Determining Leaf Springs are any good for knives? Pics (Ford stamp, serial numbers)

Z

Zero_Time

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Not sure where to post this, but I was going for a run and saw some rusted out car parts had appeared recently on the trail.

More importantly, I saw leaf springs, and got so excited I had to take a picture before determining if I really want to drag 100+ pounds back to my place so I can cut off the attached parts and keep for bugging someone with a forge to let me make my own knives.

image1_zpsftnjgckd.jpg

image2_zpseqwuc8cc.jpg

image4_zpslhw88sam.jpg

image3_zpscije5qs7.jpg



First two pictures are the serial number of the leaf springs; the other two are serial numbers of what I believe are from the same vehicle so they should help with identifying original vehicle type and year if it's germane.

Also, plaintext serial number: Leaf Springs (ford) RPN2791


Thanks for any help guys.


Zero
 
I'm pretty sure [not positive though] that most if not all leaf springs are 1080 or higher, to 5160 series steels...depending on what vehicle they came from.

In Nepal, they typically use truck/jeep springs to make their Kukri. They are often boasted at being around 1095 steel..so I'd hazard a guess that these would be fine for your use.

If it were me being that lucky, I'd haul them home.
 
druid189 said:
I'm pretty sure [not positive though] that most if not all leaf springs are 1080 or higher, to 5160 series steels...depending on what vehicle they came from.

In Nepal, they typically use truck/jeep springs to make their Kukri. They are often boasted at being around 1095 steel..so I'd hazard a guess that these would be fine for your use.

If it were me being that lucky, I'd haul them home.
Click to expand...

Thanks buddy. I was being lazy today and now getting a functional fitness workout. I was thinking I needed to do more farmer walks.

Zero
 
Believe it or not I've even heard a brand of vehicle mentioned a time or two as the preferred steel to use in Nepal. Ford. Not sure it's true but I've heard Ford mentioned over the years and no other brand.
 
No one here will be able to guarantee its A or B I recommend just using them and trying it. If it gets reasonably hard then decide if you wanna use it. It may not be worth your time. But it would be worth mine, not that that's any reason to do it. Just stating facts
 
From what ive heard, a lot of old leaf springs are 1095... I have never tried it though
 
They are made from ORFS steel ( old rusty Ford spring). That is about all you really know. They will almost surely make a knife, but you have to guess at the HT. They almost surely have micro-cracks in the grain structure, which may or may not cause problems. For heavier rough use blades, like camp choppers and kukri, they should be OK.....but you still are dealing with an unknown steel.

The reason they use springs in Nepal is for cost and availability. They are often working for peanuts using rather primitive equipment, and there is nothing else to use but old "found" steel. Car springs are at least reasonably consistent. Also, kukri don't need to be Rc 59-60 or highly polished in Nepal.

Here in the good old USA we have Aldo, Niagara, Admiral, and many other sources, Europe has Uddeholm, Sandvik, and others..... Australia and NZ have flat rate boxes shipped in :) 4 feet of 2"X1/4" 5160 costs $36. That will make three or four kukri.

About the actual steel alloy, who knows, there are a lot of different ones around. The standard answer given as a guess is "somewhere between 5160, 9260, 1095", and various modified alloys of those. That is about as useful as describing your new girlfriend as "somewhere between Katie Smith, Kate Jackson, and Caitlyn Jenner ;) . Other alloys used are 1050ish with special alloying to make for hardening in a controlled cooling, thus eliminating a quench. Obviously, these would not work well for making knives.

Seriously, there is little need for using old springs unless you are just playing around with them for fun, or dead broke.
 
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