[TheForge] Re: [kl] Wrought iron chain?

[Doug Ayen]

Quoth Andy Vida (osan@netlabs.net):
> Well, today I found about 70# of wrought iron chain off some marine
> machinery whilst walking the knuckleheads by the Columbia River.  It's
> machine chain... crap I forget the name... like a motorcycle chain,
> only the links are about 8" long.  The side plates are definitely
> wrought
> and I think the pins are (they are peined over like rivets), but the
> rollers might be steel, which would make sense for wear.
> 
> The wrought is very fine grained, but definitely it is wrought iron.
> 
> I was thinking of using some of this for knives in a sanmai type
> construction with 1095 or WHC sandwiched in between.
> 
> Anyone ever use wrought iron in a blade before?  I like it for the
> grain and the better stain resistance... but mostly the grain. :)
> 
> 	-Andy

I have used it for recreating some historical knives. Yes, it does have a 
good grain. Welds nicely, too. And if you want to make a primitive steel 
it can be made into blister steel fairly easily.  I have a anglo-saxon
sax I made up with the body in a herringbone pattern of alternating
wrought and homemade steel with a welded on edge of layered primitive
steel. Looks nice, is extremely historically accurate, and hey, 
how many people can say they've made their own steel for the knife 
they carry?

--doug