Aeneas61 Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Im wandering what a good source of steel billets for forging axes, adzes and large knives would be? Ive seen McMaster carr are they the best option? Thanks Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Billet: A small, semi-finished piece of metal that is rectangular, circular, or square in shape. Billets are smaller than blooms. One way the ax can be made is by folding wrought or mild steel around a eye form and forge welding a piece of good steel into the edge to form a cutting surface. An adz is basically an ax with the blade turned 90 degrees. (ok a much simplified explanation) A knife can be done the same way or made only from a solid piece of good quality steel. There is also Damascus. Please refine your question so we can provide a better answer. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeneas61 Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 basically 90 percent of Youtube videos making axes or adzes start with a chunk of steel stock roughly 1-2"X3-4" in size, so I am searching for the best source of steel billets/stock/chuncks/squares/bars or whatever they are officially called, in the most common too steels such as O1 1080 1095 and mild steel. I hope that is more clear. Thanks Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Welcome aboard Josh, glad to have you. If you put your general location in your header you may be pleasantly surprised to discover how many IFI folk live within visiting distance. Have you checked with steel suppliers in your area? You might check with manufacturers or repair shops who use tool steels. for instance, truck transmission drive line shops and conveyor belt shops use HC steels for much of their work and they may have drops you can buy for scrap prices. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 first of all welcome but most of all where are you located? In my town I use Alro metals there are many metal suppliers. A billet is a piece of steel that you use to make a project like a axe, knife and sword. I would not call all hunks of steel a billet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeneas61 Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Im located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of TX. Yeah, I didn't know where to begin, Im familiar with some of the online steel suppliers, but seems like even the mild steel they sell would cost 50 bucks per axe, which makes me want to scrounge junk yards honestly even if the metal isn't guaranteed to be anything exact. I know leaf springs and coil springs are commonly but not always HC steel, and Ive read axles are often MED carbon, seems the low carbon in chunks for axe billets minus the steel cutting edge are diff to find from auto parts, perhaps structural grade like A36 for just the body of an axe or adze type tool with leaf spring insert would work? Any ideas are awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 So torch off the top section of a railroad rail and forge that down---helps if you have strikers or a powerhammer or hydraulic press. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spots Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Newjerseysteelbaron.com I get all my steel from there for high carbon work. Ton if different optiond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeneas61 Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 thanks for the hints! now where would one get rail road tracks and spikes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spots Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 thanks for the hints! now where would one get rail road tracks and spikes? I found my track through a local gun forum, got about 8 ft of it. I dont know of any legal way to get them other than finding them on ebay, at a flea market, etc. I have probably 300-400 of them that Ive got from different people who have old retired railroads on their land. I would NOT suggest walking an active track as its dangerous and illegal and not worth getting hurt, killed, or jailed for a few spikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Scrapyard, fleamarket, junk store, yard sale, blacksmithing group meeting---there was a chunk in iron in the hat at Saturday's SWABA meeting. I was given several sections that were used as an old cattle guard. Seems like every time I visited this friend I'd take another piece home with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Entrance Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 If you do some poking around on Ebay, you can find RR spikes for about $1 ea, or less. I bought a box of 25 of them for about that price, including shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 in case ya missed it we have a section called TAIL GATING, there are RR spikes posted for sale there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeneas61 Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 wow thanks, I'm still learning this site, i see many references to plans and other pages...where is all this stuff, under what tab i guess I should ask? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 maybe you should take a step back and read through the forum a bit then you can ask some better questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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