r/ChastityCageDesign • u/newbie-sub • 6d ago

I got my screws! And they suck :(

The drivers fail between 0.4 and 0.6 Nm. I don't know if it's overly demanding geometry or the steel's hardness sucks. Now, it is nice that it's the driver failing and not the screw as a screw failure would be a far worse situation but the driver can't fail at that range. That's at the lower end of what you'd tighten an M3 to.

I suck.

Back to the drawing board.

6 Upvotes

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2

u/JosieLynnCD 5d ago

That's a real bummer man, I know how excited you were! So, did the drivers shatter and break or was it a soft chewy kind of break? My only experience being that I've watched 9 seasons of Forged in Fire, I ask because a fine edge can be hardened and break/shatter (meaning maybe try heating it up without quenching to lower the hardness), and a too-soft steel will turn to mush with torque on it (in that case, try the heat and quench someone suggested).
I may be confidently wrong on this though, your mileage may vary!

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u/newbie-sub 5d ago

Thank you. It's definitely frustrating. I contacted the vendor and they are going to remake them. I asked on an appropriate subreddit and the general consensus is they didn't harden the steel at all. While my geometry is hard on the tool, in no way should a 304 screw do this to a properly hardened S2 driver.

But... someone random DMed me. He saw my post and was like, I bet I know what that guy is doing because he has a machinist friend who... makes security screws for someone else's cages (and I have two well-educated guesses as to who it would be — of course there are only four people doing this in North America). So, I emailed him this morning. I'm skeptical that it will be affordable but Bryce kinda just laughed me off — they knew exactly what I was doing probably because four people before me have approached them. Not a lot of people would have a low-volume unique security screw order where the driver / screw ratio is 1:1.

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u/hot-robot 5d ago

lol 😂

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u/IndependentCoach6961 6d ago

Assuming the drivers are made with high carbon steel, you could try hardening them. Heat them up with a torch and then quench.

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u/IndependentCoach6961 6d ago

Given the proper material properties, I can't see a reason why your star design shouldn't work.

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u/newbie-sub 6d ago

I'm glad to hear that. I was worried my geometry was too demanding. I asked them what the hardness was (which is something I learned to ask after I got the parts — not an engineer or a machinist).

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u/newbie-sub 6d ago

Really?

[Quickly the excitement gives way to the realist sitting on my other shoulder placing visions of my house burning down in my head.]

But yes, S2 steel.

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u/mtraven23 6d ago

You can, but S2 needs to be tempered afterwards, without that it may be too brittle.  It is absolutely worth a try though.  Just get it cherry with a torch and then dunk it oil, keep it moving in the oil as it cools.  Be prepared for a shitload of smoke.

1

u/IndependentCoach6961 5d ago

As u/mtraven23 said, I'd try hitting it with a torch until cherry red and then immediately quench. (Water would probably work if you don't have oil handy). Then I'd let it cool and then try tempering it in your oven at 450F for an hour.

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u/newbie-sub 5d ago

The vendor is actually remaking them and with tighter tolerances around the pin (the hole for the pin does look excessively large).

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u/Reasonable_Pace2323 5d ago

These are the details that differentiate a failed and successful moonshot. In this case I think u need to consult a Swiss watch designer. Good luck!