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swedefiddle

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Posts posted by swedefiddle

    Another newbee

    in Introduce Yourself

    Posted

    Good Morning Mac,

    There is nothing wrong with searching for Tools. Most of them you can make, just need a little Play-Doh in your hands, so you can figure out what goes where. Steel works identical to Play-Doh, except you can figure it out, in your hands first.

    There is no wrong way, if it works, it is the right way.

    Welcome from the Left Coast. 2 months and no rain, that is not normal.

    Neil

    Blacksmiths making a living in today,s market?

    in The Business Side of Blacksmithing

    Posted

    Good Morning, Fly

    Yes, you are correct. You or I or anyone else can operate a drill and make a hole. How do you make a hole with the cute little bulges, beside the hole. How do you make a 3/4" hole, in 1/2" material or a 1" hole in 1/2" material with the little bulges beside the hole, without upsetting the material?  There is not a subject that the word 'competition' doesn't belong. The reason it is done the way it is, is because it can be done another way. It is not driven by an accountant "We must make this pay!!"

    I have a small business sharpening Tools. I could crop the ends with a chop saw and mill to shape. Or 2 minutes in the Forge and under the Hammer, job done, complete with heat treatment. The only feed-back that I get, is, a Thank You with a smile and a cheque in the mail. It is so hard to take!!

    You have lived a different lively hood. Your perspective is through your experience with the new technology. Every person here has their own perspective. A lot have never had to "Make it Pay". There is no wrong way to do a job, as long as the job gets done. Why has so much of Heavy Industry, moved off this continent? The answer is not simple, but it is driven by Accountants. The Accountants don't work for peanuts!!

    Your perspective here, is going to be refreshing. Sit back, take a deep breathe and enjoy the ride. There is no such thing as "It has to be done by.........." or "It is going to cost too much doing it your way, the customer is ..........".

    Remember playing with Plasticene when we were kids? Who says we aren't still Kids? The first thing I pass out to my Blacksmith Students, is a $1.00 container of Play-Doh. Yes it is multiple colours and complicated things can be created and seen very easily, to create a new 'Perspective'.

    Enjoy the day and the time we have, above the Dirt!!

    Neil

     

     

    Frozen Shaft on 100# Fairbanks Hammer

    in Power Hammers, Treadle Hammers, Olivers

    Posted

    Good Morning Steve,

    I was just remembering how a frozen water line was/is unthawed (doesn't work on plastic pipe). Connect a stick welder negative to one end, connect the positive to the other end. Crank the current down low. Turn the welder on and slowly adjust the current up, until water flows. Why can't you do something similar to the seized shaft, warm it up to break the rust free. No Flame!!

    Neil

    Wedge and feathers for splitting stone?

    in Blacksmithing, General Discussion

    Posted

    Good Morning,

    I made a bunch of feathers and wedges, to break up large boulders that fell on a section of railway. There was no road access, so everything had to fit on small rail cars. We used compressed air Drill to drill the holes and set the feathers and wedges by hand. It worked well. The rock will split were it has the weakest grain, we just try to control where.

    The wood plugs (similar to feathers and wedges) that were used in our part of the world, were Cedar. They would hand punch a line of holes, fill them with water and drive Cedar plugs in the holes. The Cedar would wick up the water and expand in the hole, come back in a week and the rock is split.

    Neil

    Cameron and Ames Blacksmith Shop, Barkerville BC.

    in Building, Designing a Shop

    Posted

    Good Morning Berrie,

    Welcome from the 'Left Coast'

    Barkerville is somewhere around the center of British Columbia, call it 9-11 hours north of Vancouver. Bowron Lakes are some of the greatest Canoe trips. Don't take a watch and time yourself with a Calendar. Once you realize there is life beyond the Right Coast, you MAY fit in. Tea is not a required staple. Learning with your mouth closed is a bonus!!

    John Newman makes those fire-pots, they are about 1 1/4" thick. We have been using ours for almost 20 years. They take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.

    Enjoy the ride!

    Neil

    Bounce house blower for brake rotor forge.

    in Bellows, Blowers

    Posted

    Good Morning,

    This is not something you need to ask permission for. Use what you have handy. If it has too much blow, adjust with a reostat or a valve/shutter/controlled dump whatever means works. Don't forget about the lowly 'Hair Dryer', the last Forge I built I used a hair dryer and adjusted the reostat for what worked.

    Neil

    Beginner needs help

    in Introduce Yourself

    Posted

    Good Morning Dash,

    The weight of the Anvil does not make your work presentation change, YOU are the deciding factor for what your work looks like. Enjoy what you have!! A bird in the hand is better than any in the bush.

    Neil

    What did you do in the shop today?

    in Blacksmithing, General Discussion

    Posted

    Good Morning,

    If you rub Chalk or Soap Stone on your file, it slows down the build-up in the file teeth. The best trick for cleaning a File, is a squished brass shell casing. I squeeze the open end in a vise and find a comfortable piece of wood for the handle. Drill one hole in the wood handle so the shell casing is a push to get it in. No glue or sillycone required. It self sharpens. Batteries not necessary. You could have some fun and attach an electrical cord (just to make it look like a REAL TOOL) LOL.

    Neil

    Used Air Compressors

    in Machinery General Discussions

    Posted

    Good Morning,

    I have one compressor wired in and hooked to another air tank. One tank under the compressor, one or two other tanks in the Air loop as reservoirs. The reservoir(s) keeps the system pressure a lot more even. When running a Glass Bead cabinet, it allows you to work longer at a higher pressure. Air tanks can go up, off the shop floor, or under stairs, out of the way. Just make it easy to drain the tanks.

    Neil

    New member from France

    in Introduce Yourself

    Posted

    Bon Jour Guillaume,

    Sorry, I don't speak French, but I took French at school for 4-5 years. Canada is supposed to be Bi-Ligual, French and English. Parts of Canada speak French or Quebec French. I'm sure there are individuals here who speak French and English.

    Welcome from the Pacific side of Canada, Victoria, B.C.

    Neil

    Heart Rate Monitor

    in Everything Else

    Posted

    Good Morning, Jon

    Why do you want to monitor your Heart rate? Do you want to monitor the heart during Forging? Prior to Forging? Post Forging? What if you are not Forging a Post?

    Is it necessary to have a Heart rated, first, before and after? First before and First after?

    Neil

    Forges 101

    in Gas Forges

    Posted

    Good Morning Bayard,

    Welcome from the left Coast of Canada.

    The short answer to your question, is Yes. I have built Forges with 9 bricks a few times. The burner can enter from the side, bottom or from the back. This type of Forge is not the BEST Design, but it is very functional. it will take 15-20 minutes for the bricks to come up to good heat, Yes there will be a lot of Heat wasted. You will not be welding in a 9 brick Forge, but you will be Forging. The key is, do something and try it. Change it a little and try it again, continue until you are satisfied. Enjoy the Journey, keep track of your creations in a scribbler, what worked. What worked better, etc.....

    Neil

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