wrought iron toast fork

[ausfire]

So I had a few 6ft pieces of 5/16 wrought from some old beds. Finally managed to make a twisted toasting fork after three attempts. This stuff has to be really hot to twist without breaking. Twist it red and it breaks like crumbly cheese.

Anyway, here's how it turned out.

 

[Gergely]

Cool fork! 

It's pretty interesting what you say about breaking WI. The WI I use is also a bit tricky and needs heat but it never breaks it only ravels (I hope this is the correct term here, meaning: to become disjoined thread by thread or fiber by fiber).

I'd assume yours is a lower quality WI in which the original spongy structure wasn't refined enough and this spongy-ness causes the breaking as there is no continous iron fibres along the material. - Just thinking out loud

Bests

Gergely

[ThomasPowers]

Yes it's well known that a lot of Wrought Iron likes to work at a temperature where a modern steel would start burning.  As I got into smithing through bladesmithing it still takes an act of will for me to heat it up to the temp it wants.

[arkie]

Me too!  When working with WI, I still have the fear of burning it up, but hot is what it likes.

[ausfire]

I think Gergely may well be right - poor quality wrought iron. It does fracture with the half cut and bend test, but crumbles if bent without enough heat. The rods came from old style beds and cots. I wish I could find a more creative use for them other than toast forks; I like the texture but the material frustrates me.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Aus, you may want to try refining what you have by folding and forge welding it to itself a few times. I have heard that it practically welds itself, so it may be worth a try. 

[Gergely]

I'm thinking to use my not-so-usable pieces of WI to create some decorative pattern welded billets (low carbon stock). My first try went awfully wrong though  Haven't touched the stuff since then.

Bests

Gergely