JAllcorn

I know this thread started a couple of years ago but is still applicable in 2010... there are some really great videos on You Tube on the Hossfeld, a couple even put out by Hossfeld and cover most basics. I need to watch them again. I am continually amazed at what a Hossfeld will do - EASILY w/o the hydraulics! James

I think I've seen that model before, maybe a Northern or Grizzly, the cylinder out to the side gives it away. You probably didn't pay too much and as the old saying goes, "Any ironworker is better than no ironworker!" James

I was drawing a concept for some furniture and my thoughts were of using various sizes of cable in freeform as the basic structure. I have seen a wine motif outside a metalwork studio in the Design District in Dallas (across the freeway from the Dallas World Trade Center). That fellow used quite large cables twisted together, starting in a mass as large as the calf of a man's leg, extending upward and outward, etc., etc. around the front entrance. It's been about a year ago but I think the cables were around 1 inch down to 1/2 inch diameter. The sheer mass of the cables in his design would prove quite rigid (and rigidity is not an issue with his design), but my concept would not be as massive in scope, perhaps 3 twisted cables of 3/4 and/or 5/8 or 1/2 or 3/8 in a mix. They would form the legs of the table (s) and chairs (smaller for chairs) and splay out as they reach the chair bottom, back, arms, etc. and the table top frame, etc. The basic question - and I've never worked with cable - is would the cable have to be wrapped around an armature of sorts for stability? Or would just wrapping the cable around itself provide enough strength to prevent significant flexing? What about brazing or welding individual cables to stiffen them? Any ideas of the types of cables that would be best suited to this type of project? I know cables come in various types, centers, etc. The top for the table would be either thick glass, granite slab or heavy thick wood beams. Overall size for tables would be something in the range of standard outdoor furniture; dining room table, side tables (2 legs), etc. Ideas and thoughts appreciated.

About 5 or 6 years ago I bought a 25# Moloch locally (NE Texas). It had been "holding up a tree in a barnyard" - literally - for 15 years, all rusted together. Took it to Sid at Little Giant and he rebuilt/re-machined parts as noted above by Peacock. (there were several parts that needed replacing.) I am sure it is not a perfect hammer, but it works well and has been used a lot. Sid carries dies at reasonable prices. Sid told me the Moloch was made by the same folks that made Little Giant, just after they had sold the rights to the LG name, company, etc. They started over under the Moloch brand. This may or may not be exactly accurate. If I ever buy another hammer, it will be an air hammer in the 100# range.

We will see, but plans are to tape the meeting and convert to DVD, then make available thru the Saltfork Craftsmen ABA web site for loan/rental.

Another reminder, cast iron brazing/welding workshop, Paris, TX March 7-8 at Bois D'Arc Forge Blacksmith Shop, 33 NE 1st St (Downtown). Repair of broken cast iron blacksmithing equipment. Bring your broken blower housings, etc. Will also discuss/demo MIG and TIG for ornamental/Architectural work. Begins at 9:30 both days. Instructor, Thomas Dean from Longview, TX, 30+ yr. prof. welder and blacksmith. Free admission, donations accepted to defray costs. Call James Allcorn at 903-517-1667 (cell) for more information, list of motels, driving directions, amenities, etc. Sponsored by Saltfork Craftsmen ABA.

A reminder, cast iron brazing/welding workshop, Paris, TX March 7-8 at Bois D'Arc Forge Blacksmith Shop, 33 NE 1st St (Downtown). Repair of broken cast iron blacksmithing equipment. Bring your broken blower housings, etc. Will also discuss/demo MIG and TIG for ornamental/Architectural work. Begins at 9:30 both days. Instructor, Thomas Dean from Longview, TX, 30+ yr. prof. welder and blacksmith. Free admission, donations accepted to defray costs. Call James Allcorn at 903-517-1667 (cell) for more information, list of motels, driving directions, amenities, etc. Sponsored by Saltfork Craftsmen ABA.

I've got several air die grinders, H/F, Enco, IR, Snap-on, etc. Also a Milwaukee electric one. You get what you pay for. The cheap ones from H/F, etc. don't have the torque and under hard use will bog down. Air consumption is stated on the box when you buy it so don't buy one your compressor can't support. My Snap-on and IR use lots of air but rarely slow down under the heaviest use. The IR was about $100 and I will NEVER buy one of the cheap ones again! The Milwaukee electric is used for remote work where no air is available. It is a real workhorse with lots of torque and you will wear out before it does! I think it cost over $300. I use them mostly with carbide cutters of various shapes and sometimes with small mounted rocks, grinding welds on things like staircases and other expensive commission work. My IR is a FRONT EXHAUST model and helps blow the cut metal shards away from me. Be sure to wear appropriate safety equipment, face shield, safety glasses, leather jacket, hearing protection, etc. Be sure to keep them oiled.

Haven't gotten around to trying it yet, but I also have several old leg vices whose threads are worn out. Bought some sections of acme thread shaft in various sizes and nuts to match. One of these days I'll see if I can replace the old shaft and nut with the new parts. If I can, great, if I can't, couldn't use it anyway. I think the shafting came from the surplus place in Lincoln, NE. Has anybody tried this sort of reply?

I found this article in Welding Magazine on auto darkening welding helmets and scanned it. 4 .jpg images. Sort of hard to read but good info. JA Copyright ed material removed. Use this link or this link

I emailed Phoenix early this week asking for info. No reply. I faxed a request next day. Next day a lady called (talked to my wife), something about email down, would try to send some info. Still waiting.

One thing that may determine how successful welding/brazing cast iron is the amount of grease or oil that has penetrated into the iron over the years. And, I have always been taught to drill a hole at the end of the crack (a little past it) to provide a "termination point" for the crack prior to beveling and welding. I still have some ox/ac cast rod, I think 1/4" dia. but haven't used them in 20 years. Hi-Alloy and Castolin Eutectic carry cast iron specific rods and electrodes as follows for cast Iron: Hi-Alloy 23FC, Hi-Alloy 64, Hi-Alloy 400, Hi-Alloy 460, Hi-Alloy 460MC and Hi-Alloy Cast Iron Plus. Read the data sheet on each at Hi-Alloy - Products. Castolin products include EutecTrode 2-44, EutecTrode Xuper 2240, EutecTrode XHD-2230, EnDOtec DO*23, EnDOtec DO*26. Castolin Eutectic Group Some state they are for contaminated, greasy, etc. Each is somewhat different in procedure. Yes they are expensive but so is gasoline! :-( Any of these may be hard to find locally. None of my welding suppliers carries these because there is not much call for them. I have been successful taking a Ni55 electrode, chipping the flux OFF and TIG welding cast and/or cast to mild steel. I don't think that is recommended anywhere but I was trying to find a better solution where I could not get the product I wanted. Your mileage may vary!

I bought a 100' roll of #6-2 w/ ground, put ends on it and use it from my Miller Trailblazer 302 to power my Dynasty 200 TIG machine on the 2nd and 3rd floor of buildings. Just be sure your wire is large enough to accommodate the amps and allow for voltage drop. Don't EVER cheat on wire size, always go UP if in question. JA

I've lately switched to CO2 gas in my Lincoln 215. Seems I have to run higher amps compared to mix gas, 75/25. This is with standard ER7OS-6 wire, "G" amp setting/350 ft/m. (CO2 is cheap but weld appearance is marginal, penetration seems good to very good.) With ER80S-Ni1, 75/25 gas Miller Extreme 12VS feeder, 28-30 volts, 350 f/m, weld penetration is excellent w/ fair to good appearance. Normally a weave or some movement is used on any weld of any length in my shop. The sound of bacon is good.

In Texas, just SE of Ft Worth, SW of Dallas, Texas Farrier Supply 603 S New Hope Rd Kennedale, TX 76060 (817) 478-6105 I think I paid $360/ton in "supposedly" 50LB bags. Lot of clinker in the last batch I got. Supposed to be "from Kentucky". In Oklahoma, Saltfork Craftsmen ABA Saltfork Craftsmen Club Coal (from their web site and/or July 08 newsletter) as of 8/10/2008: Club Coal Saltfork Craftsmen has Arkansas coal for sale. The coal is $95/ton to members and $145/33non-members. Bring your own containers. Contact Tom Nelson at 1-580-862-7691 to make arrangements to pick up a load. DO NOT CALL AFTER 9 P.M. If you make arrangement well in advance, Tom can load your truck or trailer with his skid steer loader. Otherwise you will need to bring a shovel. The coal can be weighed out at the Douglas Coop Elevator scales. The coal is in large chunks; bring something to break up the coal into manageable size pieces. S/C Region coal location: Coal is in 1-2

First introduction was in Vo Ag class in high school, but it wasn't much. Then another bit in a college shop class. In 1972 I owned a ranch in Central Texas and had a set of stock working and truck (double decker) loading pens and chutes built by a contractor. It was a lot of money for me and I vowed I would learn to weld. I moved to NE Texas on a job in 1973 and took welding at night school at the local Jr. College. It was a good course with a retired Navy welder as instructor. He was good and put up with no crap. I was the only student he ever had with a degree in education so he asked me to present his lectures so he could learn more about presentation, etc. I memorized all the material! That was in 1973 and I took 4 courses, almost enough to get an associate degree. I got good at ox/ac and stick but only touched on TIG. MIG wasn't taught at that time as the local boilermaker and job source for most students used only stick (6010 and 7018) and sub-arc. I bought a little Lincoln 225 crackerbox and did odd projects for myself here and there. After retiring in 1999, I opened my blacksmith shop and soon bought MIG, TIG & portable machines. Taught myself TIG while building a staircase in a new home. I still have a lot to learn.

When my wire feeder stops feeding, the first thing I change is the tip (unless I just changed it and suspect something else). My Lincoln 215 cable does not like to be kinked up in small coils - that will cause it to feed irregularly. Haven't had any problems with my other 2 wire feeders. I use the gel fairly regularly, keeps xxxx from building up around the tip in the nozzle. I use a spray-on spatter anti stick if cleanup is an issue. Of course, it is then something that must be cleaned up too, esp. if you are going to paint, etc.

Dadant bee supply co (online) sells beeswax for $4.76/lb min order 25 lbs. If you are close to one of their stores you can buy single 1 lb blocks. I've been building a staircase out of #14 rebar (1-3/4" diameter) and am using beeswax to finish. Heat w/ rosebud torch until bar turns "blue" and apply w/ 1 lb block and wipe off. Lots of smoke and dripped wax. Repeat 3 or 4 times. When cool, the bar is slightly sticky, then after a few days the stickiness goes away. Cheapest canola oil from a thrift store works well, esp for food item use. Apply hot w/ brush and wipe off. Leaves sort of shiny coat. Looks good.

My in-ground swimming pool has a 250 gallon tank out behind an enclosure in the yard, about 80' away from the pool. Plumbed to the pool with soft copper line buried about 8 or so inches. All is outside but you need to be careful when DIGGING in the flower bed!!! I wish I had that tank at my shop, but I mostly use coal. JA

Whatever you do, make sure it is UP TO CODE! Look up the code for your jurisdiction and follow or exceed its requirements. There is a code, you may just have to look for it. My city (Paris, Texas) operates on the 1994 IBC or some such name but the year is right. There are many newer codes and all are not alike. Use what applies to you. James Allcorn Bois D'Arc Forge Blacksmith Shop Historic Downtown Paris, TX

I have 3 of these such blowers and mainly use them for demo stuff, my primary blower is electric. 2 of these I bought and worked well, albeit they leak oil. The 3rd made a lot of noise and finally locked up and some of the bearings fell out. One of our local Saltfork ABA members mentioned that he had rebuilt several of these type blowers so I gave him this one to work on. He put new bearings in it and who knows what else and charged me a sack of coal. He said he greased it and it would not need oil. I'm not sure about that but it works well although it does make some noise that the other 2 don't. If anyone has a blower that is absolutely past repair, he might be able to fix it. Email for his name/phone number. JA

1. Retired after 30 years w/ USDA administering farm programs in 1999. 2. In the real estate rental property business as owner of houses, duplexes and apts. since 1982. 3. Operate full time (translation... about 6 hours / day) blacksmith shop in downtown historical area of Paris, TX, primarily doing commission work. Staircases, railings, doors, furniture. Trying to get away from the small items and focus on larger items that bring larger prices. Owned the shop for 5 years, open to the public for about 18 months. James Allcorn Bois D'Arc Forge Blacksmith Shop Historic Downtown Paris, Texas USA

The guy who sold me my compressor said to "Use any oil that says air compressor oil". That's a reminder, I need to change it again!

My opinion mirrors many stated here, paraphrasing what a man told me when I was very young. "Get your education. It is the only thing that cannot be taken away from you." The more you learn, the more options you have, in this life and the next. James Allcorn Paris, TX

My hardware shop carries 3/8x1" rivets, I forget the price, maybe 10 to 25 cents each. I make most of my tongs for 2 reasons. (I don't usually make rivets, but I have been guilty of using a bolt... sorta hate to admit that in this audience.) 1. Some of my tongs are specialized, i.e. to hold a specific size piece of metal (made a pair yesterday to hold a 2-1/8" x 5/8" bar 8' long with a rounded decorative top) from 3/4 sucker rod. 2. I need the practice. You should see what I made a few years ago compared to what I make now. Even I can see that I am improving-even if slowly!!!