Blacksmithing and forging

[whtbaron]

My one attempt at anything close to forging didn't go so well. The cart I built to contain my hydraulic cylinders needed an axle stronger than the original 1/2" mild steel, so I grabbed a million year old chunk of 5/8" shaft out of the scrap bin. I needed holes in the ends for cotter pins to hold the wheels on so I drilled the first end. Took longer than usual on the drill press, but not too bad. The 2nd end apparently was right on a work hardened area and ended up being impossible to drill. After 4 broken bits (good ones) I ended up with a hole from both sides with a broken bit stuck in it. At this point I'm thinking lets just heat that up red hot with the acetylene and drift a hole through the whole mess. I don't know if it was the broken bits, the metal I was drilling , the heat or my cheap Chinese punch but all I managed to do was fold the end of my punch over. Do I need a better quality punch to take the heat, or just start out with metal that isn't tougher than the punch? I ended up blowing the whole mess out with a small rod in the arc welder at high heat.

Those hooks look great... nice work.

[Lis2323]

Vaughn. The hooks turned out well! I really like those.

[Lis2323]

whtbaron even though the drill bit is “soft” now from the heating maybe it won’t punch out because of the flutes holding it in like threads?? Might have been able to drill it out, but you already blew it out with the welder right?

Here’s a google image of what my exothermic lance can do.




Someone else will prob shed better light on it. I’m just a dumb farmer. ..Oops no offence. Haha

[Lis2323]

Just another thought IF you have adequate axle length.

[whtbaron]

Drilling after heating wasn't working... the sharp edges of the broken bit just started "eating" new bits. 2nd plan might have worked though.

[Lis2323]

Drilling after heating wasn't working... the sharp edges of the broken bit just started "eating" new bits. 2nd plan might have worked though.

Yeah I can almost HEAR the “eating”.

[VaughnT]

After heating, I think an end mill instead of a drill bit would be better for removing the broken piece.


Got another dish done while I was tinkering with the hooks. I like the high gloss sheen, but it dulls quite a bit once the wax dries. Got me thinking that I should opt for a polyurethane finish instead of the wax. Maybe not traditional, but it would help combat rusting a lot better.

[whtbaron]

When I was painting,there was a line of quasi-clear primers from a company called XIM... not sure if they still exist and it would add a yellow tint, but it would make something like a polyurethane clear bond much better if that were to become an issue. I would think most urethanes/polyurethanes would have enough bonding power to bare metal to accomplish what you want.

[VaughnT]

I'll have to look into that, Les. I really don't want to get into "one more thing" to keep track of around the shop, watching for when I get low and need to re-order, but I also really like that wet look.

There is a rattle-can primer I've used in the past. It converts rust to black oxide, which looks good on its own and I don't think would be a problem with the bare metal unless it converts the temper colors since they are an oxide/rust. I think it's Krylon, but would have to double check with that.

Hadn't thought of the problem of putting poly over bare metal.

[Lis2323]

Rattle can rust to black oxide sounds interesting.

[whtbaron]

I'll have to look into that, Les. I really don't want to get into "one more thing" to keep track of around the shop, watching for when I get low and need to re-order, but I also really like that wet look.


Hadn't thought of the problem of putting poly over bare metal.

That was a concern for automotive finishes... what you are doing is far less abusive on the materials. Enamels like Tremclad and Rustoleum have been promoting their rust preventive properties for years and few people take the time to include the primer step. A product like Krylon will likely stand up well as long as nobody puts the items in their dishwasher, which is probably a bad idea anyway.

[Lis2323]

Too wet and cold and depressing to get motivated. I keep a heater on in the outer shop office so this is where I plopped my *** today.

[VaughnT]

Never thought one of those shirts would ever see a hanger.... or a clean shop!

[whtbaron]

Can't sit down until I finish the office....

[Lis2323]

Gonna be nice! And lots of natural light

[psacustomcreations]

I use Rustoleum Clear Gloss on bare metal, heat colored metal and rusty metal. You have to be careful applying it since it can run easily if the coat is too thick.

The colors are well preserved on the heated pieces. The rusty pieces turn a bit more orange. I have been doing this for several years and haven't really run into any issues. These are stand alone items and not moved around or handled much though.

[Lis2323]

I’d forgotten I used Tremclad (Rustoleum) Clear on this galvanized sheet metal a few years ago.

[psacustomcreations]

Terry,
Is the curve on the left of your pic that piece you were making a few weeks ago?

[Lis2323]

Yes. Not certain how I feel about it

[whtbaron]

I was wondering if Tremclad/Rustoleum/ or Krylon had clears in aerosol. Sounds like the yellow tint is the same issue we had with synthetic enamel clears ... one of the reasons the automotive industry went to urethane/polyurethanes for clear coating. Is that pic of your wife in the background from your wedding day?

[whtbaron]

Gonna be nice! And lots of natural light

It's a major change. The years it was a hog barn there were no windows and just a few 60 watt bulbs for light at feeding time... kind of depressing really, not to mention the smell. It's becoming my retirement home so I'm really enjoying the change in atmosphere.

[Lis2323]

It's a major change. The years it was a hog barn there were no windows and just a few 60 watt bulbs for light at feeding time... kind of depressing really, not to mention the smell. It's becoming my retirement home so I'm really enjoying the change in atmosphere.

Kind of the same here. I’m in three former refrigerated cold storage rooms. No windows obviously and no doors to the outside. The only entrances were through the packing shed.

Three or four 100 watt bulbs in each 1500-2000sq ft room. The smell was okay as long as you liked carrots.

[Lis2323]

I hope Vaughn is okay and just doesn’t know WW is fixed.

[VaughnT]

I hope Vaughn is okay and just doesn’t know WW is fixed.

Thank you for your concern. I'm well and didn't know that WW had been fixed. Imagine how happy I was to click on the shortcut and get the proper page!!?!?!!!

I've been super-lazy since the economy tanked. Last year was bad enough, but this Kung Flu business has ripped the bottom right out of the boat!

Right now, there are two personal projects on the table that I really want to work on, so that's what I'm doing. Got two orders that need to go out in Monday's mail, and after that..... no idea when I'll see another order.

First up on the list of things to do.... turn these nasty cheap-o candle stands into wall hooks so my mother can hang some potted plants. No idea where she bought them, but the $5 price tag really illustrates why it's so hard to make a living building things for folks. I can't compete with third world countries.

Anyhow, I'm going to cut the dish away, and then chop the "stem" off just forward of the lower curl. That'll give me enough stick out that I can plug weld the thing to a backer plate and make Mom happy.

The fun part will be breaking out the die grinder and carbide burrs so I can dress up the welds a bit. The things are super ugly and will be 3' overhead where nobody will ever see the details, but I'm taking it as a learning experience. I'm really curious to see how nice I can make them.



After that, I'll be using a new-to-me railroad tie plate to make a couple tools for the vise. I've got a plan in mind, but I don't know if things will work out exactly as my mind thinks they should. Reality often interferes like that.

Anyhow, it's a fun exercise and good training. The tie plate is 5/8" thick in the center portion and tapers to a fat 1/4" on the short sides. That'll make it ideal for any of a dozen different tools, but I don't have enough room to get all of them out of the piece. Still, if I can get two good tools finished and show folks how to "see" the potential in something because of its shape.... great.

[ronsii]

Good to hear you're alive and kicking!!!! some of us were getting worried you might have croaked