I'm looking for 1" square bar stock that is affordable, easy to find and easy to heat treat for a beginner. I need suggestions. Thank you.

Kind of depends what you are using it for.  If blades, I got some 1080 from New Jersey Steel Baron last year.  Check his site to see if he still has any.  If tooling I'd check at a local machine shop for a drop of 4140.

I'm wanting it for forging tools such as chisels and punches for a guillotine style tool holder.

Edited October 10, 20214 yr by Mod30
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its not square but Sucker rod is affordable, an depending on your location it’s pretty easy to come by in both small amounts and in bulk,

an you can use it for all kinds of tools and projects, 

I can buy it all over around here but I like to scavenge the leftovers from coral an fence projects, if your lucky sometimes you can get quite a bit of material for free or really cheap  if your just willing to ask for it, an go pick it up, 

 

Hard to offer suggestions when we don't know where in the world you are located.

Thanks

I'm in Ohio USA. I was looking for an online source i could buy from.

Edited October 10, 20214 yr by Mod30
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I would consider smaller square stock.  One inch might be bigger than i need but 1/2 inch is a bit too small.  

There’s lots of online companies that sell anything you can possibly want but if you want affordable I’d shy away from ordering online, I’d do my gumshoe work an make contacts for cheap or free material, or you can also start taking weekend trips to local junk yards! You never know what your gonna find in a salvage yard and it’s much cheaper to shop there! 

Look in the knife making section, there is a thread with supplier resources there.

 

43 minutes ago, TWISTEDWILLOW said:

There’s lots of online companies that sell anything you can possibly want but if you want affordable I’d shy away from ordering online, 

I'm eager to build this tool, so  i don't mind buying online as long as its not too expensive.  I don't know of any local companies that sell high carbon or tool steels. The local scrap yards don't sell  scrap to the public but the auto junk yards do.

Thanks, i will.

I looked but didn't see that thread. You wouldn't happen to have the link would you?

For chisels and the like you can usually get cheap stock from flea markets (repurposed older chisels are usually ideal and can often be picked up for a buck or two a piece).  You can also hit a junkyard or spring shop for 1" coil spring or try tie rods.  You can make your guillotine tooling from mild steel, though it will last longer in high carbon.  Probably not worth the trouble to heat treat them though. 

Thanks. I had an old chisel that was square, i wished i could find those used or new, they would work.

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You should stop quoting the posts just before your reply, to prevent having a mod remove them. Any chisels, punches etc are easy to shape the to your needs. Here is a link to the suppliers list.

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/31605-supplier-list/

 

How thick are the leaf springs on big Trucks? 

Thank you.

Thanks again. What do you mean about not quoting posts? I dont understand.

Edited October 11, 20214 yr by Mod30
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This thread explains that. 

The quote feature

Leaf springs on trucks vary depending on how big the truck is. My uncle worked for Euclid and on their largest truck the leaf spring leaves were about an inch & a half thick each. If you have a school bus shop near, check with them for used springs, Mine saved a lot of them for me and the main leaf was about a half inch thick.

If you haven’t already, You might also wanna check out the (read this first thread) it will really help you understand how to find your way around the forum and possibly answer several questions you may have! 

 

14 minutes ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

Leaf springs on trucks vary depending on how big the truck is. 

Thanks, i think i need to  visit the local big rig scrap yard.

Edited October 11, 20214 yr by Mod30
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20 minutes ago, TWISTEDWILLOW said:

If you haven’t already, You might also wanna check out the (read this first thread) it will really help you understand how to find your way around the forum and possibly answer several questions you may have! 

Thanks, i will check it out in more detail because i just skimmed through it before. I posted this once already but i accidentally deleted it.

I found some A-36 and 4140 at reasonable costs. Of course shipping is a killer. How well will these steels work? Also I plan on leaving them annealed because they will likely lose their temper from working hot steel anyway. Are these steels still harder than mild steel even when annealed?

A-36 is a lower Carbon Steel .18 to .21 % and would not harden very well. 4140 is very hard and may be difficult to work.

 

Forgive my ignorance. The website said A-36 was annealed so i assumed it was hardenable steel. I want hard steel and don't plan on forging it, i plan on shaping it with a grinder instead.  How hard is 4140 when its annealed? Is it still harder than mild steel?

Edited October 11, 20214 yr by Mod30
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Here's an article I found. https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6769

However 4140 makes good tools. It is harder than mild steel or A36 which is low carbon steel.

 

Thanks.

Edited October 11, 20214 yr by Mod30
Excessive quoting

I would suggest you look into used jackhammer bits, often found for free/cheap at places that rent jackhammers. Also car axles are around 1050. I've been using a the broken off end of a jack hammer bit for a hardy for 25 years or so. A-36 is probably the cheapest steel you can buy new.  I avoid it whenever I can!

Generally; buying online the shipping may be more expensive than buying locally!   I forged a bottle opener from a wrench and gave it to our local mechanic and he offered me free scrounging over the several tons of steel out back their shop: springs bot coil and leaf, axles, suspension members are all good steel for tooling.

Annealed steel is as soft as you can get it.  It's sold that way so it is easily machined, drilled, filed, etc.  I would not suggest using it for tooling without subsequent heat treating.

If you are in Ohio I would suggest attending some meetings of the various ABANA Affiliates in that state.

As for the quoting: next time you are in a conversation with someone, repeat the entirety of what they have said since the last word you had said, before adding your reply. Continue to do so for the entire conversation. See?   Now a brief quote to focus on something is ok; particularly if several folks are "all talking at once".