Does Silver Steel normally look like this?

[Chris TickTockParticipant @christicktock]

Hi,

I have just received 2 bars of 1/4 inch square silver steel. The previous silver steel I have bought has been from other suppliers and has been shiny and new looking. this looks more like mild steel. Being inexperienced I thought I would ask you guys whether it is usual for silver steel to look like this before chasing up the supplier.

Chris

Edited By Chris TickTock on 19/03/2020 10:48:26

[Chris TickTockParticipant @christicktock]

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Typically I've bought it precision ground – hence shiny as you say. Cut a bit off, heat and quench to see if it skates a file.

pgk

[Frank GorseParticipant @frankgorse]

Silver steel and gauge plate are usually supplied ‘shiny’ from the grinding process. If this is discoloured because it’s very old stock ,as it may well be,it should be described as such when you buy it. One clue is that silver steel should be accurately sized to half a thou or so,bdms is usually a bit undesize.

[Chris TickTockParticipant @christicktock]

Just had it confirmed they are silver steel and apparently old Stubbs Stock…whatever that means.

Chris

Edited By Chris TickTock on 19/03/2020 11:00:38

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

I bought 1/4" sq. silver steel years ago for lathe tools to make my "Quorn". Looked like BDMS but turned a tough steel casting for the work-head just fine..Incidentally, IMHO, silver steel is much under-rated for making special purpose cutting tools.

[J HancockParticipant @jhancock95746]

You could tape a piece of known silver steel to it, push them onto the grinder and see if the 'sparks' look identical.

Perhaps with a piece of mild steel as well.

[Chris TickTockParticipant @christicktock]

Posted by Clive Brown 1 on 19/03/2020 11:03:49:

I bought 1/4" sq. silver steel years ago for lathe tools to make my "Quorn". Looked like BDMS but turned a tough steel casting for the work-head just fine..Incidentally, IMHO, silver steel is much under-rated for making special purpose cutting tools.

Thanks Clive, nice to hear you say that as I hope to make a clock tooth cutter from it.

Chris

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

Posted by Chris TickTock on 19/03/2020 11:00:22:

Just had it confirmed they are silver steel and apparently old Stubbs Stock…whatever that means.

Chris

Edited By Chris TickTock on 19/03/2020 11:00:38

 

Stubs used to make silver steel, seems the trademark is now owned by this company, more background info here.

Thor

Edited By Thor on 19/03/2020 11:14:52

[egaParticipant @ega]

In my experience square silver steel is supplied unground.

[Chris TickTockParticipant @christicktock]

Posted by Thor on 19/03/2020 11:13:10:

Posted by Chris TickTock on 19/03/2020 11:00:22:

Just had it confirmed they are silver steel and apparently old Stubbs Stock…whatever that means.

Chris

Edited By Chris TickTock on 19/03/2020 11:00:38

Stubs used to make silver steel, seems the trademark is now owned by this company, more background info here.

Thor

Edited By Thor on 19/03/2020 11:14:52

Thanks useful links to info on Stubbs

Chris

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Chris TickTock on 19/03/2020 11:00:22:

… confirmed they are silver steel and apparently old Stubbs Stock…whatever that means.

…

Stubs were a well-known brand in the good old days. Some believe it's better than modern Silver Steel and pay extra for it. I'm suspicious of Stubbs because the maker was actually called Stubs. Maybe 'Stubbs' is any Silver Steel, just as 'Hoover' became the generic word for any vacuum cleaner.

Never had Silver-steel rod arrive other than brightly polished, but my slab of gauge plate looks just like BMS.

Today's lesson, you can't really tell much by eyeballing metals. The steel-rods out of old printers look just like silver-steel but aren't. Brasses have such a huge range of different properties as to be almost different metals. Spark testing and magnets are clues, but to really know needs a chemical or spectroscopic analysis plus mechanical testing.

If you have silver-steel or gauge plate it will heat harden. Otherwise it won't.

Dave

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Just had a look at some of my silver steel stock and they all say "Stubs England".

Brian

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Posted by Thor on 19/03/2020 11:13:10:

Posted by Chris TickTock on 19/03/2020 11:00:22:

Just had it confirmed they are silver steel and apparently old Stubbs Stock…whatever that means.

Chris

Edited By Chris TickTock on 19/03/2020 11:00:38

Stubs used to make silver steel, seems the trademark is now owned by this company, more background info here.

Thor

Edited By Thor on 19/03/2020 11:14:52

A good read and a fwd thinking specialist company, thanx.

[VicParticipant @vic]

You learn something every day. I always thought silver steel was round stock as a matter of course. If I wanted something better than say mild, in square or rectangular I’ve always bought stuff sold GFS, Gauge Plate or 01 steel.

[Anonymous]

Square silver steel used to be available, but it's pretty rare nowadays. Square gauge plate is still available and is ground on all four sides, unlike rectangular gauge plate. The picture in the first post looks more like key steel to me.

Andrew

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

Posted by Andrew Johnston on 19/03/2020 16:36:40:

Square silver steel used to be available, but it's pretty rare nowadays. Square gauge plate is still available and is ground on all four sides, unlike rectangular gauge plate. The picture in the first post looks more like key steel to me.

Andrew

Me to.

Tony

[Chris TickTockParticipant @christicktock]

I am prepared to accept the suppliers word that the bars are old stock and are silver steel. What interests me is an old post stated that the reason the bars are sold in 13 inch lengths is because the ends are hardened during cutting so they give you an extra 1/2 inch each end?

So on face value if cut by saw sounds improbable but if cut with a torch ??

Anyone got an opinion

Chris

[old AlParticipant @oldal]

does the end of the bar have a cut or ground finnish?

I would not take the suppliers word for the grade of material as 100%. They are normally pretty good, but not always. It pays to check if you are worried

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

As Andrew says, square silver steel has been rare for years. I managed to get some1/8" square a considerable number of years ago. It looks like Chris's specimens, it's unground, and mine certainly hardens and tempers like conventional silver steel.

Rod

Edited By Roderick Jenkins on 19/03/2020 19:24:55

[Chris TickTockParticipant @christicktock]

Posted by old Al on 19/03/2020 18:05:00:

does the end of the bar have a cut or ground finnish?

i take it by cut you mean flame but which would be rougher than an angle grinder or saw. Mine look cut with a grinder or saw. I can't see them flame cutting then grinding so will assume safe to use entire length.

Chris

[old AlParticipant @oldal]

All of the silver steel i have had from Stubbs has been cut with a cutting disk (grinding disk) and i believe the posibilities of hardening the end is the reason for selling in 13" lengths.

Other imported stuff is cut with what looks like a bandsaw

[Anonymous]

Interesting, all the square silver steel I've bought has been ground on all four sides. Silver steel is normally made in 2m lengths and sold in 2m, 1m and 330mm lengths. I've not had a problem using the ends of silver steel.

Andrew

[egaParticipant @ega]

Here is a photo of an offcut of 3/8" square silver steel bought some years ago from Whiston. I can't be sure how the original piece was cut to length:

Can anyone confirm old Al's suggested reason for the "baker's dozen" length?

[Mark EasingwoodParticipant @markeasingwood33578]

I always thought the 13 inch / 330mm supplied lengths was because that is 1 metre cut into 3 pieces, less cutting allowance.

KR Whiston………..let the cat out!

[Author]

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