[TheForge] Subject: Suggestions needed for scroungeable steel

[Bruce Freeman]

Ken,
 
Case-hardened mild steel is not suitable for a hammer face.  The depth
of hard steel is to little (perhaps 1/16") and in some cases a hard face
on a soft base can be counterproductive.  Andy Vida tried this idea (not
case-hardened, but some commercially applied hardfacing) and the
hardfacing shattered, IIRC.  Not good.
 
By "facing" I meant the addition of a significant chunk of hard steel. 
This would probably have to be welded on.  In principle it could be
forge-welded on, but in practice that might be a bitch to do. 
Conceivably it could be attached in another way, say by loop and wedge,
like top tools on Spencer's TH, but that merely changes how the welding
has to be done.
 
Thanks for the Fazzio's contact info.  I hve visted them, but they're
too far away for frequent trips.  I just requested a quote.  However, I
suspect places like Fazzio's are not too common...
 
Thanks,
 
Bruce
NJ

>>> mayerk@surfree.com 11/18/2003 10:31:50 PM >>>

<snip>

>Ideally, the material would be suitable for use as a hammer, with
>ordinary hardening & tempering.  Exotic materials not needed, but
mild
>steel wouldn't be appropriate unless faced with tool steel (a
>possibility I'd prefer to avoid).

You could case-harden the tip.

>Since I prefer to design in scroungeable materials, I could use some
>suggestions as to sources of such steel.  The truck axles I've seen
are
>of smaller diameter than this (though I've seen tractors with axles
of
>3" dia.).  Track pins seem to be shorter than this - like 8" or so.
>Anyone have any other suggestions - preferably of materials you'd
have
>no particular trouble scrounging yourself?




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