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Post by legacyofthesword on Oct 21, 2018 17:38:22 GMT
I recently finished working for a local farmer. While I was working, we had to replace the blades on the bush hog mower I was using. Of course I asked if he wanted them, and so I ended up with ten big mower blades. Awesome, right? I wasn't sure what kind of steel they were though, so I did a Google search (the mower blades were made by Schulte) and came up with the following info:
Blades Material: ½” X 4” (12.7 X 101.6mm) SAE 5160 chrome-vanadium steel. Forged cutting edge with 2-3/4” (70mm) drop. The following tests are conducted to ensure that blades fall within the requirements of Alamo MS 0001 ‘Rotary Cutter Blade Material Specification’: • Blade ductility per ASAE S483 • Hardness per ASTM A370-03 • Charpy V-notch per ASTM A370-03a • Decarburization • Grain size per ASTM E112-96 • Non-metallic inclusions per ASTM E45-97
So 5160 steel is good, but the part that says decarburization worries me. I don't understand the rest, haha, but I was hoping someone else with more knowledge could tell me if swords or knives made from these would end up being too soft, or if there's any way to recarburize the steel.
Thanks everyone.
Edit: Oh, apparently the blades have also been shot peened, if that makes any difference. Also, I use a propane forge, but I do have the ability to build a quick coal forge out of firebricks and an old sink.
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Post by demonskull on Oct 22, 2018 2:04:41 GMT
Decarbonization only effects the outer layer of the steel. If you are doing stock removal on all exterior parts of the steel or are folding it and reforging, you should be okay.
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Post by legacyofthesword on Oct 22, 2018 2:16:54 GMT
Sweet, that's great to hear; thanks for the help. Looks like I'm going to be making some (hopefully) awesome blades then.
About how deep does decarburization usually go, and how much should I grind off to get rid of the soft out layer?
Thanks again.
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Scott
Member
Posts: 1,674
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Post by Scott on Oct 22, 2018 4:30:17 GMT
To me that reads like the blades are tested for decaburization, not that they are decarburized. Maybe test for hardness?
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Scott
Member
Posts: 1,674
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Post by Scott on Oct 22, 2018 4:55:21 GMT
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Post by demonskull on Oct 22, 2018 21:53:09 GMT
Sweet, that's great to hear; thanks for the help. Looks like I'm going to be making some (hopefully) awesome blades then. About how deep does decarburization usually go, and how much should I grind off to get rid of the soft out layer? Thanks again. You should have to go any farther then you would normally. Even a good polish might be sufficient. The decarbonization is the result of gases in contact with the surface so anything below should be good to go.
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Post by legacyofthesword on Oct 22, 2018 22:52:33 GMT
Awesome, I'd love to see it. Sweet, that's great to hear; thanks for the help. Looks like I'm going to be making some (hopefully) awesome blades then. About how deep does decarburization usually go, and how much should I grind off to get rid of the soft out layer? Thanks again. You should have to go any farther then you would normally. Even a good polish might be sufficient. The decarbonization is the result of gases in contact with the surface so anything below should be good to go. Great! Sounds like I'm good to go then. Thanks for the help.
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Scott
Member
Posts: 1,674
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Post by Scott on Oct 25, 2018 3:48:07 GMT
Sorry for the delay, got a couple of pictures taken but having trouble resizing them. Should have them up soon.
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Post by L Driggers (fallen) on Oct 25, 2018 18:41:11 GMT
Good luck forging brush hog blades they are thick. Makes my arm hurt just thinking about it. Don't worry so much about decarb it is a very thin layer you will grind or file off sharping the blade.
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Post by legacyofthesword on Oct 26, 2018 18:37:40 GMT
Good luck forging brush hog blades they are thick. Makes my arm hurt just thinking about it. Don't worry so much about decarb it is a very thin layer you will grind or file off sharping the blade.
No kidding! I'm planning on grinding off a bit, so that should help. Good to know about the decarb, thanks.
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Scott
Member
Posts: 1,674
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Post by Scott on Dec 1, 2018 1:51:50 GMT
Sorry this has taken so long, finally got photo size issue fixed. And yes, I know my backyard is a bit overgrown.
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Post by legacyofthesword on Dec 1, 2018 3:24:48 GMT
Nice! That should easily take care of an overgrown backyard.
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