Stainless cable

[Dublin Lee]

I have just acquired a couple of feet of 1/2 inch stainless cable. Has anyone tried to forge weld it? Problems, solutions? How do heat treat and temper stainless? Thanks dlee

 

[Mike Hull]

I would recommend NOT using it. Stainless does not benefit from forging, in fact often quite the opposite. You don't know what type of stainless it is, and chances are, it is not even suitable for knives. You can buy good steel to forge at many places, cheap. It ain't worth it to use unidentified scrap.
1084, or 1095, are good steels, as is 5160.

http://www.admiralsteel.com/

http://www.lowcostmetals.com/

 

[Nabok]

Most stainless steel cable I have seen is 18-8 / 300 series stainless, not enough carbon to harden. I have never tried it but, I am not sure that it can be forge welded.

Todd