Grader blade steel

[Joe C B]

In your opinion what would it best be suited for? As you might have already guess I'm new at this so any ideas on it's best uses is welcome.

I have no first hand expierence for forging AR grade steels, but I have to believe that this would be tough going. Might make some dandy hammer heads?
Joe B

[BM454]

I've never used them for anything but what they are made for. They do make good blades for skidders though. I'm sure you could use them for an anvil if you weld it with 11018. Do a bit of preheat and weld it up

[TPayne]

I traded a high carbon knife for about 200 lbs of it. Only forged one blade from it so far. Very hard to move by hand hamming. It is very brittle after quenching (I didn't temper mine properly) and mine shattered when I was pinnig the handle in place.

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard TPayne, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you'll have a better chance of hooking up with a member living within visiting distance. 

Bummer. Grader edges are abrasion resistant typically around 1.5%+ carbon steel, matrix containing upwards of 25% IIRC of tungsten carbide granules. Like you've already discovered it's a mother bear to forge and isn't really heat treatable in a home shop. How many belts or wheels did you go through trying to grind it? By it's very nature it eats blue wheels and diamond belts.

Better luck next trade. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome from the Ozark mountains. Only 200 pounds of that steel? I've got about 600 pounds of it, free for the taking at the city shop where I worked. Never tried to make a knife with it but it makes a good welding table and the holes are handy for holding bottom tools. I've made some other stuff like a base for a fly tying vise my wife wanted. The best way to cut it is with a "fire wrench" (cutting torch). It will eat up an abrasive disk in short order.

[Gazz]

I started to cut plow or grader blade up to make steel targets out of.  I don't how it will compare to the A500 stuff but it was free and probably sufficient for .22 rimfire.

[Frosty]

1" grader edge will stop a .338 Win mag, .375 win mag or one of the armor piercing 3006 I got in a box of Dad's ammo. The AP barely marked it. I have a piece I've bee meaning to silver solder to a Chinese ASO I was given some years ago but haven't. The least destructive way I've found to grind it is with a cup stone at medium red heat. 

I messed with it a bit when I was stuck in the shop and caught up on stuff. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[anvil]

Read this whole thread, there is good info here, not to mention " voices" of friends from long ago giving good advice.

[johndilsaver]

I have made scrolling wrenches and bending forks from grader blade and been satisfied with them.  It's too tough to forge by hand, but with a power hammer it will forge.  I was surprised that the grader blades I came up with were not high carbon.  I tried the classic test of heating small pieces and quenching in air, in oil, and in water.  Even quenched in water the metal would still cut with a file with no problem.  I scored 6 or 8 used grader blades, all from the same source, several years ago, those are the only ones I have any experience with. 

[anvil]

My experience as well. Cuts easily with a hack saw and files easily as well. I forge them with my 25# Lil giant. 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I have never tried to cut it with the horizontal/vertical power saw. I guess afraid of wearing out the blade. I finally got around to cutting the excess ends of the big outside table I built so I guess I may try the saw on a short piece of he one's that the torch cut with ease. there was one that gave me fits cutting it with the torch. Kinda tells me not all grader blades were created with the same alloy steel.

[anvil]

Heres a rough sketch of how I do my grader blade bending forks. Its based on Francis Whitaker's method. The top pic is cut out with a torch and I use a grinder to remove the burnt edges. . I don't remember if he cuts the actual forks with a torch or not(dotted lines). I have torched them, hot cut them, and hand hack sawed them. I prefer the latter. When hacked, the round holes are drilled to give a slight radius in the bottom corners. Here less is better, but a little is critical to prevent stress cracks. However, weigh this with the need to keep your stock parallel to the forks to minimize twist that you will have to remove later on. The mass on the left is forged and I have used both a hand hammer and my 25# lil giant. The rounded areas are to prevent stress risers and are forged to that shape with my rounding hammers( lol, thus the name "rounding" hammer   ) 

The middle and bottom pic show the finished forging. The forks are tapered at the top so that I can get into tight spaces. The opening between the forks depends on material you are bending. Make them just a little wider than your stock. The tighter the fit, the tighter the bend you can make. Handle length is basically the longer the better. You can choke up for lighter stuff and move outward for heavier stock. 

The bottom pic shows the inner shape of the forks. The pic is crude, so round as needed. Flatter than in the pic is better. These radius are filed. Make sure to remove edges to prevent dinging your work/

I normalize after forging and filing and the initial material is taken inbetween the square holes on the non beveled part of the grader blade.

Have fun.

 

[johnnyendeavour]

I'm way north in the yukon... I just dragged half dozen of these home free from the dump.   I have access to a plasma cutter so going to see if I can get setting right to cut some pieces out of it.   I don't have a power hammer as yet.   My hope is that the CNC plasma cutter should be able to get a blank for bending tool, or pieces for jigs or hardy tools. 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

We won't remember your location once leaving this post, hence the suggestion to add it in your profile so we won't have to dunn ya for it when it is required to give an answer.

 

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sails. ~ Semper Paratus