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I Forge Iron

Good Deal on Wrought Iron?


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I could be wrong, others will know for sure, but I think fencing usually or often employed the lower grades of wrought, The higher quality being reserved for structural use, bridges etc, so any assessment of value may need to factor that in.

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20 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Get a piece and try forging it and then make your decision.  Compare the price with the Globe stuff.  Me I'm getting it for 20 cents a pound when I don't get it for free.

Wow!  If you're getting wrought iron in good shape for 20 cents/pound, it may be cheaper to drive to NM and buy it!!!

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Thomas, you ever think about selling some on here? I've yet to find a local source for wrought iron and I refuse to pay the prices on eBay. In fact the lot mentioned in the op makes me think of one ad I just saw on eBay, I watched it last time in came up and it ended and was relished for the same (insane in my opinion) price.

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I find it cause I look for it and recognize it "in the wild"  both by surface rust patterns and by age and type of item it originally was.  I don't find it every trip to the scrap yard; but when I do see it I try to buy it as it is a limited resource.  A lot of it depends on what you need---need high carbon?  Well a ton of great mild steel at a great price will not help you any.  Need mild, then high C can be a pain to work as a substitute.   I've been involved in historical reenactment for 38 years now and so like to work the "original stuff" sometimes even though few people are willing to pay for the extra hassle  (got given 116' of 1.25" WI rod---not much fun if you need 1/4" stock...)  I'm slowly duplicating historical cooking gear out of real WI, this summer I'm planning to do the Oseberg Tripod and the roasting spiral implement.  As for selling it: Naw, too much work on someone else's project. I get few enough hours up at my shop these days to spend one cutting and packing and trying to get to a post office on a working day---I'm in Mexico business hours during the week.

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9 hours ago, Michael Cochran said:

I'll try that on the shallower ones. There's one I can't see the bottom of and people have a habit of meeting their end there because of stupidity so I'll stay out of that one cause I'm a little smarter than that :) 

Forge yourself a grapple hook and see what you can drag up!

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5 hours ago, ausfire said:

Forge yourself a grapple hook and see what you can drag up!

 

5 hours ago, Daswulf said:

Large heavy duty magnet on a rope. some reason I love fishing for junk. :) sounds like an idea while kayaking this summer.

 

Those sound like ideas that might just work :) I'll have to find a good magnet but I think I can manage to forge a grapple hook. I've never made one but how hard could it be? It's just a few hooks with a ring at the top. I might try to make one today if I can get a fire built.

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2 hours ago, Michael Cochran said:

 

Those sound like ideas that might just work :) I'll have to find a good magnet but I think I can manage to forge a grapple hook. I've never made one but how hard could it be? It's just a few hooks with a ring at the top. I might try to make one today if I can get a fire built.

Don't know if there are any near you but I know Harbor freight has some super strong magnets. Think I'll get myself one in anticipation.  

Only thing with a grappling hook is how do you get it unstuck if you get it hooked on something stronger/heavier then you can pull up. Make a few and make em cheap?

On Thomas's idea which is a great one take a garbage bag with you :) 

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I was well on my way with a grapple hook from frebar when my arc welds broke loose under the hammer. I guess they're harder than I thought. I already was thinking about them hanging up and losing them and a length of rope so I might have to reconsider using one where the water is really mucky and you can't see what's below. I'm still gonna have to make one because I don't like when a project beats me. 

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Grappling hook release..... attach a second line to the hook end, then if you catch an immovable pull the other line in the opposite direction.

Magnets, Some speakers have decent heavy magnets in them and Hard Drives have the rare earth ones that will bite your fingers given a chance!

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