Slug manufacturer?

[Joe Gwinn]

Has anyone tried using magnetic stainless steel slugs? Types 415 and 416 are commonly available and would not require a nickel plating since they will take a high polish.

They might be a bit too hard magnetically, but it's probably worth a try, if one can get a small sample. Type 416 is widely used in forged marine fittings, so marine hardware stores (like West Marine) would be one possible source.

[DrStrangelove]

They might be a bit too hard magnetically, but it's probably worth a try, if one can get a small sample. Type 416 is widely used in forged marine fittings, so marine hardware stores (like West Marine) would be one possible source.

Does it matter if they are hard magnetics (i.e., have a higher coercivity) than non-stainless steel? Hot rolled and/or annealed stock lessens this characteristic in most alloys.

Bill Lawrence has quietly used ferritic stainless in the past and I recall posting some quick and dirty permeability tests of it on the old pickup forum.

There are a few ferritic stainless alloys specifically intended for solenoid cores in corrosive environments, types 430 and 446 in particular, but I mentioned 416 because it was easy to get and seemed inexpensive.

[David Schwab]

Bill Lawrence has quietly used ferritic stainless in the past...

I've read that the blades on his pickups were stainless. I have a broken one home I've been meaning to mess with.

I think Joe Barden uses stainless steel blades also.

I guess all the stainless I've been exposed to wasn't very magnetic.

[DrStrangelove]

I've read that the blades on his pickups were stainless. I have a broken one home I've been meaning to mess with.

I think Joe Barden uses stainless steel blades also.

I guess all the stainless I've been exposed to wasn't very magnetic.

The Bardens I've looked at used soft steel with a nickel plating on the exposed arc; bottoms were not plated. Joe's back in business and priced his stuff around $170/each to control demand. www.joebarden.com

If you poke around matweb.com, you can confirm that the type 400 stainless steels are magnetic. Type 300, 500, 600 aren't. Wikipedia has a good intro at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel

A search on "solenoid grade stainless steel" should hit pay dirt, bring up types 416 and 430FR from Carpenter Technology in Pennsylvania. www.cartech.com

Anyway, the idea is that you can polish stainless steels instead of nickel plate them.
--

[Joe Gwinn]

Does it matter if they are hard magnetics (i.e., have a higher coercivity) than non-stainless steel? Hot rolled and/or annealed stock lessens this characteristic in most alloys.

I don't know how much hardness matters. I assume it will change the sound, but only an experiment will tell if the change is for the better, or for the worse.

There are pickups that use hex-socket cap screws for slug poles, and such screws are hardened.

There are a few ferritic stainless alloys specifically intended for solenoid cores in corrosive environments, types 430 and 446 in particular, but I mentioned 416 because it was easy to get and seemed inexpensive.

Soft magnetic stainless isn't hard to get -- all you need to do is order 100#. A lifetime supply.

[Possum]

Barden

Actually I read somewhere that he finall found his ideal blade steel on a state highway sign, not kidding either.....thought that stuff was aluminum?

[Joe Gwinn]

Actually I read somewhere that he finall found his ideal blade steel on a state highway sign, not kidding either.....thought that stuff was aluminum?

If one finds thin strips of blue steel in a road, they are probably the oil-tempered spring steel used as the bristles in road-cleaning-machine brushes. A like material is sold by MSC as "tempered spring steel". For example: http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMAKA=03342995. MSC has a wide variety of thicknesses and widths.

Use a cut-off grinder to cut this steel. A saw will fail.

[David King]

Joe that looks an awful lot like the steel strapping tape that comes in 1300 foot rolls in 4 widths for pennies a foot. A local packing supply house could give out samples or one could just look for a stack of old pallets on the side of the road and dig around in it.

[Joe Gwinn]

Joe that looks an awful lot like the steel strapping tape that comes in 1300 foot rolls in 4 widths for pennies a foot. A local packing supply house could give out samples or one could just look for a stack of old pallets on the side of the road and dig around in it.

It could be. Strapping is spring-tempered steel as well. The advantage of the spring steel from MSC is that one can order the thicknesses and widths one needs.

[Spence]

Apparently the steel use in leg irons is perfect for the job.

Alternatively buy some electrical iron rods and turn them on a lathe. Make sure your parting tool is less than sharp and you'll get perfect bulls-eye slugs every time. Then of course buy a nickle plating kit from Micr Mark

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares...oduct&ID=83082

and you're away.

[Joe Gwinn]

Apparently the steel use in leg irons is perfect for the job.

Alternatively buy some electrical iron rods and turn them on a lathe. Make sure your parting tool is less than sharp and you'll get perfect bulls-eye slugs every time. Then of course buy a nickle plating kit from Micr Mark

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares...oduct&ID=83082

and you're away.

Actually, from some of the supply dramas we've heard, buying 3/16 mild steel rods from hardware stores and machining slugs from the rods on a cheap (~$400) small desktop lathe might not be such a bad idea.

The plating power supply looks a lot like a cheap little 6-volt wall wart with alligator clips. These can be had quite cheaply, and solutions can be had from Caswell: http://www.caswellplating.com/. For plating a bunch of small items, a wire basket containing the items immersed in plating solution and shaken as plating proceeds will be a lot faster. Naturally, it's called basket plating.

[David Schwab]

Actually, from some of the supply dramas we've heard, buying 3/16 mild steel rods from hardware stores and machining slugs from the rods on a cheap (~$400) small desktop lathe might not be such a bad idea.

Makes one appreciate Larry DiMarzio's idea of using allen screws as poles!

You never have to worry about supply.

[Zhangliqun]

Why would you need to put the rods on a lathe? Presumably they're already round enough -- or are they? Also, what would you use to cut the rods to length?

[Spence]

Well you might need to turn them to the correct diameter and cut them to length by parting them off. Also, you'll need to bevel the tops and bottoms.

How do you think they got that bullseye finish on the old PAf slugs ????

[Joe Gwinn]

Why would you need to put the rods on a lathe? Presumably they're already round enough -- or are they? Also, what would you use to cut the rods to length?

The lathe will make nice clean ends on the slugs, quickly. One would use the lathe to cut the slugs from a longer piece of 3/16 mild steel rod.