I was just wondering if there was any experience related suggestions and thoughts that I wouldn't be able to just simply google. Thank you for taking the time to answer a noobie's questions though.
I obtained the steel through a machine shop I work at. It was a piece that had been in storage for a while so when I went to clean things out my boss told me I could keep anything that wasn't aluminum, copper, brass, stainless etc. So i figured 'what the hay?" might as well take some free steel.
Also do you have a reliable website that has a lot of information about different steel specs? Something easier to read than digging through old forum threads?