Material ID help!

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Morning fellas! I had a friend come to me with a piece of material and asked me what it was, he said it came off an old vintage bed frame..... I checked it with a magnet and it's magnetic, I did a spark test and there was a small bit of sparks but then it died out and I can't see any sparks.... What do you think it is?SnailHouse_Projects--For All Your Turbo and Off-Road Needs Import and DomesticMiller Dynasty 200Miller Syncrowave 250Miller 251Lincoln 250'69 Lincoln SA-200 MILLER KILLER!Thermal Dynamics PlasmaPakmaster 100XL
Reply:some variety of iron bearing material, either it's steel or cast iron, can you give us a picture of the piece.
Reply:Originally Posted by ironmangqsome variety of iron bearing material, either it's steel or cast iron, can you give us a picture of the piece.
Reply:Depending on the age, it might be either cast or wrought iron.Last edited by DSW; 10-23-2013 at 10:29 AM..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Seeing a pict of the rest of the bed might help. Cast usually has a distinct casting line depending on how much finish work was done to clean up the castings. Wrought would have different distinct markings, but again depending on the level of care they may or may not be readily visible.What are you trying to do? If this is just "scrap" there's a real easy way to determine if it's cast or wrought, but you damage the piece when you do so. If you partially cut thru the piece and then bend it over 90 deg, that will very often tell you if it's steel, wrought iron or cast. Cast almost always just breaks rather than bend. Steel bends. Wrought bends, but there is a fiberous look to the material, almost like the grain in wood. I know I've posted picts of the fiberous look of wrought when bent in the past. If need be I can try to dig up the pict again..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I don't have a picture of the bed, he just brought it to me and asked me if I could weld it back together, but don't think I want to take on the job because it means a lot to him and don't want to do something that means so much without much experience on the particular material....Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now FreeSnailHouse_Projects--For All Your Turbo and Off-Road Needs Import and DomesticMiller Dynasty 200Miller Syncrowave 250Miller 251Lincoln 250'69 Lincoln SA-200 MILLER KILLER!Thermal Dynamics PlasmaPakmaster 100XL
Reply:If your pictures are showing the "break line" of the piece he wants welded, then it sure looks like cast to me.  Just can't tell from here if it's cast iron or cast steel.  As mentioned already, cast iron just wants to break off without any inclination to bend. Cast steel however, will show some bending before snapping.  Looking at the larger piece instead of a close up profile, can any bending or deflection be seen?
Reply:No signs of bending, it was a clean break, so it's cast iron then.....Thanks for all the insight! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now FreeSnailHouse_Projects--For All Your Turbo and Off-Road Needs Import and DomesticMiller Dynasty 200Miller Syncrowave 250Miller 251Lincoln 250'69 Lincoln SA-200 MILLER KILLER!Thermal Dynamics PlasmaPakmaster 100XL
Reply:clean, make a U-groove, preheat the hell out of it and weld with a high nickel filler Either N55 or N99, put back on the heat and and let it cool down slowly (Usually the procedure with cast iron.)