Source Of Cast Iron Question

[CarlosA]

I have a broken forklift weight plate here i`m thinking of cutting into a few pieces to use for project. Has anyone else cut one of these up? Is the metal good? I have read random forum posts about people encountering slag/mystery metal and destroying endmills when using some types of "cast iron" such as weight lifting plates, old chinese machines, etc. Its hard to find and expensive to buy good blocks of cast iron.

 

[Ed ke6bnl]

while we are at it, what about cast iron barbell weights.

 

[rwm]

Improperly cast cast iron can have areas of "chill." These can be hard as carbide and ruin tools. I don't think there is anyway to know until you try to cut it. I suspect you will be fine, especially if the part was cast and then had machining done on it at the factory.
R

 

[Charles Spencer]

Recently I started working on turning a chuck back from an old Weider cast iron weight. (Made in Canada, doncha know.)

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/thre...in-your-shop-today.14637/page-264#post-415009

I haven't finished yet, but so far I haven't had any problems with the quality of the iron. It might be different with iron from countries with lower standards.

 

[chips&more]

You can ask and get answers of other people’s cast iron stories. But you can only answer your question, because your cast iron is unique to itself. A hunk of cast iron poured to be a mass is just that. If you want to repurpose it, you need to find out for yourself. Good Luck…Dave

 

[RJSakowski]

White cast iron can be converted to grey cast iron with heat treatment. Because of the high carbon content, the iron carbide precipitates out when cast, forming the hard spots. Heating for an extended period of time at temperatures around 1000ºC will convert the white cast iron to grey (malleable) cast iron.

If I were going to machine a piece of repurposed cast iron and not having access to a heat treating furnace, I think that I would soak it in my wood burning furnace for several days and then allow it to cool slowly in a bed of ashes.

Also for consideration, as Dave said, "A hunk of cast iron poured to be a mass is just that.....". There is no particular guarantee as to the composition, metalurgical properties, or mechanical properties.

 

[Ulma Doctor]

like a forklift counterweight???
most likely, there is more junk in that counterweight cast iron than in Hong Kong Harbor!
i can't imagine the quality to be stellar.

 

[Twalther]

Try to weld on it, you will see in a hurry what you have. If I remember there is a lot of lead in it.

 

[GarageGuy]

Typically, and there are always exceptions... cast iron used for the sole purpose of "weight" is very low quality because it isn't intended to do anything except be heavy.