Steven511 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 My diving board broke recently, and I decided to take out the springs before chucking it. I assume they are spring steel since they are springs (duh). My question is, what should I do with it? I’m pretty inexperienced and only have a small charcoal forge, so a sword is out of the question. However, I would like to take advantage of just how much steel is in this thing. Any ideas on pieces that I could make using this? It is 30in x 2.5in x .25in, with a slit bend on either side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 There is a long list of things you should do and then a longer list of things you can do. You would want to ensure it is high carbon steel. So a spark test would be a good start. (Look it up then try it) Then cut off a small section and give it a heat treat test. Quench it in air, then oil if it doesn't harden, then water after that. If it won't harden then it is only good for future projects requiring mild steel. Then you can try a temper and break test (directions found here https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.bamsite.org/tips/heat.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj_2eLll7ncAhWPdN8KHdwwCO8QFjAKegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw2S205dA_WSybc-YviZ4Rw_) It's at this point you might decide what to make with it. The natural choice is blades if it hardens and tempers well. Cut it into lengths you think useable and then anneal the pieces (read about the process then try it out) Once you are done with this you will have a boatload more knowledge about steel and heat treating and a few more skills on top of that. By then you will be ready to do whatever you want with it. I did a bunch of this about two years ago and learned so much. You will get a lot or of this chunk of steel if you do the same. Lou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 I wouldn't do anything with it. Just set it to the side until you really need it. As you said, you don't have much experience, so focus on building up your tooling, buying tongs, etc. There are a thousands scrolls, collars, s-curves and other things to work on to build up your skills, and they can be combined in a thousand ways to make some really nice stuff that doesn't stretch your abilities to the breaking point. That spring thing will come in handy one day, but there's no hurry to make something out of it just because you have it on hand. Remember, brand new steel is dirt cheap and you can get it in exactly the right size you need for a project. You always come out better starting with new steel that's the right size than "free" steel that needs a ton of shaping, or requires you to change the design to fit that shape. Relax. There's no hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 5 hours ago, Steven511 said: Any ideas on pieces that I could make using this? It is 30in x 2.5in x .25in, with a slit bend on either side Well ... you tricked me to look at this using the word "giant" ... I thought someone had found a ship anchor or an equestrian statue natural size. You could make a few chisels of different sizes. You always need chisels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven511 Posted July 25, 2018 Author Share Posted July 25, 2018 Sorry. My city doesn't really have any scrap metal (yards or otherwise) so getting something like this seemed pretty big since i'm used to working with railroad spikes. Finding something like an anchor would be a ludicrously rare find for me, so right now my version of giant is about anything over 20 pounds - the bar is actually the heaviest piece of metal I have worked with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Only kidding Stevo ... have you done a spark test? Get someone to take photos and post them. At lest we could possibly tell if it is ok to make tools with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 No scrap yards??? Not in Henderson but North Las Vegas has several. Hit up an auto mechanic, they usually have a bunch of scrap parts like FWD axles, steering links, etc.. My friend has a big pile in his shop, or he did the last time I was by to see him. I have literally collected tons of steel for free. We need to meet up. I have some stock here that I could drop off for you to mess with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 5 hours ago, Steven511 said: My city doesn't really have any scrap metal (yards or otherwise) There are cars in your city right? And cars need maintenance and repairs right? Well the repair facilities (mechanical or collision repair) usually have a pile of scrap sitting out back. Just pointing out a most common source you can look for. There are enough threads that explain the parts to look for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 WARNING WARNING DANGER DANGER! is that steel coated in any way? IF so burning off the coating in the forge can be VERY TOXIC. I've given the farewell toast for one friend who put plated materials in his forge; got metal fume fever which progressed into pneumonia and died. Clean steel is easily available. (And I hate to tell you this; but swords were forged in small charcoal forges for several thousand years. You only need a hot spot of 4"-6".) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 WARNING DANGER The same applies for grinding any coating off the metal. It puts metal dust and particles into the air for you to breathe and scatters the metal dust and particles so they can settle on everything in the shop. Any breeze or air currents puts the metal dust and particles into the air again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven511 Posted July 25, 2018 Author Share Posted July 25, 2018 Glenn - Thanks for the warning, it definitely was not my intention to forge with that coating on. I'm gonna be lighting a big fire in my backyard, setting the thing in, and leaving the fumes to burn off outside while I watch from inside. I'll probably have a fan going at it to blow the fumes away as well, then wait to the next day to go and actually use it. Thomas - Thanks for the warning as well. As for the sword forging, I know that swords were forged in small charcoal forges, but this thing is at least 3-4 times heavier than any sword blank, so it is probably impossible for my forge to heat this thing up enough to hot-cut out a sword blank (which I could then actually heat), and definitely impossible to actually forge a whole part of it into a sword. I meant to get that across in my original post, so apologies for the confusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Hope you dont have any neighbors anywhere close. Dont know much about hot cutting a sword blank.... but you can always heat a section and hot cut it then heat the next section and hot cut and so on. I never heard of people hot cutting a sword blank. From what I have seen they forge out the shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Hot cutting is a much faster way to getting stock down to the size where you can start forging to shape. You generally don't cut to shape, (except for total stock removal blades.) You are entirely correct about cutting in sections. You can't efficiently cut more than a few inches a heat anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven511 Posted July 25, 2018 Author Share Posted July 25, 2018 Daswulf/Thomas - About cutting to shape, what I meant by sword blank was something similiar to a handle blank - something that has just a little more material than what I need, that I can then forge (or grind in relation to handles) into the shape I want. So me cutting out a sword blank would be cutting the original piece of steel down to something around the weight of a sword that I could then forge out the profile of since the original piece of steel is way too big to use for a single sword. The problem is that I can't even heat up a small section of the piece enough to cut, because it is so thick. Plus, I don't think it is worth the time (or the fuel/grinder disks) to cut out a sword blank from this. It would probably be cheaper to just buy something closer to size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar.esq Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 #1 Don't burn toxic stuff. Being too cheap to buy mild steel is a terrible reason to risk harming everything in your environment. #2 High carbon steel can be significantly harder to forge than mild steel. Not, theoretically harder, or philosophically harder, harder under the hammer at all heats. I think it's just terrible to learn on and I'm speaking from experience. #3 Building skill with mild steel will progress further and faster because it's harder to burn, easier to move under the hammer, and it's available in a huge variety of sizes. #4 It really, really, really, pays to start projects with stock that's close to your finished size. I've spent a month of Sundays struggling to draw things out only to burn the stupid project in half because I was too tired to pay attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 Steven, You are correct in that its a waste of time to try to forge a sword from that and to buy new " known " steel for that. But! If you couldn't heat that piece enough to hot cut a section off you have a problem with your forge. So I'm thinking there is more at play here then just what piece of steel you found to try to use. Good news! We can help. Please post some photos and or description of what you are using as a forge. I'm thinking from how you are posting that it may not be up to par. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven511 Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Will do Daswulf! I'm out of town this week, but when I get back I'll be sure to post some pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Ok. Get some pictures of it empty with the pot, air supply and so on, then some of it lit and full blast at least. These will give us a starting point. I appreciate you getting back to us. We really do want you to have a good experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Also what kind of charcoal are you using. BBQ briquets don't do well for forging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
setlab Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 I came here to see a giant piece of steel, all I see tiny piece of flat bar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Ah HAH! We baited him in guys POUNCE NOW! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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