Engravable Stainless Steel Sheet ???

[AndrosCreations]

Greetings All,

Can anyone point me to an engravable stainless steel sheet that I can make pendants from?

I'm assuming the sheet would have to be some kind of 400 series but I'm not familiar with engraving stainless; though I know it's doable. I'm looking for something around 18 gauge that can be cut with a jewelers saw.

Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Thanks!
-Andy

 

[JBrandvik]

AnvilFire.com has some great resources available for determining the specs of all the common types of stainless. They also have an on-line store. I see that their 416 is only available in round stock but they have 410 available in sheet and bar. This page has more information than you will ever need regarding stainless properties. http://www.anvilfire.com/sales/onlinemetals/index.htm

I have purchased 416 bar stock from Texas Knifemakers Supply also. Here's something that should be about right for pendants. http://www.texasknife.com/vcom/product_info.php?cPath=87_35_860_90&products_id=418

Hope that helps.
Best,

 

[tim halloran]

Andros: Check Out Your Local Scrap-Salvage Yard. They Get Lots Of Scrap Stainless Steel. Take A Magnet With You, And Check The Scrap If It Attracts A Magnet It Is Probably 400 Grade Which Is What You Want. It Will Engrave And Machine As Well As You Can Expect. If It 's Non Magnetic Don't Mess With It, As Its Probably 300 Grade And Can Be Miserable Stuff To Cut, As Its Made For Sinks, Commissary Tables,Tank Trucks, ETC. You Might Be Able To Pick Some Up Pretty Reasonably.

 

[mitch]

http://www.speedymetals.com/c-8253-stainless-steel.aspx

once you decide what grade, they have about any size & configuration you'd ever want and they sell pretty much anything by the inch if you need really small quantities.

 

[Christopher Malouf]

Andy, if you are going to make anything from stainless steel that is going to be worn, it has to be a hypo-allergenic grade that will not oxidize. 400 series will oxidize. That leaves only the 300 series. 316 is brutal. 304 is tough as well and will work harden so that leaves only "free machining" 303. I cut 303 frequently ... using a 120 or 116 degree (dubbed tip) carbalt graver, it cuts very well. I just cut a 303 stainless timing cover for a customer and only had to resharpen twice. It will hold a chrome-like shine and require minimal polishing to keep it that way.

--------
I don't wish to hijack this thread by posting my work in it .... but I just realized that I am making a different recommendation than the other guys have with respect to 303. Just something to back up my info ....

Attached are the before mentioned timing cover and a 1" wide dashboard insert. The dashboard insert has a bead punched background using a #1 punch. I did not break a punch and the smaller punch made it easy enough to do under the microscope. Background was removed using the 850 rotary tool. The trick to not breaking teeth on the bur or the graver tip is to simply not hog the metal. Make multiple passes to get deep with the graver. Both have a mirror polish. It is also very possible to inlay gold but I would recommend a soft gold alloy if you want to keep the piece polished .... 24k is fine for satin finish. The best thing about 303 is that it is not only engraveable but for jewelry, will not turn a person's skin yellow or green.

I'll remove these photos after you have had a chance to take a look or when interest in this topic has dwindled as the timing cover is still in the mail on its' way to the customer.

 

[DKanger]

Andy,
I have 4 strips of stainless that are 1/8" x 1.5". I don't know the grade. They are highly polished on one side and protected with plastic. A magnet will not stick face-on, but will slightly stick edge-on. They were originally cut as protective escutcheons on a fiberglas marine fishing vessel. I was going to cut these into practice plates, but I don't have a shear and haven't had the inclination to do it with a hacksaw.

$6 per foot in 12" lengths plus shipping. (if interested)

 

[katia]

Extremely interesting thread.
Something that I am wondering is : if you were to order some of those sheets somewhere you'd probably have to anneal the steel yourself?
I have no idea how they must be supplied.
By the way, doing some research about stainless steel at this very instant and found this from the British stainless steel association. http://www.bssa.org.uk/index.php
Lots of things to read about. Have just started...

 

[DKanger]

Something that I am wondering is : if you were to order some of those sheets somewhere you'd probably have to anneal the steel yourself?

Katia,
The stuff I have is already soft and won't harden. I tried making a small knife blade out of it and after heating and quenching, it was as soft as when I started.

 

[AndrosCreations]

Thanks so much for all the useful replies everyone. All good information!

I'll be looking specifically for the 303 for now after reading Chris's information about pendants. I thought that perhaps 400 series had enough chromium to make them not react with skin but that's probably not the case.

So far all I can find is 303 in 1/8" thick bar stock. That may possibly be a little too thick for pendants... Both speedymetals & onlinemetals carry it in 1/8" unless I'm missing something.

Therefor, I'll still be hunting around... Chris (or anyone else who knows) if you know of a supplier for the 303, please do pass them along.

Thanks again all!
-Andy

 

[AndrosCreations]

Also, Chris... don't remove your photos on my account... I think they're pertinent to this thread.... unless you have to remove them for other reasons....

 

[airamp]

metals

Andy,

I buy a lot of metal 303, 400, brass, copper, steel, and just about anything I need that is common here.

We do have a storefront in town though...

Link:

http://www.industrialmetalsupply.com/

AirAmp

 

[Christopher Malouf]

Hi Andy,

If you don't get lucky with any of the suppliers already posted .... call Atlantic Stainless in North Attleboro Mass. There's no minimum order. Those guys are great .... I had to make a complex design from 1/8" Hasteloy C for a grave marker. For $90 bucks, they waterjet cut it from a DXF file I sent them and had it back to me in a week. It would have taken me twice as long to plasma cut it and clean it up.

Cutting 303 with a jewelers saw is not going to be easy. I use heavy jeweler's saw blades in a table scroll saw because the teeth are finer than scroll saw blades. I've never made earrings but for bracelets, the table saw or angle grinder gets me close, then the sanding belt wheel and off to polishing.

The most important thing to note is that I have had no complaints from customers with jewelry I have made from 303.

What I learned from fabricating jewelry from stainless is that the time to fabricate is greater than fabricating from something soft like silver. People think they are getting something more affordable because it not a precious metal but they are not. It's only a desireable alternative to Argentium or palladium for those who are allergic to one of those metals or simply want the durability of stainless.

I'm glad this topic came up .... I really need to make a bunch.

 

[AndrosCreations]

Thanks for your help... I called Atlantic Stainless and they were very nice and do have quite a large inventory.

The guy I talked to was helpful... When I asked for the 303 in thickness less than 1/8" he said he doesn't think it exists... and I believe he could be correct because I've looked all over at all the online metal suppliers who also have huge inventories...

My idea is that it's main advantage is that it's free machining so most of its uses wouldn't make a thickness less than 1/8" very useful to most of the world. This is kind of a bummer because I thought it would make a nice alternative to silver now that silver is through the roof... and I like the durability of stainless too. If only I could put it through the rolling mill...arghhhhh :beat up:

If you think he was wrong about thinner 303 stock existing, let me know. I don't want to use your stock... I was more hoping for a supplier that I could buy a bunch from.

 

[Christopher Malouf]

Andy, it's gotta exist. I've got two small sheets which I bought from Atlantic. Bought it a couple of years ago though ..... it could be 304.

Did you ask about 304? You won't have to be concerned about it work hardening as you're doing all of your cutting and polishing by hand.

304 is almost chemically identical but you will notice a difference cutting it. It is still much softer than 316.


Steve Lindsay also told me about 302 which is supposed to be great to cut. I just did a quick search and it looks the stuff is available in sheets under 1/8". It has been superseded by one of the more common grades (303 or 304) so a lot folks might not carry it. At the time I was searching for 302 bar stock for timing covers, I had to settle for 303. It seems to be more common in sheet for backsplash/walling applications.

 

[airamp]

Andy,

If you are looking for thin SS check out K&S engineering.

http://www.ksmetals.com/retail.html


Also avalible in your local Ace Hardware.

There SS is 430 flat stock. They also have brass, bronze, Al and more..

thin stuff...

AirAmp

 

[AndrosCreations]

AirAmp... Thanks for that info... I know of a local hobby shop that has one of those K & S displays set up...



Chris.... If you say 304 is also decent... I've been able to find plenty of that in sheet from different suppliers... If you think it's hypoallergenic and cuts atleast decently... I'll go for that. I'll have to look into the 302 also....

 

[Christopher Malouf]

Andy, if I had a choice between 304 or 302, it would be 302. I have cut 304 and it is a little harder. Still polishes up like chrome and does a nice job of staying that way. Gotta use a wide carbide graver with the tip dubbed.

I can cut a piece off of the sheet I have and send it to you to try before dropping a bunch of money. Everyone has a different tolerance level when it comes to metal hardness and engraving .... you might decide the stuff requires more time than anticipated for your application.

 

[airamp]

Andy,

Be aware that the 430 does have .75% Nickel so it is is really not hypoallergenic.

430F has no nickel and I am not sure K&S 430 is the F type??

For non allergic people the std 430 should be ok..

Chris thanks for the heads up on the 400 series and allergic to nickel people..

Old metal bra straps clips are what keyed physicans to what the women were allergic to (nickel plated)...

It worked out for us in the 60's since they then didn't want to wear bra's anymore. :big grin:

AirAmp

 

[Christopher Malouf]

Are you being facetious Mike?

300 series has a higher nickel content than 430. Nonetheless, 430 is a ferritic stainless and is mainly used for decorative purposes. It is not a rust-free grade.

303 - 316 has a 7% - 10% nickel content. All are used in either watches, surgical instruments or body piercing jewelry. They each have considerably less nickel than 904, having about 25% nickel, which is also used in watches and surgical equipment.

I don't think you can eliminate all of the nickel without losing corrosion resistance but if you find something that is both engraveable and "surgical grade" .... please let us know.

There's a big difference between nickel plated steel and stainless containing 8% nickel and hypo-allergenic doesn't mean non-allergenic either. Anyone who is hyper-sensitive to nickel probably wears gold anyway.

 

[tim halloran]

Chris: The Component That Makes Stainless Steel, Stainless, Is Chromium. Usually Takes At Least 13% Or More To Make It Stain Resistant. The 440 c Grade Has About 18% And Makes Excellent Surgical Cutlery, And Makes A Pretty Good Knife Also. Except It Is Fairly Brittle So Doesn't Make A Very Good Hunting Or Skining Knife. Stick It Into A Bone And Wiggle It To Get It Out And You Might Break The Tip Of The Blade Off. Another Steel That Is Very Close To Being Stainless Is D2. It Only Has 11-12% Chromium In It. Also It Won't Polish The Way Stainless Does.