Hey y`all, Was wondering how y`all stored your tool stee/ high carbon from your mild. And when you have muiltiple differnt kinds how do you label it? I am getting a collection of tool steel and was wondering how some y`all stored the differnt kinds.
Chris

Paint the ends.

Yes store it separately! I know of several sad incidences where folks tried cooling part of something they were working on only to find out it was *not* mild steel! "PLINK"---#$%^&&%^%$!

You can do your own colour code and paint the ends, or stamp the ends---always cutting from the *other* end when you need a piece or use a paint pen to write the spec on the end and side.

I have few known specialy steels (H13, W2) that are kept in a special place and then a "medium to high carbon scrap pile separate from the mild steel scrap pile (or the wrought iron scrap pile for that matter...)

And remember there is no standardized colour code for manufacturers! What one manufacturer may paint green another will paint red!

I have this rack but I also have 2 slots in my normal steel rack that I have full or long lengths of 1045 and 4140 that I use a fair bit of. The stuff in the normal rack has what they are, printed on the side in yellow paint marker in several places allong the bar.

Thanks for all the ideas. Think may go with building a rack and have differnt holes for the differnt steels.

A dedicated rack is good but a piece can get moved (orphaned) so I like a paint mark as well.

Frosty

I had an apprentice attempt to "organize" my steel pile a while ago, I stopped him before he got to far, Since then I have permanent marker the steel ID numbers/letters in every bar.

I`ll make a rack and paint :p

I've got my cheap mild steel outside and my expensive tool steel inside. Then each type of tool steel is colour coded with electrical tape.

auto parts stores sell yellow marking paint pens that they mark the auto parts with, they are easy to use, and visible from a distance if you write big enough, painting the ends does not seem to work for me, so writing on the sides is what I do.

I know all my steel by heart, and by looks. No paint, no marking, just the different shapes, but then again I only keep a select supply and tightly control what I use and what leaves and comes into the shop. I keep NO scrap steels anymore except for 1 or 2 coil springs, which are obvious what they are.

Oddly enough, that is what I do also. I do mark my stainless and brass- bronze drops though. Not cool to think you are drilling 303 and it is really 316

I built a portable steel rack that supports my main supply of new mild steel.
I keep my junkyard steel in a seperate location.
And then I keep my and high carbon steel in another location.
I just use a black marker to identify what type of steel it is.

ushttp://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/3293/ppuser/1179e
A different view of Portable Steel Storage Rack - Blacksmith Photo Gallery

I use magic marker to write the grade on anything not mild steel....on the ends, sides, along the length, so no matter what happens, there will be the grade somewhere on the piece