Best way to use Lee hardness tester

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  • Last Post 01 August 2014
John Alexander posted this 17 February 2013

I have been using an LBT hardness tester since shortly after Veral put them on the market years ago. I am well satisfied with the LBT gadget but recently ordered a Lee Hardness Testing Kit because its approach is closer to the real ASTM Brinell hardness test apparatus.

The Lee kit consists of a calibrated ball indenter to make dents in the test specimen under a set load, a V block gadget to hold bullets in a horizontal position for testing, and a small 20X optical microscope to measure the diameter of the dent. After an hour of trying to take readings on a variety of lead alloys I was very frustrated. I have no quarrel with the quality of the equipment but I found two problems.

First as might be expected with any 20X optical device it was difficult to get good reading with the microscope while holding it free hand even when I tried bracing my hand in various ways.

Second, I had difficulty arranging a light source to eliminate glare from the shiny lead surface making it hard to get repeatable readings.

It seems to me that some sort of mechanical holder is needed for the microscope. I asume the glare problem can be solved with some sort of low power adjustable light.

Before trying to reinvent the wheel I thought I would ask how others have solved these problems.

Any advice will be appreciated.

John

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ubetcha posted this 17 February 2013

I was able to locate a microscope for $3.00 at a rummage sale.I had to cut the tube to get it slightly shorter the the tester microscope.I also removed the glass lens at the bottom and drilled it out to accept the tester.I have to make a plug for the other end yet to hold the upper portion. I will use o-rings to hold it in place and yet be able to move it if needed.The problem I'm having is that once I get the depression in good focus,the numbers on the Lee eyepiece seem to slightly disappear and I can't make out the readings.Not so easy anymore with these old eyes.That may also be due to the light reflecting on the bullet surface the same as you are experiencing.

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onondaga posted this 18 February 2013

I can get the microscope with the Lee kit to work fine with just my hands and  a desk key light. There have been a number of posts on other forums showing home made holders for the little scope. The only thing that really slows me down is the concentration to count the lines on the measuring grid in the scope.

Some years ago I read a post that at the time didn't seem all that appealing at all to aid with the Lee kit. When I really got to try it, I haven't gone back to using the scope at all.

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ubetcha posted this 20 February 2013

Gary That looks like a good idea to try.I will try and pick up the visor somewhere. Thanks

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onondaga posted this 20 February 2013

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=639>ubetcha:

I have also used a jewelers eye loupe that clips on my eyeglasses , 6X power, but you have to get your face so close it annoys me and you don't really need that much magnification to set a caliper in this job. Some may like that if they are comfortable with it. The higher the power the, closer your face will have to be.

Gary

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delmarskid1 posted this 20 February 2013

I use the caliper set up as well. I have a magnifying glass that hangs around my neck. Keeps my hands free.

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John Alexander posted this 20 February 2013

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I have both the magnifier and calipers but hadn't thought of using them that way. I will give it a try. I also now have an excuse to stop at yardsales and see if I can find a broken child's microscope.

Great way to get information.

John

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jhalcott posted this 28 February 2013

WHAT is the correlation between the Lee scope and the caliper measurement? Your caliper reads ~.074” The ingots say BHN 8.7.. How do you get THAT number? Thanks JH

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onondaga posted this 28 February 2013

http://castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=1251>jhalcott: The items in the photo were arranged for a photo for the post, I was not actually taking a measurement under magnification. The picture is tutorial to show a practical way to set up measuring, not an actual measuring demonstration.

I actually set the caliper under magnification and list the measurements for some but not usually all of the ingots from a potful range scrap  metal like this. I take an average of my measurements and then consult the Lee Chart on indentations>BHN, last I label the entire group of ingots from the potful. I specifically recall there was 17 ingots in that batch and I measured only 8 of them in 2 places each and took an average that charted BHN for the potful of range scrap..

Here is an extended chart you can use with the Lee kit:

Gary

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bill_clancy posted this 15 October 2013

Harbor freight rocks!

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madsenshooter posted this 27 October 2013

Once upon a time, somewhere online, I read about snapping a digital pic of an indent and converting pixels to inches.  Probably never find it again.   I have little digital microscope ought to work pretty good for shooting the pic, if I ever do find the idea again.

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Chickenthief posted this 10 November 2013

So if anyone have a Lee microscope to spare i would love to buy it!

I trashed mine and miss it ;-(

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TRKakaCatWhisperer posted this 24 December 2013

SO, if I build my own hardness tester, the 50 lb weight and 10mm sphere are easy to come by; it's just a matter of welding up a structure, adding a few bearings and a method of lifting/setting the weight to the sample. Anyone done it?

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onondaga posted this 25 December 2013

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=97>TRK the right spring with a gauged movement would work too instead of a 50# weight. Take a look at the replacement parts for the Lee hardness tester for some ideas too.

Gary

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TRKakaCatWhisperer posted this 25 December 2013

I have considered it. But with a calibrated 50 lb weight there should be very little that would require recalibration over a long period of time. (I don't think that gravity changes much and the weight just needs dusting off annually.)

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joeb33050 posted this 25 December 2013

madsenshooter wrote: Once upon a time, somewhere online, I read about snapping a digital pic of an indent and converting pixels to inches.  Probably never find it again.   I have little digital microscope ought to work pretty good for shooting the pic, if I ever do find the idea again. Here's a way to measure groups. A similar approach could be devised usin g a drill of known diameter perhaps as the reference.

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csparks1106 posted this 27 July 2014

Gary, I noticed in this post you are measuring ingots and not bullets. I find it much easier to measure in this fashion, as it's much harder to hold a small bullet still than a 2.5 pound ingot. Just to confirm from someone with more experience than myself, I am holding the Lee scope 90 degrees from the face of the ingot. I am testing the bottom of the ingot as it's much smoother. These come from muffin tins. Does that seem like an accurate means of testing?

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gpidaho posted this 27 July 2014

Good morning John:  If you don't mind looking at that other forum there are many threads showing all kinds of ingenious little stands and optics for the little device. Search Lee hardness tester, go to stands and check it out, well worth a look.  Regards   GP

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onondaga posted this 27 July 2014

Csparks1106

I test my own ingots but trust no one Else's ingots. Cooling of ingots is too frequently done by  others with water and this gives very false hardness readings to any hardness test.

You shouldn't be surprised either,  that alloy poured into a cold ingot mold or cold bullet mold will give a false hardness reading.

I use a belt sander to make rough ingots smooth for hardness testing. Use a filter mask when abrading lead and vigorous hand washing when done handling lead to avoid lead absorption to your lungs and hands.

Gary

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csparks1106 posted this 27 July 2014

onondaga wrote: Csparks1106

I test my own ingots but trust no one Else's ingots. Cooling of ingots is too frequently done by  others with water and this gives very false hardness readings to any hardness test.

You shouldn't be surprised either,  that alloy poured into a cold ingot mold or cold bullet mold will give a false hardness reading.

I use a belt sander to make rough ingots smooth for hardness testing. Use a filter mask when abrading lead and vigorous hand washing when done handling lead to avoid lead absorption to your lungs and hands.

Gary Why do you sand the ingots? Mine are pretty smooth right out of the muffin tin. Are you looking for a mirrored surface or getting past the contact layer?

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Larry Gibson posted this 27 July 2014

I also use a Lee Hardness tester mounted in a microscope.  It makes it's use fast, easy, repeatable and very precise.  I also have “calibrated” my Lee scope using pure lead and using the formula for conversion.  The Lee tool also measures in .001” so it is easy.  The Lee table of BHNs is pretty close.  A small piece of cardboard with a bit of modeling clay on it hold the bullet and makes it easy to line up the indent with the scope scale.   I also use multiple tests on a sample and record the average BHN reading or the ES of the readings.     LMG    

Concealment is not cover.........

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