Donal Harris Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 It sparks like an MC steel so it should be hardenable. Other than small punches, fullers, and drifts, what other tools could I make from them. Or even non-tools? I plan to make a rack for steel from the round tubing they were attached to. Assuming I can do so without an arc welder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 what is MC steel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted February 3, 2019 Author Share Posted February 3, 2019 Medium carbon. I say that only because sucker rods are largely medium carbon and the spark pattern and color looks just like that. I assume high carbon steel would not likely be used for harrow tines. They wouldn’t necessarily need to be hard, but would need to be resistant to wear and breakage. I believe curved tines are spring steel. As for fines of the type I have I couldn’t find much, although I was able to find several online stores selling them. Edited to add: You can’t see it in the picture, but the tines have a diamond shape profile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 I've found it useful to set such things aside until the use finds them, rather than to try to push finding a use for them right away. Unless you are loaded up with them. Don't forget to mark them with your test result findings. Might not remember later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 As Das said, collect them into a bucket etc until that type material is needed for a project. The resource center (scrap pile) is a wonderful thing. If you have a need the resource center should have an answer. Otherwise you need to add to the resource center footprint or volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 Das, I suppose that depends upon the definition of “loaded up”. It had 80 tines, but two of them were actually just RR spikes welded to a bolt. 78 may not be loaded up with tines, but at the very least I can burn and break them until I learn to make something out of them. I think that’s the ticket, Glenn. Resource Center and not scrap pile. To my wife it is that “ugly pile of junk out back”. It was in hopes of making some racks to organize the resource center that I came home with the harrow. I thought I could take the tines out and have posts with predrilled holes to attach shelves to for a couple of resource racks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 I'd love to find similar. They would be great for scrap sculpture pieces. Well you could make a diamond shaped punch that might be a nice accent for some things like bottle opener handles. Like I said tho, you might find the perfect use later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 The tips aren’t diamond shaped. About halfway down one side is rounded. When I was a kid they were “dragon teeth” and the bent ones were “dinasour claws”. My Poppy’s resource center was good for hours and hours of adventure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Don't know what sort of steel they are but they weld easily. Great for scrap art - bird beaks/claws, scorpion legs, etc. I have made punches from them, but there's better steel about for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 I heat treated one in motor oil. It hardened, but not as much as other mystery metals I have. I’m going to try water. I don’t have a welder, so scrap art isn’t an option. If they don’t make decent punches, I will make a letter opener or something. (I may be using the wrong term. Perhaps fuller is a better term? I don’t plan to punch holes with them, just move metal like I would with my fingers in clay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Well, you could forge a bottle opener. Good for a drink after a harrowing experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horse Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 I see what you did there. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 It's a good size for medium carbon stock, good for tools that need to be tough and springy like garden tools. It's also good for pattern welded blades, makes a good combo with high C steels. It's springy enough a blade isn't as likely to snap but it'll still sharpen so things like hatchets, bill hooks, etc. come to mind. I like having some med C steel handy. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted February 16, 2019 Author Share Posted February 16, 2019 On 2/10/2019 at 4:06 PM, ausfire said: Well, you could forge a bottle opener. Good for a drink after a harrowing experience. I see what you did there as well! Until I was an adult I thought it was pronounced ‘harrah’ because that is the way both my dad and granddad pronounced it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 My first attempt at turning one of these things into something was pretty much a miss. I was going for a veining tool. The tip hardened well in oil and I tempered it to a light straw color. The reason I say it was a miss is it is very difficult to “walk” it down to form a straight line to form the veins in a leaf (mild steel). It bounces. With a veining tool I had forged from sucker rod it doesn’t. You can’t see it from the flat on view in the attached photo, but the tip is not inline with the striking end. I believe that is why it bounces. I also don’t like the striking end being so small and easily rounded over. I believe I should have just chopped the threaded end off instead of leaving it on to make the tool longer. Had I heat treated it and tempered to a blue color, it might have been better. Instead I did not heat treat the striking end at all. Tempering to blue should have made it less deformable, yet still softer than my hammer face. The tool I made from sucker rod has a tip that is just as asymmetrical when viewed flat on as this harrow tine tool, but it is rounded more and is much better aligned with the striking end I will try again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 The cutting end looks like it has the right curve to work well as a veining tool. I think I would like a bit more mass on the struck end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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