Alphonse

I still have and use my 1986 Ford F-150, That I bought NEW, and just about everything on it has been replaced but the tailgate handle! SEE HOW WE DON"T COUNT OUR BLESSINGS! LOL

Pattern Metals Inc. 1266 Highland Rd E Macedonia, OH 44056 (330) 963-5440 You can stop in anytime to hunt for anything on his short rack, call before going for any full length stock, or to see what he has on hand, and quote prices. There open till noon on Sat. Tell them you heard about them on IForgeIron

Here in Cleveland, OH, there is a steel supply guy that had a lot of Canadian steel; mostly structuals, plate, sheet, tube, and bars. I buy mostly "cut offs" on the cheap. He use to charge [last bought 1 1/2 years ago] 40 cents a pound on anything in the short rack, picked up. Now he's up to 75 cents for shorts. 90 cents for full lengths. As far as delivered "Iam not in that league and am afraid to ask" He was going really good for 15 years, added another location 5 years ago, and this month he had to give up the second shop and move it into the first...Sales are WAY DOWN and he's the lowest price in N.E. OH.!

Thanks for all the excelent replys...I know in construction, All welding on rebar is a no-no- unless the contractor can identify The ASTM_weldable grade, and that it is welded with E-7018 LH by a WELDER not a wantabee. {Wantabee's make excelent welders after much practice and learning though! not on buildings first] Since there are so may piles of rebar around jobs, the risk is too great to get the wrong quality and weld up a falure in the work. The problem is a lot of sulphur, carbon content, and other impurities in the low grade rebar that embritle and cause failures when heated at welding/forging temps I guess. ALTHOUGH I SEEM TO HAVE HAD GREAT RESULTS as Rutterbush, I will heed the warnings given also! I have had HSS endmills break off and hit me in the past, I don't need pieces of tools made from rebar ! All I know is that I got this rebar from My good old HOME DEPOT...If it was made in the GOOD OLD USA or not I don't know. It [1/2"] sells for $3.99 for a 10 length retail for goodness sake!

I just got the idea in my head that I want to fool around and learn working at an anvil a bit. I viewed some video's of blacksmithing on u-tube...I never realized there was so much skill and tooling involved. I have worked in manufacturing since 1975, All shops had at lease I anvil if not in my own department, in another, and I just never fooled with them at the time! I 've done a lot of torch bending, heatreating, brazing, welding by hand, in vises, jigs nad fixtures. I never realized what can be done with the anvil and it's attatchments! I am in the process of adding "novice blacksmithing" to my garage workshop, little at a time by next winter. I have a box type steel coal stove that can heat up some iron, as well as a OX/AC rosebud and weld/cut set. I am most skilled at Arc/MIG/TIG/ Gas welding/cutting steel fabrication and plant maintenace. Lathe and Bridgeport vertical mill and all machine trade skills. Certified AWS welder, Former QA welding technician for Certanium Welding Research Co./AWS member. Even bounced around durring recessions and depressions, as a Construction Dump Driver whatya think?:D

I have fooled around with making "chisel like" cutting tools out of grade 60 1/2" rebar. I just heated a 6" long piece up at the end about 1" up to yellow. I hamered a chisel point [Very tough material to draw out] used a 3lb. hammer and had it very hot. Then reheated it back up to RED and quenched in soap/salt water quench. I was impresed how indestructable the worked end was. I did not draw or temper it at all. Held a ground edge despite chiseling against a 10# sledge that have hardfaced with 55-60 RC hard rod! The rebar did not crack, fracture or spall at all, and it's shank stayed about the same but rather toughend up good" made a great welding chipping hammer head! Has anyone had good or bad results, or uses for this "cheap and abundent" material? Seams like it would make good earth working tools like pitch fork, tines.