March 11, 20197 yr Hey y’all, want to make so garden tool for my wife and her family. I want1075 so that way it will hold a bit of an edge but don’t know which kind. Hot rolled, cold rolled annealed, scaleless blue tempered? What’s the best choice? Pic to show full list of options. Also what gauge would you guys suggest? I was thinking 14-16?
March 11, 20197 yr If you will be hot working it; any cold rolling or surface treatment or heat treatment will be extra cost that is thrown away. If you will be hot working it go with hot rolled. If you will be cold working it and NOT heat treating it then you need to worry about being able to deform it enough to attain shape and having enough work hardening to make it stiff in use. If you will be cold working it and then heat treating; it go with what is easiest to work---annealed (actually I would go with hot rolled in this case as the heat treatment will produce the strength needed. Though cold rolled P&O will have less surface clean up needed.) If you had provided the details on how you plan to work it the people you are asking for help wouldn't have to type so much...
March 11, 20197 yr Author My bad, I’m going to cut out a spade ♠️ shape and pop it in the forge then hammer forge in the curvature.
March 11, 20197 yr HOT ROLLED! and get it heavy enough to remove the scale and polish it without getting too thin! Though if you have heavy clay soils; Stainless spades were extolled in "An Axe, a Spade and Ten Acres", George Courtauld (A nice quiet read...)
March 12, 20197 yr Just a suggestion: railroad spikes can be used to make a decent trowel. You can find them all over Etsy for around $40-50. Chandler Dickinson makes a nice one here. If you're wanting a larger/wider blade, you could certainly rivet such to a RR spike, while still having plenty of stock for a nice twisted treatment.
March 13, 20197 yr PTree makes a lot of RR spike trowels; so much so he buys spikes new by the keg from the manufacturer and so doesn't waste valuable time explaining to the RR Police why you are committing a felony...
March 14, 20197 yr Heres some concrete tools I made. Not gardening tools, but concrete and stone are pretty abrasive. Made from mild steel. I believe I forged them from 5/8" square stock. So, 1075 is overkill, and no other heat treat needed. I did the walls for a 20'x40' shop with these. The back wall was 5' high, the front was3' and the side walls were concave to fit a curved log. The pic of the pointer shows the beginning of the stonework. Nothing beats making a tool, then useing it! Good luck and have fun
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