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As the title suggests. I have a bunch of wrought iron (and yes I know it's wrought, not mystery metal or mild, it has grain). which I got from a friend's property when they were talking down an old shed. I've had a few attempts at forging with it, however it tends to split on me. I know you need to work it at very high temperatures compared to other forms of steel, but does anyone have any extra tips to make using it easier, and also how to forge weld it? Thanks in advance. -Novak

I finished my replica Viking Tongs tonight. These are made from 7/8 inch wrought iron square bar which I picked up from an old cattle ranch bone yard. Overall length is 17 inches with 12 inch reins. The reins have plenty of flex and they are comfortable in the hand. See this link for a picture of the Viking era tongs I use used to make the replica. http://sciencenordic.com/viking-blacksmith-buried-his-tools I didn't really have any sort of scale to go by, so I printed the photo a couple times until I got a scale that seemed about right. The challenge was getting the two sides equal, but I got them pretty close. I can see from the original tongs that the two halves are not entirely equal either. The tongs work really well gripping flat stock, like a knife. I may adjust the reins or the jaws a little more so the reins are not so far open when holding something about 1/4 thick. Overall it was a fun project. I'll definitely use them around the shop and they will be an interesting piece to talk about with other blacksmiths. See my two other topics on old world (African) pattern tongs and wrought iron: There are some photos in there of forging the viking tongs and a pair of African style tongs. http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/48679-african-style-tongs/ http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/48828-wrought-iron-bar/

Hello all, im sure it's been covered but I can't find it. If anyone could direct me I would appreciate it. i found a large chunk of wrought iron out in the desert one day and brought it home. No idea what it was. I spark tested it and it has grain to it. any how my question is why did it crumble on me. Too hot or too cold. Do you have to only work with the grain or can it be altered when heated? any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

I wanted to post this is the 'followed me home' thread but there are 'no posts to show'. I rescued this bunch of rods and decorative pieces from some old iron beds. There must be a use for them beyond what the scrappie will do with them. I have an idea that they will polish up quite well and may make decorative backing pieces for some shelving or perhaps infill for some old style gates. Unfortunately, the 3/8 and 1/2 bar sections are wrought iron. Had it been mild, I was going to cut them into lengths for making recycled leaf hooks and the like, but I find it dodgy punching holes in wrought, and while the texture is nice for leaves, it splits very easily unless nearly melting. It does weld easily though and bends cold. Anyway, I just didn't want to see them disappear into the scrap skip, so any suggestions for creative use are welcome. I cut the end of one bar to reveal the wrought appearance:

Hello to all, thank you in advance for your time and consideration. I have recently come across what I think is a healthy pile of wrought iron. I believe all pieces are wrought except for the spike on the right in the second pic(3 in last pic). I would try to cut and bend or spark test if my angle grinder was not on vacation...(funny how tools go on then never return from vacation)All show grain where rust was knocked off. Looking for a more practiced eye to confirm my guesses. Just a thought, if wrought doesn't harden, could I bring it up to temp, quench and try to bend in vice? Should still bend,? Or have I missed something, still new to all this. Thanks again. Sorry so many pics...lots of different pieces to identify.

Clearing out some old books at the historic village where I work and came across this old 1955 edition of "Wrought Steels - Bars, Billets and Forgings". It has loads of information about the chemical analysis, composition and applications of various steels. A British publication. I was going to bin it but thought it may be of use to someone somewhere who's interested in such highly technical stuff. Would be happy to mail it to anyone who wants it. Any use or in the bin? Here's a pic:

I've recently taken my first weekend course and am very excited about blacksmithing, (it seems to be about all i can think about) and I'm lucky enough to have access to some old equipment. I really enjoy learning about the history of tools and want to research our anvil. It is marked "Arm and Hammer - Wrought Iron" (see picture below). From what I've read these were made in Columbus, OH and I'm wondering if anyone can lookup the manufacture date by the serial number? I think this should be in the Postman book "Anvils in America". The serial number looks like 17504. I'm not sure on the weight, I need to weigh it with the log (don't want to remove it) and see- it is smaller than the ones we were using in class though, maybe under 100 lbs. Thanks in advance for your help! Large Image Large Image Large Image