...like what is used in concrete. I have found about 200 sections between 2 and 4 feet long in the ditch. It looked like about 1/2 inch diameter.

What is it good for? Will it hold up to forging?

It is good for putting in concrete.

Forging? I use it to practice.
Rebar is made of scrap steel. ANY steel that will melt and form a bar.
It is very low (if any) in carbon.

I does take a decent weld however. I taught my daughter to weld using rebar.

Like forge welding? I am in desperate need of learning that.

It makes a pretty handle on a letter opener. When you twist it, it looks like you spent a long time putting all those dents in it. If you twist a long section It makes a good looking fire poker. I have forge welded it many times to make the end of a fire poker.

Clifford,

Rebars a good practice material. I've had it break when hit cold after a water quench. So do some experimenting. I have also made hot cut chisels and punches out of it. If you don't want your project to be hard don't quench it. Like rlarkin said, it is recycled steel so it is unpredictable, As far as carbon content. Have fun practicing.


Be Safe
Larry

Get it and use it. You need to experiment with it as it is not a standard specification so any batch can (and will) be different from another batch. I have made chisels, crowbars, punches, drifts and other tools from it. Don't forget that it also goes well in concrete. Any concrete you lay will be much better for some steel in it even if it is not specified. Also if you are ever using concrete to provide weight to make a base stable don't forget it will be much heavier with steel inside the concrete. My welding bench is supported by, amongst other things, a steel pipe leg whic is embedded in the concrete floor. This leg is filled with concrete and guess what runs up the centre of the concrete? Also if you ever have to floor anchor anything such as a tool or a sculpture one quick, easy and cheap way is to cast a block of concrete on which to stand it. Before you pour, however, you make a matrix of rebar and weld some threaded bar to it so that the threads stick out above the floor. That will anchor pretty well anything. (You aren't supposed to weld to rebar actually but for most purposes the point doesn't matter as you can build in greater strength than the item you are securing). If you are thinking of extending the shop or taking out a wall remember you can cast your own concrete beams if you have a supply of rebar.

So go and get that stuff hauled home. You will find a use for it if you have a bit of imagination. As you probably guessed I use tons (literally) of the stuff as I get it free as well.

thats a great find, you will find plenty of uses for it, I have also made some chisels from it among other things spoons. Plenty good for practice and if it breaks who cares?

I use it for making framing for things, my melting furnace, oil tank for my waste oil burner, lifting mechanism for the lid, etc. It's pretty easy to come by and a lot of times free, but even if you were to go and buy it it's pretty cheap, compared to hot or cold rolled any way.

welder19

I copied Richard and made some s hooks for my shop with rebar. also built the top of my metal stand from used rebar. I also made a little knife from rebar just missing around

It makes pretty good snakes too.
Travis

Great Idea travis. I gotta make my aunt a snake HMMMM. LOl . Do you got any pictures Travis?
Thanks,Chris

I use it for making framing for things, my melting furnace, oil tank for my waste oil burner, lifting mechanism for the lid, etc. It's pretty easy to come by and a lot of times free, but even if you were to go and buy it it's pretty cheap, compared to hot or cold rolled any way.

welder19

I am finding now people have become more attached to steel with the prices as they are, plus there are loads of people making a living from scrap, around here anyway, its getting really hard to find free steel. Mabye up in the barrens the jersey devil scares them away!

Chris, Check out the Tidewater member gallery. There is one by Steve Lapaugh.
The link is below.
Travis

Thanks Travis I `ll check that site out;)

STBC: back in Ohio I could find more free steel than I could use and used to give it away to other smiths. Out here in NM the sides of the highways are scoured clean, illegal dumpsites are scoured clean and most folks still *use* their scrap piles. Having to "buy" steel still feels strange...

Back in the early '70's my scout troop used to camp down in the Pine Barrens of NJ; we found lots of scrap steel---abandoned cars that we used to practice group work on by flipping them over, take a mort of youngsters to flip an old car!

as has been suggested........twisted rebar has many decorative uses. Here's some different sizes that have a series of reverse twists.


the smallest rounds are the "viney" round that's available.

Cool!! I want to try that ! thats Awesome! I`ve been needing a gate in the shop for the summer when the door is open so I don`t have shop dogs LOL

I am referencing ASTM specifications for reinforcing bars.
There are three ASTM specifications.
The ID stamp is for re-bar produced inside the USA.
A615 plain new billet steel bars (ID stamp-N)
A616 rail steel bars- made from A-1 (ID stamp - cross section of rail) Carbon .55-.82
Only the head of the rail is used. The flange and web are kept separate and recycled into other things.
A617 axel steel bars- made from A-21 (ID stamp - A) Carbon .40-.59

I would write more, but Big Ugly (the dog) just crawled up on my lap to inform me that I should shut down the computer because we are having a large thunder and lightning storm.