Powdered Metal Failure Update

Re: Powdered Metal Failure Update

Devon Palmer

>WOW, thats enough to make me wanna patronize Hamlet tools.... Do they sell under any other name than Hamlet (i.e., Do they make "Packards" line of tools, or tool steel, etc... for example)

Re: Powdered Metal Failure Update

Brad Vietje

>Paul,

Hamlet is, indeed, a good company to deal with. I had a similar failure on a Hamlet 2060 3/4" roughing gouge from Jacques Coloumbe, in Montreal, PQ, and it was replaced, handle and all, very promptly. My only cost was shipping the gouge back to Montreal, which I was happy to do so the manufacturer could learn more about the weakness of the tang and the need for a redesign.

I will be happy to buy more Hamlet tools in the future.

Safe spinning,

Brad Vietje

Thetford, VT

Re: Powdered Metal Failure Update

Arch

>Paul, I'm glad that you got a new tool and had a good experience with the company. Did they explain what your reshaping did to the temper of powdered metal? Maybe they worried that you had thinned the new tang so it would break easily. I'm certainly no expert and I guess it could have softened the steel, but I thought the heat from grinding wasn't supposed to affect the temper of powdered metal. Maybe they just wanted you to have the tool you bought. Just curious and trying to learn.

Arch

Re: Powdered Metal Failure Update

Gary in Zirconia, NC

>I have talked to Packard since I live a short distance from them and Hamlet does indeed make the Packard line.

Re: Powdered Metal Failure Update

John Lucas

>Arch

I can't answer this with any authority but powdered metal goes through a pretty envolved sintering process. That is it is heated and cooled many times to very precise temperatures. This fuses the metal particles together and I assume gives it some degree of toughness and hardness as well. I guess anything you do to it that requires a lot of heat such as welding or brazing might easily change it's characteristics.

This is true to some extent with all metals. When you weld something up you change it's temper and need to go back through a heat treating process to restore it to whatever state you want.

Re: Powdered Metal Failure Update

Keith Tompkins

>Hi Paul, yes, the Packard line is made by Hamlet....the tool breakage you described is fairly common, I couldn't say it's the 2060's fault since it is a weak point on all roughing gouges. A good reason not to use these as bowl roughing tools. Hamlet did the right thing, it would have been easy to say it must have been operator error or something along those lines.

Re: Powdered Metal Failure Update

Bill Crommett

>It was operator error when I broke mine. I ground the remains down to a heavier tang than was OEM and epoxied it in place. The importanr part was that I learned that it is important to move the steady rest up occasionally when getting rid of the corners.

Re: Powdered Metal Failure Update

Paul Coppinger

>Arch,

The letter from Hamlet voiced concern that the reshaping process could change the temper and thus the strength of the tang. During reshaping, I was careful to not overheat the metal with the cut-off blade or grinder. I view the letter as being overly cautious incase I had used a torch to cut the new tang. Regardless, I will always be aware of the potential of this shortened gouge to break and probably won't use it much, especially since Hamlet sent me a replacement tool.

PAC