Really old stuff and rust, or lack of it

[jghm]

I needed some flat bar stock so I went out to the pile behind the shed and found just what I needed. It was a cultivator part off a Farmall M, so it's a least 50 years old. This stuff has been siting outside probably for ever. The bolt and set screw (set bolt?) both broke loose and unscrewed with just a normal size wrench. No oil, heat, cheater bars or anything. I have run into this before on really old equipment. How come this old stuff never rusts up solid like most things do???????

 

[blame582]

Re old Rust:

I always understood old items usually did not rust and seize badly due to there being a higher nickle content in the steel back when it was made.
True or not????

Thats what i was always told by the old timers

Blame

 

[ScrapMetal]

Here is proof of concept (I guess). This vise was mounted to my grandfather's outside work bench. Never had a cover on it and other than the screw being greased I didn't ever witness any kind of maintenance done to it. Now, before I cleaned it up, it was so covered in dirt (for my entire lifetime of 45+years a few years ago) that I had no idea that it was ever broken and repaired. The brazed repairs came as a big surprise when I scraped the dirt off.





And no rust to speak of!

-Ron

 

[jghm]

It looks like the consensus is just better steel. Must be, this old stuff machines wonderfully!
John

 

[AR1911]

Rust was different back then. This rust we got nowadays is just a cheap immitation, hard to work with ;D

That's a cool old vise. Thanks for not wire-brushing all that lovely patina.

 

[ScrapMetal]

Rust was different back then. This rust we got nowadays is just a cheap immitation, hard to work with ;D

That's a cool old vise. Thanks for not wire-brushing all that lovely patina.

It really makes the brazing stand out that way. The way I like it as well.

-Ron