In this day of instant electronic communication, it’s hard to believe that 60+ years ago, not only was everything mailed, but Tensilkut’s catalog, when it arrived in the mailbox, contained a tensile test bar which had been cut on the Tensilkut.
The 1955 Tensilkut catalog included a drawing of the only tensile bar we made at the time, along with an actual specimen!
I don’t imagine the founder of Tensilkut ever imagined a time when we could not only send information to customers nearly instantly, but also a time when we’d be able to make videos available for people to see whenever they wished. Despite sea changes in communication, the need for his original machine remains very real – and at least one of the machines made in his first couple of years remains in service today.
The Tensilkut II is used to easily prepare flat tensile, compression, flexural and other specimens from metals and non-metallics. This machine is designed for operation in the testing lab by technicians without previous machining experience.
The starting blank is inserted into the Tensilkut Master Template, and the clamping screws are tightened as shown in this video. The micrometer dial on the Tensilkut control head is set to its starting position, and a series of light passes are taken to cut the material from each side of the specimen. When the correct tensile specimen dimensions are achieved, the micrometer dial will stop turning, thus preventing cutting an undersized test specimen. After removing the completed ASTM E8 or other specimen from the master template, the tensile bar is ready for immediate testing.
Tensilkut Master Templates 50-92, 50-93 and 50-94 for preparing rubber test specimens in accordance with ASTM D412 Die C: Available for use on Tensilkut I and Tensilkut II models.
The 50-57 Template for preparing ASTM D638 Type III tensile bars on the 10-20 or 10-40 series Tensilkut I or 10-82 Tensilkut II
The family of Tensilkut Master Templates available for preparing tensile bars in accordance with ASTM D638 Type III on all available Tensilkut I and Tensilkut II model machines
The 50-58 Template for preparing ASTM D638 Type III tensile bars on the 10-30 series or 10-58 Tensilkut I or 10-85 Tensilkut II
The 50-59 Template for preparing ASTM D638 Type III tensile bars on the 10-68 or 10-78 Tensilkut I or 10-88 Tensilkut II
Tensilkut master templates for preparing tensile bars in accordance with ASTM D638 Type II from plastics and other non-metallic materials are available for all Tensilkut I and Tensilkut II models.
50-51 Template for preparing samples in accordance with ASTM D638 Type II
Tensilkut Master Templates for cutting ASTM D638 Type II tensile bars can be used with all Tensilkut I and Tensilkut II models
50-53 Tensilkut Master Template for ASTM D638 Type II plastic tensile bars
ASTM D638 Type II Master Template for use with 10-68 or 10-78 Tensilkut I or 10-88 Tensilkut II
To aid you in picturing the operation of the Tensilkut II, here’s a video demonstration of the cutting of a piece of 1/8″ thick aluminum from start to finish. The footage was taken from very close range, so there are no views of the entire machine.
