Subject: Re: Low Carbon Steel

From: [email-masked] (jeramo)
Date: Thu, 04 Apr 1996 09:23:22 -0800

>I've seen a couple of articles/comments on very low carbon steel stating that
>1008 steel forges and welds extremely well.  Although this may or may not be
>helpful, I was informed today that many ball bearings are made from 1008 or
>1010 steel and then case hardened.  If any of you live near a ball bearing
>manufacturer, maybe you could check on the availability and source of the raw
>materials for the rest of us.
>
Ball bearings are also made of 56100 which is a very different steel.

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 1996 23:15:18 -0500

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 5 Apr 1996 22:02:36 -0500

The POINT of my note on low carbon ball bearing stock was not to find out
what all the different compositions were, but to try and locate a source of
1008 steel.  My apologies for not being clear - rather than word it in that
way, maybe it would be better to ask where one could get very low carbon
steel without paying tool steel prices.

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From: [email-masked] (MR WILLIAM A HOCHELLA)
Date: Fri, 05 Apr 1996 23:31:17 EST

To All,
I do not understand the fascination with low carbon steel. It will 
not replace wrought iron no matter how hard you try. !006/1008 is 
melted everyday. The problem is finding a source for a small quantity.
 If you want to play with really pure iron try finding 1006/1008 in 
rimmed, not AK grades. Rimmed steel is very low carbon and everything 
else on the surface. Bottom cuts are the best. The tops can be really 
dirty. If rimmed steel is such great stuff, why can't we find it. To 
answer my own question, it is because the steel industry in an effort 
to be productive and profitable is going more to continuously cast 
stock. Rimmed is ingot cast which is energy intensive and lower yield 
that strand cast materials. 
If you want a known grade, buy cold finished 1018. It will be 
dimensionally perfect and even more boring than HRS. You will have to 
work the entire piece all the time. You may be able to get 1006/1008 
in cold finished stock too. Cold finished is hot rolled, pickled, 
rolled to finish size cold and then oiled to prevent rusting. Did I 
say rust? If you buy elemental iron, which is available from chemical 
supply houses at about 5 or 6 nines pure, and leave it outside in all 
but a desert environment, it to will rust.
Anybody interested in a wild goose?
By the way the best Rusty Nails are made from chilled Scotch and 
Drambuie, equal parts in a cool glass. No frosted  glassses or ice. 

Regards,

Bill Hochella

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From: Russell McCrackin <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 06:49:21 -0800

At 11:31 PM 4/5/96 EST, you wrote:
>   (snip)
Now here we have a SMITH that knows the best way.  And notice that the
elements of the product come from the land of the bur-r-r-r-r.  You are
excused if you say "Scotch" without a bur-r-r-r-r-r , but not if you 
say "Dr-r-r-r-rumbuie" without!

Get it hot and hit it hard.

Rusty

at Rusty Forge

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 [email-masked]