I see a lot of these at the scrap yard and they look like they would be good for knives or choppers. what kind of steel are they? will they hold an edge?

Test one and see.  I'd bet they are T1, high abrasion resistance, not very hard.

 

Geoff

it kinda looks like a form of small wall mounted flag base to me... which would probably be the cheapest form of sheet metal available if that is the case.

it kinda looks like a form of small wall mounted flag base to me... which would probably be the cheapest form of sheet metal available if that is the case.

These are actually plow blades. they come in different sizes. depending on how you want your furrows laid out.

Old time farm equipment made to push through dirt was generally fairly high in carbon for wear resistance.  Spark test it and quench test it and see; but I'd bet it would make a decent blade.  Can't say as to the modern stuff.

How city of me, thank you for the clarification.

I have about forty of those in various sizes. I might just have to give that a try myself. Let us know how it goes for you stovestoker.

I have made a knife out of them. Unfortunately that was before I knew hardened from mild. You got me curious now. Try one and let us know how it works. Thats how we learn!

I've made a knife or 2 out of them,was pretty good steel, "supposably" 1080 but they held a shaving edge well. and the small knife I tempered at 325/ hour and then 350?hour, good luck,jimmy

Not plow blades but cultivator shovels. Yes high carbon don know what steel. But they stand up to a lot of abuse going through and in and out of the ground. They are attached with a s or a j shaped spring. The springs are about 1.5" wide by 1/2" to 3/4" thick.

Yes cultivator. But I figured plow blade was a term that was common enough for everyone to understand. these blades actually run under the soil. They break up the soil so the soil takes water better. The blades also take out weeds like careless weeds from the root under the surface. A friend of mine from a nearby farm town said that his father would take them to the blacksmith in town for sharpening. So some of the old ones have probably had a blacksmith hands on them. Kinda cool to think about. Full circle.

 

Going to pick up a couple now,

i agree, one of my good friends here built his business by re forging plow shares. he is 85 and still doing demos on how to rebuild a plow share with his original power hammer.