12L14 Holee Kowww

A

alinwa

oft dis'd member
I bought a stick of 3" diameter 12L14 to make brakes..... I've latest only been using it to make mandrels for neck turning, hadn't really "got into" any of it lately as in hogging and milling removing bulk material. WOW.... I think it's easier/faster than aluminum! Man this stuff machines sweet, like carving cheese.
 
Before moving to stainless, 12L14 is what L.E. Wilson used for decades for their bullet seating and neck sizing dies. Made tweaking or modifying them a breeze.

Good shootin' -Al
 
Al Nyhus said:
Before moving to stainless, 12L14 is what L.E. Wilson used for decades for their bullet seating and neck sizing dies. Made tweaking or modifying them a breeze.

Good shootin' -Al
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Last I checked (it *has* been a while) the same was true with CH/4D.

GsT
 
GeneT said:
Last I checked (it *has* been a while) the same was true with CH/4D. GsT
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Gene, having never used their stuff, I'm not sure.

I know there's an old set in my drawer marked 'Misc. Dies'....will dig them out for a gawk. -Al
 
BTW Wally Siebert claimed there is a way to harden and temper dies from 12L14 such that they shrink a thou, consistently.

I've never tried it.
 
Al Nyhus said:
Gene, having never used their stuff, I'm not sure.

I know there's an old set in my drawer marked 'Misc. Dies'....will dig them out for a gawk. -Al
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About a bazillion years ago, I ended up with a small cottage industry converting their "standard" (7/8"-14) shellholder to work on the Hollywood Sr. reloading press.

The owners of Hollywood were very much "over-promise and under-deliver" as well as being fairly useless to those ordering their wares. Many are the folks that ordered a press for reloading .50 BMG without realizing that the Hollywood press required a proprietary shellholder - something the owners should have, but never did, mention to purchasers. In any case, most purchasers, having waited 12-1000 times longer than they were initially told, were reluctant to order a shellholder from Hollywood just to begin the trail of lies, excuses, and broken promises again. I had purchased a CH/4D shellholder and converted it for my Hollywood press, and having posted such online, a cottage industry was born... I made no money - I was just helping people like me that Joe and Margaret had under-serviced and ripped off. It was a sad state of affairs, and a significant departure from most shooter-run businesses with which I have dealt.

In any case, it was very welcome information from CH/4D that they used 12L14 because it is delightful to machine and made pretty easy work of things.

GsT
 
I was at a machine tool trade show many years ago and found that the exhibiters were using 12L14 for there demo material. Made the machines look like the fastest cutting things out there.
 
Kevin Gullette said:
Aren't most factory rings and bases made from 12L14?? Kevin
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I don't know, Kevin.

Having whittled a fair number of rings/bases when needed, it seems that stuff is all over the place even among the same mfg. The exception is Leupold...their stuff always cuts the same.

Hope all is well. -Al
 
:eek:

The darn stuff machines so well that sometimes just turning on the lathe will cause shavings to fly

It does case harden just fine.

Just don’t try to weld it and expect things to hold together.
 
Al Nyhus said:
I don't know, Kevin.

Having whittled a fair number of rings/bases when needed, it seems that stuff is all over the place even among the same mfg. The exception is Leupold...their stuff always cuts the same.

Hope all is well. -Al
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Well......we're at least right about Leupold.

I checked a few old clamshell plastic packages......and there it was....on the back....12L14.

Later,
Kevin
 
jackie schmidt said:
:eek:

The darn stuff machines so well that sometimes just turning on the lathe will cause shavings to fly

It does case harden just fine.

Just don’t try to weld it and expect things to hold together.
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Talley makes their bolt handles out of 12L14. I have welded quite a few of those up on Mausers. It welds great for me.

Bill Jacobs
 
We used a lot of 12l14 in the manufacture of industrial magnetic brakes and clutches, and we welded a lot of shafts to rotors. Never had a weld fail.

These units gave a "soft start", and never were subjected to the kind of shock loads or heavy loads of a maritime environment. I take Jackie at his word that it is not suited for his use when welded.
The material is mild steel, and can be case hardened, but cannot be heat treated to a high strength condition.
 
Very interesting.....

Jackie thrives in a world where engineering limits are tested daily. Where welds will rip out by the roots and shafts will twist and warp if not fully stable. I live in a construction atmosphere where if a weld breaks on a dozer you just crank up the heat, buy a couple more bundles of stick and pour more metal into the gap......stability via the brute force approach


Which leads me to my conundrum.



I'm using this 12L14 to make prototype muzzle brakes for a couple big guns. Guns that will break ME if a brake fails.



First thing I notice is that the threaded portions strip out easily. That I'm stripping out 1/4-28 grub screws under what to me is moderate tension. Second thing is that deflection both pushing and pulling is a thing........ this stuff machines like butter and moves about like modeling clay.


Drop a piece on the floor and it dings like lead.


Instead of making these brakes as light as possible I'm tending to leave extra meat in the high-stress areas...... let's hope I'm leaving enough :) !!
 
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