My neighbor tried to forge a knife with a blowtorch and a piece of rebar from his driveway

He brought it over to show me, and the thing was so brittle you could snap it with your hands. I had to explain that rebar is basically mystery metal soup and you need proper steel, like 1084 or something, to hold an edge. He looked so bummed out, lol. Anyone else have a friend who tried to skip the basics with hilarious results?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.riley1mo ago

Saw a video where a guy tried to make an axe from a railroad spike. Same deal, it just crumbled. Some metals are not meant for that at all.

lindamartin1mo ago

Ever wonder if the way they cool it down after forging is the real problem? Railroad steel can get brittle if you quench it wrong. Maybe they're treating it like high carbon steel when it needs a slower cool in sand or ashes. Seen a few projects fail from that alone.

nora_dixon1mo ago

Honestly, the cooling method is everything with railroad steel. I've had pieces crack because I rushed the cool down in oil instead of letting it sit in vermiculite overnight. Ngl, treating it like tool steel is a sure way to ruin your project.