Farmweld

Another one I found on a tat bazaar, can anyone tell me what this is Bidding is up to AU $113 at the moment.

Just saw this one on one of the aussie tat bazaar sites Any idea what it would have been used for?

Pics 2 & 3 look like hole or wad punches. Used for cutting holes or disks of leather/cork/gasket material. Not sure of the size of these but I've seen them all sizes from 6mm up to 50ish mm. Larger than that can be cut with a knife. Good score for the price, now put them to work Andrew

For a quick supply of muriatic acid go to a pool supply store and check out the acid they use for balancing PH in pools. A lot of them use muriatic acid as the active ingredient. Used neat it is very aggressive and will take the plating off any metal in a very short time, use appropriate PPE. It also does a good job removing scale from hot rolled or forged items and if you use Coreten it will clean it fairly evenly so it rusts rapidly, just need to wash it off well and then neutralise afterwards. Andrew

Until the seasoning burns off you are always going to get the munchies from that forge. Mmmmmmmm Stir Fry, with garlic

I was in discussion with another local smith and I mentioned that no matter how tight I fit and wedge my hammer handles they always seem to work loose over time. He came up with the brilliant suggestion of fitting them with some inner tube rubber between the handle and head so I tried it yesterday. Filed the handle so it was a firm but still a slip fit, cut a circle of inner tube from a 4WD tyre, bit of dishwashing liquid as a lubricant, put it over the hole and tapped the handle through (it came up tight three quarters through so I then had to belt it a bit harder). Trimmed of the excess around the bottom and cut a slit in the top and viola! a really solid fitting handle. I'll let you know how well it holds once I have done some more work with it but it seems that after a couple of short forging sessions it hasn't moved a bit. Andrew

I've got 3 tonne of peanut which is bagged up and I can ship to Sydney. I bag it up into either 30kg which I charge AU$40 for or bulka bags which hold around 800kg for which I charge AU$750 per bag. The coke is bagged into bulka bags when I get it, weighed, and then stored under cover. The reason being I buy it by weight and some shipments have rolled up absolutely soaking wet, others have been bone dry and dusty, so I bag it and sell it as weighed. Not sure of the freight to Sydney would be but I can shop around if anyone is interested. Just looking at the replies above I can tell you that since 2009 coke has about doubled in price and my contact tells me that it varies on a monthly basis in response to world demand. I'm looking at getting another truckload in but a semi-tipper at a time stretches the budget a bit until most of it is gone, and it's uneconomical to get it in smaller loads. Anyone interested can contact me through our website (see my profile) Regards Andrew

Here's the finished fence panel back from the powder coater:

My Dad found a couple of blacksmithing bits for me at a garage sale where he lives an hour or so away. A 400# Wilkinson that had been abused and repaired, a 12" square swage block in pretty goood nick, and afterwards the bloke selling threw this in for nothing He said it was for forming up plough shears. I'm still trying to work out the how and what size material did they used to form up in these? Any advice as to how they were used would be greatly appreciated. Regards Andrew

Just to drag this one back into life again, I managed to give myself a case of tendonitis in my forearm from my wrist just above my thumb spiraling around the back of my arm towards my elbow. Did it hammering some wheat heads I was making (see this thread ?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>)'> ) at the quad stage the ends of which were a bit 'gappy' after tack welding. Closed them up cold hammering at an angle on the anvil and I think the angle I was working at plus the extra shock of hammering cold caused it. Didn't notice at the time but about an hour later the back of my arm started aching and since then it has developed a nice creak as it moves. Still learning I suppose Andrew

Hi Forgemaster, I've run it through the ABASA thingy and Des does want to get in touch with you and give you what he knows of the history, be prepared for a long phone call. I'm seeing him at the meeting Thursday night so will get his email/mobile and try and get the two of you in touch if he doesn't do it first through Rob. ABASA has two of the same 3CWT Massey hammers that you bought which are both in storage at the moment as we don't have anywhere to put them. I know that one had a crack through the base of the hammmer that had been welded up. Both were complete and working when decommissioned from Panorama TAFE a couple of years ago. We also got a 1CWT the same style as well. Now all we need is the money to build the shed to put them all in, and electrify it, and plumb it, and everything alse. Being part of a volunteer associstion with no money is frustrating at times. Can your casual employee post pictures/video of the 40CWT being used because that would be something to see! I feel the same way about a lot of older big machinery, they don't make it anymore, so if the 7 clear space is destined to be spare parts there is still the possibility that if needed it could be rebuilt to its former glory, it just needs to be saved from the scrappers in the meantime. Andrew

We're starting to make visual progress. Got six of the eight panels made to a basic stage so there's the last two panels and the gate to go, then I have to add 6mm rod as wires and lots of leaves. Might have them finished in a week or so if I can keep going at this rate. Andrew

1 3 18 works out at 214lb and the actual weight is 212lb so I figure the 3 punch was missing or worn out and they used a 5 instead

Forgemaster, I spoke briefly with Des today and he said that his dad had purchased the hammer in Snowtown SA along with a forge and some other bits when he was about 12. He used the hammer through most of his working life in the family business. He's 65ish now and I will email him the link to this thread and see if he wants to chime in. I'm pretty sure he will be able to tell a few stories about things that have been done with it. Andrew

Queenslanders flog everything harder than any cockroach does, just ask them, aye. Just being cautious after having done rebuilds on various different pieces of machinery that have been left out in the weather, some were like great grandfathers axe by the end. You may be lucky and it will all come good with a puff of compressed air and a swipe from an oily rag, and it might not. All depends on the depth of your wallet and what the machine is worth to you. Personally I wouldn't go much higher than $2000 as you would still be able to make that back if you (god forbid) had to strip it and flog it as spares. I don't know what the going rate for 2CWT clearspace hammers is but if you factor in your purchase price, the cost of replacing everything in the hammer except the castings, the cost of possibly having to get the bores sleeved, then add your mobile phone number and double the result you may come close to the final price without adding in your own time. That said I would be prepared to have it sit in the back of the shed as a "project" if I could get it at the right price because they just don't make them anymore. Andrew

Having checked out your profile and seeing that you are from Queensland my immediate answer is "not much", no more than scrap value minus shipping without being able to inspect the internals. You would need to get access to the hammer and pull it down to see what damage has been done internally to gauge whether it is worth the effort and expense of fixing it. If you can get it for nothing and are prepared to treat it as a project then go for it. Forgemaster just picked up a 3CWT guided helve hammer which looked to be in fairly good working order for around the $2000 mark from Brisbane. I've got the same 2CWT clearspace and its a lovely hammer to use. The market for powerhammers in Australia is very small and most buyers are hobby blacksmiths who are looking for something cheap to do the hammering for them. Andrew

Quick update Started drawing out the ends on Tuesday and quickly discovered I needed to weld them up more so I shut down the forge and cranked up the welder for the day. Try again yesterday and away we went All I can say is thank god for powerhammers, I managed to do about 90 of the heads over the 8 hour day, wouldn't have had a hope if hand hammering. I got my working man to start trimming and grinding them and after work the table looked like this Here's a closeup of the finished items Andrew

The Mumme family business shut down quite a few years ago, Des has been working out of a smaller workshop on his own down McLaren Vale way. I think he's only got a 75kg Anyang which had trouble working 50mm round down to 36mm, even my 2CWT was working hard. I think ABASA has another couple of 3CWT the same as what you bought in storage while we get our home base built, and a 1CWT. One day when we have enough money and space maybe they'll all be installed. Andrew

I saw that one on fleabay and had to have a bit of a laugh, Des Mumme, one of the original owners, is a member of our local association and he borrowed my hammer to try forging up some big bolts a couple of months back. I'll have to tell him it's going to a good home and will be worked hard. Andrew PS: do you know if he managed to sell the other spring hammer he had up as well?

Joel, if your dad can give you an entry into the restoration/reproduction market you could have a licence to print money right there. My reasoning behind this is that most people who are prepared to restore a building to "original" condition have factored to cost of restoration into their purchase, you just need to let it be know that there is a blacksmith who can reproduce the original ironwork, or repair what is there, for a reasonable price. Your reasonable price should include: COSTS time (including inspection, research, quoting, manufacture, driving, telephoneing, (think like a lawyer)) and remember to include everything but deduct six minutes for going to the toilet each time cost of materials (steel, fittings, sandpaper, paint, fuel) cost of production (electricity, insurance, rates, taxes, anything that costs you) Add all of the above up then put your PROFIT margin on. This is the bit that makes you money, remember that! Add in any levies or taxes that apply and you should have a final PRICE = This is where maturity, judgement, experience, etc, etc come into it. Personally it has taken me ages to get to grips with adding up ALL the COSTS and judging the TIME part correctly (I tend to underestimate by a 50% factor when building something for the first time.) YMMV. If you can get into what a lot of the restoration people want it can be a very lucrative market without gouging them on price, just don't get taken for a ride on any job and you should od OK Andrew

I'm drawing up a calender that has a couple of extra Fridays in each week just so I can get it done by then and another couple of days at the end of the month for the same reason. Only to be used when we're flat out of course. We had a three day workshop cleanup and reorganise about a month ago, because it needed to be done and we had been talking about it for a while. Amazing how much quicker things get done when you don't have to rummage through boxes and bags to find something. I used to work on the "it's in this general area" principle for ages, thats OK for playing but costs when its work. Being picky, part of my problem there is I was an aircraft mechanic for twenty+ years and thats one of the job requirements. I get the whole "hand forged" bit and my work, much as I try and avoid it, meets that requirement. I still have an underlying (desire/compulsion/need) to make things as best as I possibly can and have to remind myself of the economic requirements as well. I, too, often console myself with having built "features" into something which grates if it is a traditional/formal/very structured piece but is OK if it is an "organic" piece which you wouldn't be able to pick by its very nature. An example of this is the picture below that was sent to us by a customer of a design that is similar to what they wanted. I saw the mistake within seconds of looking at it but my wife didn't, she picked the bronze flowers in the top were out of line. Depends on what you are looking for. Andrew

There are some amazing pictures above. Personal preference for precision and skill is second post, third picture. I've tried to do similer work and to make something that simple is incredibly difficult. Anything with curves you can fudge to certain degree but if it is straight square lines they have got to be spot on, square rivet heads I'll have to more research on. "Remember Grasshopper, all things are possible" Andrew edit: added "m" to Remember

I've had a hickup with the second job and I've got to go out and re-measure the site so its been put back a couple of weeks so I might have to split the run in two to get everything done on time. I've got the first hundred plus heads welded up and did a tryout on a spring swage on the weekend but this week has gone to s*&t since then and I haven't touched anything since. The joys of running your own business from home and having to juggle an employee, a todo list, and home. I also need to do a cleanup before I attempt the next step just to get all the cr@p off the floor give me some dancing space without the MIG welding ball bearings and another trial run with the swage to confirm the process will work as I hope. (If wishes were fishes) Of the 1800 originl bits I've lost 2 pairs to welding stuffups and 6 pairs to twisting stuffups, means I am only down one head total! Finding matching pairs to make the quads is getting increasingly difficult as I work through the piles though. I'm learning that to get out the end of this I am going to have to juggle differences to make the number I need or make another batch to cover the ones that just aren't right. Under a hundred to go though! Andrew

This is a project I am halfway through for two different customers. We got a request for a fence with a rural theme to go in an old folks home. A bit of research around here came up with a design for a wheat head that looked pretty good and I built one as a concept display and sent it off to the customer. They liked it and we got the order so I've got to make nearly 12m of fence with one of these every 100mm, about 120 of them. Then another customer is in the workshop to discuss his pool fence and see's the sample I made and likes it, he wants the same on top of his fence so I have an additional 10m of fence with the same spacing, another 100, so about 220 in all. I tried everything I could to twist whole lengths of rod cold to speed up the job but short of building a Heath Robinson cross between a wire feeder and rifling cutter I was going to have to do it the hard way. To start with I got 60 lengths of 6mm rod and chopped it into 200mm which gave me 1800 pieces. I then had to weld them together in pairs to give me 900 pairs. I tried with my spot welder for the first couple of hundred but the weld didn't hold when I tried a few test twists so it was back to the MIG and weld away. Here's the 900 pairs in blocks of 50 ready to start twisting After doing all that I needed to build a basic twister to do all of this twisting with. I haven't got a picture but it was a piece of 35mm solid round with a 4" angle grinder wheel slot cut in one end and a handle on the other, and slot welded from flats at the other end the correct distance away. I clamped that to the side of the forge and then the next morning we were away. The end of the first day looked like this, At the start I could do a bundle of 50 in just over 50 minutes, by the end of the day that time had come down to about 35 minutes. I kept alternating the direction of twist with each bundle to stop the boredom factor and the 20L bucket I was using to quench in was hot after the first run of 50 and would boil towards the end of the second. Another day saw me able to take this picture of the whole lot done. Since then I've sorted them into four piles (even, tight one end, tight both endes, tight in the middle) and started to weld them into bundles of four. I'm about halfway through doing that and will take pictures at the end. Then I've got to make a swage to go in the power hammer to forge down the ends and a weld them all onto bars to go in the fences. I think I might be busy for a while longer yet.