February 15, 201610 yr Hi, I can get 45 pieces of 1/2" by 1/2" by 10-1/2" wrought iron for $85. Is this a good price? I know I can find my own but I haven't been having much luck. Also, 1/2" square is the perfect size for me. Thanks
February 15, 201610 yr I have no idea what price wrought iron demands, but I do know there are variations in quality. Is this new or recycle, if the latter do you know what the source was as that may give an indication of it's likely quality.
February 15, 201610 yr Author It is cut up from an old fence. I can also get some better flat wrought for axes and knives.
February 15, 201610 yr PM sent. Replies aren't working for me today, and only one out of three PM's are...... (wow, this one worked...)
February 15, 201610 yr 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.
February 18, 201610 yr 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.
February 19, 201610 yr 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!!!
February 19, 201610 yr 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.
February 19, 201610 yr I would trade any amount of good wrought iron for the same weight of usable mild!
February 19, 201610 yr 7 hours ago, ausfire said: I would trade any amount of good wrought iron for the same weight of usable mild! I've heard others say similar but I've never used it so I don't really know how good or bad it is.
February 19, 201610 yr 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.
February 20, 201610 yr Well I might've found some but I really don't know how to go about getting permission to salvage it. There's a couple remains of old bridges built in the 1800s scattered around here. I guess the county courthouse might hold the answers but I try to avoid that place lol.
February 20, 201610 yr might check around in the streambed for pieces of metal not associated with the bridges as things accidentally lost were often not retrieved.
February 20, 201610 yr 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
February 21, 201610 yr 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!
February 21, 201610 yr Large heavy duty magnet on a rope. some reason I love fishing for junk. sounds like an idea while kayaking this summer.
February 21, 201610 yr 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.
February 21, 201610 yr Don't forget---when people ask what you are doing, you are cleaning the river! And be a good citizen and haul off some trash as well as any treasures...
February 21, 201610 yr 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
February 21, 201610 yr 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.
February 22, 201610 yr I made a pretty good one that used absolutely no welding or forging. I made it before I got into forging, All it takes is bar of steel, a bolt, a lock washer, and nut. Ill take a picture of it once I get home for you guys.
February 22, 201610 yr 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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