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I Forge Iron

types of steel


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Hi all,
This is my first post and have had a couple of questions about some steel types and alloys.

First for a little background, I am working on making my first forge out of a break drum and a 55 gallon barrel and working on finding something suitable for an anvil right now. I am a full-time student in collage, a full-time machinist and father of two (like i really need more to do right?)

Now on to the questions; One in the shop we use a couple of different steels that I'm not sure if they would be good for forging, Like 12L14 and 12L14 TE (TE stands for Tellurium). I might be able to ask the boss to buy remnants for pretty cheap, if I pay more then the scrap yard.

Mike

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Is there a list of materials anywhere that are suitable for forging with? And how do you know what kind of metal you are picking up from scrap piles, side of the road, etc.? Is there a way to determine if the scrap you find is not going to cause metal fume fever or some other kind of problem?

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I know we refer to the L as leaded, so I assumed there might be lead.

We do use air cleaners but also when machined most material is sprayed with oil or water soluble coolant so at work I'm not worried. Since I have no workshop the sky would be my roof and the privacy fence my walls so I'm totally not worried about home.

From what I've seen Leaded is good for machining less chatter and higher speed, Tellurium is even better.

12L14 is about (Weight %) C 0.15 (max) Mn 0.85-1.15 P 0.04-0.09 S 0.26-0.35 Pb 0.15-0.35 and 12L14 TE I can't find a make-up but it must be close but with TE added

We use a lot of L steels but only one TE. Of course we use 1144, 1215, 1018, 1045...... too

Edited by superscifi12
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I know we refer to the L as leaded, so I assumed there might be lead.

We do use air cleaners but also when machined most material is sprayed with oil or water soluble coolant so at work I'm not worried. Since I have no workshop the sky would be my roof and the privacy fence my walls so I'm totally not worried about home.

From what I've seen Leaded is good for machining less chatter and higher speed, Tellurium is even better.

12L14 is about (Weight %) C 0.15 (max) Mn 0.85-1.15 P 0.04-0.09 S 0.26-0.35 Pb 0.15-0.35 and 12L14 TE I can't find a make-up but it must be close but with TE added


i dont think machining is an issue

forging might produce lead fumes :mad::o
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but lets say you have a 5lb rod of 12l14 doing the equation 5 * 0.0015-0.0035 you would get 0.0075-0.0175 of a pound of lead, to put that in easier to understand term that would be 0.12-0.28 ounces per 5 pounds(4 - 8 grams per 5lb)

In my mind I don't think you would need to heat the whole 5 pounds at once, am I wrong?

If that little would cause so many fumes how do people cast pure lead safely? (I figured the temp difference but the concentration is significantly higher)

Last but not least wouldn't the amount of lead change when after heating due to becoming fumes there by reducing them continually?

Edited by superscifi12
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ive used blackpowder barrels (cut off pieces) to make pipe tommahawks and a lot of the barrels are a free machineing steel (with lead) they forge ok ... for most things tho why bother ? i am forgeing 5 days a week for 6 hrs a day and 300 dollars worth of steel will last me 3 months! granted ime makeing little stuff for the most part but...i dont think the lead content is a problem unless you take a toddler and have him breathe in the fumes... there is more lead in many things than people realise but if its not in the right form it cant get in your body to harm you.. ime sure people will flame me for this but ive cast lead bullets for years and al your careful (provide air circulation) it isnt a problem the big scare with lead was from kids (real young ones) eating lead paint and other things with lead in um.. causes problems in brain development. people go overboard on lead not realiseing that things like stainless steel pot scrubbers can have lead in them...i wouldnt eat a bar of lead but its really prevasive in things like electronics (lead based soder)i personally wouldnt worry about the tiny amount that will be in a steel alloy.. have fun

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the whole reason i asked is that i'm just starting and could get the bar ends(some times upwards of 4 ft) and thought that if i start with known steel that it might help the learing curve.

Most of the steel used where i work is free machineing steel (not counting stainless/brass/copper).

Didn't mean to cause unroar. Sorry.

mike

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No unroar :) Just lots of opinions and info here. Need to weed through it soemtimes LOL Where in Omaha? Ever look into scrap from Valmont? Mild is really the best steel (and cheapest in most cases) to start out on. Welcome to the forum BTW. I'm in N West O.

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unroar<<<
Never checked them out, never even heard of them actually.
I just moved to pacific junction, Iowa.

Still have to make my first trip to see Sid in Nebraska City to buy some coal and finish gathering my equipment. finish putting together my forge, Still need air source. Need an anvil too, trying to get a line on a piece of RR track, for now. Hammer and tongs too.

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All I'll say about the lead question is that once it's in your body it essentially remains there forever, and it's much more dangerous for little ones than for adults. Stunted growth, permanent neurolgical damage, all kinds of nasty stuff. Even if a single forging session delivers only a small dose, the dosage is cumulative. And realize that even if you're not working at home, your kids can be exposed to lead dust on your clothes and body. Just be careful.

As for identifying scrap, it's a combination of education and guesswork. There's no guarantee that it's safe to work with. (Some of the copper alloys contain especially nasty stuff, which is why you should be extra careful with brasses and bronzes.)

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Once Lead is in the body it does not remain there forever. If the source of exposure is removed the lead will eventually be excreted from the body however, the damage it does while it is there may be permanent. If the lead concentration in the body is very high it the excretion process can be speeded up by the use of chelation therapy.

Basic treatment for lead poisoning is removal of the source and balanced nutrititon.

Casting lead, bullet and sinker making etc, can expose you to lead fumes. So can shooting on an indoor shooting range which does not have proper ventilation.

Lead Poisoning-Topic Overview

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