Scrap Steel - any good for knives?

[james terrio]

OK, I'm teasing a little. I saw this old turbine thingamabob this morning while we were out and about. I don't know what alloy the edges of the blades are, but I'd love to know, just for curiosity's sake. They appear to have plenty chrome... Angie says it's been on display there for at least 25 years.

The fact that I'm 6'3" (without the hat) gives some idea of the size of this monster.

Talk about patina!

It's on display next to the Ft. Loudon dam on the Tennessee River, near Lenoir City.

Just something I found interesting on a Sunday drive, and thought y'all might get a kick out of.

 

[Darrin Sanders]

Looks like its too thin for choppers but it might make some small parers.

Thats pretty cool, thanks for the pic.

 

[Darrin Sanders]

I just noticed that the blades seem to have variable pitch. I bet a pic of the inside would be even cooler.

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

very cool!

 

[kurec]

Hydro turbine casting usually have at least 19Cr and 9Ni:



Alloy / Common Name Specification Grade Type
304SS, J92600 ASTM A743 CF8 19Cr-9Ni
304LSS, J92500 ASTM A743 CF3 19Cr-9Ni
316SS, J92900 ASTM A743 CF8M 19Cr-10Ni-2Mo
316LSS, J92800 ASTM A743 CF3M 19Cr-10Ni-2Mo
316ModSS, J92804 ASTM A743 CF3MN 19Cr-10Ni-2Mo-N
309SS, J93503 ASTM A743 CH20 25Cr-13Ni
Alloy 20, J95150 ASTM A743 CN7M 20Cr-29Ni-3Cu-2Mo
317LSS, J92999 ASTM A743 CG3M 19Cr-11Ni-3Mo
317SS, J93000 ASTM A743 CG8M 19Cr-11Ni-3Mo
218SS, J92972, Nitronic 60 ASTM A743 CF10SMnN 17Cr-8.5Ni-N
Duplex, 254SMO, J93254 ASTM A743 CK3MCuN 20Cr-18Ni-6Mo-Cu-N

 

[james terrio]

That makes sense, kurec, thanks! ... no need for high hardness or resistance to deformation at high temps (unlike say, a jet-engine turbine)... Not good for knife blades then... but that would yield a lot of guards and buttcaps

I just noticed that the blades seem to have variable pitch. I bet a pic of the inside would be even cooler.

I didn't take any measurements, but even from my crappy pics, you can see the geometry is very complex. Fascinating stuff!

 

[sweet]

Can you send that to me? It would make a nice mace head for my impact tool, just the right size too! No plaque saying what it came from or who made it?

 

[Shaughnessy]

James
My understanding is that unless it came off a lawn mower between the years 1994 and 2002 then scrap steel is NO good....

 

[Sam Salvati]

Busse is counting they're pocket change LOL That's the perfect thickness

 

[james terrio]

Thanks for playing along, fellas

No plaque saying what it came from or who made it?

No plaque at all, sadly. I did a brief net search on the dam itself and all I've found so far is that construction was started in July, 1940 and it first started producing power in August, 1943. At this time I have no other info on when that actual turbine piece was made.