DanL Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 Hi Kids...I rarely post but read a good bit. I may be able to acquire an old Iron(?) bridge. I am researching now to find out the age of the old one lane bridge that is being removed from a local road. I am reasonably familiar with wrought Iron and what it looks like. However, other than the grain and such in WI...what might be some "indicator" points to examine when I get the chance to look it over up close and personal in a couple of days. I want to determine if WI was used in the construction of this thing. Thanks for any pointers, DanL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 From "Formulas for Profit", Bennett, copyright 1939, 4th printing "To identify iron from steel" "Mix 5 drops nitric acid with 10 drops H2O", (remember acid into water *NEVER* water into acid),"File a clean spot and place a drop on it. If it is steel it will turn black immediatly. If it is wrought iron or malleable iron it will stay bright for a considerable length of time." Use at your own risk! Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Thomas Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 DanL: A few other tests... if you can get a piece small enough to bend, such as a minor strut, you can sometimes tell by bending. Iron has very little "memory" compared to even mild steel. If you can get a grinder to it, it sparks rather sparsely compared to steel. Very different pattern. If it has been exposed to the weather for a very long time, you can often see the grain. It weathers much more slowly than steel. It doesn't seem to have as much of that big flaking chunk rot like steel over water can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanL Posted August 29, 2006 Author Share Posted August 29, 2006 Thanks for the info. Turns out to be a more recent (1950's) built bridge which the Co. Engineer says the records show all steel construction. Oh well...you can't hit the ball without swinging the bat. Thanks again, DanL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Can you still get the bridge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Thomas Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 DanL: Steel is better for forging anyway. Wrought iron is way over-wrated. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanL Posted August 30, 2006 Author Share Posted August 30, 2006 Apprenticeman...I suppose that I could still get the bridge but I turned it down. I only wanted it if it had WI in it. The metal would be nice to have but difficult at best to take advantage of. The deck is concrete. The piers/pillars are concrete. Only the superstructure is steel. Not much care will be given to it's removal. Without containing WI, I deemed it too much trouble for the effort. Ed Thomas...Yes, but I have selfish reasons for wanting free WI. I happen to believe that steel is over-wrated. Thanks all for the input. DanL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 I heard that even as late as the late 50's some bridges in places like Florida were spec'd for wrought iron for corrosion reasons. My WI score was the tank of a water tower built in 1929, the frame was steel but the tank was WI. Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 NICE SCORE THOMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dan L, I ask because for the price you could sell the "old" steel for you could probably buy quite a bit of wrought iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanL Posted August 31, 2006 Author Share Posted August 31, 2006 Hi Apprenticeman....You are correct. However, I was depending on the contractor to haul it to my place. From my place the dissasembly, lifting and hauling is not practical and too expensive for scrap prices many miles away. The contractor will have to haul it off site somewhere. Easier for him to haul it to a scrap yard at this time but I don't think I could convince him to split the profits with me. HAHA! I am a scrapper but I recognize when it is no longer feasible or profitable to obtain the scrap. DanL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strine Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 This iron bridge doesn't go over the East River does it? When we were kids we were told if a bloke tried to sell you that bridge you knew straight away he was a con man...I just hope it's not the same bridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 my scrap WI experience: first the demolition contractor said I could bring my cutting torch on-site and subdivide the spoils as I wished---good as they had dropped the watertower by cutting a leg and go boom method. WI does not like cold bending in most grades! Next he said it would have to be moved off site and how many pieces did I want? "One" I repled and was told that was not possible. After arranging a place to have it dumped, not easy in a city, I got a pile of WI plate pieces that had been mangled and folded by the demolition claw---Not what I had contracted for *and* everytime they damaged it more they wanted more money---they couldn't understand that they were destroying the stuff I wanted. I guess for scrapping making it more managable is a plus. I held them to the original contract cost and we proceded to cut it along the crumple zones to get the largest unblemished pieces we could and crumpled WI does not O-A cut well, any cracking or seperation blows the top layer back at you! Still I got several tons of usable WI plate in 3/16 and 5/16" thickness. The next part of the saga involved the city telling me I had to get the plate out of my back yard so while I was off work with pneumonia I had to move all of it into the storage area I had just cleaned out in my shop in a move 1 piece go take a nap sort of way, largest piece was only 180# IIRC. Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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