Material advice

Material advice

This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 20 August 2025 at 17:29 by Ian P.

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20 August 2025 at 11:16 #813175
tobyonekenobi
Participant
@tobyonekenobi
Good morning gentlemen,

I’m looking for advice on materials for a tapered ball joint bush. I have a 1970 metric Boxford lathe and use predominantly carbide insert tooling. The original bushes look to be of hardened steel as they don’t scratch easily, they are not particularly large (OD 27mm) so If I have to heat treat them I plan to use a propane touch and hearth and anneal in an oven, but would it be possible to produce these parts with a harder steel in the first place?

Any advice much appreciated

Chris
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20 August 2025 at 11:51 #813183
cogdobbler
Participant
@cogdobbler
Silver steel might do it.

What is the application? High load?
20 August 2025 at 11:58 #813184
tobyonekenobi
Participant
@tobyonekenobi
Lower ball joint on a steering knuckle/upright. Some of these cars came with cast steel uprights but later models were fitted with aluminium with steel bushes, the bushes have a habit of sticking to the taper and getting thrown away with the ball joint, hence the need to remake them as they are not or were ever a part sold separately.
20 August 2025 at 15:34 #813212
bernard towers
Participant
@bernardtowers37738
EN8 hardens ok, bot you could make your job easier if you used something like En 9 or 32 and then case harden.
20 August 2025 at 17:29 #813221
Ian P
Participant
@ianp
Is this a bush for a track rod end ball joint on a vehicle.

Actually regardless of the purpose, I’m not sure it needs to be hardened. There is no movement once the taper is mated and if the outer diameter of this bush is a running fit of some sort how will it be held whilst the nut is tightened.

I’ve made quite a few flanged bushes with a taper bore that are press fitted into a parallel hole, and used whatever steel was to hand.

Ian P
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