Wagon wheel rims

[beef56]

Would these bands work for knives? There are 2 sizes, 1/4 ×1" and 3/8x 1.5" both are approximately 44" in diameter. He said " make me an offer" so I think they would be affordable. Would the smaller one make blades or is one thickness too small. I am new to blacksmithing,  just trying to gather some materials.  Thanks

[sfeile]

I could very well be wrong, but I believe those would be iron or at best mild steel, not a high carbon steel you would want for a blade.

[horse]

For sure not high carbon. Some possibility they are wrought iron but that is quite a remote possibity  there may be done wrought pieces in the other parts. In my part of the world any wheel that will hold together well enough to lean against a building or post is worth 20 to 40 dollars as a yard ornament. That top one looks like it may qualify. 

[beef56]

I guess it might work for other projects if not blades. I do need practice!

[ThomasPowers]

In Ohio, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico wagon tyres tend to being real wrought iron at a 80 to 90% rate in my experience.  So much so that it's a surprise to get one that isn't!

Look for the striations on the inside as the rust pattern will often tell what it is.   Not good for blades but good for fittings and more advance blades like san mai.  Wagon tyres are often low grade wrought iron and so show the pattern better when etched.  They can also be difficult to forge as wrought iron likes to be forged above the burning temperature of modern steels an so all your usual habits won't work.

[horse]

Hmmm. I am sure you are correct Thomas on most being wrought. I trust your expertise far more than mine. I worked with a wheel Wright for a while. We always replaced the old tyre with mild steel and he indicated the old ones coming off were steel, but then neither of us were blacksmithing at the time. Probably just a matter of nomenclature. I will look more closely when I see a pile of them at our next auction. 

[ThomasPowers]

I would expect places that were still using them in more recent times to have made the change to mild steel.  I know the Amish use mild steel for their horse drawn transport nowadays. It may be that since the ones I get are generally in the scrap stream they are generally older ones and often not associated with their wheels anymore.  I also find pieces that were recycled into other objects historically---it seems to have been a common item in scrap piles way back when.  (The curved face/flat or cupped back is quite distinctive).  I think I have around 20 on hand at the moment all got free or at 20 cents a pound.  I also keep an eye out for hub bands to reuse as smaller chandeliers or other round objects.

I did recently run into a buggy tyre of mild steel; but very mild steel and have reserved it for bottle openers as it forges so nicely.

[beef56]

I doubt these wheels have been used since the 30's. So I would guess they are close to 100 years old. We celebrated our centennial in 2010 so the county is relatively young.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

My experience is like Thomas most of the old Tyre's I have are wrought iron. If he told me to make an offer, I would start at $50 for the whole lot, maybe go as high as $75.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Scrap value

[horse]

Could be the case Thomas. We replaced the tyres for a lot of working vehicles. Mostly  used channel for setting rubber on the tyres. 

It  makes for a much quieter ride.  I see wheels and tyres sell a lot at our horse auction. Tyres with no spokes and felloes sell for more than scrap but not a lot. Some folks like them for decor. Antique buyers snap them up. 

[ThomasPowers]

Wheels are often viewed as "antiques"  or "decor items"; tires are often viewed as  "scrap metal":  works for me.

Lots of pluses with having rubber on the road: quieter, softer ride, less slipping; but doesn't "wears like iron" so much.

Hard out here in the "high & dry" to keep a wheel tight that wasn't built out here with locally dried wood. (I let hickory handles I buy spend at least a year before I use them getting acclimated to an area where the ambient relative humidity is often lower than some kiln dried wood. The piano in our church has a special humidifier just for it...)

[Zrognak]

I got a few of these, I live in Sweden so I cant say it will be the same everywhere, but from what i seen they are all iron haven't found any that are made from steel, I would save em though, could maybe make a cool laminated sandwich knife with steel in the middle, never tried this myself but I could imagine that if etched it could be pretty cool depending on what kind of iron it is. I save everything I find, specially old iron if it is wrought iron I can make all kinds of cool stuff from it, mjölnir pendants bolsters and stuff.