howardz71 Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 hi all i am new to this site and have only been work with metal about a year off and on with school and all any way i have little to no money and i am looking for ideas for cheap metal the ones i have seen on this site so far is bastard files skill saw and band saw blades leaf springs rail road spikes with the HC high carbin stamp on it i have heard of using lawn tractor blades ??? please post what you use or used when you were poor and pics of the finished product of using these items please thanks guys i love this site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canska Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 I only recently started taking digital pics of my projects, but my 2cents...HC railroad spikesAutomotive coil springs leaf springs (knives, hinges, trebuchet hardware, hot cuts) pitchfork tines (punches, small knives, springs) old hammers (hot cuts, fullers) And all manner of junk from the scrapyard, broken machinery, etc. I've got a pile in the corner of broken stuff to scavenged bits as I need them, but that stuff is mostly used for decorative work. For something functional and important, its better to know what type of steel you have and that its not damaged. If you have any local vendors, mild steel (round or square bar) is actually pretty cheap to buy, and metal prices are dropping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardz71 Posted December 15, 2008 Author Share Posted December 15, 2008 (edited) thanks canska i have tried the spike knife once it turned out ok more practice and i could get it alittle better i think but it was not as good as ones seen here on this site keep them coming Edited December 15, 2008 by howardz71 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayco Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 If you live in an older agricultural area, and can find them, the teeth from old horse drawn hay rakes are good steel. The square harrow teeth that were used before disc harrows were common are medium to high carbon steel.......depending on age and who made them. They make good punches and chisels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Again, if you are in an agricultural area the broken tynes off a scarifier are great (always plenty of them), also any coil springs off the machines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardz71 Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 wow yall have some great ideas thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayco Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Being that this thread is called 'cheap projects',........here's one of the cheapest I've come up with. I've been making these little Christmas theme 'outlines'. They're fun to make and really easy. As you can see from the pics, I'm not particularly artistic. I find it easy to go for the folk craft rustic look:) I made these with old metal coat hangers, welding rods, or what ever is handy. I give these away as gifts.......I sell them.......and right now I have orders for more of them that must, of course, be delivered before the holidays. One hint: I loop the stock back upon itself and shape both sides at once. Then just open up the two sides like a folded piece of paper. It makes left and right symetry much easier for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Messerist Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I consider myself a real cheapskate for two reasons. First because I also have very little money to spend on my passion and two, I like to try and use what a frontier blacksmith/knife maker would have had on hand to make a blade with. I personally am using a lot of files nowadays. I found a big box-full at a garage sale two years ago and like using them. I also use leaf springs from light trucks and cars. The local salvage yard in town has a mountain of them and they are pretty cheap. One suggestion I would like to offer you is that if you have a rudimentary knowledge of forging and heat treating. I would use steels that are forgiving and not subject to sensitive forging and heat treating techniques. I learned most of my knife making skills from a very good knife maker Craig Jacobs and his philosophy was keep it simple. I recently was introduced to the Internet and just signed up on this forum but I bet you have found the right place to expand your knowledge. Good luck and Merry Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardz71 Posted December 18, 2008 Author Share Posted December 18, 2008 i have to say i did not expect such a good welcome from the members of this site i have been to forums before and most of them like to make fun to the lesser ones because they know more i thank you all for all the suggestions the Christmas tree and snowman are really cool thanks again all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tech413 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I also like the warm welcome here so far, this is one of the most helpful forums I've been on to date! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Oh you just lucked out Howard. We old know it all guys got together a couple months ago and decided we'd be nice to new member # 651 and you're it. We'll continue to be nice for another 3 days and then start being just as mean to you as we are to all the other new members. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TASMITH Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Jayco, Those are cool little ornaments. Not too shabby for someone "not particularly artistic".....LOL They look good to me! howardz71, tech413, We aim to please on this site.We all started out knowing nothing about this trade but have learned plenty from others along the way. That's what this site is all about! Just watch out for guys like frosty though! He'll be after ya to post pictures......lots and lots of pictures! I think he must get cranky when he doesn't have some new pictures to look at every day. All joking aside (sorry frosty... couldn't resist!) you will find a LOT of information on this site and more than enough people to help you on your way. There is no such thing as a dumb question on here. It is simply not knowing what to do. Welcome guys. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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