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I Forge Iron

Ric Furrer

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Posts posted by Ric Furrer

  1. Your last post uploaded as I was writing all sorts of questions. There is no one who stocks bronze sheet close to you? Most cymbals are spin formed on a lathe out of sheet. Totally different process, I doubt you can get the correct sound out of a forged cymbal vs modern spun cymbals.

    Bronze sheet is usually brass these days...no tin. If you know a tin bronze seller let me know as I have other uses for it.

  2. Pullmax nibbler with a dome die or large radius fullering dies.

    The Pullmax, unlike some planishers, has a set stroke speed and throw which is adjustable to a fine degree. I suggest the P9 for size.

    If you set up the circle cutter tool inboard to the machine you can rotate the sheet through the dies and do full circles just hand planishing on a stake.

     

    Maybe a Trump brand would work as well.

     

    Ric

     

  3. Wayne,

    I know it is painful and offensive on many levels, but you are responding well. 

    As I was told in the Army years ago..."you can not avoid an ambush, but you can present a less appetizing target"...and you are doing just that.

    If they are available I suggest an infrared motion activated wild game camera. They are set to record movement (in video or still photos) for a few seconds when triggered. Be sure to have it hidden and get one with no visible light..some have a flash. If it does have to be visible make them work at removing it...maybe one visible and one hidden so you get good film of them destroying the visible one.

     

    I have them in my place.

     

    Ric

  4. Hello All.

    I searched, but did not find.

    Anyone have a chart or listing for anvil hardnesses on the face?

     

    A corner was knocked off my Peter wright last year due to a sledge hammer "swing and a miss" by a student.

    I'll send it out for testing just to see, but the grain was HUGE and not bonded to the body of the anvil. Its a small chip off one corner, but it got me thinking about these old tools.

     

    Ric

     

  5. True but we are having trouble getting people to learn the differance between hardening and tempering also.   Hard to educate people that wont read what is published.

     

    Thank you for the other link

    :-)

    YEP...good point Steve.

     

    Ric

  6. I like studies, but this dog has hunted a few times before.

     

    John Verhoeven & Howard Clark, (Carbon Diffusion between the Layers in Modern Pattern-Welded Blades, "Materials Characterization". Volume 41, Issue 5, November 1998, pg 183-191)

     

    And

    Byron Skillings article for the ASM

    http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=15749

     

    I think this issue has been studied enough...it is a matter of knifemakers diffusing the info.

     

    Ric

  7. 13mm? 13 Inches?

    The general way in production is to use a swaging machine with dies shaped to the OD you wish to achieve. It can be done cold, warm or hot.

    In general one must support the tube while the reduction occurs or it will buckle/fold so just hitting it with a hammer  is not a good way to go.

     

    I suggest a search for tube swaging on youtube.

     

    Ric

  8. Hello Setve,

    I like old damaged gun barrels. I have plans for forge some modern such barrels for modern loads and use these older ones as study pieces.

    I'll happily trade you some modern steel flat bars of pattern-weld which will harden for that barrel. 

    Saves you the time, you will get a better knife material and the barrel survives for another purpose.

     

     

    Ric

  9. I have seen similar minded folks as apprentice ironworkers some years ago. (mind the metphors to follow) I was a connector and some 1st year apprentices come on the job (1st day ever with a spud wrench in their hands) saying they "only work the high steel" I keep the laugh to myself and nudge the raising gang forman (the reality slap soon follows). Long story short, I have seen many 1st year apprentices get up on the high steel and freeze...cannot even step back to get off it. I even had to signal the crane operator once to pick one kid off the iron by his harness to put him down on the decking below so he could start moving around again and relax (we called him sea-level after that because he needed to remain at sealevel to function). 

     

    I'm only worried when I'm 2 foot to 50 foot off the ground...beyond that there is no need to worry about the pain of surviving a fall.

     

    We all had questions when we start new things. Some of the questions can be answered by ourselves as well practice and explore..this is what I see as missing most of the time. The inability or unwillingness to try and fail and try again.

    As one who makes swords I get the "How do you" question a few times a week. Some show pictures of attempts and they get help..those who have done no research and intend to do no research do not get that much help.

    For the past three years I have been researching Chinese swords....its an uphill battle there I tell you. I've traveled a bit to have sit downs with experts in the field (all three of them) and documented a few dozen good swords and have every book on the subject that is out in China, US and Europe....which amounts to seven. Along with that comes the time in the shop working through the parts that need testing. I think it comes with the job...you are either in with both feet and a keen mind or you should look for other work.

    I see less and less of this as I look around....very little new core research.

     

    Ric

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