Scrap Metal

[Foxjaw]

Hi all, Just wondered where the best place to find scrap metal would be ? Things such as leaf spring 5160, hay rake teeth, old lawn mower blades, or even brass. I keep thinking a junk yard, but they probably want a lot more than I ought to pay. Any input would be most welcome

[skipknives]

two places to find old junk around here,,
Davis salvage,,if they are still open, the light-rail construction messed with thier area of opperation.
then a place called;Appachi reclamation,,

thats the best I can do for you
Skip

[NuViking]

I hang out at auto salvage yards and watch for springs that have allready been remved. Offen metal salvage yards treat me fair for prices. Flea market and yard sales are also a great place to find brass ornaments cheap. Being I haul a bit of scrap iron from farmyards I also keep some interesting chunks of steel to add to my arcives.
Some of my buddies in the city go to muffler and susspension shops and offen get a barrel of springs for the asking. I offen carry my carbide pen with me when at a salvage yard. gives a pretty good idea if this chunk off metal is worth carrying to the front counter.

[Foxjaw]

Thanks guys, that helps !

[Mike Turner]

Around here I go to the lawn mower shops and get bearings and chainsaw chains, also the John Deere dealer for al kinds of goodies.

[skipknives]

hows things going out in the east valley Brett?
Do you do all your bronze work at your house??
Skip

[Foxjaw]

East Valley is good. Just gearing up to forge and cast on a small scale right now. I usually have my sculpture work done by a professional foundry. Looking forward to doing some casting my self, albeit small

[Martin Brandt]

Electric motor rebuilders for 52100 from med. to lg. elec motor ball bearings and their races. The local Overhead Door installer gives away garage door springs that are broken, or scrap ends from new ones trimmed to fit. Oregon marked chain saw bars are 1050, and often free at the chain saw shops when bent or damaged. Show a knife or two, be friendly, talk hate to see good steel go to the scrap melt, to the folks and many are happy to give up their scrap. Good hunting!!

[Foxjaw]

OK and many thanks for the sources. We are gearing up !

[Matt22191]

When I wanted chainsaw blades I posted an ad on Craigslist and got 20 used ones for a few bucks.

I bought a whole bunch of used files and rasps at an estate auction for about $0.50 each, including several really huge ones. Most still have life in them, so I got a nice collection of files and rasps and a bunch of future blade stock for my money. So-called antique shops around here -- when I was a kid we called them junk shops -- usually have tool stalls with old files, hand saws and similar goodies.

Railroad steels tend to be medium-high carbon. Not the spikes; even "high carbon" spikes are they're only 30-40 points. But the tie plates -- some call them fish plates -- run around 50 points carbon. The spring clips, a.k.a. rail anchors, can be 60 points -- or 40ish, so you'll have to test. And I have it on pretty good authority that the current standard for main line track is 1068 or better. Of course the rail itself is more massive than I'd want to work without a power hammer, but you could cut lots of thick-but-usable pieces from the flanges and upright, i.e., the portion of the rail that looks like half of an I-beam. Discarded rail can be hard to find, but it's out there.

[Foxjaw]

I've just gotten a hold of a front coil spring for a 1979 full size ford pick up truck. I'm guessing its 4063 steel. Is this a high enough carbon to do some good blades ?

[Matt22191]

I've never heard of 4063, but the 63 means 63 points carbon, plus or minus a couple or three percent, normally. The "40" means it's a molybenum steel.

With 63 points carbon it should get plenty hard, and the moly should add some abrasion resistance. It'll probably make a very respectable knife.

[Martin Brandt]

I believe that modern RR track/rail is 1084. If you have access to a large metql cutting bandsaw you could slice off 1/2" to 1" thick slices from the track itself to forge out. I did once and cut some 3/16" slices off and when quenched snapped very easily.

[SheepishLion]

Couple months ago or so, my dad found a 3' chumk of rail just laying on the side of the road. No tracks in sight. It's out there. That's what I use as an anvil right now. Bout a two foot section sunk in a bucket of concrete. Rings like a broken doorbell and it's plenty heavy. Never thought about making knives out of it though.

Joe Nelson

[Matt22191]

Martin,

Could be around 1084. I've been researching railroad steels recently and I found a standard -- I can't recall where right now -- that specified at least 68 points carbon for main line rail. But it was several decades old. Things could've changed.

One thing to beware of is that railroad suppliers don't necessarily rely on AISI or other standards. They have their own needs, and they have the steel made to fit those needs. I know that one company that makes rail anchors uses around 60 points carbon, and they'll tell you (if you ask, as I did) that it's "closest" to 1060. But they'll also admit that there's some other stuff in there. They won't tell you exactly what, though; it's their proprietary recipe. (They advertise their anchors as manganese steel, though, so that's a clue.) Their main competitor uses around 40 points carbon and also has a proprietary recipe.