Magnaflux kit

I have found that my armature growler can also work for crack detection, at first I used iron dust from making .001 cuts with the brake lathe, or finish cuts with the cyl boring bar ---then I bought some of the prepared colored powder---much easier to use -- http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=KLI501022 ---if you look at the other tools from this company they have complete crack checking kits also ---and many other quality tools, not the fastest service but some of the best prices on quality tools

I also have used magnets from speakers ---they get messy from the powder,with the growler the powder that collects on it falls off when power is off.

The growler was 5$ at a yard sale, the powder about 10$, when the "factory" kits comeup on E-bay they rarely go for less than 125$, many times over 200$
 

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there is a kit it comes with 3 cans. 1 is a cleaner .2 is a coating .3 is a developer the kit worked very well i can,t remember the name . but it did work
 
there is a kit it comes with 3 cans. 1 is a cleaner .2 is a coating .3 is a developer the kit worked very well i can,t remember the name . but it did work
Like you, I recall this kit quite well. I used it when working on tooling that was simply too big and / or impractical to disassemble and have "properly" checked for cracks.
The kit did work rather well. It was made by DYKEM, not cheap, but certainly reasonable.
Seems to me, the shop acquired it through Grainger Supply.
 
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TURCO offered a Dy-check Dye penetrant kit that we used a lot in aviation. I think Zyglo also offered it. Can be found at most aviation supply houses. Probably other name brands also as the stuff I used was quite a few years ago.
 
There are several brands of dye/penetrant crack checking kits. You might check with McMaster-Carr, as well as Grainger, or other large industrial suppliers for a source. Check any industrial supply houses in your area. Good luck.
 
Magnaflux or magnetic particle inspection can be done with powdered iron or iron oxide and a fairly large permanent magnet if your part is not too big. You just have to keep rearranging the magnet to change the lines of flux in order to detect cracks going in different directions

In practice, NDT outfits use a big direct contact head shot machine also with a coil mounted on a trolley and huge 6-volt batteries to get the DC amperage required. Some use coiled heavy gauge wire cables and just wrap the cables around the part to get the coil effect. In any case, when you magnetize you need an AC coil to demag the part after the inspection or every bit of iron it comes in contact with will continue to stick on there. That would not be a good thing for crankshafts, gears, or any other parts bathed in lubricating oil other than the drain plug. I have a detector that will tell you if it's all out of there but a magnetic compass will work too.

The dye check stuff is cheeper than Magnaflux equipment and easy to purchase. I think Aircraft Spruce & Specialty has the kits too. I used to do this stuff as part of my FAA repair station but I had to go get my eyes checked every year then I also had to calibrated the electrical ampere meters, the gauss meter, and even check the output of the UV black light plus getting that meter checked every year. It takes a lot of equipment to do a good job so I just take the stuff to an NDT outfit and let them worry about all that other stuff.
 
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I have removed an electromagnet from a Ford Explorer trans, the one that operates the 4wheel drive... It's pretty powerful and works on a 12v battery charger. Should work better than the permanent magnets (Irontite makes)- that I've been using for years...
Karl
 
Some company used to make a fairly large U-shaped electromagnet set up that had a control box to rectify the AC to DC. It is portable. I've seen several at machine shops but I don't know who makes or at least used to make them. They are really good for checking flat surfaces like engine decks, heads, and other drive line case surfaces.
 
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