[TheForge] Swedish steel

[Stephen Viola]

Hi all!

I've been offered a stack of metal and I'm not entirely sure what it
is. I haven't been able to get my hands on any so no information about
anything really.. other than the following.

Swedish metal called:

BOFORS FR 86
&
BOFORS CRO 86 (861)

As the company has long since joined the rhealm of the dinosaurs I
can't find any information about this metal.

Any info would be much appreciated.

OK next problem..

I've just bought myself around 17kg of round stock. The diameter is 9
cm and about 40 cm long. I was intending to make some candle holders
using the mighty 60kg Russian built power hammer.. only the
"välivasara" the tool needed to form the indentation in the metal (the
english name escapes me just now), just bounced off it like a rubber
ball! Incredibly hard material.. it seems to be cast iron of sorts.
Judging by the color and marks on the out side of the metal my
colleagues deem it to be "valurauta" (cast iron) as well.. today I ran
hardening test on it and found it to have quite fine grain around 600
- 700 degrees C. burnt to a crisp around 1000 degrees and when cooled
had a golden shine to it. I'm clueless as to what this may be and the
young guy at the junk yard was not very helpful. Any ideas regarding
not only what this forge resistant material may be but also what to do
with it??? I'm thinking of using it for a series of guillitine bases
or silver smithing anvil.. more than likely it will be tossed onto the
"I'll deal with that later pile!" I know you all have one of those!!!

Anyway any help regarding this would also be much appeciated.

Wombat
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