clinton

I would go with 7018 1/8 dia rod, some beveling would help get deeper penetration, bevel at 45 degrees so you can get some weld down in there then tack the whole thing together making sure it is square and flat before final welding, I would not worry about peening or preheat

Larry you just pointed out why we need unions- to protect the workers rights not every one wants to work 10 - 12 hrs a day Looks like these other countries that are getting the jobs need some strength in unity As far as sending the jobs away all we can do is try to buy American made products and yes they are still out there you just have to look Unions are governed by rank and file so if what is going on is not right then the membership itself is to blame and they need to step up and take action

Do you really need to lock it up? What kind of neighborhood do you live in, they would take your throne and your wheels?

It sure can take some money to tool up, we have guys that are trying to get in the neighborhood of $400.00 for a hand crank blower out here in beautiful CA. I would post the link but I would rather not give them a free plug, but there are two individuals on a popular web site offering champion 400 blowers, one guy is at $400.00 and the other guy "our buddy" has on listed for $375.00. Come on guys this is a $50.00 dollar item..... Let the buyer beware

When I weld something I want it to stay welded therefore I chose an electrode that will perform in such a manner. If you do the weld test as described with the different electrodes you will most likely feel the same

A buck a pound for an anvil is a good deal, build those edges back up and you will have a real nice anvil

Soaking your hammer in atifreeze works real well, soak for only a couple of hours because it will wick up the handle if left too long (I learned this from Tom Clark)

I would say to go with the Brent Bailey, he does such clean work. Look at the eyes on some of the other hammers they fill them with goo (not what I look for in a hammer) I want a handle that fits

Ok I will add my 2 cents worth 6013 is junk rod no good penetration and the slag covers so quick that you can not see the weld pool, which can cause incomplete fusion. If you are having problems with 6011 then it is probably a technique issue, there are five tools that a welder has control over 1-Electrode selection (size and type) 2- Current 3- Arc length 4- Speed of travel 5- Motion and angle of electrode If you are having problems adjusting these five tools will result in success. I would suggest that you do the fillet test that John mentioned- Try welding a 1" long bead between two business card sized coupons, then clamp one end in a sturdy vise and beat on it with an 4 pound hammer, or get a pipe wrench and flex it 180 degrees until it fails. The metal structure should deform and fail before the weld does. Do this with the 6013 and then again with the 6011 and see which one breaks first. If you have 7018 try it as well

When doing a complete penetration weld such as a pipe joint it is common practice to use a 6010 electrode for the root pass this allows you to have a "keyhole" that keeps the root open allowing the weld metal to cool using a "whipping" technique and giving a slight build up of weld metal inside the pipe. Once the root pass is complete you clean up then apply the 7018 as a "hot pass" and fill and cover. This is a common pipe welding procedure there is no access to the back of the weld so no back gouge. http://www.gowelding.com/wp/wps1.html This is what the joint will look like it does not have anything to do with poor fit up this is just how it is done, and I can assure you that if you attempt to place the root pass with the 7018 you will end up with a mess it will not work in an open groove. I am not trying to say that this fire pot is the right application for this weld I am just trying to explain why someone would use 6010 then 7018 fill and cover

wow that is big indeed, so the other hammers are in the 3 1/2 lb range?

Is it not easier to make nails using round stock? That is the way Tom Clark taught nail making

Well Larry it is nice to see that you can keep an open mind, If you want to expand your knowledge on the history of unions check out these books by Archie Green http://books.google.com/books?id=pwIXK9ZPsXkC&dq=archie+green&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=cR1DTJ76IpT0swOY8qWGDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=11&ved=0CEkQ6AEwCg#v=onepage&q&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=16QG9-5-aMYC&dq=archie+green&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=cR1DTJ76IpT0swOY8qWGDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=12&ved=0CEsQ6AEwCw#v=onepage&q&f=false

Those look great Brian. What is the weight of the big one?

Well check this out I can not believe I found this got this on ebay 10 years ago, maybe there is a union for blacksmiths

At .66 cents a square inch a four inch x 72 inch belt = $190.00 or the rubber canvas belting @ $4.00/ Ft x 6 Ft = $24.00 Hmmm I think I will stick with the cheap stuff Also what would be the correct side of the drive? Can you explain this?

Ya you never know what you will find at antique shopsI found a set of Yellin andirons near me a few years back I think they wanted $350 but I had to pass

Ya you guys had to go and scare her away,

http://www.naima.org/pages/resources/faq/faq_mineral.html You might want to look into using mineral wool insulation, it will no doubt cost more but it has excelent sound and fire proofing qualities. I would go with that and 5/8'' sheetrock

The Tom Clark is real nice for someone that is in the market for a new anvil I would recommend going with one of these, they are still being made although the price has gone up a bit. A rodbuster that I worked with years ago told me, "Buy the best and cry once."

Ya I did a post on the anvil a while back, I did not harden the anvil and the weight is probably closer to 150 lbs. I am planning to build a heavier stand for it, tripod but with box tubing. Ok I just checked the weight using an online calculator and it says 160 lbs so 150 is pretty close after the removal of material. This is a very handy tool to have even if you have an anvil you will use this thing often. If you do not have an anvil this is a good way to go as well, I have seen people spend weeks fooling around with RR track and they end up with a 40 lb chunk of garbage that rings so bad you can hear it a block away. The scrap yard sells this material for around .30 cents a pound = $45.00 and with a torch and a grinder and a few hours of your time you have a tool that you can use

The anvil actually holds up nicely it has not started to mushroom or get a lot of dings in it and you can draw like a mad dawg on that fuller, the other nice thing is the sound this thing has, no loud ringing comming from this anvil.

Thanks guys for the vote of approval, and thank you Brian for showing me how to do the horse heads, when I was in miss. brian worked with me and I learned a few things that I was doing were not the best way to go about this, now with this knowledge in hand I can take this to the next level. Yes Frosty that is a bottle opener on the end of that fork