[TheForge] Identifying Wrought Iron

[Jim Beard]

Howdy Kind Folks!

Now that the domain is working again...  I had a question about
identifying wrought iron.  Whats the best way to go about it?  I'm
assuming you want to be able to see the grain to
actually tell, so cutting it would likely be the easiest way?  What
about filing down the surface?  Would that expose grains in wrought if
they were there?

I'm rather new to smithing (being beating hot iron once a week or so
for the last year at a friends forge) and as such don't have much
experience identifying metals.  Last week however, I was out at the
local steel scrap yard (I try to go once a month or so), and found a
few large chain links.  The links were over a foot or more long, and
the metal was about 1.5" in diameter.  The metal had been painted over
(i think) and was covered in a thick layer of dirt.  I couldn't really
see the surface of the metal.  However, it did seem like it had a
grain to it.  Almost like the surface was one of a tree branch.  The
links look like they had been lap welded on one end (as opposed to the
middle of a side, which is what I have seen examples of..).  Anyway, I
wondered if these were old Wrought Iron links..

Also (I'm sure this is a can of worms here) but I've read some
information about Wrought that says it was not as nice to forge as
mild steel, yet I hear smiths talk about finding it and liking it too,
so I'm a bit confused.  Is it easy / hard / fun / boring to forge
with?

Thanks!

Jim