Hardening your rear cassette increase life expectancy??

[SwissVan]

If anyone thinks today's sprockets are soft, just try drilling through one.

 

Bingo [insert light bulb emoticon]

 

Never mind longevity, wonder how much weight I could save by drilling some 1/16" holes in my XTR 10 spd cogs....

 

[orsum]

So the latest is.

Metal spectrometer to find the content of the metal % carbon etc (arranged they are just waiting for the sample metal) and then depending on what is found most likely gas nitriding to about 0.25 to 0.3mm deep leaving the substructure the same.

 

I have also arranged the nitriding process and it is not as expensive as I thought it would be. I was told it would be give me 45 Rockwell.

I was also advised that there is less chance of warping with gas nitriding.

Will try to get an old cassette to see what it’s made from.

orsum

[quintonb]

Correct, Gas Nitride will be the most stable environment, but 45 Rockwell is not hard at all.

Nitriding should give you around the 60-65 Rockwell on the "C" scale.

[Cassie]

My wax is made from Carnauba wax, Bees wax and Montan wax it has thinning agent’s carrier oils and some other stuff that I will keep to myself. I only use pure wax.

 

Others (Google for the name) add to what I make buy adding ingredients that are not necessary like fillers plus some use a bit of titanium dioxide for colour, a bit of oil to give it a nice smell and the one and only special hidden ingredient they add worth R19K.

 

Guys back to the cassette I will be able to find out what they are made from myself by testing etc but it takes time and money.

 

If somebody has the info all I am ask is for it to be shared.

 

Unfortunately I can see that this subject is causing negative issues which is not what I am about.

 

I was recently told that I had developed type 2 diabetes and had a 20.9 blood sugar level as well as suffering from hyper tension, high blood pressure 195 over 95, extra high cholesterol and I was 46 kg over weight and that unless I change my ways I will be dead in six month.

 

Since that day I lost 26kg, dropped my blood pressure to 125/80, cholesterol back in normal range and my blood sugar is hovering around the 6.3 mark. I also stopped drinking Captain Morgan actually I stopped all drinking.

 

The doctor also thought I was mad when I said I am going to start MTB riding at 59, I turned 59 in August this year. In order to achieve this I started training on an indoor bike until I found the right bike for me, I found it just last week and I will start riding it in the next three weeks.

 

So can I make a longer lasting cassette by making it harder I don’t know. Unless I try I will never know what I am capable of.

 

So if anybody can point me in the right direction and help me find what they are made from then great.

 

If I fall flat on my face then I get up and ride onto the next challenge

 

Sorry for going off track rant over.

 

orsum

 

DEAR Mr ORSUM

 

I really like your attitude to every "project" challenge thrown your way!!

Keep exploring / questioning and do not give up...ever!!

 

The world need more enquisative minds like yours...

 

:clap: :thumbup: :thumbup:

[quintonb]

So the latest is.

 

Metal spectrometer to find the content of the metal % carbon etc (arranged they are just waiting for the sample metal) and then depending on what is found most likely gas nitriding to about 0.25 to 0.3mm deep leaving the substructure the same.

 

I have also arranged the nitriding process and it is not as expensive as I thought it would be. I was told it would be give me 45 Rockwell.

 

I was also advised that there is less chance of warping with gas nitriding.

 

Will try to get an old cassette to see what it’s made from.

 

orsum

 

I see you are in KZN area. Speak to Shawn at Bohler in Pinetown, he has a wealth of knowledge and I am sure will be able to help you out with your testing.

[nimthor]

I see NASA just used a 3D printer to print a rocket nozzle, imaging just printing your ceramic prockets.

[Cassie]

I wouldnt go the hardening route, the cassettes these days are *&^* hard by engineering standards. My only feasable solution would be coatings.

 

Look at a titanium coating or a cobalt coating. Value for money and bang for the buck.

 

a simple comparison is a drill, a normall HSS drill, will drill 3 holes in a 304 SS, a nickel plated drill 18 holes, a ti coat 55 holes, cobalt coat 70 holes. translated that into kms. you will have a significant improvement in cassette life.

 

This sounds like great advice!!

I'd rather explore a coating than trying tempering the steel...

[Cassie]

So how are you going to do the "testing" reliably and with reproducible results? Once you attempetd a hardening?

Your methodology should hold water in all aspects??

 

 

Perhaps let a couple of the Hubbers who go through cassettes like candy test one for you?

[orsum]

I said about 45 rock yep a bit on the low side so until I know what I am dealing with I will stick to 45 but would like more.

 

Like everything from my Wimpy fish and chips (chips are a no no) to the Spar curry (no potatoes) repeatability is the key to bringing the customers back time and time again.

 

So yes before I would claim anything everybody will be welcome to ask all the questions they wish and proof will be provided.

 

The big point is can it be done. Still a long way to go before claiming it is possible.

 

Guys the testing has been arranged and it will be done by an accredited lab and if I go to the next phase then I will ensure it’s done correctly.

 

The question is can you increase the hardness of your cassette and the method used will be finalised later so coating is on the table.

 

Until I have the metal tested or somebody can say exactly what the material is that is being used there is no way I can say for sure which process could be used to improve what is presently available.

 

orsum

[orsum]

Nitriding

 

Gas nitriding is a surface hardening process, where nitrogen is added to the surface of steel parts using dissociated ammonia as the source. Gas nitriding develops a very hard case in a component at relatively low temperature, without the need for quenching.

Nitriding is carried out at temperatures below the transformation temperature of alloy steels, so that with proper manufacturing techniques, there is little or no distortion as a result of the process. Parts to be nitrided are heat treated to the proper strength level, and final machined. The parts are then exposed to active nitrogen at a carefully controlled temperature, typically in the range of 925°F to 985°F. This temperature is typically below the final tempering temperature of the steel so that nitriding does not affect the base metal mechanical properties. As a result, a very high strength product with extremely good wear resistance can be produced, with little or no dimensional change.

The components to be nitrided are often stress relieved prior to final machining so that the only size changes observed are growth of about 0.0005". In some cases, nitrided components are surface ground after nitriding to remove the most outermost brittle layer produced by the process, or to bring parts into a tight tolerance.

Parts can be masked avoid hardening some areas, such as gear hubs and bores, keyways, threaded holes or bearing surfaces, which are easily machined after nitriding.

 

orsum can Google

[RED1408]

For a durable coating you could try an Armoloy coating. We use it on our inner seals that get used in the mining industry, the coating is pretty tough and we have not had one inner seal come back with a worn coating. The material that it is made out of EN36B.

 

Here is a link:

http://www.armoloysa.co.za/Comparisons.html

 

Go and speak to Chris if you want to see what the coating looks like.