Harold & Susan Vordos wrote:

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
"Ted Edwards" wrote in message
Harold & Susan Vordos wrote:

Great idea, but far from modern high quality tool steel. The tool

So? If I can pick up an old spring (which, incidently, is not just a

Sorta missed the point there, didn't you Ted? How does that relate to
someone making their own steel?

Actually, I didn't. You and Ed did. The OP's objective was to get
lower cost tool steel. Remember?
"
I have notice when buying tool steel the smaller the quanity you buy
the more expensive it gets so I thought would it be possible to make
my own in a crucible by ..."

The steel in car springs is pretty damned good steel, Ted. That IS modern
high-quality steel. There's no way you could come within a country mile of
that quality by cooking up something in a crucible out of scrap, which was
the idea being suggested.

Read the above. Consider the OP's objective.

The "so what" is a point of information for your benefit.

It would be if I had a use for it or if the OP did. You have wandered
far from the topic. There are many, many specialized steels of which
you pick one, probably a very expensive one, which completely misses the
point which was a desire to make tools inexpensively.

kindly discard it.

I did.

See above. I'm not familiar with the steel you
mention but do you know what the max tensile of the steel used in
car/truck springs is? Does it matter for many applications e.g. making
a counter bore to refurbish a brass valve seat?

Again, how does that relate to making one's own tool steel?

Read the original post and become informed.

Would you present the same argument if you had a prolonged run and your
creation from a Chev spring didn't hold up to the task, much the same way a
HSS drill might not hold up the way a cobalt drill would in hardened steel?

I am not in production and, from the sound of it, neither is the OP so
your comment is almost certainly irrelevent. Unfortunately some you
folk with vast production experience forget that the HSM is usually
willing to spend time instead of money and typicaly wants to make only a
few parts and will likely never use the tool again. I have a number of
such in a box in case the problem ever comes up again.

I gather your suggestion would be to continue to re-invent the wheel until
you got through the job. That might work in your home shop, but industry
would be DOA if it assumed the same posture.

How many pieces did the OP say he wished to make. Can you quote me a
price for one 6" long, 1" diameter piece of that Vasco steel you
mentioned? Does it come annealled? Can it be turned/milled with
tooling likely to be available in the typical home shop? Can it then be
hardened in my small propane fired 'smithing forge or will I have to
send it out? Where? How much will it cost? Don't forget, there is
only one piece. How long will I have to wait to get it back so I can
make the three pieces I want?

If you can't answer those questions or can't be bothered, perhaps you
should reconsider your position.

Ted