What do we do with our scrap steel?

eric brinkerhoff

eric brinkerhoff

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Mar 10, 2013
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Ive got a zillion little junkets of o-1,a few tid-bits of d-2,and some 1095 scraps ,all segregated into their own buckets.Of course I use what I can for "neck knives"and such,but what I want to know :Is there a use for all these little pieces?Maybe you forgers could use it for inserts or for layering?What do you think?
 
Eric
when you have a bucket full of one type of steel, send it to a metal recycler. Your recycling, make a little bit of money and you have cleaned up your shop.

Frank
 
eric brinkerhoff said:
Ive got a zillion little junkets of o-1,a few tid-bits of d-2,and some 1095 scraps ,all segregated into their own buckets.Of course I use what I can for "neck knives"and such,but what I want to know :Is there a use for all these little pieces?Maybe you forgers could use it for inserts or for layering?What do you think?
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The little bits can be made into a mismash damascus.

Not all of those will mix or show contrast, but I'd hang onto it
 
If they're thin they can be used for firesteel strikers.

They can also be hardened and used as cutting inserts in wood turning tools.
 
Gravers, scribes, punches, awls, stamps. There are all sorts of little tools that don't need much steel.
 
I've been lurking on bladeforums for a while now and am always blown away by the great ideas shared here! Many thanks to all of you for sharing skill and know-how like this.
 
Some folks do that with damscus leftovers in a can and call it "scrapmascus" I call it "head cheese pattern mosaic.":D
 
What I used to do with drops:

Put them into a labeled area with shelf space dedicated to D2, A2, W1, 1018, 4130 etc.

Pile it really high so anything little thing on the bottom may as well not even exist.

Get them all jumbled up (numerous ways to do this, moving shop is one)

Hold onto them anyway because they're "valuable"

Never use any of it because you're not certain what any particular bit actually is. When the pile hits critical mass scrap the entire mess and start over.



What I now do with drops:

If it is a small drop and not an extremely expensive material (copper, vespel etc) throw it away or put it into a scrap pile that is removed regularly.
If it is a legitimately useful sized drop, mark on it in several places what it is with a sharpy. If there is no room in the drops shelf for that material throw it away anyway or throw something else away to make room for it.

One of the secrets to happiness (or at least avoiding insanity) is getting rid of junk that you don't need. It can be difficult to look at our piles of "treasure" and see them for what they really are. They may have been expensive piles to build but they are anchors with negative value wasting space and causing clutter.
 
I like that Nathan!

I am starting to see that it is more valuable to get rid of things than to keep them, even if they are "worth something"
The anchor factor of perceived valuables can really weigh you down
 
I am guilty of keeping them in the hope that they will be useful one day, and sometimes they actually are. I have quite a few scribes, cutting bits, tang broaches, small drifts, etc. laying around my shop that were spawned from my scrap cans. A2 scraps are especially useful for off-the-cuff tools that need to be hardened, it's too easy to hit the end of them with a torch and get them hard enough for single- or occasional-use items. Even my file guide is made from scrap and has given good service for a couple of years now.

Marking the scraps is important though, or having seperate cans or bins to keep them in so I know what they are.
 
I use the scraps for making "survival"arrow heads which can be eisily lashed to a stick to make an arrow or spear.I got the idea from esee's arrowhead.I also use the scraps to make frog gigs and fish spears.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
Get them all jumbled up (numerous ways to do this, moving shop is one)
Click to expand...

This is what I've done. I have a box of small pieces of O1, 440C, CPM154, CPM3V, S35VN, AEB-L, 1075, N690, etc. I guess I always assumed I could sell it for scrap once I had a large amount of it. Is that not the case? I mean is a metal recycler going to turn it away since it's a mix of various types of steel?

This is one aspect that I really dislike about stock removal. My scrap box probably weighs 30-40 pounds. That's a lot of steel that I paid for only to cut off and discard.
 
Shawn Hatcher said:
This is what I've done. I have a box of small pieces of O1, 440C, CPM154, CPM3V, S35VN, AEB-L, 1075, N690, etc. I guess I always assumed I could sell it for scrap once I had a large amount of it. Is that not the case? I mean is a metal recycler going to turn it away since it's a mix of various types of steel?

This is one aspect that I really dislike about stock removal. My scrap box probably weighs 30-40 pounds. That's a lot of steel that I paid for only to cut off and discard.
Click to expand...


They won't turn it away, but it won't be worth more than a few dollars.
 
Preach it Nathan!
Yeah- do I really need fifty pounds of each width of square tube for holding things in place while I weld? No, a couple of em will do, or I can use a piece off the rack.
 
You can always take all that steel to a scrap yard! There's a SIMS recycling facility in my town and I've been there a few times with my metal scrap. They have centers in almost all major cities across the country and offer good prices so it would make sense to sell metal scrap at a SIMS center. Find out more by visiting http://us.simsmm.com/Sell-to-Us.
 
Older thread revisited...but the same truth still exists, you will probably spend more on gas going to the scrap yard to sell the shop scrap than you will get for it. Steel scrap brings a few cents a pound. Best solution is to put it in the trash can every week when you clean up the shop (like any of us actually clean the shop weekly :) )
 
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