Metallurgy

[MOD NOTE: The following was originally part of the discussion on this thread, but its detail and clarity call for it to stand on its own.] I'm going to jump in on this thread because there are several things that have been shared above which are not metallurgically correct. My apologies to the original poster as I know this material goes well beyond the question that was originally raised, but first I will address those questions. The original poster asked how to tell the difference between ductile and grey cast iron. Ductile iron will ring much like steel when struck while grey cast iron tends not to do that. that is not an absolutely definitive method as you …

https://lists.man.lodz.pl/pipermail/odlew-pl/2010/04/att-0000/02._20Metallurgy_20Made_20Simple-_20Metal_20Identification_20Ready_20.pdf

Hey i am just starting out my blacksmith journey. my wife just wrecked one of the steel rims on her car and I was wondering if there is use for it? Is it hardenable? What kind of steel is it? Any input would be greatly appreciated. james

I live very near the oldest operating copper mine in North America -- the Santa Rita here in southwest NM. I mention this because of this mysterious "chain" of .32-inch steel rod I found mostly buried along a fence line. Each length is joined to the next by this threaded cylindrical fitting about every four feet, and with the remnant of a scouring or scraping hook on one end might suggest it had a use in the mining process -- perhaps clearing bore holes? Or maybe it was just something well drillers might have used a century ago. I have about 30 feet of it and am crossing my fingers that the steel will be useful for forging small stuff like coat hooks. ITs extra rewarding …

This is a 1" diameter linear bearing shaft. It has been leaning in a corner of my shop--not always air conditioned--for about 10 years. There is sparse and minor pitting with a little rush, but it is still 99% shiny. Even the cut ends show little rust. It is strongly attracted by a magnet. Soaking in a 14% HCL acid solution causes the formation of a greenish-blue film on the shaft and causes the acid itself to turn blue-green. Where I sanded off what appears to be a shiny coating on the shaft, the acid doesn't appear to have any effect; no greenish-blue film. I only soaked the shaft in the acid for a couple of minutes. Here are the pictures taken just afte…

Hi, For a couple of days now I've been looking around online regarding ironworking technologies, especially steel making and wrought iron production processes. I'm a little confused about the Aston Process. It is my understanding from the sources I've looked through that the Aston Process was developed to take advantage of the very efficient way that Bessemer converters decarburized pig iron which enabled fully decarburized iron to be poured directly from the converter into "cooler liquid slag" to combine and form wrought iron that was then rolled out into muck bars. But there's been a recent topic on 1008 low carbon steel etc and how great it is to work…

This video from 1974 shows the workers at Atlas Forge in Bolton*, Lancashire (UK) using the puddling process to convert pig iron into wrought iron, with the help of a lot of heat and a massive power hammer. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Ln6ve6tAX/ * "It's not a palindrome! A palindrome of Bolton would be Notlob!"

There is carbon in all steel. What percentage of carbon is in a steel skillet? Thanks.

Came across this early into my metal studies & thought id share, I present to you colored gold! from red to blue purple to green. Purple a mixture of (about) 20% AL to 80% gold, melting & mixed. It doesnt have any unique property's and as a matter of fact is much more brittle & prone to scratching (then another other alloy listed) & even harder to make ( I however like the color purple & thought it was neat. ) Green is a mixture of (around) 15-20% Electrum (14-30% silver Electrum) to a 85-80% gold base, Cadmium could also be used but something about health concerns, (also a pain to make and less effective - apparently easier then purple thou…

Oh great knowledge holders of I Forge..... I tried to search an answer but maybe i was not using the right words in search.... talking mild steel for this question. If I have a piece of 1/4" x 1" bar and I have a piece of Sheet cut off 1/4" x 1" is there a difference? structurally? If I put both into the forge and then tried to forge a bottle opener, would they forge the same? If I were using them in a Mig welding project, is there a reason to use one over the other? i know there is a difference in the sheet metal was sheered off and might have a ragged edge. Thank you in advance. ARMY …

I’ve seen pictures in books of spark tests to try to broadly identify a type of steel. I admit to finding it difficult. Would any of you hazard a guess as to this type of steel. Is it more likely to be O1, HSS or something else? It will eventually be a traditional Japanese wood turning tool.

I want make 316 grade steel with pig iron, I know about Oxygen furnaces, But I have only a 70 kg induction, blowing oxygen need special equipment, I want know any special fluxes or chemicals that can be used for lowering carbon content and proper mixing of alloyed metals

Can anyone expound further what is considered 1080 in agricultural steels? I'm referencing the Junkyard Steel page that's been passed around for awhile. I understand this chart to discuss more early agricultural equipment and understand that it's an educated guess at best to truly know what junkyard steels are. Also, can someone tell me what's the difference between a harrow disc and a plow disc? I notice they don't mention harrow spikes and am curious if they made a typo? If anyone has any further references, I have a prime picking opportunity and would like to avail myself to any good material. From the list: Agricultural Steel: 1080 Harr…

We're still learning and innovating: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a60964033/new-alloy-defying-the-limits-of-metal/

I was reading this article and I figure I could get a similar chemical composition from a mixture of cast iron, a2 tool steel, and a small amount of ferroniobium. I was wondering if this would make wootz or if I would have to track down some pig iron and some flake iron.

When you purchase a tool steel such as 4340 what is the typical hardness off the shelf? I guess what I am asking is what state does the metal come out of the manufacturing process in? Is it allowed to cool slowly? Any thoughts or ideas?

Today at work someone asked if i knew what the AISI designation meant for steel. So i started explaining that each number had a meaning and was showing him what they were. I used a coupe examples then got to carbon content. I noticed that 15N20 steel was listed as having .75% carbon. From what i have been taught is the last 2 numbers is carbon content like 1095 has .95%, why is it not 15N75?

That is the question that I have been looking for an answer for some time but I haven't found a satisfying answer. Modern process of steels production appeared by the second half of the XIX century. So, my question is until what decade of the XIX/XX century were blacksmith tools like anvils and vices manufactured with wrought iron? Thanks

Hi everyone, I was wondering if somebody might be so kind to help me by answering this question- Is it technically or theoretically possible to create an alloy consisting of 90% pure (24k) gold and 10% steel? If it were forged in the right conditions, could this combination result in a true alloy? Or would the mixture end up as a non-homogeneous compound no matter what? Many thanks for your help. -George

Good morning! Thought this was interesting enough to share! I knew that my Vulcan anvil has a 1/4" thick steel face with a cast iron body, as most Vulcans do. While hammering out some plant hangers yesterday, I noticed this jagged chip on the anvil edge. This break really highlights the difference in color and texture between steel and cast iron, as well as the line across the anvil face where the two metals meet.

Hey guys. Can anyone tell me what kind of steel grader blades are made of. I live on a gravel road and found it in the road ditch near my house. It similar to the blade on the common 3 point hitch box blade. It has some spring to it so I'm really excited finding such a large piece. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Can anyone tell me what metal is typically used to make a lug wrench?

Hello again all! While traveling for the job today in Northern Indiana on a country road, my eyes gravitated at an old section of rail sticking out of the ground. It appears that it was used as a post for some long-torn-down barbed wire fence on farmland. I stopped to take pictures, and noticed the pitting on the rails, the reddish color to it, and how very short this rail is from top-to-base (see pictures, my hand for scale). Could this be wrought iron? Can't cut or spark test in the middle of nowhere, plus it's not my property. Any thoughts are appreciated!

Dear experts I would like to know, is there any new technology to do FG2000 in Forged way. I do understand this is a Grey Iron grade, However the carbon content is less than 4% and these days forged cast process is getting developed. I am trying to gather new knowledge about this, Any equivalent material advises are also will help. Appreciate some good sights

So I have a question brewing that I cant seem to google-foo my way into an answer and youtube isnt helping here. How is it possible to overheat steel such that it crumbles as soon as you give it a decent blow with a hammer? I had a piece of H13 crumble in a similar manner, and after some asked questions I came to the probable conclusion that I overheated it and let it soak in the heat too long. Why can some steels get heated such that they sparkle and not have problems under the hammer, while some, if you THINK about getting it too hot will crumble. Another thing Im curious about is why people deliberately will heat soak a puck of Wootz steel (future proj…