ironman186

Thanks for the replies on my question.Does any one have other ideas .It did work out today with one piece ,i tried Would tapered dies do the same thing .Ie taper on both sides?

Hi Wondered if any one had any ideas for a wheeled cart to move stock from forge to air hammer . Doing a lot of 1-1/2 lately and its wiping me out .Any ideas ? I do have an overhead hoist ,just not in that area of the shop thanks

Peter Im near mdi . I wish we had snow ,its been raining for weeks . THe spring tool would have a taper on either face to squeeze the material into the intended shape. Does any one have experiance with this ? Danger or Tim

Thanks H Wooldridge Is there also a type of spring tool to accomplish ?

Hi All Any suggestions on taper tool for the air hammer .I need one that is reversed in a way For tapered fire tool handles .One that would clean up the taper . Maybe top and bottom tapers that would forge the steel .I can do it with the hand hammer but looking for a better method .The 1-1/8 stock can be a bit hard to do by hand .Thanks

Hi Does any one know a good source for pull fireplace screen ? I have a customer who needs a fairly large one 4x4 ft Any ideas >thanks

Hi Yves If you have any problems with the unknown bronze alloy ? Try Atlas metal sales in Denver they are great to work with .Silicon Bronze forges easily ,and do keep it in the dull red zone . I forge alot of larger stock for handrails etc .You will enjoy it .Hope this helps

Hi All A re post ,but in a different category , I am working on a set of gates ,more like doors in a sense more vertical then horizontal in shape .I have only had one set of gates galvanized in the past ,and when I received them back ,the latches and drop bolts were stuck ,thanks to being dipped .A no brainer I guess . So how do I avoid this again ? Use stainless and attach after dipping ? Any ideas .Photos would be great .I could use a little guidance if any one has experience in this department . Thanks for your replies :rolleyes:

Hi I am currently completing a set of gates ,more like doors in a way . On previous gates I have made, I have not had them galvanized ,except for a set a few years ago when I got them back from being galv and painted the latches were basically stuck , I am thinking possibly using stainless this time to avoid this problem ,and then placing them on after it is galv .Any ideas ,pictures would be great .Thanks for any help

Thanks for the reply Jim , I appreciate the input . I work in a hole in the wall and try to not get the customers in the shop. I was onboard for a nice steel building and then the economic collapse got in my way . Still hoping thought . Is 40 to 50% down typical ? Thanks again all

Hi Does any one know of any one who does UL approval for blacksmiths on the east coast ? I recently did a few light for a customer and was'nt told abut the UL dilemma until the , end of the job .Head ache . So I f any one might know of a source of a shop etc that does UL testing ,I would appreciate it .Thanks for all your help

Hi Wondered if you all might help me with a question .What do most blacksmith/ironwork shops , use for a contract ? I have been in business for 15 plus years and always trusted my customers , recently I fell in to some troubles with a customer and ended up not getting paid in the end . YIpes . I want to have faith in my customers but need to feel more secure that I will be paid etc. Does any one have a contract form that they fill out the specifics of each job and then get signed etc . I have looked into legal zoom .com but I'm not sure if it fits our trade .Thanks for any ideas you might have .

Thanks for you reply Mac Bruce , I'm home with the kiddo today no daycare this week . Hope all is well in the rockies .Best Ironman

Hi Does any one know where to locate a supplier of anchors to hold kaowool in a forge . I've tried using stainless bolts and washers to hold the kaowool in place ,but it ends up burning up eventually .Dropping the wool into the forge . They probably would be a ceramic button or something similiar .Any ideas Thanks

Hi Im building a set of interchangeable dies for the air hammer . And I wondered what is the best grade of bolt to mount them to the dovetails . Obviously the bolt needs to be built to absorb lots of shock .Also 5/8 or 3/4 dia ? Thanks for your help

Thanks for the feed back around ,my question about hammer dies . I appreciate this forum more and more .I have been dealing with a neck problem so a little slow to respond . I wondered if I were to use 4140 for a shop made die ,can I use it un hardened ? I just had a hammer tool brake on me that was not hardened ,and got to thinking about metal flying ,ouch .Or are there other steels that are good for such purposes that will hold up ? Thanks

There was a post a month ago or so about a sculptor who had stopped by Macbruces shop ,with photos of his die system .I'm trying to build a few sets and was interested in how they were made and what material ie tool steel .I have built a few recently with mild steel for hot work ,but they are giving out. Any thoughts . Thanks

Hi Randy I buy a lot of silicon bronze from Atlas Metal Sales in Denver .1-800-662-0143 They are great to work with and have always been good in a pinch . Ask for Chris or Cassie . Hope This Helps :D

Thanks Danger I enjoyed the Smith post .Amazing work , I hope to be at your level someday. The twisting slow will help ,and one of the pictures got my mind thinking . One of the problems is the rail is about 200 ft from the truck and vise , but there is a trap door to a crawl space Instant vise mounting area , we'll see .Lots less walking ,I"ll keep you all posted .Thanks

Thanks for the feed back , Macbruce ,I havent figured the photo up load yet .I think I can give you a better idea . After looking into spiral stairs a little .It is a compound curve so bent and twisted . My question is it possible to check against a fat surface ,by marking the approx amount of twist at given locations . since it also needs to be a straight line if looked at from afar . No so good at descriptions ,but I think you might have a better idea . Thanks I 'll check in later

Hello all I am working on a set of curved railings leading up to a church pulpit .The rails are leading up on either side of the pulpit and mirror each other . The rails are about seven feet long each ,they sweep down in a semi s curve and wrap around a wooden column I have the rail cap bent ,but am having trouble with getting the proper twist in the rail to keep it level with the floor .I need to keep the upper section straight but also ,need to add a twist . Im thinking of setting it on a flat plate ,after marking the height of each twist to check for flatness. Do any of you have experience in this area . Thanks ps . a hard thing to describe

Hey Danger That was the perfect photo .I think the problem was that my die was'nt deep enough , so there was nothing to guide the molding of the flatter part at the top of the die . It would just pull out more on one side Time to retool . Rory ,say hi to your Dad ,I used to work with him back in 97. Thanks for all the help

Thanks for the feed back . I wanted to clarify a few things with my dilemma . The cap is flat in cross section with a round top ,similar to some commercially available cap rail. The bronze seems to squeeze out more on one side than the other ,thereby leaving the cap a little lopsided .I think it might be a matter of more on one side of the die as you suggested harrismith . Danger ,do you have any photos of closed dies . Theres always more to learn .Thanks for all the help .

Hello every one Hope you all made it through the storm . Im having a little problem with a current project . I am forging a rail cap from silicon bronze . It is a classic rounded top cap rail , as I forge the rail it seems to push it out more on one side than the other ie making it slightly crooked looking .I have tried forging it slower with the hammer, and also checking the dies to see if they are flat . Does any one have any experience with this sort of problem .Thanks

I am constantly looking to improve the flow of my small shop 14 x32 ft and wondered if anyone would share pictures of your shops . I have been working in this space for 17 plus years and have built a lot in a small space .