What could be made from this?

[Warner Smith 12]

So I got a bunch of tool steel for free.  I have LOTS of little pieces of A2 that are 3/16" x 1/2" x 7 1/2" (140 of these).  As small as these are, what are some things they could be used to make?  Any ideas?

   Thanks guys,

          Warner 

 

PS - I also have 24ea of A2 that's 3/4" x 3/16" x 7 1/2"

[Vern Wimmer 487]

Make money selling the A2 online.

pick a piece of equipment you want, belts if you already have a grinder or a bunch of easier to work steel from NJSB.

[Warner Smith 12]

Already traded some to a knifemaker for one of his knives that he's going to make from one of the 1/2" A2 pieces that I'm sending him.  Lots left to sell or trade. 

   Warner 

Edited November 21, 2017 by Warner Smith

[Alan Longmire 3,773]

If you know anyone running an old-style metal lathe with a lantern toolpost, they'd make good tooling stock for someone with the equipment to HT it properly.  It'd probably sell pretty good on a machinists forum.  Or a woodworker's forum, for that matter.  List them as turning tool blanks, no handle, not heat treated.  I have some gouges I made from 3/16" x 3/4" x 7" A2 that work really well.  The HT instructions are as follows once the tool is ground to desired shape: Preheat slowly to 1455 degrees F, hold for 20 minutes.  Heat to around 1725 F and hold for 20 more minutes.  Quench by clamping between room-temperature steel plates.  Temper immediately between 350 to 100 degrees F , allow to cool to room temperature, and temper again.  As-tempered hardness ranges from Rc57 at the low end to Rc62 at the high end.

[Warner Smith 12]

Thanks Alan.  I was wondering if the 3/4" x 3/16" x 7" could be turned into small neck knives or something like that.  Feasible?

              Warner

[Alan Longmire 3,773]

For stock removal, yes.  Provided you can heat treat it, of course!  I have forged it.  You can feel it harden up on the anvil, at which point it's already cracked. Yellow hot only, hotter and it crumbles, colder and it cracks.

[Warner Smith 12]

1 minute ago, Alan Longmire said:

For stock removal, yes.  Provided you can heat treat it, of course!  I have forged it.  You can feel it harden up on the anvil, at which point it's already cracked. Yellow hot only, hotter and it crumbles, colder and it cracks.

Yikes. So I'd be limited to a blade with a max height of 3/4" of an inch.  I'll have to check and see if there are some interesting patterns available for that size knife.....I'd send them out for heat treating though. 

            Warner

[Vern Wimmer 487]

Some of the Scandinavian patterns would work at that height if you could work out the edge geometry v thickness.

[Warner Smith 12]

Good call Vern.  Ground this out today.

 

[Vern Wimmer 487]

There you go! 

[Warner Smith 12]

23 more to go.  Haha. 

 

Warner

[Vern Wimmer 487]

OK, now you've got;

Boot dagger,

Wharncliffe,

Sheepsfoot,

Drop point paring knife,

And, one of my favorites,

a scaled down (slightly),Russel Canadian pattern. 

 

[Warner Smith 12]

Refined the tang a bit....was too thick....would have been too close to the top of the handle.

 

 

[Warner Smith 12]

3 minutes ago, Vern Wimmer said:

OK, now you've got;

Boot dagger,

Wharncliffe,

Sheepsfoot,

Drop point paring knife,

And, one of my favorites,

a scaled down (slightly),Russel Canadian pattern. 

 

Now I'll have to look those all up.  Haha.   But thanks!

Warner 

[Warner Smith 12]

Took a crack at the bevels.  Pretty happy with this so far....

Warner