What do you suppose these are?

G

Gwinnydapooh

Joined
Jan 20, 1999
Messages
641
I bought a box of BIG industrial cutters and reamers tonight at the auction. There's got to be 75-100 lbs of steel there, and it's got to be high-carbon tool steel, doesn't it? The question is, what kind of steel might these be and am I going to be able to work them in a charcoal forge? My new forge, when done, will be 20"x12"x8" deep with a heck of a blower, but--these are big.
http://www.geocities.com/gwinnydapooh_2000/mysterysteel.html
 
A majority of that stuff is most likely high speed tool steel. Great stuff, but useless for forging. Way too hard to heat treat for the small time knife maker. You may be able to use some of that stuff for anvil tools like cuttoff hardies, chisels, drifts and the like. You'll wear out some grind stones and belts though. And that stuff just won't move under the hammer. It's designed to keep it's hardness when it gets hot.

Don't take my word for it though. Give it a try and you might get lucky and find something you can forge on. Good luck.
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Tom Anderson:
Be very careful when grinding that stuff. The dust can be toxic!

</font>
Click to expand...

Gotta use a suction system or a mask when grinding HSS. I machine tool grind on the side. Carbide is the worst of all.

Most of that stuff is more than likely M-2 HSS. You might look for markings on the tools that say 'M-42 COB. These are a high content cobalt HSS, with superior wear resistance, and toughness.

Mike


 
Gwinnydapooh -- Gotta tell you how much I enjoy those presentation pages you're using, with the pics and text right beside each other. Really makes it easier for a nummie like me to keep track of what's going on, what you're referring to, etc.

Please excuse my ignorance, but isn't 52100 considered a high speed steel? What constitutes a high speed steel?

I just read in an ancient Knives Illustrated or Blade, that one of the great attractions of ATS 34 was that it tempers at something like 1400 degrees.

Are the answers to my questions in the steel FAQ? I can go there and read it, if so.

Thanks,


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