Home heat treat?
#1
07-25-09, 06:26 PM
Home heat treat?
I need to make a long-reach tie-down hook--since I can't find one like I need. Can I just bend up a length of 7/16 mild rod & heat treat it myself to get proper strength?
#2
07-26-09, 01:51 PM
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Regular mild steel is not heat treatable. Heat treating is a strictly controlled process which usually takes hours to complete. If you were to get your hands on material that would respond to heat treating and did not do it correctly you could end up anywhere in the range of "softer than when you started" to hard and "snap like a twig". Using a diameter larger than the diameter of the original heat treated hook is probabley the best bet. Other alternatives are possible if I had a better understanding of the application.
#3
07-27-09, 08:47 AM
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If you are making a tie-down hook or anything that could cause an accident or hurt someone your really need to do it properly.
As already mentioned only certain alloys are heat treatable and heat treating can sometimes make things worse.
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I've played around with heat treating 1144 a alloy that does not like being heated and can testify that it does not. It is amazing how a piece of steel can simply snap in half after being heated by a torch or by welding.
As already mentioned only certain alloys are heat treatable and heat treating can sometimes make things worse.
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I've played around with heat treating 1144 a alloy that does not like being heated and can testify that it does not. It is amazing how a piece of steel can simply snap in half after being heated by a torch or by welding.
#4
07-27-09, 07:14 PM
I've been using a Class1 hook & chain to secure the front tie point on a 1000# ATV. I suppose it's strong enough to hold the machine in place through most anything except a trailer rollover. I'd prefer to use a larger/stronger hook but none are available that can be wiggled into the tight space where the tie bar is located--that's why I was considering making my own, longer-reach version.
Not much risk to others--my trailer has rails & a rear ramp so if a hook should break it will only damage the ATV.
Not much risk to others--my trailer has rails & a rear ramp so if a hook should break it will only damage the ATV.
#5
08-17-09, 06:26 PM
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i would use angle iron or plate steel 1/4 " thick and cut it out with your sawzall. the flat part being the sides and the 1/4" part the top and bottom. if you want something hardend heat it red hot with a torch and then submerge it in oil.outside of course as it will burn. this will temper it. but temper also makes brittle. you could cut out two peices at a time then weld them together as well. we used 1/4" diamond plate steel to fix semi trailers so i know it will hold your strap. you`d break the strap or the ratchet before that hook.
