Weldable reducing pipe fittings?

[Ironbadger]

Something I found at a local metals place.

They have a shelf full of dusty pipe fittings, some of them quite large.

The description is that they are weldable, and they look like they were formed by metal spinning of some sort.

The steel or iron is quite thick walled- on the 5 inch to 3 inch reduction, the walls look to be 3/8th of an inch, or maybe up to a half inch.

Theres some nice, if short, cone shapes among these, and I am thinking of grabbing one or two as forming tools.
(Most of them are less than $40 according to the price list sitting next to the shelf- the 5-3 was $25.)

Is there any down side to these that anyone knows from prior experience?
Are they too soft? Would they deform easily?

They have pipe cap pieces too, up to something like 10 or 12 inches in diameter that look to be the same wall thickness or thicker.
(I did not check the prices on those.)
One of them would make a dandy large mushroom stake head, seems to me.

It'll be weeks before I can go back and toss money at the yard, so I figured getting some opinions first was a good thing.
As thick as the walls are, the only down side I could see is if they are dead soft and easily destroyed by hammering sheet metal down on or in them.

If they'll hold up, the reduction pieces look like an excellent forming tool for flared gauntlet cuffs, maybe burgonet napes or bills, and any other short but deeply flared pieces.

-Badger-

[Destichado]

No, it's fine. Weldable fittings will be just as strong as black iron pipe. It will deform eventually, like anything else -even anvils- but you would have to be working something impressively heavy over it.

[Halberds]

The domes work fine, however you will need to weld heavy spokes to stop the ring.
They sound like a bell otherwise.



The reducers also make useful tools.

Hal

[The Iron Dwarf]

have a load of these up to 4", reducers, bends and others that I keep meaning to use, got them at the local scrap yard for maybe $2 or less a piece.
never seen the end caps here though.
I do have a 3" 90' bend on a stake

[losthelm]

Look at a few industry supply shops to check price.
Mcmaster and a few others also carry these items.

[Thomas Powers]

I found that the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store only an 80 mile drive away had a lot of interesting larger pipe fittings for a couple of bucks apiece (like 1/10 the new price for things.) Of course each store prices differently and sometimes overpriced compared to new but if you know the market you can often find deals with regular visits. (My endocrinologist's office is in the same city as the Re-Store so I visit it more than I would like to.)

[losthelm]

At those prices let me know when your heading that way. I could use a hand full for makeing steaks.

[Halberds]

At those prices let me know when your heading that way. I could use a hand full for making steaks.

Hummm Nom Nom Nom..... Steaks yes....



Sorry for the derail but my brain works like that.

Yes the fittings make good armouring stakes, I use them all the time.

Hal

[Konstantin the Red]

Lostie, when Halberds spells better than you do it's really time to mailorder a phonics course, 'kay? I mean really. Machine spellcheck can't fix...