Chris J Dixon Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Got a couple of freebie garage sale treadmills. Salvaged a couple motors, controllers, rollers and some tubing. Made a long stock holder out of some of the frame. Yes I understand the irony of white in a blacksmith shop. Im hoping to build a 2 X 72 and a disc grinder from the motors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Ten cents each on the last day of the public library’s book sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 15 hours ago, Cannon Cocker said: I had a couple of cutting edges from a road grader follow me home a while ago. (sorry I didn't take pics of them) does anyone know what alloy they might be? Or have any fun suggestions of what a guy should do with them? I'm thinking a guy could make a mean meat cleaver out of them. Look up Vascowear, it'll be a close match if not the same alloy. Some guys make a shear by bolting two sections together and welding or bolting a handle to them but expect to buy diamond wheels to grind it. It's high carbon high alloy steel is impregnated with tungsten carbide particles to resist abrasion. If you think of something to do with them that actually works PLEASE let us know, I think almost everybody who has had the chance dragged some home. I have a couple pieces just outside the shop door. I've been thinking of silver soldering a piece to a Chinese cast iron ASO someone left with me but I don't want to build that big a fire. Welcome to the club. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Cocker Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Thanks frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 21 hours ago, Cannon Cocker said: have any fun suggestions of what a guy should do with them? I make all my bending forks and scrolling wrenches out of grade blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Cocker Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 Does it forge pretty well? I'm curious because frosty said that it has carbide in it, and I've heard that you can't forge carbide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 there is no carbide in grader blade that I know of. At least not in my area. They are a tough steel and are the replacement part that heavy equipment can bolt on and replace when worn out such as an articulated grader or say a 310d backhoe. I have used "used" with no problem, then a welding shop/steel supplier got me new stuff. And its forgable. I imagine Frosty and I are talking of two different things. here's a couple pics of grader blade. this is "new".. I've also made some draw knives out of, actually this very piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 one last note. this grader blade does not come from the factory with imbeded carbide, but it can be applied after the fact in shop. It is easy to see, and if so, like Frosty said, don't use it, or remove the carbide before using Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 I wasn't referring to the blades with tungsten carbide insert bits similar to carbide lathe cutters embedded in the edge. Those didn't last half a shift and cost 3x as much. The state bought one set and the supplier had to buy them back as they didn't live up to the guarantee and the supplier still wanted to sell: grader, belly blade and nose plow edges to the state. Standard grader edge contains tungsten carbide in the alloy itself. If the edges you have don't contain any they aren't standard edge. It's not like you can see it, it's closer to flour than corn meal sized particles. Take a disk grinder to it and see what you think. I'll happily admit I don't know everything about plow edges but I don't know of a brand of edges on dirt work or snow removal graders that don't contain tungsten carbide in the alloy for abrasion resistance. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazz Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 My neighbor gave me a 8' length of that stuff and I know what I'm going to do with 4' of it. I'm going to replace the leading edge of my tractor bucket! Not so original I know. I've also cut some 6" chunks of it and will make some steel targets with them. I don't know how it will hold up though - .22 should be fine but centerfire stuff may rough on it. We'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 Well, Ive never worked for the city or county, and im not a heavy equipment operator. Lol, im jest a blascksmith. My only experience with hard facing is borium for horse shoes. As to what is standard, i havent got a clue. Grader blade was recommended to me for scrolling wrenches and bending forks once upon a time.. So i went to some heavy equipment operator friends and got their worn out pieces. Then I built a log house and decided to use same for draw knives. So I asked my steel guy for new grader blade. It came in different dimensions. Hey, they were already close to final draw knife shape. What can i say? I made a dozen of them and gave them to my peelers if they peeled at least 3 logs. That was a dozen years ago ans at least mine and a couple others are still in operation and hold a good edge. Thus, whatever these folks gave me, or i bought, I can say without question that the material is forgable and just basic heat treating that you might use for unknown steel works great. Basically I heat treated it like a high carbon non alloy steel. Danged if I know what those crazy equipment operators or my steel guy sold me, but every piece ive ever seen, new or scrap, or hanging out in someones yard looks like the pics i posted. And ive never seen any with shop applied hard surfacing. So, in my neck of the woods, they call it grader blade and it works. If we are talking of the same material, then, yes its forgable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Cocker Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 Good to know. One serious meat cleaver coming up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 You got me on that one Anvil, I don't know what you have access to. How does it forge and grind? I can only speak to what I've experienced and I spent better than a week going through specs and talking to reps. The State of AK used to have a program where they'd give you a % for saving them money so I looked into the main ware item for road maintenance. Vascowear is a brand name but the alloy analysis is or was pretty much the same across the board. The carbide insert edges were something new being pushed for ice removal but were getting bad reviews from departments that tried them. I don't know of anybody hard facing grader edges but I wasn't involved with much dirt work so I can't say. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Cocker Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Stopped by the steel warehouse today to get some angle iron for work. While I was there I noticed a huge pile of sucker rod. Picked up a 25 foot sick for 10 bucks. Not bad! Now I'm gonna have to scour through ifi to learn how to hear test the tools I make out of it. *heat treat Auto correct makes me say things I didn't Nintendo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Full Auto Correct or selective? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 35 minutes ago, Cannon Cocker said: Auto correct makes me say things I didn't Nintendo! At least you didn't get Xboxed out! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 17 hours ago, Frosty said: You got me on that one Anvil, I don't know what you have access to. Actually, neither do I. The last "grader blade i got was the new piece in the pic. And that was over 10 years ago. Im guessing it was the same standard grader blade you speak of, but thats a guess. I do not know the brand, nor do I know the chemical makeup. The man who recommend it to me was Francis Whitaker at least 30 years ago. As far as working it, i have forged it, filed it, drilled it, ox/acetl cut it, hot cut it, and used a grinder on it. I never noticed anything that made me sit up and take notice while dealing with it. There was a learning curve, as with most junk yard type steels, and i have had my share of breakage. But once i figured out why, no problem. I still have and use some of my early benders, as ugly as they are. Ive edge bent 1/2"×2" hot, tweaked 3/8"×1" on edge cold, so put it thru its paces. I have gone to longer handles on my scrolling wrenches for more leverage, and it flexes then goes back to normal. It has never crumbled or anything unusual in the fire or under the hammer. So, assuming it is the same "standard" you speak of, the carbide, in this case, is not an issue. Good discussion, by the way! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 I would think the cutting edges for road graders vs snow plows would have different properties, due to the speed in which they are used. Like anvil I have a bunch of road grader blade in my resource stock and have no problems with forging, cutting or grinding on them. My coal forge has legs made out of a blade split in half length wise and it welded up just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 48 minutes ago, anvil said: As far as working it, i have forged it, filed it, drilled it, ox/acetl cut it, hot cut it, and used a grinder on it. I never noticed anything that made me sit up and take notice while dealing with it. That's definitely not the same steel. Tungsten carbide impregnated edges eat carbide drill bits and wear diamond bits quickly, dulls a file without leaving a mark. Oxy acet or propane cuts it easily enough but it really fights the hammer forging. My reaction is based largely on my attempts and listening to guy's who have tried to do something with blade edges up here, annealing didn't help either. I have a couple hundred lbs. I brought home. If we were talking the same steel you couldn't have missed it. And that's it. I'll have to temper my opinion re. grader edges based on region. Do some shop tests for suitability, say file or drill bit test it? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxwellB Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 Nice pair of coil springs off a smaller vehicle. Found on the curb. Should make nice practice for punches and other smaller tools. Can't beat curb price points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eventlessbox Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 Maxwell, Just be careful when you go to take them off. When on the struts like that they are under compression. If you arnt careful they can course some serious hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxwellB Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 Definitely. I'm crazy, not stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 Picked up this nice little volume for $3.50 at a used bookstore in the middle of nowhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxwellB Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 Very nice find JHCC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Nice books. Im unpacking mine and having a ball. It takes a long time to unpack a boxfull when you go thru each book! Life is what life is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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