Mainely,Bob

Two further suggestions;When you go to the supply house have them show you(and give you printed instructions) on how to do a "leak down test".This should be done every time you charge those hoses with pressure and should become second nature to you.It basically checks that your complete system will hold pressure and has no leaks. The second suggestion,buy a short section(6-8 feet)of lighter hose and a pair of couplers for the hoses.Most damage to your hoses take place within the first couple of feet.If things start leaking there you can just pull the short section out and connect to the main hose and keep on working till you can get a new "whip" section again.The lighter hoses are more flexible too so they`re easier to deal with in close quarters and that`s usually where the stuff get cut or bent sharply and cracked. Most pro welders will loop either a hose or a cable around their arm and then over their shoulder as they work.That way things don`t get kinked or catch on things and the torch becomes an extension of your arm.Makes it much easier to get a nice bead or straight cut.

They`ve been making shock absorbing and flexible hammers for centuries now.Look at silversmith`s hammers and chasing hammers to see what I mean. Want some flex,shave the handle down till you get it. Stay away from the whiz-bang,nu-tech stuff.You`ll only be disappointed in the long run.

FOR THIS PURPOSE,and this purpose only,anything you plan to do with SMAW or TIG you can do with MIG.The only difference will be you`ll have to buy a whole roll of hardface wire.Grab hold of something before you ask the price,that stuff aint cheap. What you lack in amperage you can many times make up for in pre-heat(unless you`re running a 110 MIG,then forget it.But then again if you were serious you`d own a REAL welding machine.)

`Course they`re happy,they`re out of the barn. :)

Don`t do it Mike!The batteries go dead and then you`re left pushin` again. You got the right idea with the way you`re headed.Kick start w/magneto,that`s the way my shovelheads are fired. All you need is to ditch what`s left of that broken kicker shaft and slide some Baker parts in the hole left by it`s departure,replace the ratchet and gear while you got the cover off.Pretty sure someone still makes those longer forged SS kicker arms.They come in handy when runnin` a mag. I see you`re a slave to fashion too with that balloon front tire.What happened to that slim 21?

Soot and heat is how I anneal. I am impatient though and rarely waited for it to cool off so I guess I have been forging when I thought I was cold working. Back when there was still money in fishing we used to do quite a lot of aluminum work for the long liners and draggers.Now the only aluminum work I do is for yachts and tour boats. Still freaks some folks out to see me anneal and then bend the stuff like it was butter.I works a treat in it`s dead soft state.I`ve even used routers to bevel or round the stuff. Nice bike Harold.What kind of frame is that? I`m gonna guess and say that started as a Victory as the side covers don`t look like Harley. sweet lines whatever it is,looks like a real road eater.

I know in the oilfield there were some dual fuel(gasoline and LPG)welding and roustabout trucks we had that required having the torch tanks standing upright and strapped in with some type of collar holding them from being thrown out if the truck rolled. I once asked the welding supply place why the fuel tanks for torches could not be transported in a horizontal position and yet the fuel tanks for the truck were permanently mounted that way. His answer was "Completely different animal ,son".The fuel tanks used in any type of vehicle must be DOT approved,and that includes fork lifts.

Commune with the element of Fire,which is a fancy way of saying I zone out.I have been known to let steel burn while staring at it. Who knows where my mind goes sometimes,I know I sure don`t.Time to get a shorter leash as the training collar just ain`t cuttin` it apparently. :D

Speakin` of the Harley,hows it progressing?Got any pics? Really like the dragon.How did you gauge forge heat on the aluminum,or did your just cold forge it and anneal as needed?

If you`re just doing sheet metal work then something as simple as a burner from an old BBQ grill would work.One of those deep fryer burners would work too. These things don`t need to be anywhere near a red heat and making them that hot just makes the job harder as it will overheat your work,burn the tinning off them and oxidize the copper body making it harder to clean and re-tin. I know one roofer who used a Coleman camp stove to heat smaller ones while doing copper flashing.

Very infrequently do I make tools that are readily available on the open market.I buy used tools and then modify them sometimes to get the results I need but that just means I`m using an old(or new for that matter) tool as a roughly shaped source of material. I see little sense in spending time making an exact copy of something that is readily available.Why do that when you can buy it? I WILL make a tool if I can`t buy it in either a configuration that fits me(like left handed),an alloy a current maker doesn`t use (like HSS),or what I`m making is a custom application that needs to be repeated accurately or more than a few times(like jigs,hammerforms or dies). One thing I am real bad about though is modifying the bejesus out of machines to get them to do what I want.That would include simple machines like anvils. I have a number of custom made tool rests for varying machines that allow me to freehand things because I find the stock stuff too limiting.I also have a real bad habit of removing guards on things like wheels and cutters.To make up for this I make larger "area guards" and find new ways to hold the work more securely. When I`m done working at the machine I will put all guards back in place if I know someone else will be in the area and has even a small chance of being near the machine.If in doubt I will lock that machine out.

First thing is that if your bring it back to Lowe`s they will replace it as their tools have a lifetime warranty.Question is do you want to risk a repeat performance? I`m going to go out on a limb here and say that the chances of you being hurt by a quality American made hammer are almost non-existent as the US company is subject to our laws and the civil liabilities involved. US companies have to be far more careful than imports who face little chance of having to pay off a lawsuit. Looks like your hammer was either made from the wrong material or more likely subject to the wrong heat treat procedure.A US company would have redone the heat treat on that batch of hammers to avoid liability.Exporters send them on regardless and you just saw the results. I am willing to bet you wouldn`t be so cavalier about that imported hammer breaking if it had shattered and cost you an eye or a trip in a life-flight helicopter and emergency surgery with the tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills you or your survivors would be left with.These are the sort of things folks fail to factor in when they buy cheap off shore tools. Doesn`t anybody pay attention to the news anymore?This imported crap is effecting our health as we speak and we as taxpayers are footing the bill while the off shore companies laugh all the way to the bank. Want cheap,buy good used tools,they have a proven history and will stay together and get the job done for you and probably for your great grandchildren. just don`t understand where and how we as a country made this shift from shopping around and buying things that would last a lifetime to settling for something that we hope will last thru the job because it`s the cheapest thing out there.Can somebody explain that to me?

With LOTS of preheat,maybe,if you`re real good at welding(do you do this professionally?) and very lucky. For those who do not know or are in denial,110 MIG welders were originally designed for things like sheet metal work(think HVAC ducting or auto body).Very little has been done since then to change them from the original design. Now,I know a fellow that didn`t know what the numbers on welding rods meant and spent 10 years perfecting a way to make rods designed for flat welding only weld a passable vertical bead.I can also cut thick aluminum plate with a MIG welder running steel wire and the proper shield gas and get a decent edge once I get rolling.Doesn`t mean it`s the right tool for either job just means with enough time and proper determination you can cobble together a work around for just about anything. Better to just either get the right tool and training for the job or bring it to someone who has one of those tools and knows how to use it and then open your wallet.If you pay him enough he might even haul out that extra shield and let you watch and learn how it`s really done by someone who knows what he`s doing.

Setting myself on fire I can handle,at least I`m prepared for that. When other people set me on fire,now THAT really bugs me. <_<

That stupid thing?! I got in all sorts trouble consulting that computer,it always gave me the wrong answers.I have the scars to prove it too. <_<

I believe if you factor in velocity you may look at things differently. Other than having a little more control what operations would a slower screw press do that a quicker acting fly press coundn`t?

See now Thomas,you went and made Phil hysterical again. I hope you`re happy now. Are you and Dragon runnin` buddies? :rolleyes:

If my son set his pants on fire he`d burn up his computer too. Well,his phone really,but it may as well be a computer. :rolleyes:

Just do what I do Tommy,push away from the keyboard,go make a nice cup of tea and then when I come back I click on the next post. What possible difference could it make if we can tell you what brand,year ,page number in the catalog,etc something is? Things like anvils and leg vises either work or they don`t.If they don`t work then knowing who made them isn`t gonna help ya get replacement parts now is it? Use it till it wears out then throw it in the forge and make something else out of it. Moving on now.NEXT!

You see them all the time up here.People buy them and see how useful a welder really is(and how limiting a 110 is) and then go out and buy a REAL welder. Lincoln is the one you see most as they sell them in the big box stores.Saw one unused in the sealed box for $100 less than the selling price,don`t know why he didn`t just bring it back.Must have got it as a gift.

You`re all wrong! That hole serves as the portal to the time/space continuum in the realm of elemental fire. Ever get to working at the forge and the time just runs away from you and before you know it it`s well past midnight?Now you know where all that time went! No use trying to plug it or cover it with a gloved thumb either,there still won`t be enough time in the day to get it all done no matter what you do. ;)

I`m guessin` it`s an add on as it doesn`t look to be consistent with the other flywheel.Looks more like a flat belt pulley someone pressed into service so they wouldn`t have to search for a wrench. Those cast iron balls are hard to come by as we all know.Takes years of experience and much hard work to find never mind own a matched pair of cast iron balls.I speak from experience. And no,I ain`t givin` mine up,not for any price.

Before I`d weld I`d think about bolting if it was mine. You have that square hole up thru the base and that cross hole running parallel to the face that looks like it goes all the way thru.I`d run a length of square thru the horizontal hole and mark it thru the hole in the base then pull it out,drill and tap it and use the bar and bolt to bolt it to a base rather than weld. I like to leave my options open till I use something for a while (say 10+ years).I try not to commit myself till after I drop something on my foot 3 times.After that the wife`s ready to commit me so I may as well take the plunge. PS-To shrink pics just hold Ctrl and hit the - key till it`s the size you like.After viewing Ctrl and + till it the text comes back to where you can read it.I gave up on trying to post pics never mind size them (sigh). :(

Yer kinda askin` a lot of the old curmudgeon.First he has to flip it over,then he has to burn it,then remove the running gear and THEN take a pic so you can guess at what kind it is! Wears me out just thinkin` about it. How about he just drives it over and leaves it?After you figure out what kind of car it is just stuff it in a flat rate box and send it back to the grumpy old coot. :)

Weight,as in inertia would be my guess. It would perform the same function as those balls you see on most other fly presses.