Gear material

[geo]

The plans I have call for 12l 14 to machine the gears from if this needs to be hardened I think the heat will deform the gears.would phosphor bronze be a better way to go

 

[Dalee]

Hi,

Even though I'm new here, 12L14 isn't a heat treatable alloy. So no hardening is meant to be done. 12L14 is a very easy to machine alloy giving a great finish, (often used in Swiss machines), but is prone to rusting.

And depending on the application, bronze maybe a better choice for some things and worse for other things. It would give a better wear life for a gear in this application. But how many thousands of hours do you expect the model to run?

I don't think bronze is necessary here. And any mild steel will be fine for a gear in this case. I suspect even aluminium would work just fine in this case.

Dale

 

[toolznthings]

Hi,

12L14 can be case hardened. If you have a local heat treat company they can gas carbonize 12L14 and it will leave no scale. There are limits to the amount of depth that can be achieved. I use " Cherry Red " case hard powder to do 12L14 with good results.

Brian

 

[kuhncw]

Geo, what engine are you building?

Chuck

 

[geo]

Thanks for the replies I'm struggling along with the howell v 2

 

[Swifty]

I would stick with the 12L14, unless of course you plan to use it to run something for hours at a time. If it's just for fiddling, steel should be fine.

Paul.

 

[gus]

Thanks for the replies I'm struggling along with the howell v 2

No worry .Take your time. My Howell V-2 is about ready to run. Took me 10 months and quite a few scraps and many heartaches.Glad I got out of the dark tunnel. When you come to the Gear Case,I will give some good advice to avoid the many goofs I did. Some minor preps yet to be done.Will follow your post.

 

[barnesrickw]

Is 12L14 softer than brass? I've seen a lot of brass gears.

 

[Dalee]

Hi,

Brass is softer than 12L14.

What makes brass and bronze popular for making gears is it's machine-ability and toughness and wear. Brasses and bronzes are also slipperier when run against steel or iron gears. Not to mention quieter too.

Though the lead in 12L14 will add some lubricity to the steel too.

Dale

 

[geo]

Thanks for the input gentlemen I've made about 90% of this engine most of it more than once gears and cams are the last big items left I now realise I may have to do my gear case again after I make these gears .big thanks to gus and swifty have robbed your ideas shamelessly
Cheers