Dwight inquired of the gathering:
>Is it possible to cut HSS with a metal-cutting blade in a coping saw? Or
>am I limited to cut-off wheels in a tailed apprentice or something similar?
Short answer, not really.
Long answer:There are a number of grades of steel sold as HSS, M2 being a common
one, but T1 (original "tungsten steel") is seen in older service, M7, and
several with cobalt and/or molybdenum are also common. Of these, the only one I
have any real experience machining with conventional tooling is M2, and, even in
the fully annealed condition, it is a right bast***. Full anneal, IIRC, is slow
cool (25F/hour) from about 1600F, until below about 800F. Then slow air cool.
Check hardness, and if it is still hard, re do it, presuming that you didn't
bork the alloy in the process. The next time we needed it, we bought annealed
material. In the full anneal, good hacksaw blade should cut it.
Some types are not machinable at all in practice. If you don't know what you
got, it is pretty much a crapshoot.
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