Valve material

[Paul_C]

Soon I will be making a few 3/4" poppet valves for a hit-n-miss. The head is cast iron. I have 4140 and 420 stainless to choose from. I would prefer to use the 420 for anti corrosive but would the 4140 be a better choice for wear characteristics.

 

[Deanofid]

I would think either would perform well, Paul. I used O-1 drill rod on my vertical IC engine, and it's
been run many, many hours since first made over a decade ago. I don't think wear is a great concern
on the valves for these small engines.

Dean