HSS Spark Test
4716 Douglas Road, Downers Grove IL 60515 630-964-5030
Inquires: mtri@speakeasy.net
Home of
WeBuyCarbide.com
fewer sparks
red sparks (orange)
material feels “heavy” (dense)
more sparks
white sparks( yellow)
material feels “light”
$$$
Uncoated tungsten carbide, has a rockwell hardness of 88 to 90 and
a specific gravity of 16. (The specific gravity of lead is 11, gold 19, and water 1.)
High speed steel has a density of around 8, so it is just about half as heavy as carbide.
If your scrap tool steel sparks red, is usually worth shipping to us.
If it sparks white, it is not.
¢¢
Not worth shipping; sell locally
Carbide
Red, very short, 2” spark

HSS M1
Wide red sparks, no forks
HSS M2
Narrow red sparks, no forks
Narrow red sparks with forks
HSS T15
HSS M42
Wide red sparks with forks
“Iron”
Lots of white sparks; “soft material”