yet another score, STEEL PORN

speaking about color coding.... i'd make sure to put some good labels ... cause marker tends to wipe off at the worst time...

trust me... its a pita spark testing everything to find out what it is...


G

you could sell a couple and use that money to buy some more... heheh..
 
i was thinking of getting a set of steel stamps and stamping it into the steel.

what do you think should i have it all tested or trust the lables. thanks
 
you could get a dremel engraver, it vibrates and makes a series of shallow impressions a couple of thou deep you write like a pen

-Page
 
I normally mark it with the paint pens.. But I mark it in several places just in case one is rubbed or cut off. Bar stock I mark every 18" or so. This way I always have a mark somewhere. The engraver is a good idea also but mark it in more than one place just in case. Also those big pieces are hard to move around, if you can see the mark from all angles the better off you will be.

Chuck
 
ok i need to ask the senstive queston. pricing? normaley i would pass it on to you at my cost but right now getting layed of and wanting to keep it i need somthing to motavate me to sell it. i have been checking prices and the norm for A2 and D2 seams to be around 10.00+ a pound. and L6 at 3-4 a pound. S7 @ 11.00 and O1 @ 6.00. does this sound about right, of corse thats not what im going to sell it for i just wanted to get some thoughts from you. thanks
 
I really don't want to rain on your parade, but rather give some thoughts that haven't seemed to enter this thread much.

Be very careful with what you buy. I think everybody has "oh look, tool steel!" on their brain, without thinking of the actual pieces you have.

While A2, D2, and the like are great knife steels.... They are air hardening and VERY difficult for most people to forge. And that's at typical bar-stock sizes.

You have HUGE pieces that would require equipment WAY ABOVE and beyond what the average week-end warrior is going to have.

If people are cool with some really heavy paper weights, then that's cool. But from a former full-time bladesmith's perspective, the only stuff in that whole pile that would interest me at all is the L6 and maybe the O1. The other stuff is just plain too big and too difficult to break down to make it worth it to me.

I am ONLY standing up to say this because I think it's really awful that you got laid off and I don't want to see you investing a bunch of money during hard times that's only going to leave you worse off.

I could be totally wrong though. It wouldn't be the first time.

Either way... it's something to think about.
 
I need an anvil so email me and give me an idea of what you think would work and a quote...........

Thanks brother, I sure hope that you can off the steel but I would think about what Nick is saying. In the excitement you may buy everything they have only to find that it is hard to get rid of. I too was wondering how you would cut it down. Perhaps you can make it into usable sizes and sell it that way?? Good luck man.
 
thay are not huge but if mounted would be good. 5-6.5" face is quite usable. im trying to find a place that could heat treat them for me. maybe just wrap in kaowool and use my forced air burner to heat it up and let soak for 1/2 hr and remove wool and let air cool.
 
JTknives said:
what do you think should i have it all tested or trust the lables. thanks
Click to expand...
J this could be the next issue also, is it what it says it is? testing can get you into some more moneys going out atop it all.. if guys pay good money out they will want what you say it is..
 
nice piles of metal. i hope you do well with it. you can't count on color coding at all. there are places that will test metal samples and tell you what it is. Last prices I saw for analysis was around $25 but that's been awhile. I bet several here know of testing labs.
 
This is why I try not to buy what I cannot use myself. currently I am trying to sell a couple of motors. I had a chance to get 5 for a really nice price and am passing them on at my cost. No nibbles yet. Luckily I only bought 2 and can use them both. So I am not stuck with something I can't use. So far as the steel is concerned a few good pointers ave been made, It is nice that they are all marked but is it accurate. If not you can find yourself in trouble. Also Do not HT the large rounds yourself!!! They require much more control than you have by wrapping them in kao wool. Let the purchaser deal with the HT. There are many HT companies out there. Now for pricing. If you look on line you can get Known O-1 and A-2 for $1/lb from a steel supplier. I found L-6 in the same size for .45/lb a year ago with shipping it came to $1.20/lb. The CPM 3V might be the best bet to sell at a better price but still you are probably looking a $3-5/lb. Anything over $3/lb will probably not move at all since the customer is taking a chance and shipping can be a killer unless it fits into a flat rate box. If you get certifications from a lab with docs on what everything is then you might be able to bump up the price a little. Sorry to hear you are being laid off. It really sucks. If nothing else, when not looking for a new job, you can make more knives.

Chuck
 
ya i have been thinking about keeping everything but the big rounds. sell them for anvils. every thing else is not to big to work with. whats the best way to forge A2, can i then send it out for heat treat or could i quench after forging as it has been soaking for awhile.
 
A2 is not a good steel to forge. It is air hardening and every time you allow it to cool it will become hard. In order to anneal it properly it requires a step down ht oven that will cool at 25f/hr from critical to 1000f. It would be much better to use it as shoulder filing fixtures etc. One of the first "known steel" knives I forged was A2 and it never was finished.

Chuck
 
As soon as you heat it to forge it becomes hard. I mean 62rc. It is one of the most wear resistant steels also. Even more so than D2 (sorry D2 is more wear resistant than A2). Once it is forged and not annealed properly then you are hurting. You could grind it but.... a lot of belts, no files would be able to be used. It would be too hard to really work. It would be better to sell it for fixtures and buy new or use it for your own fixtures. It is very expensive so hang onto it and it will come into usefulness eventually. Nice thing is is does not rot.

Chuck
 
i thought you just posted that it can be found for a buck a pound. every where i checked had it for 10 or more a pound. i think im going to keep every thing except the large rounds and sell them for anvils. thay would just be to big to cut up. one more question. i did get a chunk of mild steel 4.5 x 5.5 x 24". i was thinking i now have 2 options. i could weld one of the 6.5"x4.5" S7 rounds onto the end and stand it up in a bucket with concrete or weld the 2 A2 plates 1/4" thick to the 5.5x24" face. ideas?
 
if the A2 plates are 1/4-1/2 thick i think they would be much better used a knife stock as you could still saw it up
me i would make a small camp/game splitting hatchet or 2 out of it

let me know as it would see to be a real waste to weld stock that could be used to make knives as an anvil top
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top