Low
Carbon
Steel
The Historic Blacksmithing Conservancy is working to bring low carbon steel (C .06%) to the market by supporting the efforts of Heritage Iron Company. They will donate 15% of profits to support HBC Programs.
The HBC is working with HERITAGE IRON COMPANY to make steel available with superior working qualities for traditional ironwork. Purchases and pre-orders may be made on their website.
From time immemorial blacksmiths have used wrought iron (smelted from ore and refined by puddling and shingling) in the construction of decorative ironwork. In the 1960s in the US and the 1970s in the UK, commercial wrought iron production ceased. In the US blacksmiths began using mild steel alloys 1018 and A36 in lieu of wrought iron. While the working properties of these alloys are serviceable, they are far harder than they need to be for practical ornamental use and resulting in more heats to achieve the desired result and in turn less definition in a finished piece. In addition to a carbon level above ideal, ASTM standards for A36 and 1018 contain higher levels of manganese, sulfur, and silicon which make forging welding more difficult. While the entire smithing community in the US uses A36 or 1018 as their primary material, in Europe and the UK smiths use a variety of steels with more desirable working properties. After appropriate research and consultation with experts in the field of blacksmithing and metallurgy in the US, Europe and the UK, a group of advanced US based smiths has determined that the optimal alloy regularly produced in the US is ASTM 1006. This material is produced exclusively for industry and is currently not available through any standard wholesale or retail channels. The HBC is working to make this materials regularly available for use by blacksmiths in the US.
Specified Chemistry of Material to be made available:
Carbon: .05 – .07 (.06 preferred)
Manganese: ≤ .4
Sulfur: <.05
Silicon: ≤ .1