Steel ID

D

Duckster

Joined
Dec 14, 2008
Messages
4
Hi all, first time caller, long time lurker.

My dad recently removed a 'hearth plate?' that he installed about 20 years ago under some tile in front of his fireplace. The plate is approx 3'x6'x1/4". He said I could have it, and I agreed, providing I can figure out if the steel is worth using. 18 square feet is a lot of knife blanks, if it's usable. Is there any way I can tell if the steel is usable? By usable, I mean a steel that, with the proper heat treat, can hold an edge. Thanks in advance.
 
Can you cut off a couple square inches to test? Maybe a bar 1" x 4".

Then you could spark-test it. If it has bright sparks with lots of branches it probably has enough carbon in it to harden.

So harden it, stick half in the vise and whack it with a hammer. If it hardened, it should break fairly cleanly, not bend.
 
I do not know first hand but I imagine that it would not have enough carbon to harden fully.
 
The most standard type of steel is 1018 which does not have near enough carbon. I would slice off a piece and try to harden it. Then you could do a break test without tempering it. If it snaps it will probably work. If it bends its obviously no good. Wear eye protection and gloves if you do this.
 
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