On Oct 13, 1:28*pm, xman wrote:
I notice most of my suppliers don't stock iron.

I use steel and aluminum for most of my stuff. Would like to try some
iron.

I know barbells, some flywheels (bike exercise equipment) are iron.

any ideas?

Do you mean wrought iron or cast iron?

Mild steel that's been heated red and cooled slowly in a fire is close
to wrought iron.

I've machined Chinese cast iron exercise weights a few times. A light
cut with carbide showed the hard spots which are lighter colored and
shinier. After grinding them out, frequently resharpened HSS was
enough to rough out the shape. I switched back to carbide for the
finish cut. My lathe is old and worn and tends to chip carbide on
heavier cuts.

Water pipe fittings are an easily machined grade of cast iron. You
might find a wider range of shapes and sizes and wall thicknesses at a
plumbing supplier than a retail store.

jsw