Hi, All,

I'm dismantling a standard full-size boxspring. (The thing that goes under a mattress) Anyone know what kind of steel is used for the springs and if it's worth saving? I'm taking it apart regardless but just want to know if the metal is worth keeping. Thanks!

Eric

Used it for pins before. Got a whole bunch from two boxsprings, but the spring is almost two hard for what i'll be doing, might work nice for the inside of folding knives....

It is spring steel of some type. They electric resistance heat and air quench (at least one mfg does this). Have fun with it, you probably have 20#+ of the spring wire. I would consider straightening and bundling rod sorta like a cable weld as one possible use.

Phil

If Elvis ever slept on it you could sell it by the inch.......:lol:

The metal angle iron bed frames are materials like Core 10, and make good material to work with. I believe it was Weygers that used the frame for wood chisels.

The coil springs in a box spring are kinda small, but could be used for sculptures, or other novelty items. Free material, find a use for it.

Could be used to replace a strand in a cable for a stripe effect in knives and the sort. I'm making big fish hooks and dental type picks.

Does anybody know if zinus box springs are made of good steel to work with? I've got an extra one and want to start forging, it'd be nice to have 70 lbs of flat stock to start with if it's any good

I don't know about zinus but all box spring or old bed frames I ever tried to work with were just a waste of time, far too brittle

 

Welcome aboard DPuppyOne... Please read this...READ THIS FIRST   It will help you get the best out of the forum.

I have forged many a spring and bed rail frames. It works like spring steel 5160 for me. You may have to test it to see if it's any good for what you want to make. Not knowing where in the world you are located it's hard to give accurate advice.

Take a piece heat to above nonmagnetic and quench in water then wearing PPE, (you do NOT want to have to forge using the Braille Method!), put it in the vise and see if you can break it with a hammer.  If it snaps easily where it was heated and quenched then you have a medium to high carbon steel.  The more hammering it takes to break it, the lower the carbon until it gets down to just bending over and is quite mild. BEWARE of plating or painting; fumes burning those off can kill!

If i were to anneal  some spring steel would it still be springy afterwards?

Lenny:

No, assuming it is a higher carbon steel which is what is used for springs it, in its original state, has been hardened and tempered back to a springy state (blue in oxidation colors).  If you then heat it and anneal it you have drawn the temper and it will be soft and pliable but you would have to go through the hardening and tempering process to get it to a springy state again. Technically, it has to do with the various crystal states of the metal but the simple answer to your question is "no."

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Would i be able to heat it up, bend it, then temper to get it back to a springy state?

tempering wont do any good unless you harden it first, its all in the details

Oh, ok i get it now. Thanks

Note all steel has pretty much the same youngs modulus; which is why we can make post vise springs from mild steel. What you get from using a spring steel hardened and tempered correctly is that it will bend a *LOT* further before taking a set. (Easily seen by looking that the rear springs on my pickup when I'm taking the forge camping for a week!)