Cutting Steel Tub

We recently remodeled our bathroom (from a 1928 bungalow). We managed to slide the tub to our back porch on a custom built cart. The tub is solid steel and weighs around 500 pounds. We can't take it any further without breaking it down. All the junk removal places I called need something manageable by two people.

I don't know anything about welding. Is it possible to cut this tub in close quarters on a 3 seasoned porch? If so, any recommendations on who/where to call? Ask some welder in an auto shop?

We are in the Chicagoland

Thanks in advanced for any help.

- Jason

Reply to
jcrichto
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How long is it? If it's six feet long or longer, DON'T SCRAP IT! If it's a seven foot double ended tub (rounded at both ends) it could be worth $2500. Old tubs can be refinished good as new. A tub that weighs that much is certainly worth money.

Grant

Reply to
Grant Erwin

From that vintage, I'd suspect the tub is cast iron rather than steel. If so, a large sledge hammer will reduce it to chuncks in 10 minutes.

Some> We recently remodeled our bathroom (from a 1928 bungalow). We managed

Reply to
RoyJ

I'm pretty sure it's not cast iron. I specifically bought a heavy duty sledgehammer only to find out I had a large church bell. It hardly made a dent and left a sting in my hand for about an hour. If it is cast iron, how hard and where should you hit it?

Reply to
jcrichto

It might have some value, but I don't think it's probably what your're thinking. I may be wrong. I actually have a picture of it here:

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here it is still intact.
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my guess is that it's from the 50's. We found some signatures on the wall marked 55'.

Reply to
jcrichto

Rent a Sthil TS760 or similar chop saw with a steel blade and keep a few buckets of water handy. It's gonna spark a lot but get the job done. You will spend at least the rental cost of the saw and prob. a blade or two. I would be leery about spinning a torch inside. Granted the chop saw throws a lot of sparks but it's still safer. I'd contact the C.F.D. on Canal and Jefferson. to see what options you have. Given all the porch issues. you might just want to make sure you can support that type of dead-load first. Take off the rail and toss it over if you can.(?) That's a lot of weight when you factor in two bodies, the tub and gear. Cortez Trotter would be glad to screw you in court given the beatings they took for the few last collapses. Even the building Supt. resigned Friday. Trust me, the city will nit-pick you to death. One of the prime reasons I'm heading west.

Rob

Fraser Competition Engines Chicago, IL. Long Beach, CA.

Reply to
RDF

Ah. It's a POS, all right. OK, you want to cut it up. It didn't break when you hit it, but that doesn't mean it won't. Most tubs are cast iron. You can rent a gas-powered abrasive saw and use that to score it, and then break it.

I really doubt that tub weighs 500 pounds. Try to estimate the volume and figure it up. Use the rule of thumb that 1/4" thick plate 1 foot square weighs about 10 pounds. The tub probably isn't that thick. If you run a posting in the free section of chicago.craigslist.org someone might just come take it -- scrap metal prices are astronomical right now, and there are lots of scroungers out there. Don't put it out near anything you own, though, or the scroungers might just help themselves -- I've lost stuff that way.

Grant

Reply to
Grant Erwin

I supersized the pic, the web on the inboard (lower right in the pic) says cast iron. If the back side surface feels like industrial sandpaper made with small boulders, it's cast. Check around the hole, if the material is 1/8" thick or so it's steel. If it's a soldi 1/4" it's cast.

Hammer it > I'm pretty sure it's not cast iron. I specifically bought a heavy duty

Reply to
RoyJ

Thanks for all your replies. I have options now.

All the best, Jason

Reply to
jcrichto

How heavy is your sledge? Mine weighs 16 lbs. There are times I wished it weighed more.

Reply to
Pat

You are not hitting it hard enough or the hammer isn't big enough. A 20 lb sledge with a three foot handle is what you need. Beat it in the middle of the side till it starts caving in and cracking. Watch the broken edges, they can be sharp!

Reply to
ATP*

wrote: Thanks for all your replies. I have options now. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ And be sure to wear hearing protection. I wear hearing aids now because I didn't.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Obviously the answer to how hard is as hard as you can. I would hit it in the center of a flat area. Cast iron is more likely to crack under tension than compression. If you still have problems try drilling some holes. Say three holes in a row a couple of inches apart and then belt it on the middle hole with an edge of the sledge hammer. Or tape a 3/8 inch diameter rod to the tub and belt that so the stress is concentrated.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

Reply to
RoyJ

Mine is 16lbs as well, I'm hoping that's enough.

Reply to
jcrichto

Guys- Would a plasma cutter work on this? I have one handy and I'm in Chicago too. I'd be glad to help chop it up if that's an option? No cost, just an offer to try the Miller 125 Spectrum cutter out.... Jason, I'd be glad to help if you want it.

Any thoughts?

Rob Fraser

Fraser Competition Engines Chicago, IL. Long Beach, CA.

Reply to
RDF

Should work just fine.

Most, not all..but many CI tubs have a boss or spru right in the middle of the bottom of the tub. If you take your sledge hammer and using a corner of the end of it..and bash it right in the middle of that spru, they tend to bust up really fast and easy. You dont want to hit it with the flat of the hammer face, but the edge.

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

When we took the cast iron tub out of our bathroom it was much easier to break it up with a hammer. It was a controlled process; we were able to guide the cracks in the cast iron. There's some pictures of it here, about halfway down the page:

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Dave
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Reply to
dlwilson

Reply to
RoyJ

Plasma isn't used on cast iron. I believe two issues - fast expansion due to the heat might explode the surface. Might catch it on fire with the carbon content.

I've seen charts of metals and it is a blank on plasma - one of the only if not the only.

If you are busting it up - sledge - or take a change on the plasma . Just have a hose and be sure to get the plasma machine and all out of the way before spraying water around. So there is risk involved.

Martin

RDF wrote:

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

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