gypsy

THX! guys, I didn't think ya could but I couldn't remember :)

I was wondering, can you forge cast iron or will it just smush into a mess? I got some really neat old machine blades off some type of mower/mulcher/harvester circa 1900ish & they are riveted to some cool little cast iron arms that would make awesome fantasy knives if I can hammer them flat but I've never actually tried to hammer cast iron and I don't want to ruin one trying to figure it out. I realize they will always be brittle cast iron & all that but hey they were tough enough to go on whatever type machine they came off of & their going to be fantasy knives not survival knives right? :)

Thats what I was thinking, but i was trying to do the project on the cheap, I may just hafta try it, not like a plumbers torch & solder is that big an investment & will prolly use it for other things later on.... i mean if it was some kinda tool i was making i wouldnt even consider it but for a butterfly thats gonna stick in the ground or hang on a fence i thought it might be ok. does anyone have any tips on types of solder & flux or tips on technique being the most soldering i ever did was low temp silver bearing solder on knife bolsters about 15 years ago, usually i just weld & grind everything whether it needs it or not :)I really appreciate the input :D

I am in Asheville N.C. & my tools are in storage in Ohio, normally I would weld steel but I don't have my tools so not being too experienced at soldering I was wondering before investing in a torch, solder etc... whether it would be possible to solder say a clean r.r. spike to say 24 gauge sheet steel to make say butterflies & dragonflies for ornaments (like yard art)I could ship my little lincoln 110 gassless down here but hate risking it getting damaged or lost anyhow thx for the input!

there are many good sword steels, 5160 is great for swords, but is less forgiving on heat treat, welding & forging than 1065-75-85-95 which is what I mainly have used as it is extremely forgiving in these things however rusts a lot more than almost any alloy steel. in destruction tests and over the years I found I had better results for live steel combat & reenactment swords with 1075 oil quenched & triple drawn to between 50-53RCc . swords for these type of activities are not the same as "real swords" in that they are made with the focus on durability, not on aesthetics & edge holding ability.... I believe that overall though regardless of the type of tool or weapon you are making that proper design, forging & heat treating is far more important than the absolute best steel, I have used everything from jackhammer bits to Hammered out angle iron that had been super-quenched (wont hold an edge or spring well but they came out just short of 50RCc & were tough enough to damage other swords on the field, made me a believer in super-quench) to make swords for reenactment depending on the cost & who I intend on selling them to.

I was hoping we could start a thread on what old tools are made of being I have seen a few posts concerning what type of steel this or that old tool is, I know that jackhammer bits are s5, good crow & digging bars are 4130 unless they are pre WWII then they are more likely 1045-1065, leaf springs are 5160 unless pre WWII then likely to be 1045-1065. ball bearings are 52100 & I believe most good files are w2? (not sure on that but I think that's right) and old carbon steel butcher knives like old hickory & green river are generally 1095. I had seen a discussion on "what steel a hoe is made of" & it got me wondering what steel are they made of... or spring furrows? or old scythe blades? so if ya happen to know what steel a particular tool is usually made of please reply :)

Most old American made pry & digging bars are 4130 in the post WWII era, pre WWII they are usually 1045-1065. As with many used steels I agree with "normalize, normalize, normalize!" & after hardening "temper, temper, temper!" also I learned the hard way with old jackhammer bits (s5 steel) to hammer used alloy steel only in the high forging range & also to stress test every blade made from old tools as pre-existing micro-fractures may exist that you can't see but will cause a blade to fail. any time I use used steel for blades now I lock it in a vice after heat treat, put a cheater bar on it & give it a flex in a quiet shop listening carefully for the tell-tale little crackling noises that shouldn't be there. its worth the time & effort to not have a blade come back from a customer broken.

How come everyone seems to want to do things with swords that they were never meant to do? Swords were never meant to cut stone, steel, cinder blocks, other swords,, car hoods, anvils, etc.... even heavy swords "back in the day" that they actually used them were meant to cut FLESH! Yes they bounced off armor sometimes but with the expense of steel at the time & the fact that your life was placed on the weapon, the warrior truly tried to hit nothing but flesh if possible. I blame this obsession of hitting things with swords on Hollywood & youthful vigor as when I was younger I made a lot of swords for "live steel fighters" & other reenactment groups. and these folks do lot of stupid things with swords that swords were never intended on doing... fact is as previously stated swords are a refined tool that is not for cutting stone, however you may refer clients in need of such an item for I excel at making "crowbars with edges & cross guards" :)LOL

I've had all the little HB anvils, 12#, 25# & 55# and while I wouldn't actually call them real anvils they are a cheap, quick fix and are ok as long as you never hit anything cold on them. I do agree that r.r. rail & pretty much any large chunk of steel is going to out perform a cast iron anvil shaped object. worse come to worse the 12# makes a great doorstop or paperweight :)

I now try (sometimes I forget or don't have rubber gloves) to were not only leather gloves on both hands but also commercial latex gloves under the leather gloves to keep dirt & grease off my hands. It works well to keep hands clean & soft but your hands get extremely sweaty inside the latex. Also the rubber can compound a burn if you don't get them off quick enough.