Old timer at the scrap yard changed how I look at damascus billets

I was digging through a pile of leaf springs last Tuesday at Jones Scrap Metal over on 3rd street and this guy in his 70s walks up and says "you know that pattern ain't worth a damn if the weld line's weak." He watched me pick out a few pieces and told me I was grabbing stuff with too much rust pitting on the inside. It hit me because I have been focused on getting cool patterns for the last 3 years but never once thought about the integrity of the base layers before folding. Has anyone else had someone point out a blind spot you ignored for way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

william_garcia19h ago

Wait hold on, you been grabbing leaf springs with rust pitting inside the layers? I never even thought to check for that stuff before folding. Dude just saved you a ton of ruined billets didn't he?

mason_lopez16h ago

Yeah man that rust pitting thing is real. I started checking with a wire brush before I even buy the springs now, saves a lot of headache later when you're folding and that weak spot shows up halfway through.