I am still pretty green at smithin', and new to this forum, although I've been a lurker for quite a while. My question is does anyone know of a site or reference that could maybe point me in the general direction for correctly identifying different types of "old iron"? I have a decent stockpile of "mystery steel". Much of it is pretty old, but I know where it came from. What I'm looking for is some reference that would tell me that in 1875 this was probably made from XXX type steel, but today it would probably be made from XYZ steel. For example, I have seen charts that tell me that sawblades are probably made from S5 steel, but what were they likely made from before there was any such thing as S5? Anyone know of such a site?

There is such a site, IForgeIron.com

BP0002 Junk Yard and Rail Road Steels
BP0011 Common Railroad Steels
BP0020 Spark Testing

Glenn; last time I checked the BPs had no reference to the changes over time--do they list wrought iron as what railroad rail and spikes are made of pre ACW?

Finding the cut over points between things like blister/shear steel, crucible steel and modern steels is fairly hard. Some books like Practical Blacksmithing, Richardson, have descriptions mentioning people switching from one type to another. Some old tooling will be stamped with things like "Finest Wrought" or "Crucible Steel"; some old advertisements will make claims as to what they are using---but there are periods where different companies may be using different materials and not marking them as such.

Then you fall back on age, location, use and jackleg testing to make a "guess" at what was used.

Hi-
I'm looking for a good and easy way to tell all the different grades of steel, or as many as possible when one finds them in a pile of junk. Mild steel is fairly easy but what about tool steel and alloys. I'm talking about remnants not pieces that have a recognizable shape like an axle shaft or leaf or coil spring.

I'm looking for something simple, like a magnet or file or???

I have a couple places I've been invited to scroung, so I'd like to know what I'm getting so I don't waste a good piece of alloy for something onamental or visa-vers

Thanks!!

Well magnet will help you differentiate some metals ferrous vs non-ferrous. But when it comes to various hardness of steels it would help if you could grind them a bit. If you could take a battery operated dremel with a small grinding wheel or cutting wheel you could probably make out the harder steels by examining which gave off greater crows feet.

BP0020 Spark Testing , Its all about the spark..

BP0020 Spark Testing- What, What? please do explain-

It's a blueprint, there are a bunch on this site about lots of cool stuff, check it out.
BP0020 Spark Testing | Blueprints 000-100

BP0020 Spark Testing- What, What? please do explain-

At the top right of the page are some links in blue letters, one of them is 'BluePrints', click on that and find #0020.

When u put the steel on the grinder it gives a certain spark. I just use it to see if its high carbon or not.

High carbon gives a stream of sparks that burst all along the lenght of the spark, more so towards the end of the spark. Much like the little sparkler fireworks.


low carbon gives long, simpler, less bright sparks that that finish in simple burst. A single spark splits in two for example and finish in nice spear points.

BPOO20 Spark testing is a blueprint in the blueprints section.