Tooling steel you used

[Shawn Lucas]

Not sure how it is done. I just send it to the plater and tell them what I need. They send it back done. Never had a problem with them. I can provide references in a personal message.

[roboman]

Originally Posted by Wiseco Oh! I didn't know about nickel plating cooling channel! How is it done in a round drilled channel?

They stick it in a normal plating tank. They just don't use the normal chunk of metal siitting across the tank for doing the plating. They clamp a wire / rod of the plating materal so that it's centered in the water channel and then plate with it.

[Wiseco]

Is this what they called electroless plating? Because I've asked a plating company near us about that and he replyed it must be done by electroless plating.

By what you said, if the rod plating material is centered in the cooling channel, the plating material will only goes on the surface of the hole, right? And not all over the block?

[NC Cams]

Automotive high pressure closed die cast aluminum cylinder blocks were reportedly using an equivalent of H13.

They'd swab it occasionally with a graphite/oil sollution to prevent galling.

It was interally drilled with cooling passages and coolant pumped thru to keep temp and thermal expansion under control.

[Zaki]

A lot of materials anyone can use for the mold making. P20 is the best choice for high quality high gloss finish and long production mold. Although every steel maker makes its own P20, and the best ever I found is NAK80 from Daido Steel Japan. It is containing upto 4% nickel and very easy machinable as compare to Impax supreme etc. 4140 is also a good choice but not for mold base or cavity plate. I am using 4140 and 4340 for cheaper molds and make it hard upto 30 HRC then machine it. It is quite suitable, bcoz it has good dimension stability during hardning process. 420 is preharden stainless steel and used for PVC like materials. corrosion of cooling channel is not a big matter as u can clean it with some kind of cleaners etc. I had made a lot cheaper molds in Mild steel and costumer runing those from 15 years and still the molds are in good shape. H13 is quite suitable material for all kind of die casting molds (normally). unhardened 1045 is good enough for mold bases. As I knows and my experiance says, God knows every thing best.

[Wiseco]

It's good to hear that I use a good material. I think I wll stick to my P20 as I don't have enough problem with it.