Steel in forklift forks/tines

Sex toys? Nah just kidding :-). It's perfect for anvils, hammers, some blades too.

You're lucky.

Regards Charles

Charles, I'm just trying to imagine the mounting system..... ;-)

I got it at a local scrap yard, they had a bin full of them. Didn't want to sell it to me until i told them I was a smith and would be cutting it up. Not much else there of use today.

Any idea what sort of steel it is??

Hey when do you do any work, your always on here?? :-)

Regards Troy

It's Saturday :-) I don't have any other employment so I can set my hours. As long as the bills get paid it doesn't really matter.

Regards Charles

Forklift tines are usually made from 4340, a very tough steel.

Should be forgeable, but may be a bit hot-short.

I heard of it being used as an anvil, on one site or another....

Common sense says it has to be strong, wear resistant. The only unknown is how it heat treats. Perfect for an anvil, etc, if you ask me.

Heat treat it like any "low alloy medium carbon" steel, pretending it's 5160 will work. ;)

All that sounds good to me. :)

One thing you can count on it's the best to be had for the use. :)

The manufacturer can't afford to be in court and not be able to claim that and be able to prove it to be true too.

At the very least it's a low alloy medium carbon steel like 4340 or 8640 and at the very least 4140 or similar.

Alvin in AZ

Thanks Guys, Ernie, what does the term "hot-short" mean, not encountered it before? Do I need any special wire/rods to weld it? I only have stuff for mild steel. Would pre-heating the steel work (like you can do with spring steel)?

Thanks very much Regards Troy

snipped-for-privacy@XX.com wrote:

Red short is another way to say it. It basically means if you get it too hot the crystalline structure of the metal breaks down, falling apart in a granulated heap.

I recycle old files, these can be red short depending on the metal used to make them. I regularly forge weld mild steel to these steels.

Once you've overheated a piece of steel and it's red short it's educational, if not upsetting.

Regards Charles

Rusty_ir> Thanks Guys,

Ok Charles, now I know what your talking about, I've read about it, but didn't know/remember the name. I've never experienced it. I've burnt steel, both mild and spring. How do I pick the point at which this happens? Or rather how do i avoid it? short of throwing a chunk of the steel in the forge and watching the colours till its burnt/red short. Troy

As the other guy explained some steels do not deal well above a red heat. If you get them to a yellow or white heat they fall apart like glowing cottage cheese (small curd).

O1 is one of these.

You just have to be careful with the heat, and never heat the steel without hitting it.

Well for an optimum weld, yes. You can buy 4340 filler metals, but they are pricey.

You definitely have to preheat heavy sections for welding. Something in the 600 - 800 deg range at least. Weld it with 7018, or even better 8018.

You could MIG weld it as well using standard ER70S-6 wire. After welding try to let the area cool slowly, either by burying it in something or just washing it with a torch less and less.

Hi Troy,

If you're dealing with unknown metals, a small sample left in the forge is a good experiment.

I had a nice piece of high speed tool steel that I ruined, because I was called away from the forge. In retrospect I should have taken it out of the forge. I haven't made that mistake again.

Regards Charles

Rusty_ir> Ok Charles,

O1's rather high Mn content doing that?

Talk to your local railroad track welder, that's what they use as A/O filler rod before going to arc. They use something that spark tests like 4340 and it's 1/4" rod, they tend to use a rosebud and make a 1" diameter puddle when they lay a "bed" down after cutting out a hunk of a "frog point".

One of their favorite tricks is to have you bend a three foot piece of the 4340 rod, 90 degrees then tell you to straighten it. :) You can keep the bent sucker if you want it. ;)

All the welders I knew could go directly to arc deposited hard facing and not have it pop out in a big hunk. But some couldn't do that I guess, because the rules came down they had to first lay down a bed of the 4340 rod with A/O.

Yeah, what he said. ;)

That's all to keep the cold part from "quenching" the really hot part and making a weak line of un-tempered martensite on either side of the weld.

You guys prob'ly already knowed that huh? :/

Alvin in AZ