Paragon

Good point. I did think of that before but the tracks here are bolted together. It may have been possible the rails were changed at one point but I doubt it. It may have been in the loads of rail rock that they spread around so it may not even be native to here but frome somewhere where thermite was used. I'll have to go meander about some more.

I agree. Firsthand experience with someone skilled looking over your shoulder is the best and safest way to start learning. If you are doing a lot of pattern cutting, then a plasma cutter may be good. I love the oxy-acetylene kit I bought recently even though I have only used it for welding. You can use it to heat, weld, cut, and braze dissimilar materials together. Be careful though, they are limited to the thickness that you can use them on by the capacity of the gas cylinders that you have. (Acetylene can be dangerous at pressure over 15 PSI past the regulator. Acetylene can not be used at a flowrate of more than 1/7 the capacity of the cylinder you are using so large nozzles on small tanks will not work - be sure to understand and follow the instruction booklet) Where was I.. MIG is handy for the ease of being able to tack something fast (possible to do with O/A torch but not nearly as fast) Main lesson I learned when I used a MIG was to go slow. TIG is handy for exotic metals like Al, Ti. Takes more skill than MIG to use. I didn't have too much time with the TIG so I never got good at it but I think I learned to use the O/A torch for welding faster just because I did a lot of research and read many sources on technique - which my technique is still not the best but I can get nice welds for the most part. At the moment, I think technique is everything. It pays to know what to look for in wrong technique and what to change to make it better. Anyhoo.. enough rambling..

Love it! I was just wondering the other day what the purpose of a leg vise was.. now I know. Makes total sense to this engineer. Less force transmission through the bench.

Does anyone in the SE Michigan area know where to get iron bar/rod and small sections or railroad track? I live north of Detroit. Figured if I ever get into messin around a forge iron might be a good starter metal to bang around.

I was walking behind the yard after backingfilling a drain pipe and remembering the days when I was young(er) looking at the train tracks.. looked down and saw this.. A small fridge magnet will lightly attract to it so it must have some amount of iron in it - probably not enough to mess around with. Wondering what it is from though. Possibly from the coal burning locomotive days? Anyhoo. just thought I'd share. Love the forum!

Howdy. Happened by this site a week ago while I was dreaming about doing some blacksmithing. I'm not a blacksmith or any sort and have only started to do some metalwork with an oxy-acetylene torch set (eventually want to braze a lug bike frame together.. but I digress) Anyhoo.. saw your post and wanted to suggest you take a look at "modular spiral staircases" (google it up) Spiral staircase and modular staircase kit products (has installation videos also) They are simple construction where each tread is separate and has a heavy tube attached. This is your main support for the treads. The tube usually slides over a central pole. There is usually a small connection at the outer circumference between treads to hold them in place. This design keeps the outer circumference very light as there is is not a heavy helical beam there. It appears some rely on the railing for support also (at least on that linked site) I saw one being installed many years ago on TV (I'm a This Old House type person) Anyhoo.. good luck in your venture.