[TheForge] Splitting steel

[Larry and Pat Brown]

It sounds like your bar has a rolled inclusion or cold crack from being 
rolled too cold or a fold in the end of the piece that was rolled out long 
enough to take up  your bar. Check the other end of the bar you might have 
some good on it. Forge the end square cold and look for the crack. I have 
had channel and angle with cracks that show when stress is applied, like 
when the job is completed. Had a guy I made a roof rack for tell me it fell 
apart. I couldn't believe him so when he showed me the truck, all the welds 
were fine, but the two inch channel had become two pieces of one inch angle 
on both sides. The steel yard said they would give me replacement steel and 
to throw the stuff I had away. Still didn't make me very happy
Larry Brown



At 06:39 PM 5/17/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>Today I was forging some 3/4" round hot-rolled to square.
>Despite working at a high forging temperature and not working it below a red
>heat, I noticed some cracks developing across the material. When it became
>evident that the cracks were going to result in the piece eventually breaking,
>I cut that short section off and continued on the next section.
>I then noticed two longitudinal cracks on one face.
>I've never had a problem like this before, but of course I've never had a
>deadline like this and working my last piece of 3/4" round either.
>Though I'm sure Murphy has everything to do with this, I'm curious to know if
>anyone else has ever had this problem.
>Is there any way around this problem, or is the only solution to pick up
>another piece and start over?
>
>Bob
>
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