Bigdeano, DE, I'm starting to agree it does look hardened, there's no stretching (plastic). That curved part of the break was because the bar was bending as it broke. Just strange there's no visible progression of the crack, that it could crack all on one shot. I think the front hole is oval'd simply by wear/dirt.
We're on the 11th page, need somebody (OP) to centerpunch it, then centerpunch mild steel. Touch a file to it, then to mild steel, or a drill, a hacksaw, a grinder? Kinda hard to see the difference between sparking 1018 and 1040, but 1040 is a lot stronger, and it's heat-treatable. Its been 6 days in the dead of winter, everyone wants-ta-know, is it hardened or mild steel? If mild then just weld the dang thing, easy repair, just takes awhile (grinding then) feeding rods (or wire) into it.
Come to think of it, if it's hardened, then just weld the dang thing too. :thumbsup: Difference being, if it's mild, then can be as strong as it ever was. If it's 1040 or some higher grade, then the weld is weaker than the rest. But so what? Just weld up the hole too.
