TimDaToolMan
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Why do they make tools out of chrome plated steel, why not just use stainless steel?
Stainless Steel Tools.
- Thread starter TimDaToolMan
- Start date
So you can afford to buy them. If your shopping in the craftsman price range you wont be buying stainless. Stainless also has very different properties in stiffness, strength and hardness
kunkernator
Well-known member
If it more so the look that you want, I know some foreign companies make matte chrome finished tools.
toolstools
Banned
Easier to clean. SS usually has a grain to it, much like wood.
davesnothere
Well-known member
Chrome makes everything faster. When you're trying to beat time, chrome is your friend.
neophyte
Well-known member
Various companies over the years have made tools out of stainless steel, and some still do. Craftsman at one point sold stainless steel ratchets, wrenches, and possibly sockets. The food and medical industries also use stainless steel tools. Several German companies make some tools in stainless steel to prevent contamination of stainless steel from non stainless steels coming in contact with the stainless steel. Most stainless tools are significantly more expensive that there non stainless counterparts, and are used were it's required such as in medical and food use. If I'm not mistaken, the cost of the stainless steel itself, or at least the better alloys, is higher than the cost of some of the tool steels commonly used, and the alloys may be more difficult to machine. Wera uses a Vacuum Ice-Hardening process for their stainless steel screwdrivers to allow both flexibility and hardness. This is their website with a bit of information. http://www.stainlessscrewdrivers.com/ Wiha also offers stainless screwdrivers. http://www.wihatools.com/300seri/308_SS_serie.htm Elora offers stainless combination wrenches in metric. http://www.elora.de/site/en/shop/produkt.php?breadcrumbs=yes&lang=en&id1=3&id2=308&id3=309 Hazet makes a 1/4" ratchet and sockets in stainless under the brand Hinox, http://www.hazet.com/uploads/tx_d3mlinkedsources/Stainless_Steel_Tools.pdf A company called Steritool seems to specialize in stainless tools for "sterile processing and clean room use" http://www.steritool.com/steritool/info.htm . Many of the tools are fairly expensive , but unlike surgical tools, they seem to be closer to regular size. A company called Aven, http://www.aventools.com/index.html has stainless tools manufactured for them, you can find them on Amazon check the reviews though, http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...aven+stainless&rh=n:16310091,k:aven+stainless It really depends on what type of tool you're looking for. Cost and durability are the main issue as to why stainless isn't used more often. For corrosion resistance other materials are sometimes used such as Bronze alloys, Beryllium copper, and Titanium. Some GarageJournal members have some of the stainless tools. This post shows some of the German tools, http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2396434&postcount=38 This is another post about stainless tools. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=273772&highlight=elora+stainless#post273772
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neophyte
Well-known member
Was my answer overkill.
no, but you wasted your time answering a thread *****...
TimDaFoolMan;
you won't learn anything typing......
readposts and books
OP
TimDaToolMan
Banned
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I liked it, but all the flashing lights about gave me a seizure.
Dieselbutterfly
Well-known member
yeah,tim,dont worry toomuch about the post count,it means nothing
Case IH
Well-known member
Stainless is actually much harder to drill than normal steel, however I would assume tool steel is harder yet.
kiatech
Well-known member
Stainless is softer than tool steel.
Pumpman1968
Well-known member
What a lot of people don't understand is that there are many grades of stainless. My understanding is it depends on the amount of carbon in the mix.......but I don't claim to be an expert. In my experience, stainless isn't used because of its hardness but rather to resist corrosion. Keep in mind, my experience is mostly with pumps and different types of fluid......like aggressive water. Ive also done a bit of work with food grade seal-less mag drives but still pretty limited.
Tucko
Well-known member
This is incorrect.
rlitman
Well-known member
You are incorrect, with regards to tools (and that is the root of the question).
Tools are not generally made from mild steel.
Anyway, hardness is just one attribute of steel that is considered when a tool is made. Toughness, and elasticity are more important.
Also, stainless is more difficult to drill than cr-mo for example, because of work hardening. That's got nothing to do with the metal's innate strength to be used as a tool.
Zrexxer
Well-known member
Yeah, your generalizing statement is completely mistaken. Get yourself some CPM-S60V stainless tool steel and see how soft it is.
Pantsfall_McFixit
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Good post Neophyte, I keep a list on who makes stainless steel screwdrivers/other tools, so far I have
Wera
Wiha
Elora
KS Tools Inox series
and now Aven. I wonder who makes the best ones though? I have the Wera set, but haven't used them becuse they're shiny and I work in filth sometimes.
Wera
Wiha
Elora
KS Tools Inox series
and now Aven. I wonder who makes the best ones though? I have the Wera set, but haven't used them becuse they're shiny and I work in filth sometimes.
neophyte
Well-known member
I didn't know about KS Tools making stainless. For screwdrivers, Athlet also make stainless screwdrivers. The stainless Aven screwdrivers and bits are actually made by Athlet, http://www.athlet-online.de/index.php/special-tools.html. The Elora screwdrivers unlike the Wera and Wiha screwdrivers have a round shank. http://www.elora.de/site/en/shop/produkt.php?breadcrumbs=yes&lang=en&id1=17&id2=18&id3=1802-1 The Wera screwdrivers use a Vacuum Cryo treatment of some kind to get optimal characteristics from the stainless steel. The description from Athlet sounds like they may use something similar, but there's less specific info so it's just a guess. Wiha doesn't mention their hardening process although I'm somewhat fond of the Wiha screwdrivers I've tried so those would be the screwdrivers I would be tempted by. Some other stainless tools I've come across are the stainless steel Yost Vises. http://www.yostvises.com/specialty-vises/stainless-steel-bench-vise.html http://www.yostvises.com/specialty-vises/6-stainless-steel-combination-pipe-bench-vise.html The vises aren't made in the USA, so I presume either china or Taiwan. Dawn tools of Australia also offers stainless Vises, http://www.dawntools.com.au/vices_category_summary.php?cat_id=1 Alden Tools Makes ratcheting open end wrenches both in metric and SAE. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VEC9XE/?tag=atomicindus08-20
radrush
Well-known member
More specifically...
- Martensitic stainless steels are magnetic and are hard
- Austenitic stainless steels are non-magnetic and are softer
n8n
Well-known member
Craftsman at one point in time had stainless screwdrivers as well, I may still have a few, have to look.
This times 500. There's a ton of misinformation out there regarding metals and their properties... like tougher to drill = harder. Or tougher to tap is harder. Hell, sometimes it is completely the opposite. Try some Rene or inco! Wasp, hast, disc. Any decent alloy like those will make your head spin because of how hard they are to machine (for a first timer, at the least), but that really gives zero indication of how hard the metal is, etc. Unless you're talking RC60-64 or something nuts-o. But you'll generally never find a super alloy that's up in that range anyways. But thanks for injecting a little truth in this thread.
Yes indeed. I have studied Metallurgy and it can be very interesting. Often get results you would not expect. Here is a classic example. Mix 7.5% copper with 92.5% silver and you get an alloy which is both harder, and has a higher melting point than either metals individually. Hooray for Sterling. The alloying of steels is much more complicated, but you get the general idea.
superautobacs
Well-known member
For some cold hard facts, I have a magazine that did some destructive testing on hand tools.
Wera's stainless steel 5mm hex key had a HRC 54.6 and it took 48.468 Nm of torque before the drive end sheared off. The DIN standard for a 5mm hex key is 35 Nm.
Wera's stainless steel PH2 screwdriver had a HRC 54.4 and it took 20.405 Nm of torque before the drive end sheared off. The DIN standard for a PH2 screwdriver is 10.3 Nm.
Wera's stainless steel 5mm hex key had a HRC 54.6 and it took 48.468 Nm of torque before the drive end sheared off. The DIN standard for a 5mm hex key is 35 Nm.
Wera's stainless steel PH2 screwdriver had a HRC 54.4 and it took 20.405 Nm of torque before the drive end sheared off. The DIN standard for a PH2 screwdriver is 10.3 Nm.
candikid
Well-known member
I'm really interested in what steel alloy are being used in stainless steel tools, their alloy composition mainly, but I guess that's the last thing the manufacturers would wanna tell me...?
What about about the "conventional" chrome vanadium alloy, has any manufacturers leaked some info on that anywhere? Not that I think every manufacturer is using the same compositions, actually far from, but info from any reputable tool manufacturer would be nice!
What about about the "conventional" chrome vanadium alloy, has any manufacturers leaked some info on that anywhere? Not that I think every manufacturer is using the same compositions, actually far from, but info from any reputable tool manufacturer would be nice!
shockwave
Well-known member
Hazet hinox 1/4 drive set comes to mind that is made of stainless steel aswell
Leaflessshadetree
Well-known member
Just curious, how do these compare to tools made from other materials?
1cargarage
Well-known member
You are correct that stainless steel resists corrosion better than other steels. The reason behind this is the high chromium content of the steel. Chrome plated tools, on the other hand, resist corrosion (oxidation) in a different way.
Chrome plating is used to prevent the corrosion of the iron contained in the alloy out of which the tool is made. Chrome plating accomplishes this in two ways.
First and most obvious, the chrome plating acts as a physical barrier between airborne oxygen gas and liquid water, which are the two species required to oxidize iron.
Second, the element chromium (primary chemical species in chrome platings) is what's known as a 'more active' metal than iron (primary species in the tool's chemical makeup). Because it is 'more active,' when it is attached to the iron, i.e. plated on the tool, in the presence of oxygen gas and liquid water, it will oxidize first. This chemical process is known as 'cathodic protection'. It is the same reason that zinc or magnesium bars are sometimes attached to underground iron pipes. Zinc and magnesium are both more active than iron and oxidize first, prolonging the iron pipe's lifespan.
Just thought I'd shed some light about the chemical processes taken into account when trying to prevent oxidation of a metal.
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superautobacs
Well-known member
For the hex keys:
out of about a dozen different brands, the median HRC is about 57 and the break away Nm in the low 50s.
For the screwdrivers:
out of about 20 different brands, the median HRC is about 55 and the break away Nm in low 20s.