SmoothBore

One of my biggest issues, is that after a few hammer blows, I want to look at the piece, ... and think about it some more. Obviously, that's counterproductive, ... but it makes me happy, ... and that's why I came ..... .

A vivid imagination can be a useful thing. .

I have it on good authority, ... that Frosty actually lives at the North Pole, .......... ......... with Santa and Rudolph. .

Just one, huh ? I suppose it's a Belt Sander / Grinder / Polisher. It's a rare item that passes through the shop, without being exposed to some form of abrasive abuse, on that machine.

Well, ... sure. My head cheerleader assures me, ... that I "swing my hammer" with far greater skill than I did 30 years ago.

I often see questions posed on this site, that are essentially the same thought, ... in reverse. To wit: ... "What should I use, to make X " ? And I think that's an easier way to answer that question. Reconfigure an old "cold chisel" to make a punch or hardy tool, or any kind of "struck" tool. Use old saw blades to make new "blades" of any sort. When I see guys wanting to take big old chunks of steel, and spend endless hours cutting them into smaller bits and pieces, ... I can't help but wonder, ... "what was he thinking" ? I think one of the functions of "maturity", is when you stop looking at things from a perspective of "What CAN I do with this" ? ... and instead, approach the question as, ... "what SHOULD I do with this" ? Asking essentially, ... "To what purpose is this thing best suited" ?

Thanks, ... enigmatic is my "go to" position.

Yeah, ... if I thought I needed a high performance "survival / combat" knife, ... I'd think about it some more, ... and then make sure the trusty old P-08 was cleaned and oiled.

The thing about "known" grades of steel, ... is that it's easy to fool yourself into thinking that, by acquiring that knowledge, you've gained "control" of the process. And that false sense of security, feels good, ... right up to the point where it bites you in the backside. For example, ... for decades, ( 50+ years ) I've carried a series of "Buck" brand pocket knives. And everyone knows, the folks at Buck Knives are famous for their extra hard, durable blades. ( And we also know they are notoriously hard to sharpen. ) And that's where the false sense of security comes in. In my "knife drawer", there are 5 or 6 Buck pocket knives, with broken blades. Now, Buck made those blades from "known" materials, ... and heat treated them to a rigorously controlled standard. But I STILL broke them, ... through bad luck, or misuse. Generally speaking, I might have been better served by a slightly "softer" blade, that was less brittle, and easier to sharpen. But maybe not. The point being, ... even with manufacturing conditions held to laboratory standards, the "real world" ( and a guy named "Murphy" ) will still have the final say, about the appropriate material for any given task.

There are 3 varieties of Hickory currently growing on my place, ... so I feel no need to "re-invent" that particular wheel. But there is also a small grove of Silver Maples, that I've successfully used for several long-handled tools, ... including an indestructible Peavey. A wood that's often overlooked for tool handles, is the Osage Orange. During the Great Depression, it was widely planted as windbreaks, throughout the Central United States, ... and is also known as Hedge Apple, Horse Apple, Bois d'Arc and Bow Wood. I'm currently curing a rare "straight grained" piece, for use as a walking cane. .

It seems to me, ... that the number of young people seeking an easy, inexpensive means of acquiring "big honkin' swords", and other medieval weapons, has sharply declined. So, ... has the "fad" officially run its course ? I guess it really doesn't matter. Either way, a new generation of "iron smiters" has been spawned. I'm happy to see that, ... and encourage everyone who feels the urge, to go ahead and "heat it and beat it". And don't worry yourselves so much, about alloys and chemical compositions, ... it's not really as important as you think .......

I would suggest a $10 "Horror Freight" drilling hammer. When you've swung it long enough to discern the difference, ... and modified it to your own, personal satisfaction, ... you'll be ready for a "high dollar" hammer. Or, ... more likely, ... ready to make your own, "priceless" personal tool. Either way, ... you can't "buy" skill out of a tool catalog. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't take the above personally. It's a theme that I belabor "ad nauseam". Good Luck. .

It seems as though this sign is actually intended to satisfy your own sensibilities, rather than communicate to others. I get that. That being the case, most of the "Graphic Design" aspects ( size, contrast, legibility ) are moot, ... since you already know what the sign says. So basically, ... it's more of an ornament. Therefore, an archaic symbol, ( like a hammer or anvil ) might prove more satisfactory than actual text. .

For what it's worth ..... Using the threads of a 3/8" Lag Bolt as a mandrel, to form the wire "screw", yields a nice spiral.

Why not just make them from Stainless ? Start with a Stainless washer, ... and then follow the procedure used to form rings from Silver coins. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing the process of forcing progressively larger steel balls through the "washer", ... and then refining the piece on a tapered punch / mandrel. Obviously, unlike Silver, Stainless would have to be worked hot.

Another vote for Harris and Victor. They work as advertised, ... last indefinitely, ... and consumables and accessories are readily available.

He started it ! He called me a "Pee Sea". Now, I don't know what that is, ... but it sure sounds dirty. .

It's not nice to call people nasty names. What if I came up there and called you a Chee-Chalker ( Chechaquo ) ? Something like that could destroy the delicate balance between Psyche and Self Esteem.

We've seen several such postings in recent times. Posts that have the feel of someone trying to ask for a handout, ... without actually saying so ..... Just sort-of "opening the door" to see if anyone steps up with a well intended offer. I'm inclined to think it's a "sign of the times", ... where the virtue of self-reliance, ... and the stigma of charity, ... are fading away. ----------------------------------------------------------------- I was going to mention this before, ... but didn't want to offend anyone. Thank You Glenn, ... for creating an opportunity to air this issue. .

I'm not sure I completely understand the problem, ... but will offer this simple solution, in hopes that it addresses all the issues. Make the "spike" also serve the purpose of the rivet, by forming the "head" of the rivet in the center of the "spike", ... rather than on the end. There are several ways to accomplish this, but the easiest would be to ... braze / silver solder / weld ... the heads of 2 nails together, thereby creating a double ended "spike". after shaping the "spike end", and the "rivet end", to the desired configuration, ... stick the pointed end of the spike into a Monkey Tool that's held upright in a vise. Place the inverted "cup" onto the "rivet" that's now protruding from the Monkey Tool, ( hollow punch ) then position the hole in the spring steel "base" onto the rivet, as well, ... and peen the rivet. All you've really done, is make a rivet with a "spike shaped head". Using a center punch to form a shallow cup ( countersink ) on the underside of the rivet hole in the steel base, will allow you to dress-off the peened-end of the rivet, ... while retaining a good purchase in the base. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- While it wouldn't be as "elegant", ... a flathead screw and hex nut, ... with the end of the screw ground into a spike, ... would also solve the problem. The hex nut would be hidden in the bottom of the cup.

Yes, it's a "Machinist's Tool". It's a laminated block, used in conjunction with a Magnetic Chuck, ... most likely on a Surface Grinder. The brass laminations create a separate magnetic field in each steel lamination, ... causing the block to hold onto a Magnetic Chuck much more securely than a solid steel block of the same size.

For some reason, it's construed as "prejudicial" to include your age in your profile info. But it's quite useful to have that information, when offering advice. To me, the thought of arbitrarily "choosing" a career path, ... based on a flavor-of-the-month whim, ... sounds quite juvenile. Having once been a juvenile, ... ( yeah, yeah so what if it WAS during the last Ice Age ) ... I can relate to that, ... and commend anyone who is at least thinking about their future. To achieve prosperity in any craft-based career, it really needs to be vocational in nature. And in my experience, vocations tend to "choose you", ... rather than the other way around. The "nuts & bolts" aspect of equipping a shop also evolves with experience. I suspect we ALL have shop equipment that we thought we needed, ... gathering dust in the corner, ... and other gear, that we use every day. It depends mostly on the specific tasks you perform, ... as-well-as the way you undertake them. And THAT brings us right back around, ... to experience. Without experience, you're just guessing, ... and once experience is acquired, you won't be asking anyone else about your requirements. And finally, ... with knives, ... making them can be as simple, or as complex as you choose to make it. But that matters much less than you might think. The ESSENTIAL question, ... is who will pay substantial sums of CASH for your product. Until you figure that one out, ... you're just another "starving artist". Good Luck.

Here, in the "Mid Atlantic" region, there's a weekly newspaper called "Lancaster Farming". It's classified adds are a favorite of the Amish community. Lots of hand tools there. --------------------------------------------- PS: ... The paper is also available "on line".

A few years ago, I milled out a couple of those 80% lower receivers. I can't imagine the hacked-up mess you'd get, trying to do that job on a drill press. But hey, ... if someone posted it on the inter-web, ... then it's got to be correct.

You see, ... that one taught you a valuable lesson.