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Waste nothing? What to do with steel scraps and dust

K

Kessik221

Joined
Nov 2, 2016
Messages
39
As the title states, what do you guys do with the extra steel scraps from cutouts and the dust (i've collected with a giant magnet). My first thought was that it might be cool to try a damascus piece with the dust and scraps via a canister, but the dust has to have all sorts of other junk in it. So, what do you guys do with it all? Starting to really build up fast.
 
From what I have seen many people take scrap metal to recycling/scrap places and if I'm not mistaken you often are paid by weight for the scrap metal. You do need to keep different types separated I think as the price varies with the type of material obviously.

I do like the idea of repurposing it in your own shop. I am curious if the "dust" is fine powder like dust or more like small shavings.
 
the dust i've collected has been mostly from the grinder, i just take a magnet everytime i'm done and give the bench a good sweep then scrape it into a 5 gallon. the scraps i keep seperate and i've been using them as backspacers, butt caps etc. Some of the pieces are just to small to be of any use though. The majority of this stuff is 1095 and whatever metal Nicholson files are made from.
 
I save chips from the drill press and bandsaw. I wouldnt waste time collecting grinder dust. I may one day do canister damascus, i will use a smallish can and beat the piss out of it with a sledge and see what happens.
 
Let's be honest here ... it is called scrap because that is what it is. Toss it in the trash and keep the shop clean. I see recommendations of taking it to the scrap yard, but it takes at about 100 pounds of scrap to buy a six pack beer.
 
Further, metallic content of grinder swarf is mostly oxidised steel. It was burning as it flies off the abrasive afterall.
Aside from some whimsical art project or in your unfriendly neighbors lawnmower engine, there is little use or value.
 
Some things that I have done.

Poured my 5 gallon bucket from under my grinder into a hornet nest. I followed this up with a glad gallon of lawnmower gas.

Poured it in spots around my backyard to see if the iron greens the grass or kills it.

Poured it in the woodchuck hole under my fence to keep that guy out of my tomatoes.

It so far has been about as effective as similar products like dirt, sand, rocks and maybe a few other things.
 
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