anyone know how to heat treat discs?

mbukfan

so assuming I have access to a heat treating oven what type of steel would be best for making some discs? What heat treatment would you then do

mostly just out of interest but I might retrue my rear disc as it's a bit dished (thinner in the middle)

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nicklouse

most or made out of stainless steel and are not heat treated.

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mbukfan

do you know what stainless

I'm guessing 410, maybe a good HT would improve them

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3148wood

If you heat treat the discs wrong it could make them brittle, so if you jumped on the brakes really hard at speed they could shatter, and you usually only brake hard when you need it most, so you'll probably have a nasty crash.

I cannot see any benefit in heat treting the discs anyway because if it improved them, all the big disc brake manufacturers would be doing it.

Also heat treatment usually improves one characteristic, but reduces another. To choose the right kind of heat treatment you need to know what characteristics of the metal you want. Unless you know what you are doing you should avoid it.

Sorry about that lecture.

Milkie

If you heat treat the discs, obviously it makes them harder, but also wouldn't it make them not as grippy? As they are now harder.

Also when heat treating them they could warp, which then would mean you would have to get them surface ground flat, in turn reducing the thickness..

As for the best steel, if you're going for a stainless, try 440B or 440C stainless, much higher quality than 410 or 420. The 440's have a much lower iron content.

KeelKlein

Disks are made from stainless to keep them looking nice (Just look older Italian Motorcycles) and in the case of MTB's it is for strength as well. The best metal for disks is Cast Iron, however it would be too brittle, maybe too heavy and too costly to produce.