[TheForge] Re: Steel question OT (Wrought Iron)

[Peter Fels And Phoebe Palmer]

Telling wrought;
Tilt sample and make a puddle with a torch, the upper part of the 
puddle bottom will show the layers as it melts...pf

Hochewa at aol.com wrote:
> To All,
> Anybody watch the Mythbusters' episode on trying to make a hammer  explode?
> Back to wrought iron:
> Byers went out of production in 1971.  They were the last producer of  
> wrought iron on an industrial scale in the world.  Their last Bessemer  Converter is 
> on display at Station Square in Pittsburgh.
> Wrought iron is fibrous because of the silicate fiber in it.  It is  what 
> makes wrought iron wrought iron.  When it corrodes or breaks (in a  ductile 
> manner)  it looks just like wood.  If you don't strike while  the iron is hot, it 
> will break up into fibers just like wood.  Wrought iron  can be brittle at room 
> temperature, hot short or hardenable.  Not all  wrought iron is the same.
> When using found materials, it would be wise to do a few simple tests to  see 
> what you got.
> 1.  Take several representative samples up to yellow heat; let  one air cool, 
> quench one in oil, quench another in water or brine.  Take a  file to them.  
> This will give you an idea if the material is  hardenable.
> 2.  Make a square and twist it hot.  If the edges break up, it  make be 
> leaded.  Good for machining but lousey for forging.
> 3.  Take a 1/2" round or square and chisel half way through.   Bend it.  The 
> nature of the break will tell you if it is steel or wrought  iron.
> Antbody have other tests?
>  
> Regards,
>  
> Hochewa
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