Subject: Re: Nails for Blacksmith Shop

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 1996 20:30:57 -0500

re: Rusty nails and how to aviod it ----------
We made some nails (cut nails) out or real iron flat bar (not low carbon
steel) on a nail cutting machine a few moons back.  They were used for the
"Massachusetts", a reproduction of a wooden sailing/fishing boat.  Iron was
used for its superior corrosion resistance to that of steel, and the idea was
to make the ship as true to the original construction as possible.  At that
time the computer industry was using "Electrical Iron" for magnetic response
in their dot matrix printers and several mills in the U.S. and in Sweden made
this .03 max. carbon iron.  That era came and went in a hurry and the
availability of Electrical Iron all but vanished unfortunately, as it was
heaven to work.  
So, in the back of my mind there has been this lamebrain idea; What if we all
pooled our funds/requirements and purchased a heat of Iron!  A small heat
would weigh about 20,000#, and we could order square stock, round, flat bar
or whatever to make up this order, probably 2,000# would be required for each
size/shape.  Anyone interested?
As I am in the specialty steel business I would offer to contact the three
mills in the U.S. who once made this product,  and maybe Ralph Snel or Niko
could check out "Sandvick Steel of Sweden", the other (one time) producer.
I'm sure that the logistics of buying, funding and then distributing would be
insanity, but I can assure you that if we could do it, that we'd do it again
- it's that good!
Your thoughts,
Mike Schermerhorn

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From: [email-masked] (MR WILLIAM A HOCHELLA)
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 08:13:53 EST

To All,
Electrical Iron is still available in less that heat lots. It is used 
in applications where low magnetic hysterisis is desirable, like 
speaker magnet cores and a whole host of other applications.
When the term iron is used to describe a material for use as a forged 
product, one must remember that it is wrought iron that they are 
talking about. Shipbuilders still painted wrought iron ships.

Bill Hochella

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 09:27:26 -0500

In a message dated 96-03-30 08:20:30 EST, you write:

> All,

Bill H. is correct, Electrical Iron bar is available in broken heat lot
quantities, but in very limited supply (sizes and shapes).  I priced the
three items which I was able to find in stock and they were priced way above
anything that I would be interested in: in 500# lots;
     3/4 rd. x 12 ft bars $4.09/# plus freight
     3/8 rd. x 12 ft bars $3.26/#
     1/8 x 2" x 10 ft. lg  $3.97/#
The reason they are so expensive is that the 3/4 rd was vacuum melted, the
3/8 rd. was precision centerless ground to P/M .0005 and the 1/ x 2 was cold
rolled. 
What I am talking about is arc-melted, bloomed and hot rolled bar. The mills
will pickle for another 3 or 4 cents and we should be able to buy it for
around 60 cents/# if we purchase the whole heat.
Bill, if you know of a mill producing hot rolled bar of electrical iron for
sale in small quantities let us know.  Thanks,
Mike Schermerhorn

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From: "Bruce M. Freeman" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 13:44:04 -0500

Mike,
I'm interested and I think our Blacksmith Guild at Historic Allaire Village
would be interested.  What would be the approximate price per pound?.  We'd
have to take shipping into account.  Let's do some more brainstorming before
we drop the idea.
Bruce

>What if we all