Sourcing Cast Iron

I've used all kinds of weights like tractor weights and elevator counterweights. I found their surfaces unpredictable, but inside they were nice and grey. Go to an agricultural wrecker or tractor seller or earthmover and ask if they have any orphan front or wheel weights.

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I have tried two different dumbbell weights. The first one was machinable but just barely. It was impossible to cut threads in it with a tap. I did not want to use that stuff again.
The second style of dumbbell weight that I tried machied very well. It was perfect in every way for my project. So i bought a second weight just like it for my stock pile.
 
I would 'second' Dura Bar, but it depends on the end user application. I machined a couple of ~1.5" OD pole pieces for an electromagnet from Dura Bar. It machines nicely; I mostly use WC tooling. Like any cast iron product, it's still messy.
 
The best source of 'good' cast iron is cheap used car parts! They are designed to be machined, and are manufactured in high quantities. Lifting stuff is both expensive (in particular these days!), and crappy cast iron.

However, used brake rotors are basically free from most mechanics. You can get bad/broken cast/machined crank/camshafts at most mechanics or pick and pulls. Cast pistons are a good source of material as well, and are also dirt cheap.
 
I would love to melt some cast iron. I made a melting furnace before and gave it away during a clean up "madness".

This guy really inspire me to do it again. In this video he melts cast iron with about a hour of burning:


In this video, he shows a bunch of good source of cast iron for melting:

 
The problem with brake rotors is not that they are available and cheap, it’s they are not a big chunk of solid cast. Most are riddled with cooling vents and that big hole for the bearings and axel. They can be hard as can be where the pads contacted them. They are a great source of iron for recasting but the OP is not into that.
 
C-Bag said:
The problem with brake rotors is not that they are available and cheap, it’s they are not a big chunk of solid cast. Most are riddled with cooling vents and that big hole for the bearings and axel. They can be hard as can be where the pads contacted them. They are a great source of iron for recasting but the OP is not into that.
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Right, depending on what size you need though, the spot where the pads contact are great and about 1/4" thick. I didn't find it particularly hard though, it IS where they machine them when they are turned.
 
ErichKeane said:
Right, depending on what size you need though, the spot where the pads contact are great and about 1/4" thick. I didn't find it particularly hard though, it IS where they machine them when they are turned.
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I guess it’s all about where you are. The only place I worked where the shop had a brake lathe was Yosemite. About 85% of the time the rotors and drums were so fried as to be scrap. And the remaining were so hard the finish was not great so I used a small pad to put a swirl pattern on them. Now rotors don’t have enough meat on them to re finish. That’s why on the local CL there are so many brake lathes that pop up when I put lathe in the search. More than metal lathes.
 
I've definitely seen those brake lathes :) I will say that the rotors I got were from a shop specializing in diesel pickups, so likely thicker/larger than most.
 
What are you making that requires cast iron? I went looking for a sizable piece and found that a big chunk of 1018 or similar steel was easier to find and not unreasonable priced.
 
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