Working with rebar

[Alphonse]

I have fooled around with making "chisel like" cutting tools out of grade 60 1/2" rebar.
I just heated a 6" long piece up at the end about 1" up to yellow. I hamered a chisel point [Very tough material to draw out] used a 3lb. hammer and had it very hot. Then reheated it back up to RED and quenched in soap/salt water quench.

I was impresed how indestructable the worked end was. I did not draw or temper it at all. Held a ground edge despite chiseling against a 10# sledge that have hardfaced with 55-60 RC hard rod!
The rebar did not crack, fracture or spall at all, and it's shank stayed about the same but rather toughend up good" made a great welding chipping hammer head!

Has anyone had good or bad results, or uses for this "cheap and abundent" material?
Seams like it would make good earth working tools like pitch fork, tines.

Edited May 21, 2008 by alfonso

[Mills]

You caught a piece that did what you wanted, it might happen again or not. I'd use a piece to do a quick tool but if I am tool making I'll select a steel that I know what it will do.

[pete46]

I Use It For Yard Art Stuff Bottletrees ,hooks For Feed Buckets Etc.
Rebar Is Not Consistant So Anneal & Never Trust It [for Any Temper Applications ]
I Like Useing It, Cause It's Cheap & Has A Texture That I Like.

[Rutterbush]

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


As you can see, the rebar made in the good old US of A has a decent quality control. If you get the stuff that so many purchase because they're buying price, who knows?


The blacksmithing classes at the college of welding knowledge use rebar for most punches, chisels, slitting tools, hardy tools and just about anything needed. I've got *my* set that I made over a year ago. Center punch still has a point, chisel still has a nice cutting edge, slitting tool can still cut through hot metal and hold an edge with prudent cooling. I forged to rough shape, ground to smooth, heated to non magnetic, quench in room temperature water, draw to medium to dark straw and quench. No normalizing stress releaving.
The only real problem I've had is these things grow tiny little legs. They tend to run out the door with no help, and they're fast little scudders. Even tried painting them hot pink in hopes it would embarrass them into staying at school and not venture into public.

I overheard one instructor tell another instructor, who was busy etching the schools name on a box of new sockets, "Don't waste your time doing that. It only makes the thief mad when his tools have the school name on them".

[Alphonse]

Thanks for all the excelent replys...I know in construction, All welding on rebar is a no-no- unless the contractor can identify The ASTM_weldable grade, and that it is welded with E-7018 LH by a WELDER not a wantabee. {Wantabee's make excelent welders after much practice and learning though! not on buildings first] Since there are so may piles of rebar around jobs, the risk is too great to get the wrong quality and weld up a falure in the work. The problem is a lot of sulphur, carbon content, and other impurities in the low grade rebar that embritle and cause failures when heated at welding/forging temps I guess.
ALTHOUGH I SEEM TO HAVE HAD GREAT RESULTS as Rutterbush, I will heed the warnings given also! I have had HSS endmills break off and hit me in the past, I don't need pieces of tools made from rebar !
All I know is that I got this rebar from My good old HOME DEPOT...If it was made in the GOOD OLD USA or not I don't know. It [1/2"] sells for $3.99 for a 10 length retail for goodness sake!

Edited May 22, 2008 by alfonso

[LDW]

If you heat and twist re-bar it appears you spent a long time putting all the detail in it. I have made several letter openers and fire pokers with it, When you want to make something quick and easy it works good for that too.

[KYBOY]

I have some 1" rebar (kinda hard to find and expensive too.) that I was making drags from. I cut of a piece today so I can make a 1" drift with it. Its the only 1" round stock I have right now. Its a good quailty rebar so it should work for a while.

[philip in china]

I use it a lot. If you are making tools to dig with or chisels for rock just remember that the pattern on it is designed to stick inside concrete so it will stick in earth or rock. When I want something a bit better on a small tool I forge the whole length until the pattern has been smoothed out. But remember here I have a lot of time and free or very cheap fuel. Sometimes free rebar can be quite an expensive choice! It is a lot of fun though and is great to teach with as it is so cheap. I actually get it upto 1" free.