THE FORGE

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Wrought iron is nearly pure iron mixed with silica. It is more malleable than cast iron and resists rusting. Wrought iron is used for outdoor furniture, gates, railings and other decorative items.

Steel is the most commonly used type of iron, and comes in various forms:

Carbon steel accounts for most of the steel we use. It contains varying amounts of carbon and traces of manganese, silicon and copper. Car bodies, building supports, ship hulls and bobby pins are typically made of carbon steel.

Alloy steel is the most expensive steel. It contains vanadium, molybdenum and titanium. Harder than carbon steel, it makes fine gears, axles and knives.

Stainless steel is rust-resistant. It contains chromium and nickel. Most stainless steels are very strong at extreme temperatures. You'll find it in surgical instruments and kitchen cutlery.

Tool steel is extremely, hard steel. It contains tungsten, molybdenum and other strong elements and is mainly used in cutting and shaping machinery.

MAKE A HACKSAW-BLADE GARDEN WEEDER

When their work life is over, hacksaw blades can be heated minimally with a propane torch, bent into triangles and fastened to short or long wooden handles to become the slickest shallow-cutting garden weeders ever. When heating the steel of the retired blade to make the front bends, you can crimp the bend to angle the cutting edge backward so it will lie almost parallel to the ground as you hold it naturally - standing, with the blade on a long handle, or kneeling, with the blade on a short handle. This gives you a shallow-digging "co-linear' weeding hoe blade that runs lust under the soil surface to nip weeds off at the stem. A couple of manufactured versions are being much-touted in garden supply catalogs these days. At least one is made in Switzerland of chrome plate or stainless steel and is being sold for something more than the cost of a used hacksaw blade and an old broom handle.

Materials:
12" bimetal hacksaw blade; Replacement hoe handle or an old broom handle; (2) 2" x 1/8" machine screws with nuts; Epoxy cement

Tools:
Vise; Pliers; Propane torch; Wood plane or rasp; Wood saw; Drill and 5/16" drill bit; Rotary grinder

SOURCES

BOOKS

Hasluck's Metalworking: Tools, Materials & Processes by Paul N. Hasluck (reprinted by Lindsay Publications Inc.) All metals and techniques by an old-time master. 1907 edition with 760 pages and 2,206 illustrations. A must have for metalworkers.

The Complete Modern Blacksmith by Alexander G. Weygers (list price: $19.95; paperback; 288 pages; Ten Speed Press, 1997; ISBN: 0898158966) Three books in one, all with detailed illustrations. By a master smith and trained fine artist, sculptor and woodcarver. You can learn blacksmithing with this book.

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