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Mostly for the hilarity... How much would it cost to make a bicycle lock out of Inconel?

by ohazi 6y ago

GuB-42 6y ago
If want to have it machined for you, several thousands. If you just want a chain, maybe $100. I don't think it is a good material for a bike lock anyways. It has excellent heat and corrosion resistance but for strength, I think you are better off with regular hardened steel. If you are looking for an unconventional lock, the one I found the most interesting has a sheaf made of loose Kevlar fibers that fouls angle grinders. To defeat grinders, some locks contain ball bearings and ceramic inserts. Ball bearings spin with the cutting disc preventing abrasion and hard ceramic insert quickly wear off tools. I've never seen these on bike locks though.
- crote 6y ago
  The kevlar fibers don't really work in practice. Turns out you can just use a pair of shears or a boltcutter. Examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ah3RA0Alo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ah3RA0Alo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-On0DGcDlc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-On0DGcDlc
  - GuB-42 6y ago
    It is not this. I don't remember where I found it but only the sheif has Kevlar fibers, there is what I think is a hardened steel chain in the middle. The loose Kevlar fibers don't offer any strength, instead, they make a mess if you try to cut through the sheif. You can probably cut through the sheif and Kevlar with shears to reveal the chain and then use your angle grinder but it will slow you down, especially if everything is entangled.
  - plorkyeran 6y ago
    https://altorlocks.com/products/saf-lock https://altorlocks.com/products/saf-lock sounds more like what the parent was referring to. It's a good example of clearly addressing a specific threat model: it doesn't try to be impossible to cut (although the marketing material says otherwise...). Instead it's just so thick that a 5" angle grinder can't reach all the way through it in a single cut, and the coating material is specifically designed to be slow to cut through so that it takes a long time and requires multiple batteries. Of course, it still has the obvious problem that the thing you're locking it onto is probably a lot easier to cut.
    - burlesona 6y ago
      Holy cow, 6.2KG!! That’s almost as much as a good bike weighs, and enough weight to seriously feel it lugging that around. I guess if you really have to leave your bike locked in public for long periods of time it could be worth it, but wow, that would not be a nice or convenient thing to lug around.
mleonhard 6y ago
"More often than machining, water-jet or laser, grinding is a preferred and economical method for forming nickel alloy components to shape and finish. Due to the hardness of the abrasives used, the grinding wheels are not as affected by the material work hardening and remain sharp and durable." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inconel#Machining https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inconel#Machining

Mostly for the hilarity... How much would it cost to make a bicycle lock out of Inconel?

by ohazi 6y ago

Mostly for the hilarity... How much would it cost to make a bicycle lock out of Inconel?

If want to have it machined for you, several thousands. If you just want a chain, maybe $100. I don't think it is a good material for a bike lock anyways. It has excellent heat and corrosion resistance but for strength, I think you are better off with regular hardened steel. If you are looking for an unconventional lock, the one I found the most interesting has a sheaf made of loose Kevlar fibers that fouls angle grinders. To defeat grinders, some locks contain ball bearings and ceramic inserts. Ball bearings spin with the cutting disc preventing abrasion and hard ceramic insert quickly wear off tools. I've never seen these on bike locks though.

crote 6y ago
The kevlar fibers don't really work in practice. Turns out you can just use a pair of shears or a boltcutter. Examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ah3RA0Alo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ah3RA0Alo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-On0DGcDlc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-On0DGcDlc
- GuB-42 6y ago
  It is not this. I don't remember where I found it but only the sheif has Kevlar fibers, there is what I think is a hardened steel chain in the middle. The loose Kevlar fibers don't offer any strength, instead, they make a mess if you try to cut through the sheif. You can probably cut through the sheif and Kevlar with shears to reveal the chain and then use your angle grinder but it will slow you down, especially if everything is entangled.
- plorkyeran 6y ago
  https://altorlocks.com/products/saf-lock https://altorlocks.com/products/saf-lock sounds more like what the parent was referring to. It's a good example of clearly addressing a specific threat model: it doesn't try to be impossible to cut (although the marketing material says otherwise...). Instead it's just so thick that a 5" angle grinder can't reach all the way through it in a single cut, and the coating material is specifically designed to be slow to cut through so that it takes a long time and requires multiple batteries. Of course, it still has the obvious problem that the thing you're locking it onto is probably a lot easier to cut.
  - burlesona 6y ago
    Holy cow, 6.2KG!! That’s almost as much as a good bike weighs, and enough weight to seriously feel it lugging that around. I guess if you really have to leave your bike locked in public for long periods of time it could be worth it, but wow, that would not be a nice or convenient thing to lug around.

mleonhard 6y ago

"More often than machining, water-jet or laser, grinding is a preferred and economical method for forming nickel alloy components to shape and finish. Due to the hardness of the abrasives used, the grinding wheels are not as affected by the material work hardening and remain sharp and durable." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inconel#Machining https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inconel#Machining