What’s Special About Old Iron?

[braillediver]

I see the occasional mention of using old iron parts like here:

“I think I used up the last of my small iron buggy wheel on this S guard and butt place.”

Is the old iron better quality or is it just a fun way to source / recycle material. Is any of it worth forwarding to a knife maker? I’ve seen an old buggy remains in Lake Washington and it had the buggy springs, seat springs and wheel hubs if I recall correctly.


Thanks Mitch

 

[deker]

Old wrought iron has a "grain" to it. The grain is from impurities in the iron (a lot of times it's silica). Modern steel manufacturing techniques don't create this material anymore. It also has some neat properties because of the impurities that make it great for general blacksmithing. For example, it forge welds very easily without any flux.

There is also part of it that is just working a piece of old iron that has hundreds of years of stories in it....

-d

 

[Sam Salvati]

Plus when you polish and etch it it looks really cool .

 

[A C Richards]

The parts you mentioned are not necessarily iron. Most of these parts are probably steel especially the springs. There is a certain look that we as knifemakers are looking for, the wrought iron from wagon wheel tires/rims give the grained look as described. The old material is great to work with. Many smiths will use the springs to make knives from if they are not too far gone. Ray Richard makes some wonderful stuff from this older material.