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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Mar 16, 2020 1:13:54 GMT
Call me curious. I've got a rusty 4" steel nail... I mean you can beat on anything and heat it. But I'm having trouble figuring out what steel it's made of. No, I have yet to do a spark test, but those can be inconclusive....
Thoughts?
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Post by L Driggers (fallen) on Mar 16, 2020 1:48:35 GMT
You can forge it but it won't harden mild steel.
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Scott
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Posts: 1,675
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Post by Scott on Mar 16, 2020 2:14:04 GMT
Try quenching it and see what happens.
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Bavarianbarbarian - Semper Semprini
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Mar 16, 2020 2:23:29 GMT
Up to 1850 all nails were forged. Modern steel nails can be hardened, or not. If it bends with wrong hammering in it's probably not hardened, hardened nails rather brake. If you can cut it with a Eisenhauer saber it was wrought iron. If not your saber is wrought then!
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Post by RufusScorpius on Mar 16, 2020 12:35:36 GMT
If you can cut it with a Katana.... um... that would prove nothing actually. A Katana can cut through anything.
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Post by RickDastardly on Mar 16, 2020 14:43:57 GMT
A Katana can cut through anything.
Except Chuck Norris.
As to nails, not usually hardenable as L Driggers said, most nails being made from mild steel wire. However masonry nails are supposedly 'hardened steel', so must have a bit more carbon in them.
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Post by mrbadexample on Mar 16, 2020 14:45:58 GMT
My understanding is that a lot of the finger knives that the Pokot in Kenya use are made from nails because the nails are about the right size stock and cheap. I believe some are cold forged. None are hardened because they are mild steel. So, you can bang a nail into a knife shape, but you can’t harden it. I have some African knives made of unhardened steel of some sort. After a sharpening, they cut great... once. 😉
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Mar 16, 2020 18:09:28 GMT
My understanding is that a lot of the finger knives that the Pokot in Kenya use are made from nails because the nails are about the right size stock and cheap. I believe some are cold forged. None are hardened because they are mild steel. So, you can bang a nail into a knife shape, but you can’t harden it. I have some African knives made of unhardened steel of some sort. After a sharpening, they cut great... once. 😉 Good tips all! I had forgotten the tidbit about the African hand forged stuff.
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