When I manage to find a vid of a pro doing a demo, the metal behaves beautifully. An abana vid showed how to forge a scrolling wrench. What kind of stock is it? What's the standard type pro's use for fire place tools, railings, deco grills, etc. etc.? It looks like they're working with play-doe. Regular handforging. Not power hammer on tool steel, or a rookie with a lousy aim smaking dull red rebar. Just good metal. Menards stock works, but not like whatever the big boys use.

You could probably save money by ordering metal from a distributor and pay shipping over what "Menards Steel" costs. "Standard" for ornamental; railings, fireplace tools, deco grills etc is mild steel. i.e. A36 or 1018. Menards steel is for emergency *very small* projects, where the end results far outweigh what the materials cost. e.g "The-house-is-going-to-fall-into-a-sink-hole-if-I-don't-get-that-piece-of-steel-from-Menards (insert any other favorite "box store")-NOW!" type projects. There HAS to be a wholesale steel distributor in the greater Chicago area that can beat Menards prices and not require you to buy tons of it. Albeit, you will probably have to buy a full length; usually 20'. Try this link

A-36 1018 mild steel is what I use for most everything not needing hardness, rigidity or rebound higher than just a little.

 

Are you really trying to forge at dull red? If so that's why it isn't moving without a serious fight. Bring it up into the high orange or low yellow, it'll move like modeling clay for you. Well, stiff modeling clay sure but it won't wear you out and make you ache.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

A lot of it is technique as well (not saying I know it, but I can see what I am missing!), hit up Brian Brazeals YouTube channel if you REALLY want to feel inept! How and where you are striking plays a HUGE part in how quickly or slowly the metal moves, and how much energy you are wasting to fix collateral damage from the previous swings.

Read Seeing Colors

 

Bring A-36 1018 mild steel up to high yellow and give it a couple of whacks, couple more at high orange, and a couple more at red. Let the metal cool and look at the six different hits. 

 

Now bring it up to high yellow again and give it a hard deliberate hammer blow with the intention to move some metal. Make the hard deliberate hammer blows one at a time, not several half hearted taps. Learn to read the metal and where to place each blow as a hard deliberate hammer blow. The metal WILL move.

Another major difference is the harder and faster you hammer the stock the longer it stays hot. New people often want to hammer slowly contemplating what each hammer blow does letting the stock cool off.

Belson Steel. Kankakee, Illinois. Look em up and tell them what you want to do.

A lot of it is technique, knowing what you're doing. George Ernest was a toolsmith on the west coast in the last century, and he is reputed to have said, "Some people hit it and watch where it goes; I know where it's going to go before I hit it!"

Now you do find folks trying to use higher carbon scrap for items that don't require it and so suffering the recalcitrance of the alloys under the hammer too. Learning to use the right material for the job as it's *cheaper* in the long run than using free wrong material, is a factor in the craft. (And most if not all of us have probably crossed that line a time or two---using coilspring to finish off a project cause it's handy rather than making a trip to town to buy a stick of A36...)

A36 is not nessisaraly 1018, A36 is a structural specification for steel, it may be 1018 or something else, often it a n incosistant mix, some of it is butter soft, wile just a few inches over may be hard. If you are working on somthing that consistant forging is important (like making a demo you might consider sorcing 1018 as apposed to A36. But for most work A36 is carried at most any steel yard.

A36 is almost NEVER 1018! They could charge more for it if it really was 1018... Used to be that you could still get real 1018 in cold rolled stock but that's becoming iffy these days too. Working old scrap you sometimes run into the old low carbon stuff that fairly sucks the hammer head down into it when hammered hot. (and the real wrought iron that laughs and frays out at you if you try hammering on it too cold)

Actually smithing is going backwards to the days when you had to check a new buy of iron to see how it worked on a stick by stick basis. (Moxon talks about this in Mechanicks Exercises, 1703)

True, but I have had it show up once or twice when I orderd A36 and they yard or their suplier where short. Dosnt hapen often, infact In 1/4" square I usualy end up with somthing harder.

Good morning all
 
In my neighborhood hot rolled bar comes in 20’ lengths and cold roll in 12’ lengths.  I realize that hot or cold rolled is a finish process but can one assume that cold roll is 1018 and hot roll A36.  I have not been able to get a satisfactory answer from the supplier; it’s all mild steel to him.
 
Tks grant

 I realize that hot or cold rolled is a finish process but can one assume that cold roll is 1018 and hot roll A36. 

 

tru dat

NO; it used to be that you could; but I've run into some pickled and oiled A36 masquerading... (odds are still in your favour; but...)

1018 it is! Thanks guys! I've done enough forging to learn proper heat and hammering. Honestly I'm glad I learned with crap stock. Now that I have the attention of vets let me ask you this: What stock is good for tools and weapons? Like say a hammer, or a sword. Different tempering I know but what stock should I start with?

What type of sword? In general I suggest folks start out with 5160 as it's more forgiving in forging and heat treating than some of the other alloys and easy to source too!