I've got a couple truck springs that I'm wondering
if there is a chance they could be useful material for
smithing....or if I should just pitch them into the
metal recycling bin.....
( sorry about the blurry photo )
What kind of steel might ( I understand it would be a guess )
they be and what kinds of things could I make from them?
Baron Conal O'hAirt
Aude Aliquid Dignum Dare Something Worthy
“Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass,
A book of rules;
And each must make-
Ere life has flown-
A stumbling block
Or a stepping stone”
The last time I forged anything out of that kind of spring, it took all day for 2 of us to do anything useful with it. I'd say that it's possible that we spent more in fuel dealing with it than if we'd just bought flat or round stock to begin with.
It it's a used spring, you're taking you're chances on it being any good. Usually, used springs are thrown out for a reason.
Used to be that those sorts of springs were 5160, which is pretty decent stuff, and rather forgiving to heat treat. These days, it might be something else.
Usually they are ok for strikers and simple tools but the stock may have stress fractures and without knowing the heattreat temps it's really a shot In the dark for much else.
from springs like that I have seen made eating knives, hook knives for wood carving and lots more.
we just cut off 6" with a grinder, get it hot and straighten it, takes only a few mins to do that and then you can work on it to make what you want.
I would not use it for making a weapon you were going to use but I would use it to make tools with
just straighten what you need badger, 6" of it bright red and 30 seconds later its straight, 10 seconds if you only want it straight ish.
not tried to straighten the whole thing in one go before but will do next time using bending pins, I masy even get some pix and post them
It can be a little tricky dealing with unroll you ct them to a more
Reasonable size, I have a pair of garage
Springs waiting for a project. Waiting on weather and schedule at this point...
I was givena set off a NEW car, replaced with aftermarket springs.
Since they were NEW, I felt safe using them. I straightened them 6" or so at a time and make some chisles and punches. I straightened a 12" section for a knife blade, but wasn't able to spread it wide enough for what I'd wanted. I DID heat treat most of the finished pieces without any problem.
Used springs I'd ether turn into tent stakes or just dump.
Instead of a PM, please reply via email directly to baronmarcoborromei@gmail.com. I rarely get to log on here and read PM's.
The problem with any used spring is that after thousands and thousands of compressions, they tend to develop micro cracks in the cementite/austentite structure.
What that means is that as you heat it up to red-red/orange and begin to squish it out, you are adding more stress and exploiting the weakness. Nothing as frustrating as spending a bunch of time & fuel on a piece that goes *SNAP* while its being worked or after you finish it.
Don't treat it as useless though! just don't rely on it for important projects.
Now you CAN compensate for potential issues in this material in several ways.
First is always work it orange-yellow or hotter, just sub welding temperatures OR
Actually use it to create forge welded stock. A round spring, drawn straight then paired with other material and "hot braided", forge welded, possibly folded and then triple normalized should give you no issues with the material because it has gone to a state of full dissolution when it achieved welding heats.
Jonathan Baird wrote: If the way were meant to be easy it would teach you no lesson.
Rhyance wrote:Seek excellence the way a man with his hair on fire seeks a pond. Rinse and repeat. Every day.
Used coil springs were the steel of choice in my metal shop class for making chisels. My instructor brought the spring in, cut it into sections and we were resposible for the rest. I used the chisel I made on my first ship to cut a bolt on a steam line that hadn't been off in probably 5o years. That same bolt chewed up every store bought chisel brought to bear on it. My chisel wasn't exceptional in any way, though I was careful in all the steps of making it. I'd say if I could make a better chisel out of a used spring then the other guys had bought, then they can't be all that bad.
I use them all the time for minor tools and chisels, but you have to take into account their origins and limitations as extensively discussed, above. Junkyard steel rules apply in that you need to test and confirm the quality of the steel, and prepare to be disappointed*; but car spring stock is frequently better than what our ancestors had to work with. Knock out a few chisels and punches and give it a try.
*http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/jnkstee1.jpg A quick guide to proposed uses; but note that there are a number of these charts around and a lot of variation in steels according to the brand, age and usage.
Retired civil servant, part time blacksmith, and seasonal Viking ship captain.
when I managed an ornamental Iron shop we got ahold of a coil spring about 1" thick 8" coiled. that thing ended up becoming about 6 knifes:D I still have the one I made in the shop and it keeps an edge, chops wood, et al. without issue.
If you have the heat, id suggest straighten it out , flux it up and forge weld it. If its got serious fracture lines the forge welding should sort that out. ( it will get hot enough to relieve some of the stress and welded to another chunk it should increase the overall strength)
then hammer it out into whatever you wish.
Cap'n Atli wrote: *http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/jnkstee1.jpg A quick guide to proposed uses; but note that there are a number of these charts around and a lot of variation in steels according to the brand, age and usage.
That is a handy little chart there Cap'n! Some metal sources I hadn't really thought about. Clutch springs? I happend to ahve a bunch of those.
Truck springs = 5160 most likely.
Plenty of good steel there.
I have two of them sitting in my pile of random stock.
Fished them out of the recycle bin before they could be shipped to China.
I wouldnt make a show knife out of it, 5160 used in springs has (generally) a lower degree of QA and tends to have some large inclusions that can ruin your day if you have spent a large block of time making something pretty and discover the fault as you are grinding.
But for camp knives, punches, chisels etc the steel should be just fine.
5160 is tough as hell. Look up the heat treat recommendations on it and you will be in great shape.
I don't think there's anything you are ready to make that would be inappropriate to make from that coil spring steel. Nothing you'll be making is going to break on you -and if it does, so what? Fire up the forge and make another.
Memento, homo, quod cinis es! Et in cenerem reverentis!
Destichado wrote:I don't think there's anything you are ready to make that would be inappropriate to make from that coil spring steel. Nothing you'll be making is going to break on you -and if it does, so what? Fire up the forge and make another.
If I/we can find an open weekend day I'll either have to come to you or have you over here
and we can go over what I think I know and what I have gotten completely wrong... lol
Baron Conal O'hAirt
Aude Aliquid Dignum Dare Something Worthy
“Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass,
A book of rules;
And each must make-
Ere life has flown-
A stumbling block
Or a stepping stone”
I got a complete set of springs from an old truck a while back. Leaves from the rear and oicls in the front. I used a cutoff saw (K-12) to cut the coil into smaller pieces and they make decent punches and knives. I have never made anything "critical" on my forge so I wasn't concerned. The leaves were easier to use because they were flat, but hey, free is free...
I love coil springs for teaching beginner's bladesmithing! Cut down opposite sides with an angle grinder giving a dozen or so ( shaped pieces that are easier to straighten and gives the new smith a lot of stock of the same composition to learn forging and heat treating requirements from---as mentions scrapyard rules is to TEST each piece to see the proper working and heat treating of it.
I try to avoid old worn springs and try to find a place that does lifts on vehicles that will be tossing nearly brand new springs at times. (one place did truck to EMS conversions and provided springs with less than 100 miles on them on a regular basis---dealer lot to conversion shop)
I was fiddling around the other day and find coil springs perfect for holdfasts. I swear there was a lightbulb that turned on the first time I used one.
I noticed a huge differance cutting out armour bits with my jig saw, a whole lot less shakeing and better blade control.
