When I was a construction engineer in El Paso 50 years ago, a friend of mine
helped some Mexicans in Juarez with their re-bar mfg.plant---they'd take a
sample
bar from a heat and try to bend it---if it snapped-(usually after a much harder
pull to bend) --he'd tell 'em " too many crankshafts in that batch "--

Rebar has to be able to be bent--so it can be placed in forms, turn corners,
return bends at the end of beams, etc.

Tim Williams wrote:

In case anyone was wondering, rebar is indeed any composition. Tonight I
was forging on some and out of curiosity, cheezily heat treated one end
(brought it to orange heat, quenched, reheated for a little longer than it
took the water to boil off to sorta temper). Took a strike with the hammer
and sure enough it broke. Spark test reveals something like 1040 but it
must have some other alloying elements since it bears some resemblence to
higher alloy steel (wrench stock for instance).

So yes, it's real crappy material. On the other hand. It can be hardened.
What a scary thought, toolbits forged from rebar. Hmmmm. But still........

Tim

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