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Bought A Wilson Hardness Tester…

ScarFoot

ScarFoot

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Sep 16, 2021
Messages
825
Found a Wilson 4JR hardness tester local to my parents. Looks like it has the complete weight set and several of the other accessories with it. Had a lengthy conversation with the seller who runs a 2nd hand machinery business selling it and he said it appeared to work fine when he checked it before he listed it. He’s going to get it setup for transport and my Dad is going to pick it up next week. I’ll hopefully have it in hand in a couple of weeks. Was also looking at a fully refurbished 3jr from another vendor but it was a bit pricey. Even if I have to buy a new brale and test blocks this one will still be cheaper.

Fingers crossed…. I’m sure I’ll have questions when I get it.
 
I have some old manuals that go over how to calibrate it, set it up after transport, etc if you need them! I picked up a 1JR a couple winters ago for $325 with weight stack, a few anvils, couple brailes and 3 test blocks. New braile for $23 on big river site. A little calibrating after transport and getting it dialed in (dash pot and dial lever settings) and it's pretty much dead on my test blocks at 63 HRC!
 
Taz said:
I have some old manuals that go over how to calibrate it, set it up after transport, etc if you need them! I picked up a 1JR a couple winters ago for $325 with weight stack, a few anvils, couple brailes and 3 test blocks. New braile for $23 on big river site. A little calibrating after transport and getting it dialed in (dash pot and dial lever settings) and it's pretty much dead on my test blocks at 63 HRC!
Click to expand...
Thanks! I’m sure I’ll have questions for you once I get it home. That’s a great deal on the 1jr. I looked for one of those but they seem to be harder to find in general and the ones you do find are rarely close to working order.

The person I spoke with seemed fairly knowledgeable of hardness testers in general so I’m hopeful the one I bought doesn’t need much more than dusted off and calibrated once I get it.
 
Well after 12.5 hours on the road I finally got this monster home and wrestled into place. Everything appears to be in good condition but I haven’t tried using it yet. I’m going to work out a base and give everything a good inspection and cleaning over the next few weeks. The roller base for testing round stock appears to be shot but I don’t need it anyway.
IMG_1047.jpeg
 
Well it works. I did some initial cleaning, lubed it up a little, and decided to try it out after I got it on a proper base. I have test pieces that I recorded the hardness of and ran several of them in the 58-62 HRC range. At first it was close to the recorded value but it wasn’t always consistent so I looked it over good and lubed a few more things and that didn’t help. Then I noticed the weight stack was hitting the back of the machine. Apparently the rod on the bottom weight had gotten flexed a bit at some point. I put it in my vice and finessed it a little and got the issue resolved. After that it was not only consistent but reading within 1 HRC of my test pieces. I’m going to keep cleaning it up a bit. After I finish all that, I’ll get some proper test blocks and see if it needs dialed in further.
 
I have a 3jr that works great. my shop gets over 100 in the summer, like now, but in the winter it sometimes goes down in the 20s - 30s. keep in mind if your shop has temperature fluctuations it will change how your tester works. the oil thickens or something in the cold and the operation of it will slow down.
a few times I've adjusted the dwell time with the knob on top of the oil tank.
 
bladegrinder said:
I have a 3jr that works great. my shop gets over 100 in the summer, like now, but in the winter it sometimes goes down in the 20s - 30s. keep in mind if your shop has temperature fluctuations it will change how your tester works. the oil thickens or something in the cold and the operation of it will slow down.
a few times I've adjusted the dwell time with the knob on top of the oil tank.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. I’ve heard that temp fluctuations can have an effect. I’ve got it in my basement now so that shouldn’t be an issue. Mine is pretty slow compared to the other machine I have access to. I really haven’t messed with anything yet other than cleaning and oiling it up.
 
I believe the dwell time is supposed to be around 4 -5 seconds from when you hit the release lever till the handle and dial stop moving. I have mine set at around 4 seconds. it can be adjusted by the knob on top of the oil tank. I have the manual somewhere on my computer but I believe it was 4-5 seconds.
 
Yeah, 4-5 seconds is the time for the levers to fall once you trip the switch. Faster will read harder, slower will read softer.
 
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