Problem Solving

Dear all hello, i'm new to this forum and just joined . i wish to have an anwser for my querries. Please help me explain the procedure of joining mild steel to Housing made of cast iron. I tried with arc process with nickel and cast iron electrode but when it cools crack develops. can anyone provide better solution it is urgent. this housing is of rototary kiln where water and oil flows insidea it max. working temp is 300 degree centigrade. please if you have any solution reply or forward it to the concerned if you know regards

Hello. I'm new here and am just getting to know my way around. I need some help with my forge welding. I just can get it to stick!! Might it be my charcoal? Too much air? Or flux? I'm using borax, I didnt have time to make it anhydrous, so it dances around a bit. Any help or a quick step by step will be a tremendous help. Thanks!! Michael Brauer

I am going to enclose the underneath of my welding bench by putting some mesh and creating a cage. It should be an easy job as there is a steel cabinet at one end and a brick wall at the other. The top is 20mm plate and the floor is concrete. So I have to make a couple of screens- effectively like machine guards. My question is this. I shall be making the framework for each side out of 50mm (2") angle. I want to fasten mesh inside this framework. Is there a simple way or do I just get the buzz box out and start welding? Any advice would be welcomed as I have never welded mesh before.

This is for the architectural folks in our community. I have a customer who has commissioned me for an iron gate into their courtyard. In addition, they want an electric strike and intercom so guests can be granted entry from inside the house. The trouble is that the house is completely finished and the front wall has no way to get back to any sources of power without major renovation. I figured the easiest thing to do was install some sort of solar powered, wireless unit - but I have no idea about equipment. I have done low voltage, hardwired units in the past and am not the least bit concerned about the installation; I just don't know anything about reliable wireless …

I recently acquired a pipe-type gas forge and am looking to build a stand for it. What are some of y'alls recommendations for must-haves on the stand? Like height? Should the area under the forge be open like with expanded metal or solid sheet? I suppose racks or shelves for tools would be good. Anything else? Thanks

Not so much a problem as wanting suggestions... This weekend I was given a sheet of Stainless Steel about 2 foot by 4 foot, bright and shiny and one side has a protective sheet to protect the finish (just peels off). I thought about using part of it for some spatulas, but I also thought that it might not really be the best use for this. No tag or anything wrote on the metal and I didn't have my micrometer to measure it but it is about as thick as the blade in a box cutter and pretty stiff. It is really nice stuff and I'm now trying to decide the best use... So I come now to ask all of you what you would do with such a piece... James

Okay, well this sucks. Ever since switching to coal, there has been a little bit of smoke that escapes. And ever since that started, it's really bad today, I want to rip my throat out. It's raw, hoarse, and hurts obviously. Lol. So I was wondering what I could do to fix that problem. The smoke problem. Any ideas? Because until I can figure that out I can't blacksmith.

Not worth a blueprint but a good method for anyone who makes candle holders: I typically rivet my cups to the holder body and usually had trouble getting the hole centered in the cup. Since I make my own cups from 18 ga sheet, I had a "DOH!" moment when I figured out to center and drill a small (1/16) hole while the blank is flat, then do the sinking in the swage block. Afterwards, I can easily open the hole to any size I want for the rivet. Sometimes, it's the simple stuff that gets me... :oops:

I am not able to buy washed coal so my question is has any one washed thier own coal. I am thinking of building a frame with small opening hardware cloth that I can screen and wash the coal through. If so how long should I let the coal dry. I am sick of all the coal dust and the way it flares up when you dump a fresh scoop of coal onto the forge.

If all goes well I will start building a workshop in about month (it was about to get started already two months ago, but all didn't go well :-( ). It's going to be fairly small: inside measures 4.2mx6.3m (13.8'*20.7'). Unfortunately it cannot be any bigger than that. The inside height will be 2.25m (7.4') in the other side and 3.3m (10.8') the other side. I'm trying figure out to use the space as effectively as possible. You can see current layout idea in the picture; the side where the forge is, is going to be the higher side. Is there anything you would alter, or any other suggestions?

How can I get copies of the Hofi videos sent out to me here? I can pay by credit card.

Howdy all, A friend shared these photos of some tools he picked up. Any idea what they might have been used for? Thanks, Lefty

Man I am full of questions. Yesterday while using my small rivet forge out side I had about 5 blower fires. It was windy out and it did it every time I added fresh coal and then stopped turning the blower handle. This may be related to my earlier coal dust problems but I figure I would check with everyone else to see what causes this as I do not recall having this problem before. thanks dave m

I have several spring swages that I use under the power hammer that keep breaking where the weld is. It seems like the pressure of the hammer is too much for them. I re-weld them, heat the weld, and then allow it to cool slowly but they still break over time. I'm using the ones that Kain & Sons sells. Any ideas? IAF

I have purchased coil springs that go on tag trailor ramps to assist in lifting them up and down. They have two ends that stick out at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock, but one end needs to be bent to 5 o'clock in order to effective carry the load through the range of motion of the ramp. My question is how do I bend this end arm on the coil spring? Do I just heat and bend or heat, bend and quench in oil? How many times and what oil?

Hi I'm looking for plans or examples of how to make a scroll bending jig. I have seen one that is hinged but the pic was not from a good angle so the detail was bad. Any ideas out there? Thanks, James

hello everyone i am looking for a blue print to make coiled spring handles for pokers or stove door handles. thank you in advance. RICH

Greetings all! I'm new to this site. I'm into hobby metalcasting, but am getting the blacksmith/bladesmith disease as well. I realized the only cure known to mankind is to actually go out and do it! In my garage I got a 25' roll of 1" thick 8# density INSWOOL, and a 55# bag of VERSAFLOW 60 PLUS. I got the materials for the construction of a new crucible furnace, however, I will have plenty of materials left over for making a forge. I'm mostly interested in bladesmithing, however I'd like to be able to do some more general blacksmithing work too. I'm planning on making a typical horizontal forge, fired with either propane, natural gas, or used motor oil. I've l…

What are Babbit bearings made from ---Are they White Metal Bearing--- if so ---what temp do they melt at like there welding temp so to speek when pooring them to repuild the bearing --- Thanks

Hi, i have a rusty old leg vise that has been outside for decades. I want to fix it. I found it difficult to describe all the parts and which ones were loose, so i filmed it instead. YouTube - A broken old leg vise I haven't used these kind of vises before so i am not familiar with the mechanics of it. How should the parts move/not move? Any ideas where to start in order to fix it without ruining it?

I want to make a lock up store to keep gasoline, thinners and eventually OA bottles. I am not too concerned about the risk of theft but just don't want such stuff too near the forges. Also being at a school I want to keep children away from such things. The store would be outside round the back of the forge building. My plan is probably to build 4 brick pillars, one at each corner of the store and then fill 3 sides in with steel mesh screens and the 4th side have a mesh door. Then probably put a tin roof on it all to keep it dry. I thought that open mesh sides would be best as they would allow vapours to dissipate. Also if there were to be an accident the place should b…

Today I picked up a champion forge with a no.40 blower. the problem is one of the blades on the fan has broken off at the shaft throwing things out of balance. does any one have parts or an idea how to repair this?

is it possible to repain cast iron that hasn't cracked too much. it is an old Record vice (M4) that has cracked at the back end of the sliding bar (holds the moving jaw and crank). it is only hairline, and hasn't opened up much since it cracked, but it would be nice to fix. the iron is only 1/4 inch thickness max and the crack is maybe 2 inches long. suggestions? tack weld? heat and clamp?

I have made a 2 hook shepards hook and want to rivet on both side. No I can not find my notes and I do not do riveting that often is it 1.5 time diamiter for a nice rivet head? I made the header tool with a ball bearing seating it in half way to give a nice round head. So this one is more a I forgot silly question. Thanks Firegnome.

I for the life of me am unable to locate an actual forge blower. I have the hair dryer thing and all but would like to go non-electric. Does anyone have a hand powered alternative they could share?