More forging fun w/steel WW's

[Ohio Rusty]

The following pics show the fun I was having Tuesday. I ended up making some 18th century styled screwdrivers called 'turnscrews' from steel WW's. I hope some of you might save me your steelies, and when you get a small flat rate box full of steel WW's, send them my way sometime. I'll reimburse you shipping +.

WW's heating up in the gas forge before taking the clips off:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/OhioRusty/WWs.jpg

After drawing out the WW long and thin, it is shaped to the tool you want to make:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/OhioRusty/Anvil1.jpg

Here I am at the anvil:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/OhioRusty/forging.jpg

The final result .... WW's turned into turnscrews !!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/OhioRusty/Turnscrews.jpg

Ohio Rusty ><>

[richhodg66]

That's pretty cool! I don't seem to find any iron ones, but sure have a lot of zinc ones (magnet won't stick to them)in the last batch I bought. Are they good for anything?

[letsmeltlead2693]

They are steel not iron, although steel is made of iron, carbon ,and other metals.

[shadowcaster]

Hey.. those are awsome! Reminds me of the ones that you see that come with flintlock pan kits.

Shad

[jlm223]

Nice work, very cool.

[dbarnhart]

Blacksmithing! My maternal grandfather was a blacksmith and I've always entertained the idea of learning it.

[KCSO]

Never thought of that! Are W/W water or oil hardening, do you know the metal, say 5156 or so?

[357maximum]

Wow Very neat with a "COOL FACTOR" of 10. :mrgreen:

Blacksmithing is something I have always wanted to try, but I need another hobby like gravy needs more fat.

[MikeS]

Never thought of that! Are W/W water or oil hardening, do you know the metal, say 5156 or so?

I doubt that wheel weights are anything but low carbon steel. There's no reason to use any fancy alloy to make weights, all they're supposed to do is sit there. I wouldn't be surprised if they were iron, and not steel, for exactly that reason.

[Ohio Rusty]

They don't rust much like carbon steel does when it sets out in the weather. They are probably alot like wrought iron maybe. They are water quenched, heated again a little, then treated with a mix of beeswax and linseed oil. It gives them that nice gunmetal gray color. . After quenching, they don't cut easy with a file so they are hardened pretty nice.

DBarnhart: Blackmithing is already in your blood !! There are little groups of blacksmiths everywhere that would be happy to mentor you and let you pound iron ..... It's addictive as reloading, casting and shooting .... <BG>
Ohio Rusty ><>

[Blue Hill]

I'm one of those Rusty. I've been hammering iron (oh sorry, steel 2963) for close to 20 years. It was something I had always wanted to try. I'm old school and run a coal forge. I take my traveling shop on the road in the summertime and do demo's at threshing bees and heritage days, that sort of thing. Blacksmiths were the original recyclers, it's nice to see you repurposing the steel ww's.

[reddoggm]

Might be an interest in those in the S&S fourm here

[Alan in Vermont]

I watched a blacksmith pounding steel at a fair in Haverhill, NH. He had a novel way of making "coffee money" in addition to being a pretty good craftsman.

As a crowd gathered he would pull a piece of glowing metal out of his forge and hold it up, with the comment of , "That looks real hot, doesn't it?"

The crowd would ooh and ahh by way of agreement.

"Give me quarter and I'll lick it"

Eventually someone would hand him a quarter.

Which he would promptly lick and put in his pocket. :)

[Philngruvy]

Ohio, those are fantastic!!!!

My wife bought me a package of blacksmithing lessons, from Ram's Head Forge in Dade City, for a Christmas present. I am taking my second set of lessons next weekend. I never thought of using my steel WWs for anything but adding to my scrap pile. Thanks for the heads up.

[Finster101]

I've been saving them since you first thread about using them. Just don't have enought to justify shipping yet, but I will. You do some interesting and nice work. Kudos.

James