Xavier F-C Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Today was my lucky day! I visited a small scrap yard while collecting a few trinkets and the owner gave them to me for free! Anyway, here is all that I took: The shiny rod is threaded and is not simple carbon steel, according to the spark test I made. (Much fewer sparks than simple carbon steel.) Stainless steel? What kind of steel is the leaf spring most likely to be? It looks like medium carbon steel (could be between medium and high carbon steel) from the sparks. I can see the letters "CNR". Do you know what it means? What is a pickaxe? I can see "10LC". Is it the name of the steel or is it something else? It sparks a lot with the grinder so it seems to be high carbon steel. If you think you know something, I'll be glad to hear it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exo313 Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 CNR is probably Canadian National Railway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 I gather that "CNR" is also internet slang for "Could Not Resist", which certainly applies to blacksmiths and free tools! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier F-C Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 Exo313, That seems reasonable considering I live near the St. Lawrence River. How was the tool used? JHCC, The temptation was too strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 I believe it's a cold cut for cutting rail---like a giant cold chisel that you strike with a sledge, trace a line all around the rail and then break it. Nowadays they will just cut it with a abrasive disk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier F-C Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 ThomasPowers, That would make sense because the tool is clearly asymmetrical, with one end more slender than the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 I have a couple of the RR rail cutting chisels; I've never tried using them for their original use though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 I have been scooped! OUCH ! SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mberghorn Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 On 6/14/2017 at 9:46 AM, Xavier F-C said: That seems reasonable considering I live near the St. Lawrence River. I too am from the St. Lawrence region, though on the NY side. My home town is about 30 minutes away from the T.I. Bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 Hi Xavier, Nice score for free! Have you tried a magnet on the shiny threaded rod? If it's not magnetic or just a very little, it's austenitic stainless. If it's magnetic and the sparks are short, reddish, and not bursting into stars it can be ferritic stainless. If you see stars at the ends of the sparks it can be the 420 like martensitic stuff. (The thread - I think - makes the austenitic the most possible.) Leaf springs are mostly in the 0,5-0,6 % carbon content range with some moderate quantities of other alloying elements (like Si, V, Cr). Bests: Gergely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier F-C Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 Gergely, The metal rod is clearly magnetic, just like normal carbon steel. The sparks are short and slightly reddish. From this picture and the info I gathered, what steel is this likely to be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 I wish I could help you more but I can't really. This may be the 420 type martensitic stainless - the sparks look like it a little. Although there are way too many uncertain things to say it straight. Try to forge it, go for the hardening test: air - oil - water. Then you will have all the info you're able to get from scrap steel Bests: Gergely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier F-C Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 Gergely, Thanks for the answer and I will try to test the steel behavior with various hardening test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier F-C Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 I quenched the rod in water and it hardened, without any cracks. My test file could not bite it. I tempered it to a bronze-purple color and the test file could bite it, but just a little. I have not done any other test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 Okay, well done! Now you have to figure out what to make of it Happy hammering! Gergely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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