Will steel ball bearings explode?

[aametalmaster]

I love da hoodraulic press channel.

Gotta have a press to love a press ...Bob

[ryanjones2150]

I love da hoodraulic press channel.

[H80N]

Well there is some truth in ball bearings exploding.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWySdXedUiY

Yes..... BUT.... can the press convert it to diamond like Superman did to the lump of coal..???....

OR.... are you just trying to bust ballz..........

[fabricator]

Well there is some truth in ball bearings exploding.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWySdXedUiY

[Helios]

I suspect the way the idea originiated is because ball bearings are usually hardened, and when high-carbon steel is hardened (by heating it to critical temperature and then quenching it) it can become almost as hard as glass --– a file won't bite into it –-- and if that hardened steel is not then tempered (which softens it some) it can crack or even break apart somewhat violently due to internal stresses left from the quenching.

All that said, I wouldn't worry about it too much if you weld ball bearings, because they're not "glass" hard ... they have already been tempered back some. If it really worries you, you can "normalize" (soften by tempering) the ball bearings first by heating them until they're orange, and then cooling them very slowly...one way is to bury them in dry wood ashes when they're still hot and letting them cool over a period of hours.

[Olivero]

Oh yeeeah, put a patch on. That will get em'.

Hollow, maybe. Trapped air tends to expand when the metal around it gets hot as so the air heats up and expands and finds its way out through this nice puddle of metal your looking at, had welds blow out onto my hood and my arms like that and occasionally explode a hole in something but never heard of solid steel exploding like a full on explosion type deal where nothing remains.

Nice sculpture.

[aametalmaster]

And i do make big balls from mild steel, SS or alum should the need arise. The big one pictured is 3" the small one is just over an 1" and ready to break off the rod..Bob

[aametalmaster]

I have seen larger balls that had a crust come off where the part was welded on. The crust seemed to be about an 1/8" deep...Bob

[ryanjones2150]

Now we're talkin!

[H80N]

Getting kinda elaborate aint we boys...???....

is this the part with the wheelchair pushed by the buxom blonde nurse....??.....

[ryanjones2150]

And put on an eye patch, tell them a shard of metal went right through the welding hood and put your eye ball out.

[ttppoopp]

break one, then weld on part of it afterwards, and the go tell them you didn't believe them so you tried it and show them the pieces and say **** you boys were right. Make sure you get a good look at there faces when you say that. AND if you can, don't grin or smirk when you do it.

[ryanjones2150]

We're just bustin your ball...bearings Wallace. Now you'll have to figure out how to get the guy back that told you about the exploding ball bearing thing.

[Bls repair]

I have heard of this .You are ok if you start welding on a corner

[Burnt hands]

ipwallace

Here is a sculpture I made without any issues.
The solid steel balls vary in size from 1/2" to 7/8" in diameter.
The steel rods are 1/4" diameter.