Got schooled by a welder at a Wichita salvage yard last Tuesday

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica33120d agoMost Upvoted

You ever notice how those guys can tell what kind of metal it is just by how it feels when they tap it? I had a welder show me once that if you run a file across steel and it slides smooth like glass, it's hardened. If it grabs and makes a rough sound, it's mild. Saved me a ton of time sorting scrap at the yard later on.

kimblack20d ago

Got schooled by a welder is right. I mean I had a similar thing happen at a scrap yard near Tulsa last fall. This older guy working there just casually walked over and showed me how to tell the difference between stainless and regular steel with a magnet and a grinder. Idk why but it never clicked for me before that the spark pattern tells you everything. He must have seen me struggling for like 10 minutes before he came over and I felt kinda dumb but he was super nice about it. Maybe it's just me but those guys who work with metal every day have this whole other level of knowledge that you just don't get from reading books.

logan27120d ago

And the spark test is like their secret language too, every color and shape tells a different story about what the metal can handle.