Mete Cast Ductile Iron

[Raymond Richard]

I'm about ready to order a couple drifts and asked if they were cast steel or cast iron and was told they were Cast Ductile Iron. I've been wanting to find a drift that I can get hot and it won't fall apart. I was thinking about making a drift out of an old cast iron window weight but before I went to all the work I did a test and it just crumbled under one hammer blow when it was at forging temp. Is cast ductile iron the samething that was used for the old window weights?

 

[mete]

Cast iron window weights are the cheapest ,worst cast iron you can find .After all it doesn't have to do anything !! Grey cast iron has the graphite in flakes and is thus brittle. Ductile cast iron has the graphite in small spheres thus it isn't brittle .There are different types of ductile cast iron . Are you going to forge it ? It machines very well .I'd have to check properties for temperature limits ,how hot will it be ?

 

[Raymond Richard]

Mete, This link will show you how I'm wanting to use it: http://www.lanouvelle-france.com/manufacturing.htm I'll have to sacrific a drift to make one simular to the one used in the example but before I waist money I'd like to know if it will work in this situation.

 

[mete]

Now I'm beginning to understand. If they are selling them as drifts they ought to work .In the old days they made drifts out of steels that they made hammers out of .The drift doesn't get all that hot since you shouldn't heat the ax with the drift in place and the drift is cooled when necessary.You could make your own !!

 

[indian george]

Nice Site Ray.