bed frame iron

It's one of those materials that's good to have around, but it's quality is always questionable. It's not sympathetic to cutting tools, and it desn't weld very well.. I've had MIG welds pull out cleanly at the root of the bead penetration.

I generally trust it for small utility parts, but wouldn't consider it to be reliable for safety related situations such as welded handrail support or overhead load holding. There have been many comments about it's high carbon content and that it's a product derived from RR rail recycling.

The frame fabricators use what's probably the most effective method of attaching parts to it.. punched and riveted.

WB ................

If you need to bend it try and heat the area you need to bend or make L brackets out of regular angle iron and bolt or rivet them to the bed frame.

If you are looking for mild steel for free to do metal working, then go to your local Mid/Bigger tractor dealer Kubota, and others. The crating they come over the big pond in, is mild steel angle, rectangle, and square tubing. Most is thin wall so its only good for light stuff. Get it some after it comes in, it is un painted and rusts.

here is some items I have made with it

I also made a awesome wagon for my daughter. and many other small items.

Some time ago here on r.c.m. there was a post that many bed frames were made from recycled RR tracks and were pretty tough stuff. Don't know if that is still true but your second-handers might resemble that comment.

I'm not sure I'd want that creosote stink that close to me for any length of time, let alone 6 hours a night...

Over the years I've made it a habit to drag home all of the bed rails I find on the curbside. I used to burn the rivets off with a cutting torch, but that was too much trouble so now I just sacrifice that last few inches and power-hacksaw the ends off.

I can believe that the stuff cracked when you bent it, if you didn't heat it at all. It's springy compared to regular angle iron - it has to be or it would quickly sag in it's intended application.

That said, I'm not sure I've seen any worse results welding on it than on other similar-thickness materials. Of course, none of my welds are beautiful anyway (but they hold). Several years ago I helped a co-worker build a trailer. He bought angle iron for the frame, but we used bed rails for many small parts and around the top of the box. I don't recall seeing any problems that I'd associate with the metal content.

I'm actually saving up bed rail stock now to build another trailer. Someday (soon?) hopefully I'll get around to it.

Martin

About comparable to rebar: just about no composition, averages 0.4 to 0.8% carbon, and maybe some alloy.

I'd recommend annealing it at least. Maybe even weld it preheated red-hot if you need to.

I've tacked crankshafts and such together with 6013 and no preheating, the sculpture is still sticking together so it seems to be okay. YMMV. Haven't had any luck with same rod on cast iron though ;)

Yep. You might check the spark of mild 1020 or so steel, compared to 1040 (rebar-ish), 1060 and 1080 (files). More carbon throws more sparks and brighter bursts.

I would guess that, and it's springier than mild so the bed is softer.

Tim

-- "I've got more trophies than Wayne Gretsky and the Pope combined!" - Homer Simpson Website @

I remember that post. There wa a company in Pennsylvania that bought used rails and melted it down made it into bed rails, and T type fence posts and other assorted sign standards commonly used by highway departments etc for mounting stop signs etc to

I like using bedrails myself. They are free most of the time and really no harder to work with than regular structural steel is. Here at the Goodwill and other thrift type stores a set of bedrails will cost you $1.50..........and you can usually get a heap of them from furniture stores, that have policys to take away old furniture when someone buys new........as well as curbside and dumpster trash.

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Most bed fame iron is relatively high carbon steel, somewhere around

1040 or so. Coming off the rolling mill will cause it to cool rapidly enough to get a fairly good temper to it. Result is a thin cross section that has a high yield and tensile strength. Downside is that is has very low elogation and will crack if you bend it very much. Welding is problematic, you get a NASTY HAZ right next to the weld. Someone mentioned welds pulling right out of the metal, yes, it will do that.

You can use this stuff for light duty projects but stay away from critical th> Over the years I've heard it asserted many times that bed frame iron is

There was an outfit in Franklin Pa that did that sort of thing ...don't know if they are still around. I was talking to the scrappers who were tearing up the old P&LE RR from McKeesport to Connellsville Pa and that is where the rails were heading to for reheating and rolling into other products.

God Bless .... Tom in Belle Vernon Pa.