Thread: 4140 steel and other steel for post anvils?

Originally Posted by bluesman7

I was about to reply with the opposite. (I guess I sill am). My impression has always been that these colors were an in house code that varied from warehouse to warehouse, or mill to mill, possibly changing with heat number. I really don't know though. Maybe you and Substance can compare spark tests, since he has a bunch of known steels.

Victor, thanks for posting on this. The reason I said universal is because there was a reference to a standardized color coding system chart that I found on the web 2 days ago but who knows what standards the MFG's use?

My O2 is dark blue at the end.

Uddeholm steel color chart



Wordpress Color Codes | Coloring Anything

Victor, I just did some quick searching and I think your correct. Ok, so now I will try the spark testing and density methods.
But no matter what the outcome I will still be using these steels as is !

Originally Posted by bluesman7

I was about to reply with the opposite. (I guess I sill am). My impression has always been that these colors were an in house code that varied from warehouse to warehouse, or mill to mill, possibly changing with heat number. I really don't know though. Maybe you and Substance can compare spark tests, since he has a bunch of known steels.

sounds good

All else aside, at worst, you have a lot of material for making good tools and such. Might have some folding knife blades hiding in the block of D2 if you are so inclined. My experience with US suppliers like Alro is that yellow on the end means 1018. The HRA(hot roll annealed) is probably 1018 too.

So far I have been working on putting together the parts for the post anvils. I now have 4 of the disc brake rotors for a base plus I have found the tubing to fit the various anvils and a guy who will do the cutting and welding ( Randy Stinar in Cannon Falls). They should be done in about 3 weeks.