Wheel Nuts....

[steve.h]

OK Guys, I have looked on the interweb but can find no information... I have a load of wheel nuts left after stripping an alfa 156, I wondered what to do with them, I could use my forge to make them into something, but what ?? They are magnetic so obviously steel but what sort ??
Would they be any good for making into blade etc. I just dont know what they are made of. any help on this would be great.
Cheers.
Steve.

 

[langy]

They are just mild steel normally

 

[brightspark]

high tensile steel same as the studs

 

[hotrodder]

Wheel nuts/bolts/studs are commonly class 10.9 which can be various flavours of quenched and tempered med carbon steel

 

[brightspark]

if your making knives ect u want ultra high carbon steel

 

[langy]

Wheel nuts/bolts/studs are commonly class 10.9 which can be various flavours of quenched and tempered med carbon steel

Yes to the studs but the stock nuts are quite soft .

 

[steve.h]

Thanks for your replies guys, I guess I could try one and see how it turns out.....

 

[BrokenBiker]

I had a few nuts left over from when I put alloys on my fiesta, they were soft as ****, was going to turn them down, knurl them and keep them for a later project as thumb wheels but gave a horrible finish and snagged easily on the lathe

 

[steve.h]

When I said wheel nuts they are actually studs rather than nuts, dont know if that makes any difference....

 

[brightspark]

[

I had a few nuts left over from when I put alloys on my fiesta, they were soft as ****, was going to turn them down, knurl them and keep them for a later project as thumb wheels but gave a horrible finish and snagged easily on the lathe

thats probably because there made of med carbon steel not mild

 

[AndyStobbs]

You stripped a whole car and the most interesting bit left was a wheel nut? Throw them in the scrap and make something else :P

 

[langy]

When I said wheel nuts they are actually studs rather than nuts, dont know if that makes any difference....

Yup lot of difference between the two

 

[hotrodder]

While i don't doubt that softer wheel nuts, and even bolts, exist (7075-T6 aluminium nuts for example)* i still maintain that class 10.9 is by far the most common regardless of whether it's bolts or studs used with nuts for example http://www.faradworld.com/en/fissaggi-ruote.html

Typically cars that use M12 x 1.5 fasteners have torque specs in the 100 - 130Nm range which is right in the ball park (between lubed and dry figures) for class 10.9 and a chunk above the standard values for class 8.8 (which are also quenched and tempered med carbon steel)... http://www.spirol.co.uk/library/sub_catalogs/cmpl-Torque_Specifications_us.pdf

* Ally wheel nuts are obviously a chunk softer than class 8.8 / grade 5 but they have higher yield and tensile than class 5.8 fasteners... http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/steel-bolts-metric-grades-d_1428.html 7075-T6 is typically quoted as 503 MPa yield and 572 MPa UTS
The amount of thread engagement with nuts is maybe also a clue, ally wheel nuts are always long (2.5 - 3D) while steel nuts can vary some

 

[steve.h]

Thanks again for the replies. based on them being med carbon steel I am going to have a go at forging one down to make a little blade with, its all good practice if nothing else....
I will post when I have done it.
Cheers.
Steve.

 

[hotrodder]

Found this which mentions compositions, tempering temperature and hardness for class 8.8 and 10.9 fasteners http://www.itpbolt.com/products/metric-fasteners/metric-hexbolt-grades.pdf Not gonna be very good at holding an edge (which we already new) but the trade off is toughness... maybe if tempered at 200ish C the result will be kinda similar to an axe head with regards to hardness/edge retention albeit with less toughness?