SmoothBore

Every job eventually winds up on the belt sander, wire wheel or bandsaw.

I'd go with Saddle Soap and then a coat of Neatsfoot Oil.

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Since this appears to be a repair rather than a new piece, an "unconventional" but effective approach, might be to use a little "Red Loctite" thread locker when you assemble the stud/rivet into the piece.

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I'm no fan of powder coating.

Yes, if the surface prep is done correctly, it has merit. But even so, it will eventually fail, and be very difficult to repair.

Good quality oil base paint is, in my opinion, a better choice.

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I swipe most of my spoons from he local Chinese Buffet, ... and find them quite useful, as is .....

If I wanted a ball on both ends, I'd make them work like Cutlery Rivets.

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On 8/15/2019 at 5:05 PM, Frosty said:

 Miss an Annual and the next inspection turns into a major thing.

Oh yeah, ... it's quite a racket.

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I'm doubtful that there ARE any "authentic" examples.

Barbecue grills are very much a "mid-century" American affectation, whose popularity was directly influenced by the surplus of commercially made charcoal briquettes..

A "Brazier" is a much older, more widely distributed system.

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They're probably worth more to someone wishing to use them as forks, ... than as unidentified scrap.

This whole notion of destroying useful things, ... just because you can, ... strikes me as short sighted.

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On 3/5/2010 at 3:12 PM, LRF said:

Can anyone give me a quick guide to what grade steel is indicated by the color painted on the end?

Nope.

Much like the highly touted Unicorn, ... there is no such thing as a "standardized" color code.

Every mill and broker has their own codes, ... which may, ... or may NOT, ... be comparable with other brands.

"Globalization" has most certainly NOT helped untangle this issue.

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Those "sparks" are the carbon burning out of the steel. When the carbon is gone, ... it's no longer steel. Since we don't know the specific alloy, we have no way of knowing what it IS, ... only what it's not. 

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I was just wondering why the workers might have taken this sliver of rail off?

It was most likely trimmed off a new section of rail being inserted into the existing track, ... or off an existing section, that needed to be "shortened"  in order to "set the gauge" of a curve in the track.

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Been using a little piece of 5" channel as a cutting "saddle" for a couple of decades now.

No complaints so far.

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Well, here's the thing .....

You first have to recover lost or stolen property, before you can begin to prove ownership.

Guns and cars are thoroughly stamped with identifying numbers, ... but are still routinely stolen, ... and never recovered.

If I thought I needed to worry about the theft of "loaner" tools, ... they would never leave my shop.

Now, that surely is a sad state-of-affairs, ... but there's no virtue in being a victim.

If the organizers don't want to take responsibility for borrowed property, ... then I'd be reluctant to get involved with their event.

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Shop "cleaning" ? ? ?  

Sounds like a trick question.

In my experience, the folks around the "Steel ( Steal ? ) City" aren't always xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, ... but it's doubtful that anyone is interested in accepting the liability that would attach to such a project.

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23 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

People often confuse high carbon as being "better" steel---however it all depends on what you are trying to do with it! 

 

DO with it ! ?

The ONLY thing you can ever DO with a chunk of scrap iron, ... is make a big ole honkin'  BLADE !

That nobody will actually use, ... for anything ... ever.

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A foot ( dead man ) switch on your electric blower, will prevent over heating your work.

You might try playing some very loud and annoying music, ... to cover up the sound of your hammer.

Here in America we'd say, "give em' something to cry about".

I think the British axiom might be "hanged for a sheep as for a lamb".

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The EPA is only as tough as the Administration that supports it's regulations.

The current Administration has been rolling back "regulations" at a never-before-seen rate.

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Now here's the thing that's much harder to quantify.

"Prices" expressed as numbers, are totally irrelevant.

Whether something costs a dime, ... or a dollar, ... is meaningless, until you weigh-it-off against how much of your precious TIME and LABOR you must expend to acquire any particular item.

If you're flipping burgers at minimum wage, a dollar-a-pound for new steel, is expensive.

But, ... if bringing the high paying manufacturing jobs back to your town gets you a much better paying job, that same pound of steel actually cost's you less of your time and energy.

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I used "Denim" Shop Aprons for many years, ... but was always setting them on fire.

Then my Wife got me a remnant of glove-soft "Upholstery Leather", ... from a Fabric Shop.

It's comfortable, ... and protects you like a Suit-of-Armor.

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An "Old School" fix for cotton aprons and gloves used for welding and grinding, was to coat the front with any "old" paint, that would yield a a more spark resistant surface.

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I use a 16" DoAll vertical band saw EVERY DAY.

Don't know how I got along all those years without it.

Next most useful is the horizontal cut-off saw.

Portable band saws have their uses, but are a distant 3rd in my estimation.

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Yeah, I believe you are.

A Bladesmith doesn't use a Rasp because he can't get "new" material.

He obviously wants the finished blade to show it's "hand forged" origins.

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" I can't hear but i CAN see, and I see you have no passion"!

The physical "ability" to perform any task is only a small part of the equation.

You can discern someone's underlying "attitude" in a matter of minutes.

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To those Americans born into the era of manufacturing, it's second-nature to reason, that you should be able to buy ANY commodity, from a business devoted to supplying that material.

( ie: A Tire Store, A Lumber Yard, An Electrical or Plumbing Supplier )

But things change.

Here, ... in Southern Pennsylvania, ... many of the wide variety of Industrial Suppliers that existed 20 years ago, have gone the way of the Dinosaur.

While the OP's question might initially strike you as lazy or thoughtless, ... I'd point out that my local telephone company no longer bothers to publish or distribute a "Phone Book".

Things change. 

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