5160 cracking & breaking as I forge it. HELP

happycat

happycat

Joined
Jun 21, 1999
Messages
752
I just cranked up the forge for the first time in a few weeks and had some really weird things happen. I'm using 1/4 X 1" 5160. I heated it up to orange in the forge and started working on putting a point on a bar. First the end chipped out, then the end I was holding broke in my hand! Just fell apart. I looked and the grain structure appeared to be very smooth and fine.

Tried another bar, and the same thing happened. The last 4" that I was holding onto just broke off (the bars were both about 20" long).
I tried a third and got a small blade roughed out about 3/4 of the way (not hammering on black steel mind you) when I noticed that both sides of the blade were covered with cracks.

I've been forging about a year now and did the ABS school this summer and I have never had anything like this happen before. Anybody have any idea what I am doing wrong? Let me add just cause it may be important, that it has been very rainy and damp here the last few weeks. I don't know why that would make a difference, but maybe it does??
I am confused and bewildered. Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ed
 
Sounds to me like you just got some bad steel, I think instead of 5160 you got a piece of CRAP. I'd check the place you got it from and have them test it. 5160 don't do that, at least I've never had that happen...
 
My first thought was that you were forging cold but it doesn't sound like that's the case. I gotta go with a bad batch too!
 
Its either a bad batch or its not 5160. Could it possibly have been mixed up with some stainless??? You can try to spark test it if not sure.

Craig
 
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