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I Forge Iron

What are the most useful parts to Salvage from a Vehicle


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Greetings All,

First post. Saw there were some others on this topic... but they went off-topic rather quick and turned into arguments about unknown alloys and such.

 

Here is my situation... I have an old car, I intended to keep it and fix it someday... but that someday will never happen, especially with my new found Hobby of Blacksmithing.

So this vehicle will be getting towed away to the Scrapyard, it's going to cost me $100 to do that anyway... figured I might aswell salvage every or most useful parts from it to xxxx around with in the Forge before I use my good/known steels.

 

I ordered some Steel when I first got interested... but haven't touched them, yet. Cause they were expensive (considering) and I want to use scrap to learn off of for techniques and such. And that way I might even be able to learn what's what in the scrap steel world!

 

Anyway!!!...

The car is a '99 Mercury Cougar (if that matters)

 

What should I request the Scrapyard pulls off for me?

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Springs, anti sway bars and sterling linkage. The rear axle is IRS if I remember right so the 1/2 shafts are not much use. The amount of labor to safely remove these parts for the scrap yard will pretymuch negate the value. I would recommend sending the compleatly car to scrap and go to a suspension shop or 4x4 shop. They generate a steady stream of medium carbon scrap. Note that you have to experiment with the stock to see how it forges and heat treats. This is why many smiths recommends against scrap. 

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Most metal from an automobile can be used for something, given time and a place to store it.

As you have read the other threads, you may want to just keep the vehicle and learn how to use the parts. 

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Welcome aboard Defstryk, glad to have you. 

What did you buy for new stock that's more expensive than paying a scrapyard to pull off your junk car? If they're going to charge you $100 to haul it off they most certainly will charge you for every piece they remove for you. 

Evaluating salvaged steel is a skill set in itself and without having much if any hammer time you won't know enough to. Trying to learn basic blacksmith skills sets using salvaged steels makes it much harder than it needs to be. 

Buy some "mild" steel stock to learn the blacksmith's craft with. The consistency in known stock means you'll only have to learn how it feels and moves under the hammer one time and can get on with learning basic processes and developing the muscle memory known as hammer control. Once you have the basics down proficiently learning new steels is just a matter of learning it's heat management requirements and how it moves. 

A competent blacksmith can almost certainly forge a blade first try where a competent bladesmith isn't likely to make a matching set of cabinet hardware very well. 

That's the reasoning for my advice. Learn basic blacksmithing to a proficient level than forge whatever you want. 

Frosty The Lucky.

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Thanks for your replies.

I live in a rather small town (it likes to call itself a City, but isn't really).

A few more details... I know the owner of the Tow company, so they're going to only charge for the Tow. So anything that comes off the car is 'free'.

There aren't a huge amount of Automotive Garages here... but I will contact them to see if they have anything scrap to offer.

I ordered Steel from the local welding company... they had to order it themselves, it is as follows: 

Four @ / 4140 / 5" x 1-1/2" x 1-1/2"

Four @ / 1018 / 12" x 1/2" x 1/2"

Four @ / 1018 / 24" x 1/2" x 1/2"

Two @ / 1018 / 8" x 1" x 1"

Two @ / 1095 / 10" x 2" x 1/2"

That all came to $350ish ... which was surprising to me, it seems high.. But as it's my first Steel order (and they also had to order it, mark-up galore).

Because of that price, I'm calling all that my "Good" Steel... and won't be using much of it until I get a Basic understanding of the Craft.

 

I don't mind hard work or difficult work. I like figuring things out and solving problems. So scrap steel, despite many many Many warnings against it doesn't scare me away.

It may Suck to heat treat something after working on it for a time to find it won't harden like I wanted it to... but lesson learned.

I intend to get scrap, continue getting scrap and continue using scrap... if nothing else there's always something else I can do with junk... send it back to a Scrapyard, or use it for welding a Forge-stand or make myself 10000 nails and do some traditional Carpentry with smithed nails... hah

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8 minutes ago, DefStryk258 said:

 

It may Suck to heat treat something after working on it for a time to find it won't harden like I wanted it to... but lesson learned.

This is why you test a piece first to see what it might be and how/ if it will harden. 

For things not heat treat critical scrap can be fine. I use it a lot for many things and uses.  There Are times you may even mess up a piece forging it like if you accidently try forging high carbon steel like low carbon steel and burn it. 

Use it, experiment with it, but most importantly, be Safe about it. Read the safety section, there are coatings like chrome, zinc and paints that you need to watch out for. 

 

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No WONDER they charged you a bunch! It would have been cheaper to order full 20' sticks. The supply company you ordered fro had to special order the steel and now they have all these rems they can't sell as full sticks and it's not commonly desired stock. 

I buy a 20' stick of 1/2" sq. #s two and three, on your list for $18.00 and the guys in the yard who load cut it in half for free. You bought 12' of 20' and had them cut it in little pieces where you can cut 1/2" sq. in under 30 seconds with a hack saw. The first two cuts cost more than a full stick. Why did you order 1018? It's no longer an off the shelf common steel stock. I don't know what my supplier would charge for a stick of 1018 special order. Probably more than what I'd have to pay for the rest of what you ordered AND I'd have to wait for their next shipment. My guys charge $10. per cut minimum if you ask at the counter, even halving it to transport in my pickup. The yard guys just put it in the saw or iron worker and it's done in a couple seconds. The guys at the counter HAVE to charge for everything billable it's in the bean counter's bible and everything the guys at the counter do is on record. 

Next time just buy "mild" and take a hack saw if you have to.

What's the 1.5" sq. 4140 for? You bought a full 20' stick but paid them for 3 cuts. Hammer dies or something? A coarse TPI hacksaw and that's maybe 10 minutes cutting. The yard guys would've just whacked it in half for you to haul.

You bought 16' of 1/2" sq. 

8' of 1" sq. 1018. Maybe 1 minute with a coarse hacksaw blade for less $ than you left them to store and you would've had a full 20'

The 1095 is the only thing I can see worth ordering and there are companies who sell and ship small lengths of tool steel. 

I'm not trying to beat you up here I'm just illustrating there are better ways to buy steel. Just because someone on the internet said use x or a book written a century ago says 1018 is THE only thing to use. Times change, what was common everywhere 30 years ago is a special order or just not available now. 

However, 1018 IS very consistent, a pleasure to use. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Frosty The Lucky.

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