Forge scale, a topic of discussion for all new smiths, but I'd like to ask something odd (at least no searches turn up results so I'm guessing it's odd). Is there any use for forge scale? I see that mill scale, the industrial level of our shop dust, is used in a variety of things but nothing that seemed useful to me. Does anyone here do anything with it other than sweep it into the yard/trash?

Well, it is iron oxide, so if you ever had a desire to smelt your own steel you could save all your scale and reduce it back to iron or steel, depending on the method used.  I saw one post on here where someone making items with a power hammer intentionally sprinkled scale on the work to produce a "hand forged" effect.  I just sweep it into the driveway since I have no plans to do any smelting at this point.

I collect it up then when I want a forged scale look to a piece I sprinkle the scale on the piece and drive it in.  It is harder than the hot iron so leaves an impression.  Try it.  I have just read this again and it does not translate well.  Just try it and see the results.

Let me know if I can help you

Wayne Coe

Good Morning,

I use it for when I am punching Holes, helps stop the punch from sticking.

Neil

Punch lube.

You can collect a 5 gallon bucket and take it to the junk yard and trade it for good steel.

Or if you belong to a black smithing group who has a fundraising auction, you could submit a bag for a smith who wants to look like they've been working to sprinkle around their anvil....

 

as always

peace and love

billyO

scale will prevent steel from forge welding together ! so if you were making a bell out of pipe you would put some in pipe and flatten pipe then draw/flare out to bell shape then open up & finish shape + also stuff above It has use's

Sprinkle some in your beer to boost hemoglobin? 

I save it for iron-gall ink and thermite.

That’s some incendiary writing, right there. 

You all are great! I see don't think I'll be making thermite, but who knows. I will definitely try it as punch lubricant, though. I follow your meaning, WayneCoeAtristBlacksmith. Making crusty looking stuff is no challenge for me as a relative newbie as I am learning to create more finished-looking pieces but I'll keep that in my back pocket.

Medowgrove, an additive to my cask when aging my stouts, hmm? I'm not a member of a group, yet, but will be hunting one out now that I'm finally able to setup a forge again 4 years after moving to the Seattle area. I really like the idea of just collecting the scale for use in a fundraiser.

Thanks, everyone! 

JackPines Please READ THIS FIRST  and add your location to your profile.

I forgot to put in my reply that if you have had to do some grinding, such as having used the mig welder to join two pieces, you have a smooth non forged area.  Heat it back up and drive the scale in to make the grinding disappear. 

And Jack, I hope to see you at one of the NWBA events in soon.

 

as always

peace and love

billyO

It can be used as an abrasive too; that's why anvil faces get polished out with a lot of use.  It is softer than aluminium oxide or silicon carbide though.

Good ideas here, I had no idea. Although I started randomly collecting it when I sweep up at the end of the day. Almost got a 1gal jug full. Note- I don't get to forge a lot.

On 6/17/2018 at 8:15 AM, billyO said:

And Jack, I hope to see you at one of the NWBA events in soon.

This Saturday 6/23/18 at 9am in Longview, wa is the next meet. Check blacksmith.org for details and directions

Yes, the mentoring center is a great resource.  I was the coordinator until health issues made me step back.  I hope to get back there soon.

Can't make the 2 hour trip this weekend. Between moving to the new homestead, friends (another blacksmith) flying in from Florida, and a party this weekend, I'm overbooked. I'll try to make the next one and, hopefully, have forged something by then. 

I just now watched a recent Torbjorn Ahman video where is had just used an adhesive to reattach is anvil and didn't like the white caulk look, so he used forge scale to sprinkle on the caulk and completely changed the look. It was pretty cool.

 

I like the idea of scooping it up to sell as scrap. It might help to off set costs a tiny bit or just to give some more spending money!

Edited November 13, 20214 yr by Will Brouwers
Butterfingers

Where I live, I just sold some solid steel scrap for $0.125 per pound (that's 12.5 cents per pound, or as the yard said, $250/ton).   It's gonna take a truck load of scale just to get enough cash to buy a loaf of bread these days.

SLAG, here,

A good use for crushed clinker and also forge scale is to sprinkle on ice when the car gets stuck on road ice.

It greatly enhances traction.

Just sayyin"

SLAG. 

250/ton ain't bad! Better than just throwing it away! 

Should only take about 50 years to gather a ton of scale.