Junkyard high-carbon steel?....

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Hill

New User
Hill
Thought I'd check to see if any auto techs on here might be able to give me some info on whether or not the newer vehicles that I've been seeing in the junkyard might have some decent steel in them. I usually go after the old leaf-springs, coil-springs and whatever else might be higher-carbon solid stock when I can find an older truck, but just curious if there's anything usuable in the newer front-wheel drive axles. Just not seeing much good steel in the junkyards lately due to the older "tanks" being crushed and recycled. The scrap/salvage yards haven't been getting much stuff in that's usuable either. Mostly cast and milder-types. Do they use any solid stock of decent size in cars and trucks anymore or has everything gone hollow?...My forging pile is getting low so I'm looking for suggestions if possible:gar-Bi

Thanks a bunch:icon_thum
 

Dragon

New User
David
You probably won't find much of anything worthwhile as long as we keep buying cheaper from China and Japan. Have you tried the scrap metal yards and recyclers as opposed to junk car yards?
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
Don't know about high-carbon, but the frames on the recent cars (ie 5 yrs or less) have a lot of higher strength components on them that take a different welding rod than did the old ones. Don't know if they would be in the toughness/hardness range you are looking for, tho. (This info is not from personal experience, but from a welding book that I just read).

Go
 

Hill

New User
Hill
I guess most of the car parts are swaged out of thinner stock now. Used to be able to find solid stock in axles, but it seems that's all a thing of the past. Just priced new O-1 high carbon round stock and it's running at $100 for a 1" x 18" round. D-2 is running about the same. Guess I'll be sticking to leafsprings and coilsprings when I can find them. The salvage/scrap yards are starting to get all lawyer-scared when it comes to letting people browse the stock in the yard also, which I can understand. Just a shame that tool steel is getting so hard to find, unless of course you buy the chinese stuff, which is usually crap. I'll have to learn to settle for thinner stock and hope it welds into billets :gar-Bi
 

Mark Gottesman

New User
Mark
See if there are any truck or trailer repair shops that repair or rebuild suspension systems. Springs and axles.

Check with Farriers to see if they have any rasps that are beyond resahrpening. Watch out. Some are only case hardened. Maybe a spark test would help sort them.

Heavy equipment shops might have parts they have replaced, free for the taking, like track pins from crawlers, teeth from buckets.

See if there are any historical or repair sites for railroads. The spring packs are great steel.

D2 is going to be hard to find as scrap unless there is a large machine shop in your area that would let you have some of their drops. Although I seem to recall that it might have been used as a lip on some large Cat Dozers???

Sometimes you can get luck at an auction. I personally have always had poor results, but that is due to the fact that I am trying to shrink my junk pile and only get what I need for a project.

If you want an interesting steel for some bladed tools, try welding up billets from cable. I would have to look as to the exact type. Makes a very dramatic looking pattern-welded steel.

Having said all of the above. I buy new steel if I am making a cutting tool. I feel that it is difficult enough to forge a proper cutting tool without adding in an unknown piece of steel that may have damage to it that will cause it to fail. Either during the forging, Heat treatment, or use. With all that in it, the steel is the cheapest part. Again, that is just me. I know many smiths who make superb, hard-working knives out of auto springs. It just makes me a bit leery.

Good hunting.
 

truckjohn

New User
John
Frequently the shafts of shock absorbers are some sort of hardened high alloy steel... Hydraulic cylinder shafts are too.... Sometimes A2 or D2.. and sometimes Chrome plated over same...

Most car springs of today are strange sorts of specialty steels... not the good 'ole 1095 high carbon spring steel or 4350 Axle shaft steel of olde...

The trouble with most of the new stuff is that they are using specialty alloys that aren't the same from company to company.. or even model to model... You *Might* get something "Normal" -- but you won't know unless you pay for an analysis... and at that point, you may as well buy O1 out of your local Metal Supplier...

Thanks

John
 

scsmith42

New User
Scott Smith
+1 on the suggestion to talk to shops that repair heavy equipment undercarriages and blades. Cutting edges are frequently replaced on dozers and backhoe's, and they have some pretty high quality steel in them. Likewise bulldozer track segments have a very hard steel.

You can usually buy them for scrap.
 

RobS.

Robert Slone
Senior User
I'm kinda far away, but there are some nice pieces of old steel here on the farm that came from who knows where. I was going to use a heavy piece for a Jeep bumper, but had one made elsewhere. Also some old farm equipment lying around that is still intact. If you ever make it this way you're welcome to take a look. It's all pretty old stuff for which I have no use (but I won't toss it).
You may try some off road vehicle sites. People are always switching out stock springs for lift springs. The stock ones usually get tossed. I have a classic Jeep and mine have been switched out. Try CJ-8.com, Jeepsunlimited.com or NC4X4.com. There are still a lot of Jeep CJ's, Toyota FJ40 Land Cruisers and International Scouts running around.
 

Hill

New User
Hill
I've been doing some checking around this morning and have talked to a couple places that are supposed to be saving me some springs when they become available. Probably won't be often, but at least the word's out there. It seems the shops hang on to the newer spring sets for use later on if needed on a different vehicle, which is understandable. I also talked to one of the mechanics at the local Cat dealership and they said that selling they're cutoffs and worn-out stock for scrap is normal with the them, but they'll make a seperate little pile for me, which I'm excited about. Anything from bucket pins to 4" rock bits used on the end of the trackhoes. I think I see a couple new hammers in my future. My chisels and slitters are getting pretty rough, so I figured I'd better start looking and I'm glad I did. I've been using stock from my scrap pile for a while now and it's really starting to dwindle down. I had no idea that good steel had suddenly become so hard to find.
I did some checking on the spring shops, but not luck in finding any of those yet. I'll keep digging though...Rob, if I ever get a chance to get down your way, I'll get in touch and thanks for the offer...Much appreciated
 
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