stovestoker Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I found this round stock at the scrap yard today. they were 1 inch bars cut in 2 foot lengths. There were hundreds of them. I got five. I didmt want to get more not knowing what kind of steel they were. Here is a pic while on the grinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 ask the scrap dealer where he got them from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 it may be steel... you can pay the $200 to have them tested, or ask the seller, or buy a known steel if you need too know what it is, try it and see if it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stovestoker Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 You know now that you mention it. Those kids at the scrap yard have some kind of spectrometer. They used it one time when I though I had stainless. Turned out to be titanium. I was hoping somee would say low.carbon, or high carbon from the color of the sparks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 HMM... that is surely 1045 or maybe 1050! It's OBVIOUS! (BTW we use blue font to signal sarcasm... just so there is no excuse for not getting it) It really is not possible to say. The intended use is often a very good clue. Otherwise buy some and try it! Do a hardening test and you'll know a bit more. The way it works under the hammer is a good clue if you have enough experience to interpret it. A spark test is difficult to read and pretty useless unless you have known steel samples handy for comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 not from the colour of the sparks but from the burstiness on them. Not high carbon---check it against what a file shows when you touch the end of it against the grinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stovestoker Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 I knew my question was a " why is the sky blue" kind of question. But I am trying to learn the differences in steel so when I go to the scrapyard I know what clues to look for when trying to find scrap for each different application. I know it will take more experience heating, banging and using to understand what I am working with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 some of the basics include: What was it originally? As higher carbon steels and tool steels are much more expensive to buy, work, heat treat, etc they will generally not be used unless the original item *demanded* their properties Note that all bets are off on recycling recycled steels---I've found old farm equipment that was repaired at the farm over the years where one piece might be 1020 and the exact same piece on the other side is 1080 as they used whatever was to hand on the farm to fix it. Some scrapyards have dedicated contracts with local manufacturers and so may *know* what they are getting; I remember one in Dayton OH that knew the companies colour coding mapping and so could sort marked items as to exact alloy. Very handy as they dealt a lot in high alloy tool steels and smiths were willing to pay a premium over scrap rate to get H13 or S7! (The problem in a "mixed" scrapyard is that every company has their own colour coding system...) A standard set of "test steels" is handy to have if you are doing spark testing: Wrought iron, cast iron, 1020, A36, 1045, 4140, 5160, 4340, 1095, W2, O1...as you build up *KNOWN* examples make sure they are marked! An old silverware drawer can be used to hold marked steels in their slots. Even without exact knowledge File, auto spring, and A36 can help you choose a bucket for unknown steels; though the weirder alloys make trouble---telling WI form CI from some high alloy steels can be very hard, though they will work totally different! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evfreek Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 It is not 1040. 1040 will show more bursts. The picture is not very clear. 1" from a scrapyard could be almost anything. If it is 1.5", it would be most likely 1045. Do you have coupons for comparison? I have about 15 different alloys, and sometimes I can nail it so good that I can sell it on Ebay without worrying about bad feedback, and sometimes I am just stumped. I bought a block for a fabricated anvil, and the scrap yard told me that it was not mild steel "because of the way it rusted". It did not match any of my coupons. I shaved off a bit and heat treat tested it. Not hard. That's all that mattered, and it was just for curiosity. That block is now a good anvil, with a 1060 table and a 4140 horn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek C. Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 My local scrapyard has a whole lot of tool steel from Bethlehem steel, but sadly when I asked they no longer knew what the color coding meant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L Smith Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Do a hardness test. heat a small piece and see if it breaks or bends with water or oil. What most people don't realize now days is those of us from the sixtys and seventys had to TRY and figure things out on our own. It is a time honered test. No worthwhile internet back then unfortunatly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 one reference source: http://books.google.com/books?id=aFJFuouzTEAC&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69&dq=bethlehem+steel+metals+color+coding&source=bl&ots=sCXIkxmC44&sig=nGndcPAnL-eRrBoD_Iy1SH7az3Y&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rveYU52mKsuPyATf04DQDQ&ved=0CFYQ6AEwCg#v=onepage&q=bethlehem%20steel%20metals%20color%20coding&f=false Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevinT Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Is it hot rolled or cold rolled? From the sparks it looks like mild steel. Hoss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 for scrapyard tests I keep a small hammer and a file in my vehicle. hit a corner or edge and see if it dents much? does it ring when hit flat? how easy does it file? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek C. Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Richard - That is a good resource. I'm going to have to tame that with me next time I go. Kind of pricey stuff though, at $1.50/lb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stovestoker Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Good info to go on. Just got back in town so I am going to take a harder look at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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