[TheForge] used chainsaw chains

[Paul M Dunphy]

On 02/11/16 12:06 PM, terry l. ridder wrote:
> hello
>
> i have been going through all various chains sorting out good & bad. a
> friend suggested getting a harborfreight chain breaker and rivet
> spinner. Using those tools "cut & paste" chains together.
>
> Scrapping them is the last option.
> I am not into pattern welding, but I know from the past on theforge many
> people have used roller chain, bicycle chains, etc for pattern welding.
>
> I have no experience attempting to weld chainsaw chain together in a
> forge. I would assume that unless chainsaw chains are made from some
> unique metals that they should be able to be forge welded into billets.
>
> So are there people who would use these chains for billets or should I
> just scrap them?
>

Hi Terry,

     I'm just a newbee.  The TV show "Forged in Fire" had an episode 
where one of the participants used an old chain from a saw to make a 
billet.  He used a square tube of mild steel, arc welded a bottom on one 
end and filled the resultant "container" with powdered steel and cut up 
pieces of the chain(s).  Then he arc welded a top on and heated the 
whole thing to forging temperature.  He was able to forge this into a 
billet with a power hammer, and then peal off the mild steel exterior.  
He ended up with a nice billet that he went on to make a decent blade with.

     You said you weren't into pattern welding, and this is obviously a 
form of that.  As I recall, the blade made from the billet I described 
had a Damascas-like pattern when etched.  The material in the chain (as 
well as the powdered steel) was obviously hardenable and took & held an 
edge.  Don't know if you are into making blades, or if such a billet 
could be used for something else, but it was interesting to watch.

     Also, they could be mystery metal as I doubt that all chainsaw 
chains are created equal these days . . . when I found out they are now 
case hardening Nicholson files, I lost faith!

-- 
- Paul

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Paul M Dunphy
Lake Echo, Nova Scotia