Old Machinery

[rawtiron]

Hi Everyone,
My father is a collector of vintage "International Harvester" only machinery. ie. tractors, trucks, mowers, ploughs etc.
He has alot of spares/scrap metal laying around the place. What should I be looking out for, as far as good metal to forge?
Thanks for your time. Jason

[rawtiron]

Most of it is from the 1920s-1940s. Is there likely to any wrought iron on it?

[arftist]

Pretty much any thing that was dragged in the dirt by a tractor, plow shares, rakes, etc, also steering rods and probably axels but not axel housings, seat springs and bucket edges, would all be some type of tool, or spring or high carbon steel, meaning you could make tools. For artistic forging, any thing not cast iron, fenders, frames, loader parts, bucket plate, etc. Old castings can be incorperated into abstact sculture when mixed with odd, old bits of wood and or metal, if you have an eye for such things.

[rawtiron]

Thanks, I've got my eye on the axles, steering rods and draw bars. Most of it is in very good order. Only surface rust.

[pkrankow]

Don't discount fasteners and sheet metal. There are plenty of projects that can start with those. Think key fobs, nails, candle cups...

Cast or forged steel parts have use too, and can be reforged. Look at the application of the part and then you can surmise the material by its expected amount of abuse. This may not be perfect so be careful as cast iron gets splashy when heated to forge temperature.

Phil

[rawtiron]

Thanks Phil,
There are some mower sickle bars. I assume they're cast steel, as Dad managed to bend one in half with the front end loader, and there were no signs of cracking.
Jason

[Ten Hammers]

Sickle sections are handy things. Place the sickle in the vise so that the sickle bar is over the inner jaw and the section( sharpened part) is between the jaws with just a light clearance (very light). Strike downward on the section and you will likely shear the 2 rivets holding the section to the bar. Of course you can buy sickle sections new if you wish. These sections when nailed to a ceiling joist make a good place to cut baler twine. Twine is in the ceiling and fed from the center of the ball through a hole in the ceiling. Twine hangs down and when you need some just use the section to cut it. Sickle sections also make good paint scrapers and also make good hoes. Farmall implements are a part of my past and I enjoy working with them ( just as I do for Allis, Deere, Ford etc). I believe you will find that the sickle bar is rolled steel. The guards will be malleble castings ( as will the pittman ends and other parts). My earliest memories of the smithy are riding to town with Dad to have Forrest sharpen sickles and or repair them.

[GobblerForge]

Just a thought, but I would consider finding out what some of these old tractor parts are worth to the tractor collecting community. You may find that selling the parts to a collector or dealer may make more money and will buy more stock than the tractor produces.
Gobbler

[rawtiron]

Thanks Ten hammers, I'll give that a go. Sorry the cast piece that we bent was what the sickle bar itself was attached to. I notice that not all the mowers have this.

Thanks Gobbler Forge. The vintage machinery community is well known to Dad. This stuff is left from broken/rusted beyond repair machinery that many have looked over. It amaizes though, how valuable some of this old junk is to certain people. Kind of like the old blacksmithing gear I have found around the place. That others see as junk!!!

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I second Gobbler's thoughts, and I will add ask Dad first! While going through my folks estate my brother tossed the spare transmission for the Model A, because it had some rust on it. It was actually in really good shape, man I was mad at him:mad: Good USA iron headed to China now:( If the parts are beyond repair, or use, go ahead and recycle them the blacksmith way.

[rawtiron]

Thanks BigGunDoctor, will do. Yea it sucks how much good metal heads over to China, and then comes back again all watered down!!! When scrap prices were high last year, everyone was having a clean out. Even the dirty theives were into it!!! Being a motor mechanic, I have come across plenty of springs, axles, shafts etc. Just need another shed to store/hide it from my lovely!
Jason