Blacksmithing and forging

[whtbaron]

I suppose I'm egotistical enough to assume you are referring to me.

I guess you recall the story of my ( auto body shop friend ) Lee who had a barbed coupler come loose and have his arms severely lacerated from the tail of the gear type hose clamp whipping around.

He was off work several weeks but was fortunate his arms protected his face !


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I seem to recall someone saying that worm gear clamps on air hoses were for "amateurs".

[Lis2323]

I seem to recall someone saying that worm gear clamps on air hoses were for "amateurs".

Wasn't me.

Definitely my opinion but I would never verbalize it


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[tapwelder]

I thought 035 mig wire would work.... It is thinner than .041 they suggest in demo. Nope. Lesson in metal composition or putting a diaper on a restless baby.

[whtbaron]

I thought 035 mig wire would work.... It is thinner than .041 they suggest in demo. Nope. Lesson in metal composition or putting a diaper on a restless baby.

It snapped?

[tapwelder]

No, too springy and tedious. It will not wrap and be still to set the tool. I used some galvy steel wire 18 caliber(g?) for picture frame hanging...much easier to form.

The demo with stainless... They make it look easy, I wonder what flavor the use.

[VaughnT]

No, too springy and tedious. It will not wrap and be still to set the tool. I used some galvy steel wire 18 caliber(g?) for picture frame hanging...much easier to form.

The demo with stainless... They make it look easy, I wonder what flavor the use.

They give you the specs on their website. They recommend 304 for most applications, though they sell other types.

The big factor is that it's all annealed.

I think you'd have had far better performance with your Mig wire if you'd annealed it before trying it. More than likely, they intentionally work-harden the stuff at the factory so it'll be stiffer and more easily pass through the lead and gun on your machine. Remember, it's gotta be pushed the whole length, around all the crazy bends in your hose, so stiffness would be mandatory. If it was dead soft, you'd likely see a lot of kinking right after the rollers.

[VaughnT]

Lit the forge once again.

This time, I had a wonderful blueprint provided by the customer -- my first ever sale of anything to Fargo North Dakota! Kinda cool when you get to send something where there's never been anything sent before!

His hooks were surprisingly challenging. He spec'd a 2-1/2" gap, but only wanted a 1" depth. This meant I couldn't just use my Ultra Jig like I normally would because it's nearly impossible to dial in for something like that. So, I had to break out the welder and made up a little table I could clamp in the vise. After a couple years trying to layout the lines of the curve, I had to then bend some thin strapping for a form and weld it in place. All around way too much work for way too little money - exactly why I don't light the forge much anymore.

Anyhow, they came out almost a perfect match for his detailed blueprint and I'm very happy with them. I wasn't sure what his tolerances are, so I did what I normally do and got annoyingly finicky about them. Blacksmiths are supposed to work to the tolerance of a worn shilling, in keeping with tradition, but my ruler goes to 64ths and I'll use every one of those little lines if I have to. Makes me madder than a wet hen, honestly, but my nature is my nature and being an eighth off somewhere would chap my hide no end.



Oh, and while I was there I decided to make another little dish thing. These are fun enough and I like how the heat gets to the steel, giving it some character that's both visual and tactile.

[jwmelvin]

Your dish looks wonderfully smooth. Nice.

[whtbaron]

Fuel cost is getting to be a real issue. Popeye tells me there's now a shortage of acetylene so I won't be using the torch any more than I have to either. I could switch to propane but that might just be a matter of time as well. I really need to get back to my idea of building a waste oil forge. That 500 liters a year of free fuel I'm producing is looking more inviting all the time.

Fargo is getting real close to my home turf... about 4 hrs away. We used to cross the line to go to stock car races at Langdon years ago... only 45 minutes away.

[Lis2323]

I rented my oxy-acetylene tanks from Air Liquide (Liquid Air back then) from 1966 until a few years ago when the two bottle annual lease exceeded $200 with taxes.

You could only lease the mid sized- larger bottles from them. If you wanted to purchase and avoid the rent they only had small bottles.

I managed to find an exchange oxygen tank, a full oddball acetylene and full smaller “B” tanks that plumbers use. I now have a myriad of tank adapters but generally speaking I now cut for free.

I store the acetylene tanks separately in an outbuilding and got rid of my excess inert gas tanks….






I sold my 100 amp Miller plasma and the Miller 625 I kept is ( rated for higher but) “good” for 1/2”. I only use O/A for heavy cuts, heating and bending, and large rusted fasteners.

If and when I do run out of acetylene I will need to get creative with my neighbor’s LWS account.


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[Lis2323]

I really need to get back to my idea of building a waste oil forge. That 500 liters a year of free fuel I'm producing is looking more inviting all the time.

.

Tell us what you know……! (please)


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[whtbaron]

Not much... I thought I had an old oil furnace in storage to scavenge a burner out of, but I see somebody beat me to it...They were a dime a dozen when everybody was taking them out, but now they are just getting scrapped.

[Shootr]

Attempt #2 at a Ku Mai copper/1095 billet.

Started as 4" x 1.25" stack.



I was able to draw it out to 6" x 2" before copper started shooting out. Halfway through, I took a break for lunch, then cleaned and welded all the edges again. That seemed to help. Remembered to use the flatter as well as reshaped the cross pein.

[VaughnT]

Wonderful work, Shootr.

[Bruce]

That is quite a start, what are the plans for that billet?

[Shootr]

Wonderful work, Shootr.

Thanks! Now that all the family business is squared away, today was a day to "normalize". The hammer came out beautifully, if I say so myself. It was a dream to use. It's the first time in a long time (ever?) that from start to finish I felt like I was following all the steps methodically: One heat to flatten, the next to draw, and so forth. Couldn't have been a better day (except when I burned up the grinder controller...)

That is quite a start, what are the plans for that billet?

Some kind of blade. Once I get the billet cleaned up and sized I'll doodle on it and see what strikes my fancy.

[Shootr]

Here's a bizzaro thought... One side with a "finished" spine, and the other with a "raw" spine. Since this is another practice/experiment project I can get two results out of one billet.

Just look at that gorgeous surface! (The other one was as far as I got before the grinder crapped out)

[Shootr]

I should add that the knife master I'm following on YouTube, Denis Tyrell, is a very gracious person. He answered a couple questions I had on this method, and he just posted a more detailed video into how he does it and why he uses the methods he does.

[shortfuse]

Shootr, I like your re-shaped cross pein hammer. It will serve you well, good as any $150 hammer.

[smithdoor]

I never thought about resharpened any hammer.
If one need the end reshaped or sharpened it just did the grinding.

It shows how everyone is looking at just buy new.
When I was growing up almost everything was repaired even radios 📻.
Today if does not work just buy new one.
Radios 📻 today are almost impossible to repair.

Today I hear of drill bit are now replaced and not sharpen.

Dave

Shootr, I like your re-shaped cross pein hammer. It will serve you well, good as any $150 hammer.

[Shootr]

I finally took the time to join the Arizona Blacksmith Guild last week. Now that the world is loosening up there are classes and seminars and gatherings being scheduled.

I plan on attending at least 2 "beginner" type classes. I have plenty of equipment - just not the most important tool - knowledge. I learn things best by seeing with my own eyes.

[psacustomcreations]

Great news. I find that I usually learn a lesson when pain is involved. Sometimes I repeat the mistake and get hurt again just to make sure I learned.
The biggest mistake is forgetting that metal doesn't have to be red to be hot.
Grabbing a falling item, not paying attention, etc all can have painful consequences.

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[VaughnT]

Congrats, Shootr. That's a very positive step forward in your evolution and I have no doubt you'll make a lot of friends and learn tons of neat stuff.

[Shootr]

The biggest mistake is forgetting that metal doesn't have to be red to be hot.
Grabbing a falling item, not paying attention, etc all can have painful consequences.

Hence the reason I have a lush crop of aloe plants next to the shop...

[Shootr]

Congrats, Shootr. That's a very positive step forward in your evolution and I have no doubt you'll make a lot of friends and learn tons of neat stuff.

The talent represented by the members - I mean really amazingly skilled people. I am very excited to start down this path!