any idea what your typical cheap bedframe is made of?

admin

Hey all,My bed frame had snapped so I decided today to give it a shot welding it.I have a 100 amp AC stick welder (110v)I had 3/32 6013 rod in the garage so I picked it upAnyway, I welded it up, no snow or any of that nonsense. The metal responds well to a magnet. But, it seems to be very soft. At 50 amps I was able to blow through it (1/8") if I hung out near an edge long enough.All my experience is 220v on 3/8" steel plate at school.Any ideas what metal this was? Is it just mild steel nothing else?
Reply:Bed frames are frequently made from recycled scrap. Saying it's "steel" is about the best you can do. I've seen some make some nice things from old bed frames and all the welds held. Other ones they did wouldn't hold for $hit. The metal seemed hard and brittle and the welds cracked off and wouldn't "stick" well. Just a different frame and composition..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:It has a Higher carbon content to make it Springydat's why it be hard and brittleEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:You are both describing exactly what I was noticing.I kept expecting a nice dense steel, and ended up getting JUNK. Oh well, it's in one piece now but who knows how long it will hold!
Reply:Bed frames are the bologna of the metal world. Attached Images
Reply:HAHA joedirt, that gave me a good laugh. Thanks.
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1It has a Higher carbon content to make it Springydat's why it be hard and brittle
Reply:i was trying to tig weld a piece made from a bed frame recently, tried several times and kept getting bad porosity with it
Reply:ak4130, mine wasn't getting pad porosity, it was just blowing through like crazy! Almost like it was low density.What is the opposite of "dense" anyway?
Reply:Originally Posted by Taidenak4130, mine wasn't getting pad porosity, it was just blowing through like crazy! Almost like it was low density.What is the opposite of "dense" anyway?
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWI guess maybe you should avoid the ones that come from the whore house then...
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1Those are Work Hardened
Reply:Nickle rods work well on bed frames...
Reply:I used to dumpster dive for free steel, and this one set of bedframes instantly dulled my nice milwaukee dry cut saw.  I have no idea what is in them, but it isn't suitable for much.ars sine scientia nihil est
Reply:One of the "How it's Made" (Discovery or History channel) type shows a couple of years ago showed a recycling mill somewhere in the midwest.  They recycled railroad rail into two products:  T-shaped fence posts and bed frame material.  I thought it was strange at the time but it explains complainants I'd heard about drilling or cutting bed frames.Mike