Recycling railroad steel into angle iron.. Sales video, but fun to watch
the operation... (found this on another list, thought it was interesting
for metalworking content)

In case you ever wondered why your drill won't go through that angle
iron you salvaged from an old bed frame or street sign:

http://www.jssteel.com/content/take-tour-jersey-shore-steel

Carla

Why does your money only create jobs when government spends it for you?
Because SHUT UP.

On 2012-05-16, Carla Fong wrote:
Recycling railroad steel into angle iron.. Sales video, but fun to watch
the operation... (found this on another list, thought it was interesting
for metalworking content)

In case you ever wondered why your drill won't go through that angle
iron you salvaged from an old bed frame or street sign:

http://www.jssteel.com/content/take-tour-jersey-shore-steel

I was at a company that does exactly that, in Chicago Heights. A very
impressive operation. Hot rolling of rails.

i

Carla Fong wrote:
Recycling railroad steel into angle iron.. Sales video, but fun to watch
the operation... (found this on another list, thought it was interesting
for metalworking content)

In case you ever wondered why your drill won't go through that angle
iron you salvaged from an old bed frame or street sign:

http://www.jssteel.com/content/take-tour-jersey-shore-steel

Carla

Why does your money only create jobs when government spends it for you?
Because SHUT UP.


They just had a show on History about railroad rails. That show was
interesting in what they used in the mix.

--
Steve W.

On Wed, 16 May 2012 08:54:55 -0700 in rec.crafts.metalworking, Carla
Fong wrote,
In case you ever wondered why your drill won't go through that angle
iron you salvaged from an old bed frame or street sign:

Once I tried to cut some bed frame with a reciprocating (Sawzall-type)
saw with a "metal cutting" blade. Fortunately, it was my friend's saw.

On Wed, 16 May 2012 14:38:29 -0700, David Harmon
wrote:

On Wed, 16 May 2012 08:54:55 -0700 in rec.crafts.metalworking, Carla
Fong wrote,
In case you ever wondered why your drill won't go through that angle
iron you salvaged from an old bed frame or street sign:

Once I tried to cut some bed frame with a reciprocating (Sawzall-type)
saw with a "metal cutting" blade. Fortunately, it was my friend's saw.

If you get a look at the alloy makeup for train rails, you'll see why
that is. It's potentially quite hard -- carbon runs up to 0.80% by the
ASTM standard, and it contains manganese (1%), which augments the
hardening effect of the carbon. As-rolled, it comes in around 400 Bhn
(Rc 43). It may actually be harder when re-rolled, because the thinner
sections generally cause more work-hardening.

On top of that, older-spec rails can contain relatively high levels of
sulfur, phosphorus, and silicon. You get some weird microstructures
when you heat that and re-roll it.

Rolled as rails, the steel is intended to have a totally pearlitic
structure. It's hard and strong but other properties, such as
elongation, can be lousy. So it's likely to be nasty to cut, a bugger
to weld, very hard but with very little ductility.

'Great for a railroad. Not bad for a bedframe. Otherwise, IMO, it's
junk.

--
Ed Huntress

Ed Huntress wrote:
On Wed, 16 May 2012 14:38:29 -0700, David Harmon
wrote:

On Wed, 16 May 2012 08:54:55 -0700 in rec.crafts.metalworking, Carla
Fong wrote,
In case you ever wondered why your drill won't go through that angle
iron you salvaged from an old bed frame or street sign:
Once I tried to cut some bed frame with a reciprocating (Sawzall-type)
saw with a "metal cutting" blade. Fortunately, it was my friend's saw.

If you get a look at the alloy makeup for train rails, you'll see why
that is. It's potentially quite hard -- carbon runs up to 0.80% by the
ASTM standard, and it contains manganese (1%), which augments the
hardening effect of the carbon. As-rolled, it comes in around 400 Bhn
(Rc 43). It may actually be harder when re-rolled, because the thinner
sections generally cause more work-hardening.

On top of that, older-spec rails can contain relatively high levels of
sulfur, phosphorus, and silicon. You get some weird microstructures
when you heat that and re-roll it.

Rolled as rails, the steel is intended to have a totally pearlitic
structure. It's hard and strong but other properties, such as
elongation, can be lousy. So it's likely to be nasty to cut, a bugger
to weld, very hard but with very little ductility.

'Great for a railroad. Not bad for a bedframe. Otherwise, IMO, it's
junk.


Works pretty good for small anvils. I use it for knife making anvils and
small parts.

--
Steve W.

On Wed, 16 May 2012 18:41:47 -0400, "Steve W."
wrote:

Ed Huntress wrote:
On Wed, 16 May 2012 14:38:29 -0700, David Harmon
wrote:

On Wed, 16 May 2012 08:54:55 -0700 in rec.crafts.metalworking, Carla
Fong wrote,
In case you ever wondered why your drill won't go through that angle
iron you salvaged from an old bed frame or street sign:
Once I tried to cut some bed frame with a reciprocating (Sawzall-type)
saw with a "metal cutting" blade. Fortunately, it was my friend's saw.

If you get a look at the alloy makeup for train rails, you'll see why
that is. It's potentially quite hard -- carbon runs up to 0.80% by the
ASTM standard, and it contains manganese (1%), which augments the
hardening effect of the carbon. As-rolled, it comes in around 400 Bhn
(Rc 43). It may actually be harder when re-rolled, because the thinner
sections generally cause more work-hardening.

On top of that, older-spec rails can contain relatively high levels of
sulfur, phosphorus, and silicon. You get some weird microstructures
when you heat that and re-roll it.

Rolled as rails, the steel is intended to have a totally pearlitic
structure. It's hard and strong but other properties, such as
elongation, can be lousy. So it's likely to be nasty to cut, a bugger
to weld, very hard but with very little ductility.

'Great for a railroad. Not bad for a bedframe. Otherwise, IMO, it's
junk.


Works pretty good for small anvils. I use it for knife making anvils and
small parts.

Well, sections of rail, yes. That's my anvil, too. Rails are rolled
and quenched to produce a 100% pearlite structure.

But bedframe angle? I don't know how that's treated. I know it's been
a PITA to work with when I've used it for projects.

--
Ed Huntress

"Steve W." wrote in message ...



Works pretty good for small anvils. I use it for knife making anvils and small
parts.

--
Steve W.

It works great for mailbox posts too. Immune to snowplows
and drunk drivers.
Art

Welding OBF old bed frame isn't very reliable either, IME.. I've had MIG
welds that completely pulled out when stressed to check for integrity.

I haven't tried brazing, but that may be the most reliable method of joining
OBF, other than punching and riveting as it's done in manufacturing bed
frames.

Cutting with a thin reinforced abrasive disk is likely the most efficient
method of cutting, since random hard spots will wipe out saw teeth quickly.

I also haven't tried carbide drilling.. maybe someone could comment whether
that works very well.

I've found that normal mill steel is much less problematic.. even if it's
not free, projects progress more quickly.

--
WB
..........


"Carla Fong" wrote in message
...
Recycling railroad steel into angle iron.. Sales video, but fun to watch
the operation... (found this on another list, thought it was interesting
for metalworking content)

In case you ever wondered why your drill won't go through that angle
iron you salvaged from an old bed frame or street sign:

http://www.jssteel.com/content/take-tour-jersey-shore-steel

Carla

Why does your money only create jobs when government spends it for you?
Because SHUT UP.

On Thu, 17 May 2012 18:03:20 -0400, "Wild_Bill"
wrote:

Welding OBF old bed frame isn't very reliable either, IME.. I've had MIG
welds that completely pulled out when stressed to check for integrity.

I haven't tried brazing, but that may be the most reliable method of joining
OBF, other than punching and riveting as it's done in manufacturing bed
frames.

Cutting with a thin reinforced abrasive disk is likely the most efficient
method of cutting, since random hard spots will wipe out saw teeth quickly.

I also haven't tried carbide drilling.. maybe someone could comment whether
that works very well.

I've found that normal mill steel is much less problematic.. even if it's
not free, projects progress more quickly.

Well, rails are from around 0.50 to 0.80 percent carbon -- newer rail
has higher carbon. As rails, it's hypoeutectic pearlite -- layers of
carbide laminated with layers of ferrite. The carbon may go into
solution when it's heated and re-rolled, but don't count on it.

That's nasty material to work in any way.

--
Ed Huntress