Subject: Mild-steel cracks

From: Tom Alexander <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 06:29:37 -0400 (EDT)

As an amateur smith, largely self-taught, I've been running into trouble
this last few days trying to draw one end of a heavy section of mild steel
into a long thin projection. After repeated heating and hammering, the end
of the thin section develops hairline cracks and eventually breaks off,
spoiling my day and disposition.

Question 1: How do I prevent this from happening?

Question 2: Once it starts, is there any fix?

TIA,
Tom Alexander

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From: Mike Linn <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 05:54:28 -0500

>Question 2: Once it starts, is there any fix?

#1      It sounds like your working your steel to cold. Once the steel drops
below orange go back to the fire. 

#1A     It might not be mild steel. I had some 3/8 quarter round that I
thought         was mild and turned out to be 52100. Same thing happened to
me...cracks...(doesnt like to be forged at the low heat ranges).

#2      Cut it off and start over  :^(

mike
                                    _///_
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               Michael Linn 
            Artisan Blacksmith
              AFC Web Master
 http://www.the-matrix.com/afc/index.html
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From: "Franklyn Garland" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 15 Sep 1996 18:15:47 +0000

On 12 Sep 96 at 6:29, Tom Alexander wrote <snip-snip>

>After repeated heating and
> hammering, the end of the thin section develops hairline cracks and
> eventually breaks off, spoiling my day and disposition.
> 

One of several things could be happening here.  You could:

Be attempting to forge at too cool a temp which will result in 
cracks.

Be forging at too high a temp, which can burn and crack the metal

Be heating your metal in the wrong part of the forge.  A lot of 
newcomers shove their metal down into the fire at an extreme angle.  
This puts the bar in the oxidizing portion of the fire and after 
repeated heatings the metal will tend to crumble or crack.  Be 
certain to heat in the neutral or reducing section of the fire and 
don't work below orange or at a temp that shows "sparkles".

> Question 2: Once it starts, is there any fix?

Nope, it's toast.  Cut it off and try again.
BTW try drawing the taper out over the horn of your anvil.  The horn 
will act as a big bottom fuller and reduce the number of heats 
required to draw it out.  Finish the taper up on the face of the 
anvil.  Saves you arm, too.

Best of Luck, we all go through it....

=================================================
Franklyn D. Garland                         
The Celtic Knot Forge                       
[email-masked]                                 
http://www.mcs.net/~frnklyn/homepage/
For Public PGP key, finger [email-masked]
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