wrought iron

[Quentin]

the other day me and john were in the shop and we were going to make some christmas presants (knifes). i had an old cultivator blade and was straightining it out and all of a sudded it cracks while it is red. just wondering if it is actually wrought and if so what can i do with it?...thanks, Quentin

[dablacksmith]

probably not wrought iron but old steel can have some of the same problems ...can you forge weld? might fold it and forge weld it .. or grab a new piece of steel and start over ..

[T]

I'm not a competent, but I don't think it is wrought iron... If it brakes for you it brakes for the blacksmith in the past... It can be cast iron maybe...
Try forging it at a higher temperature, and maybe it won't brake...
I hope i've said something correct and useful. :)

[Quenchcrack]

Could be high sulfur steel. High sulfur creates a condition known as "hot shortness" where the sulfur collects at grain boundaries and can cause cracks at elevated temperatures.

[metalliferous]

I can't be sure if this is the same problem, but I've cracked a cultivator blade before from forging it at a dark red. Maybe try forging it at a higher temperature (somewhere around orange).

[Sam Thompson]

Have you tried a spark test?

[Quentin]

i misspoke it was not red but it was orange... it didnt break off all the way, just had big cracks

[Quentin]

yes, john did do a spark test, but he said he thought it was wrought also, i dont know what the results were on the spark test though.