tolerances of coil springs; if I ever make a hardness tester for lead it will be gravity, not spring, actuated.