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I Forge Iron

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Posted

Last time I visited the scrap yard I picked up a few large circular saw blades. They were about 2 foot in diameter. The hole in the center is probably 8 inches across.

Does anyone know what metal these might be made out of? I looked in the junkyard metals BP but didn't see any mention. I picked them up because I thought they might work OK for layers in a damascus billet. I've been thinking that I would like to try making some damascus soon.

Is there anything anyone would suggest for easy material to use? I don't want to do anything fancy, but would like to have pronounced layers visible. I've heard band saw blade and strapping before, but I don't have either of those lying around...

Posted

Depends on what they look like I get some from a friend of mine and he had some tested they are 8670 modified similar to L6 bandsaw steel is 15N20.

Have a picture? if they have insert teeth they could be 8620 or 8630 I forget what Gene Martin told me have even heard some had mild steel body with insert teeth.

Posted

From what I can see in the pictures, the one on the left looks like it might be a good blade for what your talking about. As far as the one on the right, I have two thoughts:
1) the weld globs are from where high carbon/carbide tips had been but are no longer
or
2) your right in figuring that someone tried welding them up to get more life out of them.

I know most of the large sawmill blades have the clip on blade tips (either high carbon or carbide now). But these blade don't look to be that type.
Good luck and probably an experimental heat treat/etch will tell more than anything.
-Aaron @ the SCF

Posted

I think someone welded the tips up so they could hang it up on the wall without worrying that someone was going to get hurt. I have a few similar blades that I have been saving, xxxx sharp with or without the carbide tips being there.

Posted

I'll have to try a test heat treat and etch on them. Good idea. For the other material of a billet, I was thinking about pounding some coil spring flat.. Not sure if that would layer well or not..

Posted

Get it as flat as possible by hammering and then dress off with a flap disc. It doesn't hurt to have a slight crown down the length of your material. It helps prevent slag and flux from being trapped inside when you first begin the weld. It gives it a place to go. Another method to get steel flat is to make a die set like a spring fuller only make a channel that will limit the thickness of the steel in a more or less uniform manner

Posted
Note that Ni containing steels are harder to weld to each other than Ni to plain carbon steels; that coil spring may not be the best match with the sawblade.


I agree I would get some 10XX steel for mixing with that.

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