Steel for a pickaroon

[MattF]

Or should I just use heat in which case will it need hardened and tempered again after straightening and shaping?

That. It's the quality of steel that's the main factor in using springs. The temper will need to be different to the current temper anyhow, and for obvious reasons, it'll spring back if you just try straightening as is.

 

[balmerchris]

View attachment 68185 you want some of these connected to a hoist

That sounds like a good idea, never thought of that. And I have a large tripod type thingy that I could make work.

 

[balmerchris]

That. It's the quality of steel that's the main factor in using springs. The temper will need to be different to the current temper anyhow, and for obvious reasons, it'll spring back if you just try straightening as is.

What colour of temper do you think would be suitable matt? I'll be doing all hot work in a coal forge.

 

[MattF]

Damned if I can remember the correlation between use and colour offhand, but I'd be thinking somewhere around the straw colour stage. One of the 'smiths on here would be better to advise on the best colour/temper.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

What colour of temper do you think would be suitable matt? I'll be doing all hot work in a coal forge.

The straw colours(230-240C) would leave the steel too brittle, ideally you want purple through to blue (270-300C) which covers axes and press tools at the lower range, then cold chisels and then finally springs and screwdrivers at the higher end.

If you imagine that as you heat the steel the crystaline structure starts to break down, when you get to dull red the crystaline structure has almost disappeared and it becomes easier to work.
Quenching the metal 'shocks it' creating a crystaline structure which is hard but fragile.
When you then temper the steel by re-heating you start to break down the crystaline structure again, the higher the temperature the less hard but tougher the steel becomes.

I work from:
Pale straw - 230 - Turning tools/scrapers/spindle moulder cutters/plane blades
Dark straw - 240 - Drills/mills/woodworking chisels
Brown - 250 - Taps/shear blades
Brown/purple - 260 - Punches/reamers
Purple - 270 - Axes/press tools
Dark purple - 280 - Cold chisels
Blue - 300 - Springs/screwdrivers

 

[balmerchris]

The straw colours(230-240C) would leave the steel too brittle, ideally you want purple through to blue (270-300C) which covers axes and press tools at the lower range, then cold chisels and then finally springs and screwdrivers at the higher end.

If you imagine that as you heat the steel the crystaline structure starts to break down, when you get to dull red the crystaline structure has almost disappeared and it becomes easier to work.
Quenching the metal 'shocks it' creating a crystaline structure which is hard but fragile.
When you then temper the steel by re-heating you start to break down the crystaline structure again, the higher the temperature the less hard but tougher the steel becomes.

I work from:
Pale straw - 230 - Turning tools/scrapers/spindle moulder cutters/plane blades
Dark straw - 240 - Drills/mills/woodworking chisels
Brown - 250 - Taps/shear blades
Brown/purple - 260 - Punches/reamers
Purple - 270 - Axes/press tools
Dark purple - 280 - Cold chisels
Blue - 300 - Springs/screwdrivers

That's really helpful and interesting. Thanks for the info.

 

[balmerchris]

Used a spring retainer from a railway track to forge a heavier duty spike. Hoping this is a high carbon steel that will harden and temper. It's 20mm round forged to a 4mm point. I dont think I should go too much finer with the point so as to keep it good and strong. Still have to make an eye from a bit of heavy wall pipe then weld it on and harden and temper, then hang it on a shaft.