shovel steel?

[hidingpool]

I am fairly new to knifemaking and usually scavenge my materials and sometimes tools. I have made blades out of files, leafsprings, sawzall blades,etc. Recently a friend of mine mentioned having some broken shovels. Does anyone know what type of steel they are,edge holding ability, heat-treating techniques?

 

[Reg ELLERY]

If the shovels are already broken you have nothing to loose but time.
I would be inclind to think if they are the common garden variety they would bot be anything spectacular. Next time you have the forge going just cut a piece of and get it red hot. Quench it in water. try to file it is the file skids across hard. Also try to hit it with a hammer once quenched if hard it should snap. with those couple of test you should get an idea if it is going to harden and temper.

If its no good you have only lost a couple of minutes while doing something else.

I also like to you recycled, scrounged, and historical pieces of steel. I collect alsorts from the abandoned goldfields and sell to tourists. I always tell them what the steel was and what it was used for. To the right kind of person that is an intersting side to the item they can talk about to their friends. probably about as boring as the slide show but it works as a sales gimic.

If you go on a trip would you rather buy a local made item or one with "made in china" stamped on the bottom. Please no offence meant to the Chinnees just an example. My daughter brought a cup home from England made in China. I said why din't you buy something English.