What are these spots?

[Petetheploughman]

Here is a plough that was on Ebay a few months back. I'm curious to know what the spots are on the mouldboards. Does anybody know why they are there?

 

[Timo@hattonfarms]

Press marks were they've been forged? My new 25 mouldboards have them and slightly visable still on my fiskars KH boards

 

[wilt434]

Thats what I thought they were aswell, they are on my RWM's the same as that one.

 

[wilt434]

 

[Petetheploughman]

So does this indicate what very little use they have had?

 

[wilt434]

Wouldn't say so as mine are quite worn on the back edge yet they still show.

 

[Petetheploughman]

Wouldn't say so as mine are quite worn on the back edge yet they still show.

Funny they don't show on the YL 183's. I've seen them on TCN's though.

 

[Ley253]

Boards were, I was told a lamination, so I think the spots could be evidence of some type of welding process, or perhaps induction hardening.

 

[Kevtherev]

It's the marks from forging and as said heat treatment

 

[Petetheploughman]

I'm curious to know why these spots appear on the RWM's and not the YL boards.

 

[Fergie Ploughman]

I guess as mouldboard development continued through the years, the production process would be further refined / improved... I assume they're markings from the forming tools as the material was forged and laminated together, I can only assume the process slightly effected the material properties, hardness, etc which then only show up when polished. I don't think we'll ever know unless there are some manufacturing / tooling engineers still around from Ipswich who can recall the process. Has anyone checked the little blue Ransome book ?

 

[Petetheploughman]

I spoke to a man that worked for Ransome's in the early 60's. He said that when the mouldboards were cherry red and had just been taken out of the mould, they were dipped into a solution to cool.

 

[Ley253]

To the best of my knowledge, those (and most ransomes boards) were made in South Wales, Dowdswell bought the manufactures out when they bought the Ransomes plough department.