[TheForge] Re: Pure Iron

Sat Aug 3 17:14:01 2002

I live out on the West coast and a group of local smiths here went together and
bought a little over 2 tons.  And of course on top of that was shipping.  In the
end it was pricey, as I recall it ended up being just under $2 a pound by the
time I got it here.  It definitely is not a replacement for mild steel and is
actually to soft for some applications but if used for what it does best it is
worth every penny.  For most smiths that do a fair amount of 'sculpting' of
there metal it is a dream to work with.  You have all seen photos of iron work
where it almost looks like the work was done with warm wax,  corners peeled
down,  dramatic undercuts,  heavy chasing or repousse, etc. etc.     I think of
these as pieces used as accents mixed with the overall job using mild steel or
A-36.    I believe if pure iron is used for the right thing it can be cheaper
than the alternatives because it is so much easier to work, has a wider window
for movement, and a wider window for all forging tolerances.  The job will take
less time and the end result will be much more pleasing to the eye.  Let me try
to put it this way, pure iron is as much easier to work than A-36 as A-36 is
easier to work than a high carbon tool steel.  We have all done forgings where
the material looks forced and was asked to do things it didn't want to, the
resistance shows in the final job.  Pure iron will damn near do anything you ask
and the end result shows it did it willingly.    In most of my work when the
price is broken down the material is very small as compared to the labor cost of
the job.  Pure iron will raise the material cost but it will lower the labor
cost proportionally,  have a more aesthetic end result, and is simply a joy to
work.

I for one will be very sad if it becomes unavailable.

my 2 cents.

Roger Olsen
__________________________

Adam Whiteson wrote:

> My reaction was about the same as Jerry's.   Would be interesting to try
> but hesitated to jump in with 50#'s.  Perhaps if I had gotten to try some,
> the advantages would have been clear and I would have had no qualms about
> buying a bunch.  It may be clear to experienced users that pure iron is
> worth it but from where I stand, it's about the same price as exotic tool
> steels like h13 or s7 and I tend to use those very sparingly.  I guess we
> just aren't accustomed to paying $1.75/lb for stock  and we needed a little
> coaxing.    I do realized that a 50# order  for a steel yard , even one
> dealing with specialty metals,  is  mostly a nuisance but it is important
> to offer a way for people to get their feet wet.   I would
> suggest,  belatedly,  offering a 10# sampler pack  for, say $20.  Most
> people will go $20 on an impulse purchase.
>
> Adam
>
> At 09:48 PM 8/2/2002 -0400, you wrote:
> >Well, I can't answer for anyone else, but in my case, while I would have
> >liked to try it, I could not justify the minimum order plus shipping.
> >Several attempts to combine orders with other interested parties just never
> >happened. Add to that, the size I use most frequently (3/8" square) rarely
> >seemed to be in stock.  With a lower minimum, you'd have gotten my business.
> >
> >Jerry V
> >Williamsburg, VA
> >
> ><< We remain puzzled
> >  as to why Pure Iron use has grown so well in Europe and so poorly here as
> >the
> >  cost ratio between low carbon and Pure Iron in Europe is about ten times,
> >  where here it may be around 2 to 2-1/2 times the cost of low carbon. >>
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