Iron Clad

That's really cool! I need to get over there and see that when it's in town. Great pictures! I had forgotten about your vintage aircraft days. When we run into each other again I would like to hear more about the vintage airplains...Neat stuff!

So, vinegar works well to remove scale? How long does it take? This is very interesting! Soon I plan to build a tumbler for large stuff, but for small items vinegar sounds like it would work.

In my area there is at least two general steel yards and a few plate steel yards. I usually buy 1018 mild hot rolled steel for most work. Every tong I have ever made was out of mild steel and always work out well. If made right they will last years.

As far as cut off hardy's, I like used jack hammer bits. hard strong stuff! I found two of them at an army surplus store for 25 cents each. My favorite cut off hardy I made 5 years ago from a used jack hammer bit and I usually sharpen it once a year. It holds up very well. I just make sure to keep the steel hot and don't hit the hardy with the hammer!

Coil springs from trucks make great chisles, and I use them for punches as well. They hold up okay for punches if not over heated and quenched often. Cheap anyway, and usually free. Since I'm into restoring classic pickups and belong to classic vehicle clubs, friends give them to me free. So, instead of buying expensive high carbon steel for punches, I make them from coil springs. When I destroy one, no worry, I have many more....

The blades for my guillotine are made from leaf springs from a truck as well. Good hard stuff!

Here is a picture of the hasp on the door to my ghost town blacksmith shop. Sorry it's kind of far away.

http://ironclad.shutterfly.com/42

And here is a picture of the completed hasp minus scale clean-up I made yesterday.

http://ironclad.shutterfly.com/41

Thanks again everyone for all of the great reply's! :D

Okay, here is the hasp I made today. I haven't had time to clean the scale off yet, other than that it's about ready to go.

http://ironclad.shutterfly.com/41

I made it to look a little rustic and I kind of made the design up as I went. Note that one back plate is a little different than the other. I wanted to make people think about that one!

Thanks everyone for the great replys! :D

Wow! You guys are great!! The ideas are starting to flow now. I must of had a brain freeze. Thanks for the pictures, drawings, and ideas.

Ruben, that's a neat old hasp.

You have a point Alec. That is funny! :lol:

Running low on ideas for door hasp designs. I want to make something different. Any ideas anyone? Any good pictures? I need to make one on Saturday and I'm tired of making the same old hinged hasp. I'm thinking of something that swivels, or instead of a hasp maybe a sliding bolt design...

I know, maybe something that slides and swivels. Multiple complications like a watch.....

I would be grateful for any ideas...

Francis, that is exactly like my box except my handle is round and I made the nails holding it together. I couldn't tell if you made the nails in yours or not.

If you have access to a cutting torch and a welder, build your own! I built a gas forge about a year ago. It's about 30" long and made from a large dia. pipe. I use it to heat long sections of stock for twisting. It's really not that hard, and cheaper then buying a new one...At least in my neck of the woods. ;)

I was caught up in this same problem myself on a railing project. Steel prices were going up so fast that I lost my rear on the job, added to the fact that I underestimated how much gas and coal for the job. It would have been cheaper to give my customer some money to find somebody else to build the railing! :(

njanvilman, I didn't mean to come across that way. I'm sure your much more of an expert at anvils than I. The fun thing about this forum is that I learn something every day! All is good!

Wow, neat project Mr. Aspery! I wish to be there, however life has conspired otherwise.

Perhaps in the future this project will be published in one of your books. Speaking of your books, I bought one, still looking to buy the others. Procrastination gets one nowhere, I need a swift kick! :blink:

No matter what store bought hammer you buy you will probably have to dress it. I used a belt sander. However, don't over heat the hammer when doing this, I would dunk the hammer in water every few seconds. As said before, you want a slight dome and no sharp edges.

I don't believe that damage is casting flaws. Look at the square punch marks to the left, and the round punch marks all over along with the chisel marks. I think this person was a tool maker, punches, chisels, etc. Some of it may have been casting flaws, but it was helped along a lot!

Good score, lots of life left in it. Happy hammering!

Congrats! There is nothing like the ring of an anvil. It's great to see an old one put back to good use...

Thanks, ironstein. Sizing the ring to hold the desired stock is most important. Just remember that the ring has to go over the bottom part of the jaw AND be sized for the stock as well. My one marble was rattling a little trying to figure out the ring size to hold 5/8" stock. A little adjustment was needed as well after the fact.

Yes, as a matter of fact it was your pictures that inspired me to try it!

Thanks for your reply and the kind words! I saw your pictures and thought, well that's something different, I have to try that!

Okay, here is the skinny.

When sized for the intended stock they hold very well, tight. I changed the design a little from the picture I saw on another web site by adding a curve in the handles just down from the rivet where the transition is. (See picture in the original post). This in effect added more of a pivot point increasing clamp pressure. I like the way they hold larger stock on the diamond, better than any of the other tongs I have.

On the down side.....Due to the design, only straight stock may be held effectively. They are a little cumbersome to me when grabbing stock from the forge. If you drop the stock on the floor, forget it! Grab another pair of tongs to pick it up. From using the tongs for awhile it became apparent that the weak point is going to be the rivets. Opening and closing the tongs and during the clamping process seems to work the rivets hard. The rivets loosened up a bit causing the tong handles to move vertically away from alignment. I was wondering about this when forging the tongs in the beginning. I would recommend hammering one of the rivets well and tight and allowing the other rivet to have a little movement. Well, it's a theory anyway. I have yet to try it so I'm not sure if this will work or not.

One thing I didn't like is during stock release back into the forge. With standard tongs, just open the handle and the stock falls away. With these tongs, when the handles are opened the stock is still encumbered by the ring. It will take a little getting used to putting the stock into the forge and carefully pulling back with the tongs.

I'm thinking about grinding off the rivet holding the ring and replacing it with a small bolt, this way I may interchange rings for different size stock.

In conclusion, I believe they are not very versatile and more specialized. I will keep them for use hammering stock on the diamond for the most part, they really hold well in this application, locking the piece hard and not allowing for movement within the tong. Otherwise, I will stick with the standard style tongs.

Tong picture.
http://ironclad.shutterfly.com/40

Please see the results on my latest post topic "Tong experiment, results."

Thanks!

Thanks guys! I will be working in my shop today and I will let you all know. It just so happens that I need to make a couple of chisles using 5/8" round stock so I will use the new tongs and see how well they work!

Click here for a better picture:

http://ironclad.shutterfly.com/40

Thanks...

Thanks, Monster! Well, I haven't actually forged with them yet. I did clamp down on a piece of 5/8" round stock and they held really tight. I will try them tomorrow and let you know!

I thought about grinding off the rivet and removing the ring on the end and re-attach using a small bolt, this way I could change out different size rings for small stock. Just a thought.

Today I forged these tongs for no other reason but to experiment and see how well they worked. I saw tongs like these on another web site and thought I would give it a go.

I used 3/4 X 3/8 stock from my scrap bin. Total length is 14.5 inches. After forging the business end I hammered out the reins. I stopped forge welding reins on tongs along time ago, they seem to last longer now that I forge them out.

These are a lot different then the standard tongs I usually make, I probably will not make another, however it was fun!

I probably could have made at least 2 pair of standard tongs in the time it took me to make these. I will say though that they are heavy duty and hold large stock very well.

What do ya think??

PS. SORRY FOR THE LARGE PICTURE. I STILL HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO RESIZE PICTURES ON THIS FORUM. I TRIED TO POST TO THE GALLERY TO RESIZE BUT IT DIDN'T WORK. I'M SURE I DID SOMETHING WRONG.

***EDIT: LETS TRY IT THIS WAY...***
http://ironclad.shutterfly.com/40

It doesn't really matter to the factory owners or their government anyway, plenty more to take their place if an accident were to happen. Cheap too.