Are all wagon wheels Wrought Iron?

[BRad704]

I saw 6 "old iron" wagon wheels at a local antique store and the big ones were $65, small ones were $45. Where all wheels of this type made of wrought iron? And how would you determine if you had the real thing?

 

[EdCaffreyMS]

Not all of those type old wheels were/are wrought. Some are cast, and some are mild steel.....I've even run across a few that are "blister" steel.

About the only way I can tell for sure if something is wrought, is to saw almost all the way through it, then bent it until the remaining "web" bends/breaks. Wrought will have a fibrous appearance....it will look like there are tiny "threads" in the material.

 

[BRad704]

Thanks Ed,

Are there any tell-tale signs of NOT being wrought? something tells me Cast would have lines around it where it was cast... I may just go buy one this Friday after I get paid and check it out...

Suppose they ARE wrought... How's that price?

 

[bubba-san]

another way to tell if its wrought iron or not , take a file and cut steel a bit then etch with some acid or ferric . it will have a very fine pattern similar to wootz .looks like little threads like Ed said. I believe they are called Iron dendrites ? not quite sure.

 

[GHEzell]

Examine closely the most heavily rusted areas, sometimes the grain of the wrought iron will be visible... look for signs of welds, modern type welds are a definate warning it is not likely wrought, fire/lap-welds are a very good sign for WI.

I have a pretty good amount of wrought iron, and have never paid for any of it...but I've been lucky, and willing to drag a 50# piece of rusty iron a mile through the woods if it looked like it might be wrought. Those smaller wheels with the concave shape, I think (I could be wrong) are likely more modern thus not likely to be wrought. The larger wheels with the convex surface look very promising.

 

[BRad704]

I will go back and examine closer Friday before I pick my kids up... And I thought the same thing about the smaller wheels looking too modern to be WI...

 

[Keith Willis]

Brad,I have a few of those with the iron spokes,and they are not wrought.
That's not to say all with iron spokes are not.The ones I found that were
had the wooden spokes.
Tell ya what,if you can wait a few days,PM me your address,and I will send
ya some.

God bless,Keith