mystery steel or maybe just cast iron

[eseemann]

Good Morning folks, 

 

Anyone have any idea what this thing might have been in a past life? I picked it up some time ago during a trip to the scrap yard. 

I am trying to figure out what it might be made of. If nothing else i am going to cut some off and try and forge it. If it crumbles I will guess cast iron. If it does not I will think see about other tests. I have not yet spark tested it but I can and post a photo if any of you good folks are good at reading the sparks, so to speak. 

 

 

thanks 

 

Ernest

[arftist]

That is known as a "part". Assemble enough complimentary parts in the correct order and one has a device or even a machine, depending upon the parts.

[Randy Bill]

Pre-Columbian forklift tines according to "Ask".

[Steve Sells]

greek letter  " Pi  "

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Score it and try snapping it.

How thick is it?

Any parting lines?

Maybe useful as a bending fork.

[the iron dwarf]

is it plated or coated with anything, zinc makes nasty fumes when heated as do many other things

if it snaps rather than bending it could be cast iron or a hardened steel try drilling it, swarf or grains?

try a file, does it cut or slide over the surface

is it magnetic?

type of sparks if you grind it?

[eseemann]

BigGunDoctor, 

 

It is about 3/8th to 1/2" thick, I think what ever it is was cast or drop forged since it does not seem to have any seems. 

 

Dwarf,

I have not gotten around to cutting and or grinding yet. Since this thing, what ever it may be, looked like the type of thing that the IFI folks might recognize I wanted to ask before burning up a few drill bits.

 

thanks all.   

[the iron dwarf]

you should not be burning up drill bits unless they are either of very low quality and not even suitable for wood or the metal is tungsten or similar, an 1/8" hole 1/8" deep may tell you a lot, even if the drill just skates off it that will tell you something.

 

it looks to me like mild steel that has been formed in a press and then galvanized ( but I am not on a very good monitor at the moment ).

I doubt you will find it to be a vital part of a great blacksmithing machine or tool, it is probably just something made for a long forgotten purpose and then discarded

[eseemann]

Dwarf, 

 

Sadly, a mix of low quality bits and impatience on my part is what does in most of my drill bits. I am a hobbyist so I have not yet gotten a set of good bits yet. Tell you the truth about what I planned on doing with this thing would be to use it for what ever it is best suited to. I think it could make a dandy bending die since if I can cut it with the band saw, and it is not cast iron. If it is mild steel I might grind it down to base metal and use it for axes with the addition of high carbon.

 

I am easy going in this respect.   

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Make a boot jack out of it, winter and muddy boots are in the forecast.

[SmoothBore]

Dwarf, 

 

Sadly, a mix of low quality bits and impatience on my part is what does in most of my drill bits. I am a hobbyist so I have not yet gotten a set of good bits yet.

 

Good quality tools are a pleasure to use.

 

Probably more important than buying "expensive" drill bits, is to learn how to properly sharpen the ones you have.

 

In most applications, the minor variations in hole size, resulting from hand shaprening drills, ... is insignificant.

 

 

 

 

.

[SpankySmith]

Make a boot jack out of it, winter and muddy boots are in the forecast.

 

A boot jack?   Good idea, it's the right shape, but Esseman lives in Alabama - we don't own no boots down here!   Flip flops, sandals, sneakers, the occasional work shoe.  Boots are fer Yankees!   

[Steve McCarthy]

A boot jack?   Good idea, it's the right shape, but Esseman lives in Alabama - we don't own no boots down here!   Flip flops, sandals, sneakers, the occasional work shoe.  Boots are fer Yankees!   

 

LMAO :D  :D

[seldom (dick renker)]

spanky, you forgot barefoot :D

[LastRonin]

 

SpankySmith

Posted Yesterday, 06:41 AM

BIGGUNDOCTOR, on 02 Sept 2014 - 11:46 PM, said:

 

A boot jack?   Good idea, it's the right shape, but Esseman lives in Alabama - we don't own no boots down here!   Flip flops, sandals, sneakers, the occasional work shoe.  Boots are fer Yankees!   

 

Or Texans... either way yore talkin bout some darn-strange folk. :D

[eseemann]

Or Texans... either way yore talkin bout some darn-strange folk. :D

 

Boot jack does sound like a good idea and unlike the one I had as a kid it will not flip end over end when you try and use it.

[eseemann]

Good quality tools are a pleasure to use.

 

Probably more important than buying "expensive" drill bits, is to learn how to properly sharpen the ones you have.

 

In most applications, the minor variations in hole size, resulting from hand shaprening drills, ... is insignificant.

 

 

 

 

.

SmoothBore,

I was able to talk to a 30+ year machine shop veteran from Detroit and he was telling me much the same thing. Do you have a suggestion to how I should sharpen my bits? I could use a Dremel if that would work. I always wonder if one name brand of drill bit is better than another.

 

Ernest

[Nobody Special]

Boots are fer Yankees!   

 

 

As a Texan, living in Georgia, let me tell you about these rather large animals some of us in the South have, known as horses.....some of the farriers on site may have heard of them? Generally speaking, horse and rider get along easier if each has specialized footwear.....

 

Soak in vinegar or some such to remove galvinized prior to heating. Did ya give it a try yet? Or get rained out this last week?

 

Now off to find out how to scan the forums for how to sharpen drill bits......found out recently you can sometimes sharpen old files with muriatic.....fun stuff.

[SpankySmith]

SmoothBore,

I was able to talk to a 30+ year machine shop veteran from Detroit and he was telling me much the same thing. Do you have a suggestion to how I should sharpen my bits? I could use a Dremel if that would work. I always wonder if one name brand of drill bit is better than another.

 

Ernest

 

I had some supposedly "good" big box store metal drill bits that literally weren't cutting it... went by my local Ace and picked up a couple Irwin cobalt metal bits... O M G.  They cut metal like butter.  Now I'm trying to find a full set of them.  The difference was night and day.  I'm sure others will chime in on their favorites, but I'm a dedicated devotee of Irwin bits now. 

[eseemann]

I had some supposedly "good" big box store metal drill bits that literally weren't cutting it... went by my local Ace and picked up a couple Irwin cobalt metal bits... O M G.  They cut metal like butter.  Now I'm trying to find a full set of them.  The difference was night and day.  I'm sure others will chime in on their favorites, but I'm a dedicated devotee of Irwin bits now. 

 

The locksmith used a set of low (very low) speed cobalt bits and I got to tell you it was a slow process but he was able to drill in to the safe with very little trouble.

[eseemann]

As a Texan, living in Georgia, let me tell you about these rather large animals some of us in the South have, known as horses.....some of the farriers on site may have heard of them? Generally speaking, horse and rider get along easier if each has specialized footwear.....

 

Soak in vinegar or some such to remove galvinized prior to heating. Did ya give it a try yet? Or get rained out this last week?

 

Now off to find out how to scan the forums for how to sharpen drill bits......found out recently you can sometimes sharpen old files with muriatic.....fun stuff.

 

I need to find a coin I have kicking around with the words "To It" in it. That way I can get 'round to it.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Spanky, I am a year round shorts and sandal guy myself. Just one of the perks of living in the desert.

As to drills, they are less expensive as a set. Check out machine shop suppliers like MSC, J&L, ENCO, etc... All of them sell sets of drills. Being a machinist I have Number, Letter, and Fractional sizes. If you plan on doing any tapping you will need more than fractional. I usually just get what they are running a special on, as long as they are not made in China,India....It is USA, or European brands for me. Don't get too hung up on coatings, drill point angles, etc. I run HSS with either a bright, or black oxide finish, which handle everything I need them too. If I have something hard to drill , like a broken tap, I grab one of our solid carbide drills.

[eseemann]

Spanky, I am a year round shorts and sandal guy myself. Just one of the perks of living in the desert.

As to drills, they are less expensive as a set. Check out machine shop suppliers like MSC, J&L, ENCO, etc... All of them sell sets of drills. Being a machinist I have Number, Letter, and Fractional sizes. If you plan on doing any tapping you will need more than fractional. I usually just get what they are running a special on, as long as they are not made in China,India....It is USA, or European brands for me. Don't get too hung up on coatings, drill point angles, etc. I run HSS with either a bright, or black oxide finish, which handle everything I need them too. If I have something hard to drill , like a broken tap, I grab one of our solid carbide drills.

Thanks for the info. I picked up 4 or 5 sets of Black and Decker black oxide at Tractor Supply for $3.00 a set on close out and so far they are working about like I would expect. the nice think about these is I will not mind if the get used up. I will keep an eye out for the HSS bits. What do you use for cutting oil?

 

On the shorts and sandles topic, have you ever seen Dual Survival, the hippy guy (Cody) lives in a Southwestern/Hobbit style house and I do not think he owns any shoes.