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Here is the episode you folks are referring too. http://video.pbs.org/video/2292087803/

rockstar I don't quite know what you mean by " box joint " .I've never seen a box joint used on dividers ( not that, that means anything :unsure: ). The joint in the dividers in the video is a three part finger joint. It's the most common, but five and more fingers can be found on period examples.

If you're working for $8.80 per hour you'd be making the same wage.

I don't know who made them and those I've seen have been reasonably old, so chances of finding new may be slim. It would be simple enough to make from a piece of flat stock, a cut of round bar, three small pieces of rod and a journey to the drill press.

As most people know who've looked at old tongs know, welding reins is and was the most common form of construction. The quality of the welds shows a " get'er done " approach that is so often necessary when trying to make a living as a real blacksmith. Wonder what that pair with the right angle jaw was made for ?

Rockstar You know I've agreed very favorably with your other two posts, but am I missing something here? "They took high end client jobs at a loss for over a year in order to build a local resume." " it's not about having huge capital behind you " I don't understand how these two statements jive ? If you don't have a decent amount of capital to invest so you can afford not to make money on the job and yet still have the money to pay all your subs on time how can it be said that they didn't need alot of capital? The only answer I can think of is that when you say " at a loss " you mean with a shorter profit than what would normally be expected.

You should read the knife section!!!!!!!!!! Scroll down the main page to find the link. < this thead has been relocated and merged >

He should try asking over at The Old Motor or Practical Machinist but I'm sure if he's in the business he already has.

BE VERY CAREFUL if you are using the stainless to pass your current through , you are creating Hexavalent gas and deopsiting hexavalent chromium in the water bath. The bath then becomes a Hazmat material. The best sacrificial electrodes are made from graphite. Otherwise use iron or steel and your bath will contain nothing poisonous.

Absolutely correct JNewman. Have read this more than once over on Practical Machinist site from many machinists' about their apprenticeships in England.

Obviously made for parallel jaw opening. I have never seen one of this design before. More pictures would be nice.Lets see if Frank knows anything about these.

Dan , Not trying to argue but.........".And it has nothing to do with wrought iron." I think it does. Maybe you have a better quality of WI generally available on your side of the pond. The quality here can and did very from stuff that forged like steel but much softer to the stuff that even at a snowball heat delaminated into a paint brush. The time required to draw reins out of material that would constantly becoming apart thus requiring welding over and over would be much more than the single weld required to jump on the reins.

I think the most compelling reason to forge weld reins was the variables in the quality of WI. The jaws were forge from higher grade (more expensive) iron. The reins welded on were of lower ( cheaper ) grade. When all you had was lower grade iron you would weld on smaller stock not to deal with the problems of it delaminating while drawing out. Why is it still done? Old ideas sometimes die a slow death and some people due to skill level or lack of power equipment still find it faster. There are many old techniques that are still used that don't make sense, just as there are new techniques that aren't practical if you don't no the old.

Brian, Thanks .I'm glad we're both on the same page again.

Brian - What do you mean " done by the book" ? If you mean done the way you describe with all it's flaws then the book needs to be rewritten.

Brian, Either you were posting as I was and didn't read my post or as I thought it was too cryptic.

HWooldridge's Approach of swedging is one method that improves the results of this type of faggot weld but I find the assurance of getting a secure weld still sketchy. I also think that teaching this weld to beginners by just folding and welding is an injustice to the student. ( This type of weld is probably more successful with wrought iron. ) My method ( perhaps hard to describe and understand) Is to scarf the bar 180* apart above and below the cut and 90* from the cut where it will be folded. Then the piece is folded at the cut and the apposing scarves overlapped to complete the weld. Brian hope you understand this cryptic explanation?

I'm assuming your forge would use a flat leather belt. The link below shows a few ways you could make your belt. http://www.wewilliams.net/docs/Belt%20Splicing%20Instructions%20-%20Bulletin%20No%20600.pdf

you all can have the anvil. I want the TRUCK!!!

Jim, Does your book specify water or oil quench for that result on 1/4" stock?

Is that a crack, fold, or burn that shows in the lower corner? Or maybe it's just the photo?

If you google 4150 you'll see that the hardest it will probably get is a rockwell 47. Your call as to if this is hard enough for a good knife.

Rockstar, I'm voting for your posts in this thread to be made a sticky in the business section here on this site :) We do not take votes, but we do listen to our members

As Thomas says draw to a deep blue. Although on a spring of this type it's hard to polish the entire spring to see the color. A traditional method to try (it still depends on the alloy used if it will work or not) is to dip in oil after hardening and flash the oil off over the fire. Repeat this atleast three times.

If you can't find copper sheet and you made the one shown from copper tubing. Why not by some easily available copper tubing at HD or Lowes.