Question about Steel for Springs

[FlinterNick]

I have a few questions about steel for mainsprings.

10 series steel 1060-1095, does this type of steel work harden after its been tempered ?

Is 15N20 a good quality steel to use for springs?

Thanks

 

[James Kibler]

Work hardening requires plastic deformation. A spring doesn't generally experience this. Yes 1060 - 1095 will work fine for a spring. Harden appropriately and then temper to around 42-45 HRC. You can reference tempering charts to determine the appropriate temperature.

 

[FlinterNick]

Work hardening requires plastic deformation. A spring doesn't generally experience this. Yes 1060 - 1095 will work fine for a spring. Harden appropriately and then temper to around 42-45 HRC. You can reference tempering charts to determine the appropriate temperature.

Thanks James !

Was reading up about 1095 steel used for knives and springs, if its not tempered at exactly the right temperature it will break under stress.

I made a few springs out of 1095 and tempered at 800 for 45 min to an hour, this yielded a dark grey blue color, they work very good but was concerned about it possibly work hardening and breaking.

 

[ZUG]

Carbon steel like 1075, 1084, 1095, O-1 and others will make good springs IF you know how to harden and temper them correctly. Find the correct hardening & tempering temperatures for the steel you are using and follow the specifications to get the hardiness you are looking for. I use a lot of 1075 and 1084 steels for springs because I have them on hand. 1095 is a bit trickier to use as it is mostly a water hardening steel. Once you harden a spring it is best to go into a tempering oven ASAP so as not to have the spring set up internal stresses that will create internal fractures and lead to spring failure. Good luck -

 

[Bnewberry]

15N20 will make a fine spring. It is, or is similar to a steel that is/was used for saws and is used a lot in damascus knives. The N is for nickle which helps it stay unstained compared to the darker steel finish in the damascus (often 1080 series steel).