So I have a whole bunch of cast iron weights from old windows. For anybody who hasn't seen what Im talking about they are about 16 inches long and 1 and 1/4 inch wide cast iron and are from windows about 75 years old and were recently replaced. My question is: Is this essentially wrought iron?

I was considering turning them into new curtain rods for the newly renovated windows.

i would say there not wrought iron the ones i have come across in jersey were cast iron and there is a difference between the two like when people say they have a wrought iron railing on there house it usally plain steel

Most are an especialy low grade cast iron, but there could be wrought iron ones. The cast should have a noticable parting line and a finnish similar to sand.

All sash weights I've seen have been cast iron,high silicon high carbon brittle cast iron.Can't forge it.

I have seen a lot of them and have nver seen any that were wrought iron or even forged for that matter, they are cast iron and are the bottom of the barrel iron at that, they were made of whatever junk they had laying around since they were neither structural or cosmetic in nature.
About all they are good for is using them for weights for something or toss them in the next load of junk going to the junkyard.

welder19

Great thanks guys. I guess Il have to use something else. But what would happen if I did try to forge them? are they just brittle and difficult? or is there some sort of risk involved?

Cast is not forgable . once it gets hot it will crumble . Ya got some great trotline weights though.

Finnr

imagine red hot popcorn flying around your shop. thats what cast iron does when you hit it after heating.... Then you can spend a couple hours on fire watch... and put out smoldering stuff... And get a hot foot when a small bit lands on your shoe and burns its way through.....

How do I now this?..... I admit nothing!!!...

but you can do whatever you want,
good luck
Cliff

Well this IS useful information.

I'm with Finnr on the trotline wieghts. If you don't trotline trade em for dressed fish to someone that does.

Drifter

Well you can also get cast iron up to melting temp in a forge and then it sorta "splashes" when you hit it with a hammer...

I use them to hang on tree branches to help shape the tree.

build one of these

http://gottatopic.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/trebuchet_copy.jpg

I make firepots and I cut them in pieces and use them as clinkerbreakers the work very well.

If you slice them up into thin sections, polish and acid etch, the often show very pretty patterns. Drill an hole and coat with auto clear coat or blue repolish and coat and you could sell them as jewelry.

I've read, somewhere, that if you ever find square sectioned weights in the pile of cast sash weights, those are wrought. That said, a couple years of picking thru scrap piles has never turned up a single square sectioned sash weight.

Use them for sheet metal stakes.

Turley Forge and Blacksmithing School : The Granddaddy of Blacksmithing Schools

Couple years ago I watched a demo by Maria Cristali making a small jewelry box out of what she claimed was wrought iron window weights. Gorgeous material, and beautiful finished product. Keep your eyes peeled, guys and gals. :cool:

Chad

If they are round they are probably cast iron. They'll also have obvious marks from the sand casting.

The wrought iron window weights that I have seen were square. That's a good starting point.

Regardless of the shape, you won't know until you do a break test to see if it is fibrous or not.

Good luck.