: Hi All,
: I just lost a lot of stuff to a fire at a
: storage unit thanks to an arsonist or
: careless person.
:
: I was wondering if my small-bolt pattern wheels
: are any good after being through a fire? 3
: of the appear to have been red hot because
: of the mill scale buildup on them. 3 others
: - (small bolt, 5-1/2" wide) were in a
: different area and appear to not have been
: so hot.
: Any opinions on this?
:
: I don't feel good about the 3 that got really
: hot. The other 3 I would check for warpage
: and run out before using.

: Craig i am a retired firefighter . Been a
: firefighter for 30 years. The mill buildup
: you describe does it look like rust if so it
: oxidation that ocures when steel is heated
: at a hidh temp. Most fires in a building
: reach a temp about 1200 to 1400 drgree .f.
: Steel is heated to a higher temp than that.
: Sand blast them and check for warpage and
: cracks. Hit them with a small hammer and if
: they ring they should be all right. If one
: sounds dull after hitting it with a hammer
: don't use it. This is only a suggestion
: Thanks Ron

: Hi All,
: I just lost a lot of stuff to a fire at a
: storage unit thanks to an arsonist or
: careless person.
:
: I was wondering if my small-bolt pattern wheels
: are any good after being through a fire? 3
: of the appear to have been red hot because
: of the mill scale buildup on them. 3 others
: - (small bolt, 5-1/2" wide) were in a
: different area and appear to not have been
: so hot.
: Any opinions on this?
:
: I don't feel good about the 3 that got really
: hot. The other 3 I would check for warpage
: and run out before using.

: They are unusable. Do not try to run these rims
: on the street. The centers on those rims are
: most likely riveted to the outer shell.
: These rivets no longer have a shrink fit.
: They will come apart even with moderate
: usage. Most likely they will be too warped
: to even consider. Do not try to use them. If
: they have a heavy scale on them this also
: tells you that the carbon is no longer
: dissolved in the alloy. Without it they will
: no longer have the correct strength.

: I was under the impression these were welded
: centers. I guess I was assuming these were
: SBP Ralleys.
: If they are, indeed, riveted, that is a
: question for which I have no answer. I guess
: it would depend on the composition of the
: rivets.
: If they are not riveted, I'd have to say blast
: them clean, inspect them closely (looking
: for cracks), check for warpage and out of
: true. If they check out, I'd have no problem
: using them. That said, I wouldn't sell them
: to anyone else, though.
: My machinery's handbook says that 1600 deg.
: looks cherry red in daylight. Do you think
: it got that hot? Even with a huge propane
: tank and a giant rosebud focused on the
: wheel it would be tough to make the whole
: wheel cherry red. On the other hand, certain
: areas of the wheel may have gotten heated
: and conversely, it may have cooled unevenly.
: If that were the case, I think you'd see
: warpage.
: I don't KNOW how wheels are made. I would guess
: they are just made out of cold rolled sheet
: steel; stamped, rolled and welded.
:
: I believe mild steel(low carbon steel) is not,
: strictly speaking, an alloy. It is an alloy
: steel when it has elements like nickel,
: boron, molybdenum, etc. added to it in the
: molten state. Mild steel has a relatively
: low percentage of carbon in it, that's why
: it's not considered hardenable(like high
: carbon steel).
: When I say percentage of carbon, it is in the
: 0.25%(low)-1.2%(high) range. We are talking
: about a very, very small amount of carbon.

:
: Hi All,
: I just lost a lot of stuff to a fire at a
: storage unit thanks to an arsonist or
: careless person.
:
: I was wondering if my small-bolt pattern wheels
: are any good after being through a fire? 3
: of the appear to have been red hot because
: of the mill scale buildup on them. 3 others
: - (small bolt, 5-1/2" wide) were in a
: different area and appear to not have been
: so hot.
: Any opinions on this?
:
: I don't feel good about the 3 that got really
: hot. The other 3 I would check for warpage
: and run out before using.