Striker steel question

[tryinhard]

I have a friend that has asked me to sell him one of my old traps. He wants to make a fire striker out of the jaws. I hate to see old traps go to waste so my question is will the jaws make a good striker? I assume he will heat them and bend them the way he wants them and harden the edge.

 

[lonehunter]

Dont know about the trap, Kinda hate to see that myself. 1095 Key Stock works great!

 

[Flint311]

Not sure on a trap jaw either, but it's shape is almost there. Sell 'em an old file, they work great! Better than one I bought...

 

[Black Hand]

Trap jaw - Maybe, depending on the steel.
Trap spring - Yes.

Keep the trap and give him an old file. He'll get a striker, whereas with the trap jaw, he might not....

 

[DNICK]

the jaws on my traps are soft enough that they wont break don't know if they have enough carbon content to harden for a striker, I've never felt like cutting up a trap for the steel like others have said use an old file.

 

[4570tc]

DITTO on the file! :thumbsup:

 

[rich pierce]

No hope on the trap jaws. Bad idea making strikers out of unknown steel. The chances it is not iron or mild steel are close to zero.

 

[fatboy]

Yeah have to agree with Rich could be a waste of time maybe try to harden a a pc before trying to shape it and go through the whole process for nothing. Old file and overhead door spring steel works well and 1095 works well you could buy key stock from Msc and McMaster Carr (msc)1/4sq 36"-$7.03

 

[grettadarlean]

The Steel in the trap jaws is soft, it will not work as a striker. I make a lot of trap knives and have jaws left over. If you wound like to try for your self I"ll send you a few

 

[LRB]

A trap spring will make an OK striker. If you want a really good striker, use 1095 steel, quenched in brine.

 

[kevindj]

We use old car springs. I picked up a trunk full of springs at our local small town garage for free - just gettem' outta here he said. We cut about 4-5 inch sections, throw 'em on the forge and shape them, and quench in brine. Seems to work well.

 

[LRB]

Old car springs vary widely in the type of steel. Most will work OK, but nothing beats 1095, or quality file steel if you want the best. It's the carbon content that decides how well a striker works. I like them to work a little better than just OK.

 

[boar]

I have good luck with old Troy built rototiller tines. Get three strikers out of each tine. Made my first one out of a old 3 prong hay fork. Dilly

 

[KentuckyBlacksmith]

I agree with Wick, we make em' out of 1095, W-1 or Black Diamond / Nicholson files..Quenched in water(if they are thick enough) or commercial fast quench..Nothing else has really come close..Something with around 1.0% carbon. Or more in the case of the files which are often around 1.20% to 1.27% cabon..
Buy the files used at flea markets for .50 cents a piece..1095 or W-1 drill rod isnt expensive either...

 

[Rifleman1776]

quench in brine

Why brine? Why not just plain water?

 

[fatboy]

The brine give's a more even cooling by preventing a vapor jacket around the steel and prevent cracking. I dont think I would use water or brine on thin cutting tools like a knife blade.

 

[Len Graves]

I have heard of brine for quench water also. I always wondered what dilution of salt to water, and just plain old salt (rock salt)or some other kind of salt? can you give me some examples? Thanks.

 

[fatboy]

I've heard as much as it takes to float a egg. Also I've read 7-12% salt to water

Where I forge we use water or oil I have quenched 1095 in water and it works just fine, but I have had one striker crack.

 

[LRB]

I have forgotten the exact recommended percentage, maybe 11%, but it works out to 13oz. per gallon, which works out to one 26 oz box of salt for a two gallon bucket. I use Mortons Sea Salt, and warm the water to about 100°. Brine acually cools faster than water, and makes the steel maybe a point harder than plain water, while giving a much more even cooling effect as was said above, and no, I would not recommend brine for thin knife blades.

 

[fatboy]

Wick has the info the master has spoken :bow: lol
sometime I will try brine aint got to it yet