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I Forge Iron

Different Forging Metals?


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Hi everyone. I have a lot of stainless steel near my house, and i was wondering if anyone has forged with it? I didnt find much information around online, so i thought here would be a good place to try. Also, what steel is good for hot cut chisels and punches? Sorry these might be obvious answers, but I havent found very good answers around. Also, can anyone point me to a good video tutorial for making some punches or chisels? Thanks!

-MrDarkNebulah

Oh one more thing! Whatever steel you guys end up recommending, can you put a good way to find it as well? Thanks again!

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I have forged stainless from 316 to 440C.    Others have as well.

What steels are good for hot cuts and punches: H13 and S7  

How to find it:  I pick mine up at Quad-State when I find it reasonable or try to find it in the scrap stream of local machine shops. Or I try to do a trade for it here.  You can buy it new like at McMaster.com but it's powerful pricey.  Just getting started, automotive coil springs are an easily and inexpensively found steel that is simple to work even if not as high performing.

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You can forge most Stainless, ... but it's not easy, ... so mostly, it's reserved for those applications that require it's special properties.

It can be heated and "bent" into "shapes" without much trouble, ... but upsetting, drawing, punching and drifting are a bit tougher.

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Some folks get way "out in the weeds", ... and take the whole "what's the very BEST" of this-or-that, ... to an absurd level.

Do you need the very "Best", ... or is "Serviceable" good enough ?

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The above mention of automotive leaf and coil spring material, is a good answer, ... because it's a readily available source of "Serviceable", medium carbon steel.

You'll find it easy to forge, and tough enough for general purpose work.

 

Obviously, any service garage, body shop or auto salvage yard is a source, ... but most towns of any size will also have a "Spring Shop", with a scrap hopper full of new "end drops" ... that can prove quite useful.

 

.

 

 

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we forge stainless for many outside sculptures into all sorts of forms

that being said I also use a Ph & press some hand work & the rest a striker if I can't get the Ph near it

it moves its just stubborn LOL 

I don't make tools with it not hard enough

got a wolf like that gets in the house next to the wood stove & Set's the Parking brake :huh: Not even a beefy biscuit 

will move it :lol:

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