Shop Tips n' Tricks

So I'm looking at this house and I believed it to just have a 200 amp service. I thought I'd just have to run my electricity to the shop from the 200 amp service and just share the house with the 200amp. I did this in massachusetts. Never had a problem, never dimmed lights or anything like that. 200amps is heck of a lot of power. I could run the dryer, washer, 30amp industrial compressor, and 30 amp welder all while having tv+lights, etc running and never had even the slightest issue. I think the range/oven was probably even running during one of those times. They probably never draw their full amount except for start up. So I might not have been anywhere near capacity. …

Misinterpreting what we we meant when we said "use you head"!

How about suggestions for soup cans. I use them for holding chisels and beeswax. I use the lids for the candle holders and catching drips. I know there have to be many more uses for these miracles of engineering! :D

I have an industrial duty pedastal grinder that uses 12 inch pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) discs. Historically, it's a real task unpeeling the used disc to apply a new one. I got mad this morning and took the oxy/fuel rosebud to the surface, for just 5 seconds, whilst the machine was spinning, but turned off. The disc popped off in one piece, something that's never happened before. To remove the old rubbery glue, I turn the machine on for a second, then cut the power and use the backside of a sharp wood chisel and spin the glue off toward the center. To seat the new disc on tight, I bought a wooden wallpaper seam roller and apply pressure while it's spinning. This pro…

This is a solution to the pesky problem when welding with aluminum wire of the tip wanting to weld itself to the end of the tip, This will virtually eliminate that problem. Cut away half of the tip approxiametly 1/8 inch back from the end as shown. This picture is of my spoolmate tip.

Here is a trick I learned when I was in Austria with Alfred Habermann. Marking metal with a white charcoal pencil where you can still see the mark when it is orange hot. It is just like marking it with the "white out" used for correcting typographical errors. It shows up on hot metal, but it is less expensive and alot easier to use. Lyle bought this from Hobby Lobby, but Angele, a German supplier of blacksmithing equipment, sold them in Europe. I like this method of marking alot better than marking with a center punch.

I have just gone over to using coke. I can get it free here which has got to be a good deal. It comes in large pieces and I have been looking for a way to break it and screen it. I have put a big old cast iron radiator across two kerb stones. The tubes are convex which helps to crush the coke and the whole thing acts like an anvil against which to hammer. I use a light sledgehammer so as not to break up the cast iron. The gaps between the tubes are just the correct size to screen the coke down to walnut size. The kerb stones keep it at a good working height and allow me to shovel the crushed fuel out of the bottom. It is on a slight incline so the coke runs easily to one …

I hope this tip helps a lot of blacksmiths working in cold climates. One of the tools that I manufacture are slate shingle rippers. My shop is in what is considered the "snow belt", high in the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania. At night, during the winter, it sometimes goes down to 20 degrees below zero farenheit. The handles of these tools are mild steel, forge welded to a 1080 blade which is drawn out under a triphammer and then flattened at the far end into a blade. As I was finishing forging out these high carbon blades, I would toss them on the floor to cool before grinding the blades later. After grinding and finishing them, usually about 100 of these to…

What are some tips for those trying different methods of joinery like collaring, and riveting? Peyton

BP Hello Here a vice stand. is an alternative of the system of displacement of the anvil stand of " markb". weight: approximately 130 kg A+ P.L

I have the situation that I burn charcoal and I either work outside or will have to make a hood with forced draft. With it being -2 and snow on the ground, working outside is out. I have searched and it appears this has not been discussed, so my question is: what volume of air should I set as a starting point to size my fan? Really would like to run with a hood with natural draft but just not in a position to do that.

Hello All, I recently completed a door knocker as a gift for friends that live on the coast of Maine Other pieces that I have sent to the coast have developed rust on their sharp edges after a short period in the elements. I used the standard bees wax and linseed oil. I need a better coating soulution but I want to maintain the look of the forged Iron as opposed to the flat black spray paint solution. One looses considerable detail in a piece when we go with the paint. Thoughts? Rgds, Peter

When I decided to take up blacksmithing as a hobbie I went looking for an anvil... before I went looking for information about anvils! I checked around at a few places and ended up at Harbor Freight. They had a 55# anvil on sell for ~15$ so I go it and brought it home. The next day I was looking around the web for more information and found several sites talking about anvils and discovered what you guys already know! This anvil is not an anvil it is merely an Anvil Shaped Object. :mad: After I built my forge I tried to make a leaf key chain and found this anvil was great for that, the more you used it the more dished the face became and made it possible for you to use …

When I first found this site I read a lot of the blueprints and I have to say, nice work, and thank you. But, I look to this spot every day, and nothing personal, but I am not interested in crowd control. How about some shop tips now and then? I will start with something simple, which many of you probably already know , but maybe get the ball rolling. When I need to make a simple jig for hot bending, I use a piece of angle iron as the base. Then when I use it, I just clamp the bottom leg of the angle in a vice. If this is a repeat, please ignore.

Does or has anyone used Fluid Film on there finished products? DennisG

I've been trying to turn my shop space from a shop- tool, materials storage area into a shop. I started by removing everything (almost) not needed for the task of forging and finishing knives. No small task. So in the process I found the barrel, the bottom of a vacuum I dumped, and a real neat round thing (would make a nice hammer rack) Anyway no biggee, just though I'd share and I love to post pics.

First time working with anything other than kingsford....so forgive the idiocy of this question, but I really don't know. How do you tell the difference between "clinker" and unburnt coke?

Funny thing happened yesterday while I was helping my wife clean the house. My job was the living room. I was dusting the room and found a couple of my "whimsical pieces" had some rust just creeping in on them. So I went back after dusting everything else and used the cloth and some furniture polish. It took the rust right off and left the piece looking pretty darn good! I am sure it won't last, but it worked. This small thing made me start thinking of how to ward off the rust demons. How do you prevent rust?

Hello all, I am not getting consistent results while freehanding scrolls; repeatability becomses a hit or miss proposition. My thought is to produce or buy a scrolling rig of some sort. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Rgds, Peter

Here's a handy anvil hold down I made out of an old visegrip. I am using it here to hold a piece of pipe down. anvil grip.pdf

It is tough living in a town or city limits where homes are plentiful and land is scarce. And usually when in town limits there are restrictions on things like open fires. How is it some of you "neighborhood smiths" get around the restrictions and limitations? And the irritable neighbor? Peyton

Oh, I saw an anvil at a garage sale for $10. Since I am a VERY new beginner, would I be missing much if the back side where the two holes are was busted off?? Denny

To cut a rod (round or square) in half. balance on the hot cut hardy and tap with hammer. You have a mark to use as a guide for hot cutting. rc

Here's something I came up with the other day. I'd always wanted to experiment with a hinged fuller, and came up with this design. The top and bottom dies are RR spikes. The post is a 10in. piece of 1in. x 1/8 in. mild steel. I could have drilled the holes and been more accurate I suppose, but I just punched them.........and it worked OK. The bolts are 3/16 in. I could have welded the bottom die in place easier than punching the holes, but using bolts allows me to change dies if I want without major effort. This fuller is small, (for light work), so I'm already planning a larger one based on the same design! Just thought I'd share.............

This may have been covered in another thread at some point but maybe for the newbies it might be an idea to bring it to the fore-front again. What do you use to start up your coal forge? Some use paper, some wood shavings etc. I use lint from the dryer to light mine! I collect the lint from the trap of the dryer and keep a bag of it out in the forge. To light the fire I take three small balls of lint, dip them in a bit of kerosene ( or paint thinner) add a few sticks of ceder (old shakes or shim stock work really well) cut into short pieces of about an inch or so. I set these in the bottom of the firepot and light the lint, turn on a bit of air to get a hot fast flame, …