So Im starting a little experiment for making a billet of cable Damascus out of some atv winch cable and have a quick question. The cable has been well used and kept on the spool a good long while and after getting it off of the drum its keeps trying to twist up on itself and I was wondering if it would mess with the strength of the steel to use a couple of fencing nails and a 2x4 and stretching it straight then taking my oxy torch and heating the cable till it relaxes then letting it air cool?

 

I cant see were it would hurt unless you heat it long enough to see sparkley things.

Russell

its only roughly 1/8 inch but it will tear your hands up with the burrs lol so also hoping that when I heat it it will singe those burrs down too

Fold it a few times, twist it tight and wrap with baling wire, she's ready to weld up. Straighten it afterwards when it's easy.

Of course that's just how I'd do it and I'm pretty lazy.

Frosty The Lucky.

Frosty,

   I have a old choker cable about 1-1/4" in dia that is all kinds of rusty.  do you think a good dusting with borax at dull red heat after a good brushing will get it clean enough to weld?

 

Russell

Frosty,

   I have a old choker cable about 1-1/4" in dia that is all kinds of rusty.  do you think a good dusting with borax at dull red heat after a good brushing will get it clean enough to weld?

 

Russell

could always try your hand at making an electrolysis tank and derust it

Fold it a few times, twist it tight and wrap with baling wire, she's ready to weld up. Straighten it afterwards when it's easy.

Of course that's just how I'd do it and I'm pretty lazy.

Frosty The Lucky.

not a bad idea, might just do that

I don't think borax is going to deoxidize anything.

I don't get many takers on this but it's worked a treat for me. I dilute Naval Jelly about 50% in water and soak rusty stock overnight or less. Rinse, neutralize with baking soda, rinse again and oil lightly. Naval Jelly says it converts rust back to steel right on the bottle. Seems to do just that. If you don't let it dry it won't leave the phosphate black finish. If you rinse, neutralize, rinse again and don't oil it'll rust quickly.

You might give Tristan's (Teenylittlemetalguy) "Alaska Flux" a try. It's basically borax, boric acid and powdered charcoal. The relatively pure carbon, charcoal, will bind with oxy more easily than iron will so may convert the oxy in the rust to CO2 leaving steel. Thats just a thought, I haven't tried it on rusted steel. Search "Alaska Flux" should hit on the ratios Tristan's using.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

first photo is how im starting out, second is all twisted and bundled up, this is going to be an interesting adventure since My forge is not the largest as far as the brake drum forges go but it gets the metal nice and hot. all of this will be worked by hand, I think im going to make another wrap on the leftover cable but ill try doing a French braid and see what kind of pattern that will yield.

If you heat it up enough to take the kinks out, you void the safety certifications for it, and may not use it for any construction again, simple fact for any rigger.  Can you still use it  for personal use?  maybe,  its your life. 

If you heat it up enough to take the kinks out, you void the safety certifications for it, and may not use it for any construction again, simple fact for any rigger.  Can you still use it  for personal use?  maybe,  its your life. 

not using it to hold anything so im kosher with that. going to try My hand at making a cable pattern Damascus billet

Cool, then I will move this to the knife making section, to limit confusion about rigging cables.

Are you sure that's only 1/8 inch? Looks more like 1/4 at least.

Are you sure that's only 1/8 inch? Looks more like 1/4 at least.

could be 1/4" I suck at measuring by eyeball

Cool, then I will move this to the knife making section, to limit confusion about rigging cables.

ok thanks, I would never consider heating rigging cables too much danger there

I have used multi  layers of rigging cables  up to 2 inch crane cables and dredging cables, all good, clean them well, and no fiber cores...

very cool, as far as I can tll these are not fiber cores just plain steel cable