My neighbor across the way (the one who’s moving and gave me a 50 gallon trashcan full of coal) stopped by to give me this nice little propane torch setup:

Picked up a few pto shafts out of 1948-52 Ford tractors. I assume is 4140ish but I’m going to have to do a little experimenting to see how it heat treats. 

1045 was called Plow Steel at one time...and was use for farm implements.

If you have an operation that requires indexing you might be able to work the splines into the tooling design.

Roadkill and drops. 

 

From a recently demod bridge, built in 1941.

1 1/2” square re-bar

 

 

I havent done ANY testing yet, any ideas on its composition? I have no knowledge on reinforcing bar history. I know that nowdays its like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.

But back then it might have been a different story?

 

 

Some of the square rebar from the 1920's will harden and is good for making tooling from---more of a medium carbon steel.

1941 would be on the cusp of the war effort; so probably better stuff than during the height of the war when production was geared toward the war effort.

I'd suggest pounding some down to 1/8" thick and quenching from nonmagnetic in water and wearing PPE trying to break it with a hammer.

We had a large steel framed bridge back home that was built in 1922, that I would have loved to have gotten some pieces off of when they tore it down.

 

 

 

Jclonts

I found some inch rebar like that from our old bridge.  It did harden.  It's worth checking.  Looks like yours is a lot straighter than the wadded up piece I found.

 

I will check out this weekend... when I manage to find some time.

 

IF it does harden some there is a PILE about 10 feet tall and 20 feet at the base of this stuff sitting outside my clinic where I work... [behind an Arizona department of Transportation (ADOT) fence.] I have a contact though, and I can get as much as I want!

 

Any change its wrought? doubt it, but one can hope right? Playing around this weekend will tell me though, one way or the other. 

8 pound sledge head in good condition, stamped Japan, US$2 at a local church's garage sale.

 

Swap meet, randomly decided to stop. $1 each. 4xblack diamonds. And 2 others stamped nicholson with the crossed cannons. 

Stopped by the Las Cruces Fleamarket before visiting my Mother:

Threw in the 8# sledge head I got yesterday at the church sale; today was the 1965 20mm ammo can (HEAVY!), hickory handle, 1 pound 100% Boric Acid, and a mine tool? that looks like it would make a handled drift with pretty much 0 effort...(save for putting a handle in the eye.)

Total cost including the sledge head US$10:50.  ($13.50 without the bargaining)

The previous ammo can I got was smaller, I calculated it to be 4.48 US gallons capacity to this ammo can's 8 gallons.  I have to check just exactly how much Parks 50 I have on hand...(the smaller one is taller by 2" so better for point insertion quenches while the bigger one is wider and longer so better for edge insertion quenches---so many options!)

Tested square re-bar today. To check for consistency I tested 3 cross sections in 3 areas of the entire bar. Results were the same in all 3 areas. 

Sparks looked like ‘medium’ carbon when i compared to 1018 and 1095  it looked like a good middle ground.

 

First I did a forced air quench, vice then hammer. It bent all the way to 90. I squeezed it with vice to see how far it would go before cracking

 

Next was an oil quench, first blow with hammer and it bent about 10-15 degrees, second blow and it snapped off. 

 

 

last I quenched in water and it snapped clean off on the first blow. 

 

 

all 3 tests were the same on all 3 parts I tested. 

So lifetime supply of tong material? Spring swages?

Yup, Exactly. Good size for hardy tools too I think!

My 20 year old compressor tank sprung a leak and I have been looking for a replacement.  At an auction this past week for less than the cost of a new 120 gallon replacement tank I picked up a nearly new (2017) 400 gallon tank with automatic drain valve and 690 pounds of 325 mesh powdered metal.   The powdered metal included 189 pounds of iron, 95 pounds of stainless steel, and 191 pounds of bronze.   The rest or the powdered metal was brass, white bronze and nickel silver.   

 

Good score on the tank,.......but just whatcha going to do with all that powdered metal???

Nice score on the tank. I'm curious too, whatcha gonna do with the powdered metals? 

Frosty The Lucky. 

My first thought was using the iron powder for canister damascus.    However it is looking like it is just Fe with no carbon content so not hardenable and probably not the best choice.   However powdered metals are used for cold casting metals using resin and molds.   It looks like the powdered metals are selling for $10-$15 per pound on ebay so I will probably sell it on ebay and then buy stuff I can use.

Starbits

Powdered metals are also used for metal spraying. My sprayer used a wire, but there are some that used powders.

Pyrotechnics!  "It's all good fun until someone loses a subdivision!"

Picked up a few more sticks of the big rebar. The pieces under 8’ anyways.. each section weighs between 40-50lbs it seemed to me. 

Not exactly forging but I got a stack of leather from a buddy clearing out a house. Maybe I'll learn how to make a sheath. 

Looks a bit soft for sheaths. More like upholstery sides. Now being soft they will make nice shop aprons, or chaps for around the forge. Look at the cut edges, if it has a white line in the middle it is chrome tanned. For sheaths you want vegetable tanned, it will be a bit stiffer and will hold a shape much better. Leather worker dot net is a great resource. They are the I forge Iron of leather.

Hey Biggundoctor,

Yeah, it is a bit thin. Thanks the reference, I will check it out!

Bryan