saintjohnbarleycorn Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I have a couple of grader blades, and I have seen pictures of them being used as cutoff tools, or shears. Does anyone have any hints or ideas to bring this about? Thanks for any help on this. kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Czar Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 A guy I worked with at the shop, grew up in Pennsylvania and worked the oil fields as a welder, he would repair grader blades quite a lot. They get hardfaced so cutting them apart is a torch or plasma cutter job. They are also going to be wearing on grinding medium a lot more than a mild steel and just chew up any kind of cold saw or bandsaw blade. I would guess the procedure to be disassembly into a workable size by torch, forge and hammer work as close as possible followed by grinding and re-tempering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintjohnbarleycorn Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 thanks, from the pics I saw it looked like they welded the lower one to a hardy, and then made a bolt arragment to form a shear, with a handle. The book said he could cut 1/2" hot with just the lever action, and would use a hammer if he needed more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretch Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Here is some info on what a grader blade is made of, not sure if it will mean anything to you. Here it isGrader blade with casting/insert assembly on leading edge - Patent 4715450 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Czar Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Grader blade with casting/insert assembly on leading edge - Patent 4715450direct pdf download PAT2PDF - Free PDF copies of patents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintjohnbarleycorn Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 thanks I am going to give that a read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeplokd Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 I saw someone in my local club (New York State Designer Blacksmiths Assn) use Grader Blade and made a shear much like the "tailgate shear" that Centaur sells in its catalog. Check out the pic in the catalog for details. 3 slots cut in each half of the shear. 1/4, 1/2, 5/8 or whatever. a twist or possibly a nudge with your GP hammer and it shears off like butter. I'm gonna fabricate one as soon as I can nail down a free piece of grader blade. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welder19 Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 I have a couple pieces of cutting edge that I have been thinking about using for a shear one of these days so I would be really interested to see what you make, so please post pics of it and let us know how it works out. Thanks, welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 I saw someone in my local club (New York State Designer Blacksmiths Assn) use Grader Blade and made a shear much like the "tailgate shear" that Centaur sells in its catalog. Check out the pic in the catalog for details. 3 slots cut in each half of the shear. 1/4, 1/2, 5/8 or whatever. a twist or possibly a nudge with your GP hammer and it shears off like butter. I'm gonna fabricate one as soon as I can nail down a free piece of grader blade. Bill Visit your local state highways shop. Bring a box of donuts and ask if you can have a worn blade. Talk to one of the mechanics of operators, not the front office. Frosty (AK Dot retired) :cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Frosty, you forgot the "bring a big truck" part. I once had a small welding company near my house&shop and If I wandered over late on a Friday with a project and a cold sixpack, the *boss* would come out and help get it done for me. At the ornamental iron fab shop near where I worked I used to have free access to their scrap dumpster; I always made the secretary a hand forged trinket; spent time talking with the fab crew, etc. Used to take home several hundred pounds of drops and share them with the local smithing club. Being nice and *asking* works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Frosty, you forgot the "bring a big truck" part. Being nice and *asking* works! If I need that much, I convince the foreman stuck with the scrap run to drop it at my place. Being nice, which includes being considerate of their time and not bothering them if they're busy, does in deed work. Telling a shop foreman you're a blacksmith and are going to make COOL things from it when he wonders why in the WORLD you want those little pieces of scrap is good PR. Especially if you bring him/er one of those cool things later on. You can get good mileage from the mystique of a blacksmith just like I do being an Alaskan when I'm in the lower 48. Of course I enthusiastically double up on the mystique being an Alaskan blacksmith. Then again I'm shameless. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeplokd Posted August 2, 2008 Share Posted August 2, 2008 Frosty, The donuts thing never occurred to me. At least not in this instance. I'll give it a shot. One of those shears would make a fine addition to my shop. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironrosefarms Posted August 2, 2008 Share Posted August 2, 2008 Another source of metal I find is a couple guys who run landscaping and mowing services. Each year I get a good sized box of high quality mower blades in a variety of sizes along with wore or broken tooth shanks from grader boxes along with rake tines and who knows what else. All just for asking and the occasional forged item. I never thought of donuts for the highway crew, know a lot of other state paid employees who can be bought by donuts though!!!;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 I am using grader blade for my guiletine Hot cut tool. Here's a couple of links to see it. Works VERY well. Nice clean cuts.Guillotine with hot cut dies - Blacksmith Photo GalleryGuillotine with hot cut dies - Blacksmith Photo Gallery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 That's a nice forge cart George. Did you build it? How long did it take? Etc? Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Naw. The forge cart belongs to Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site. A couple of other fellows out there built it. Now, I'm the only smith that they have. It was built from plans for a Rev. War artillery cart forge. They modified it a little. But it works great and sure fun to work from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! i now have an idea how to make my gulotine* tool with the 2 pieces of angle iron!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 You are welcome. Suggestion. Weld a vertical guide (3/8X3/8) on left and right side of the top die. That will help keep it from catching in the slide track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzelik Hammar Posted September 3, 2017 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Sorry to Necro the thread, but I have a decent amount of this steel and was wondering if it was up to snuff for axes and hammers or if I would need to weld in a cutting edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 3, 2017 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Sorry to disappoint your but grader blade is abrasion and impact resistant which makes it almost useless for anything but grader blades and skid shoes. Do a search on "Vascowear" for the particulars on a common brand. What makes it abrasion resistant is a significan't % of tungsten carbide granules held in a high carbon steel matrix. It eats grinders and belts like candy, you need blue wheels to do anything to it. It doesn't hand forge worth spit and I've never heard of anyone getting anywhere. Don't worry most smiths I know who had access to grader blade have some around, I do. It just seems like too good to let go to the scrappers but that's the best place for it. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzelik Hammar Posted September 3, 2017 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Aw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 3, 2017 Share Posted September 3, 2017 The square holes make for nice adjunct hardy holes. I even found one ancient one that was the same size holes as my large anvil! Grader blade was also considered a great material for torch cutting scrolling forks from---the handled ones at one time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzelik Hammar Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Ended up using a cutting torch at work to cut off enough for a hot guillotine, going to finish that today. Also cutting out a cutter to fit in the hardy hole and a bending fork as suggested. Seems that if it's tough and abrasion resistant it should make great hardy tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 At the community college I learned smithing at they used some as the top surface on some home built anvils that were being made. We had a steady supply of scrap 1.5"-2" thick plates from Kaiser Steel that they sold for ten cents a pound. They had an anvil pattern set up in the torch and when all of the parts were cut, you just stacked and welded with the big innershield welder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 On 9/8/2017 at 5:25 AM, Randell Warren said: Ended up using a cutting torch at work to cut off enough for a hot guillotine, going to finish that today. Also cutting out a cutter to fit in the hardy hole and a bending fork as suggested. Seems that if it's tough and abrasion resistant it should make great hardy tools. Sure will and it'll teach you to NOT part the stock on the hardy because a grader blade hardy will put serious cuts in your hammer face. Get the stock thin on the hardy then bend it back and forth to part it. We all miss though and need to dress our hammers. The smart guys here have mild steel hammers to use on punches, chisels and the hardy so the forging hammers and tools don't get beaten up. When you grid the blade, use a cup stone on a disk grinder and to it at red heat or you'll spend bunches on grinding disks. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.