SmoothBore

Well, ... even 1 would be a lot ..... .

"SmoothBore: It's not so much political correctness as it is civil language. I don't think I ever got old enough my Mother wouldn't have taken the wooden spoon to me for bad language after the first warning." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I too am the "beneficiary" of a strict, conservative upbringing. However, in my family, children were expected to think and respond intelligently, ... and express themselves honestly, in an adult fashion. Sometimes, that includes calling a "Spade", a "Spade". ----------------------------------------------------------- In the other matter: "Seems the less people actually know about a subject the more they think they know." I believe the Dunning-Kruger Effect was recently discussed in another forum. .

Where I come from, we call "Politically Correct" speech, ... . And the only reason I mention it, is because it's directly related to the original post. Others with similar experiences and frame of reference will always find a lot more to comment about, ... because they share your interest and passion. This is a "universal truth", ... no matter what the subject. If this "heckling" really bothers you, ... then perhaps it's you that has the "problem" ? You can't take it "personal". ---------------------------------------- In my working career, from time-to-time it was necessary to conduct "training" seminars, ( demonstrations ) ... and that's not a skill that is often addressed, ... in Engineering Schools. I struggled with it a bit, ... until a School Teacher I was dating, made me realize, that it's actually a "performance". Not that much different, than doing "Stand-Up Comedy". Essentially, it's up to you to "work" the audience, ... and NOT let them "work" you.

Do you quench a lot of Copper & Stainless ? .

Magnet on a stick ..... .

I suspect the handles in the photo were chemically "colored", ... in a process similar to the "salt bluing" commonly used on firearms. .

Yes. .

Wow, ... they must have been getting pretty old by then ..... But seriously, ... Homesteaders knew what they were setting out to do, ... and surely brought fundamental tools and equipment with them, on their undertaking. I suspect Smiths on the frontier, were engaged primarily in repairs and maintenance of existing gear. Cutting Tools of ALL kinds would have been in constant use, ... and therefore subject to a lot of wear. Upsetting an axe, ... repairing a shovel, ... or chain, ... or sharpening a plowshare, ... or a saw ..... .

Exactly. In an Industrial setting, it's commonly known as "Best Practices", ... to avoid "re-inventing the wheel". Use every advantage you can get. .

Concur. I use the same technique, ... but use a rubber mallet to strike the wood ..... .

As a lifelong member of a well known "High IQ Society", ... let me be the first to say, that conventionally measured "IQ", ... is a very poor means of judging intelligence. This is particularly true of those who immure themselves within the exceedingly narrow confines of Academia. One of the most intelligent employees I ever had, was a first generation Mexican immigrant, who's limited communication skills precluded him from ever truly expressing his abilities. Had our backgrounds been reversed, ... I would have been working for Him ..... .

In my callow and ill-spent youth, I built and raced Moto-Cross Bikes, ... and the parts of a 2-stroke engine, are as familiar to me, as the back-of-my-hand. ( And YES, ... they did too have internal combustion engines, waaay back then ..... ) .

Sounds tasty. .

Not to nit-pick, ... but 2 stroke engines don't have camshafts .....

Fuggin "Forbidden" ..... With the Rail standing on end, ... a 15" long piece of 2" Angle, ... with holes at the ends, ... welded on the end of the Rail, to form an upside-down "T", ... and another 3" long bit, welded to what was originally the "top" of the Rail, ... yields a stable "3-point" base, ... that can then be Lagged to any kind of wooden base. .

What you use, ... and how you build your "first" Forge, really doesn't matter. At this point, you have no way of knowing what your actual, "real World" requirements might be, ... so anything that gets hot will suffice. After you've used it for a year, you'll be experienced enough to judge for yourself what you need. At this point, ... KISS. .

Flux Spoon ? The local Chinese Buffet has thousands of them, ... for free. .

I agree, that time spent "fixing" an essential tool, like a Welder, ... is better spent, than time "wasted" looking for a "work around". And further agree, that an AC "Buzz Box" is so dead simple to troubleshoot, that there's no reason not to just deal with it ..... .

Go ahead and weld any "mild" steel, with a "mild" ( Low Hydrogen ) steel rod.. Bringing the piece to Forging temp will stress relieve the weld. Win, ... win. .

AMEN, ... and AMEN again. A high, wide and long leather apron, is almost as good as a suit of armor. I like mine right up under my chin, ... and reaching well below the knees. I'm always burning through my shoe strings, ... and last Winter I had a hot bit lodge in my shoelaces, and burn right through the boot tongue, ... and right on into my foot. ( There was just no way to get it off fast enough. ) Based on that recurring problem, ... I'd recommend a smooth toe "pull on" type boot, ... and Steel Toes ALWAYS. .

So, ... a transplanted "Red Dirt Girl". ----------------------------------------------------- Quote = EmmyLou "Two red dirt girls in a red dirt town Me and Lillian Just across the line And a little southeast of Meridian" ..... ---------------------------------------------------------- There's a region here in Northern York County, PA, ... that's called "Red Land" for obvious reasons. If you follow such things, ... currently, the local "Red Land" Little League Team, is in the finals of the Little League World Series. .

Most likely produced in gated clusters, by Centrifugal Casting process. Centrifugal Castings cool from the outside ( of the Mold ) toward the center, ... thereby "floating" the impurities toward the center. This works particularly well for making "Nuts" ( and Pipe Fittings ), ... because the center of the part is subsequently machined away. .

AMEN. Recently made some 5/16" diameter, tapered "pins", , ... very similar to "nails", ... for use in the construction of a wooden boat. The material was some kind of Stainless, with a lot of Chrome content, ... salvaged from old Oven Racks. It was an absolute b!tch to upset and draw out, ... but made very nice finished parts. .

The difference lies in the frequency of the power supply. .

For some reason, the link in the original post, comes up as ..... xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.com But, based on the rest of the comments, I'm going to take a Wild-Guess, ... that you're looking to drill holes in the dome ( top ) of the insulators. Five or Six years ago, I needed to drill 1/2" holes in the edges of hollow glass blocks, that are normally "mortared" into masonry walls. Patrish ( my Girlfriend ) wanted to stuff strings of "twinkle" lights into them, ... and then add ribbons and bows, to simulate a wrapped Christmas gift. The thing that I found worked best, were the "Diamond" coated core bits ( similar to a tiny "hole saw" ) ... that are readily available on Ebay, ... for about $1.00 each. In a Drill Press, ... using a plain water drip, ... I'd get about 3 holes worth of "tool life", ... when drilling the 5/8" wall thickness, of the glass blocks. Between Patrish, ... and Her 4 Sisters, ... and Her other Crafty Cronies, ... I drilled about 60 of the Glass Blocks, in one afternoon. .