henerythe8th

What size tube are you talking about? What sort of radius/radii? You say that it will be a long piece of tube... ...that leads me to believe that this will have a large radius. If that's the case then a rolling mill, taking more than a single pass would likely do the trick... I have a cheap, Chinese version, but it wouldn't be difficult to make one either. You could likely, though I haven't tried it yet...fill with dry sand, weld caps on end (but don't seal, or leave/drill a hole to prevent pressurization) heat in forge or with large torch and bend to shape. You likely don't need thick wall for this job...that's good. Let us know your process and the results, will you? Henry

Depends on what you're doing, more than likely... If you are twisting a piece of hot rolled square bar then you are likely "weakening" it. Why? It's about stress/strain and the cross-sectional properties of the piece, not to mention straightness. All things being equal, if you take a piece of "perfectly straight" rod and apply a compressive, or shortening load to it, it will be "stronger" than one that is a bit bent. Keep in mind, however, that if you apply enough force to it, that straight bar will "cripple" catastrophically. If you applied the same load to a similar bar with a bit of a bend, chances are it's going to start to move with less force, but you'll likely notice it before it gets to those levels. Realistically, most of what we make is not loaded anywhere near what it can take (excluding knives, 'hawks and such), impact loads can create a huge amount of stress... From a bending perspective, still considering the HR square bar, the quench that the steel is put through will likely modify the properties of the material more than the twist will modify the the properties of the cross-section... ...this could become a huge discussion, with many different opinions... Let's see where it goes! Henry PS--Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering...

Lat, Chances are you can't "fix" your twist... If you mess with them, you'll mess them up! you need to make sure that you have them heated consistently because the steel will work more/easier where the temp is higher. I generally use a twisting jig and my small Hybridburner as a handheld torch to heat where I want, then twist... Henry

Sometimes we forget about what the object is... ...and I may be confused. Not abnormal for me ! If the goal is threaded wood, not making the tool to do it then check out: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=41791&cat=1,43000 you might have to cut and paste... Sometimes it's also prudent to look at different ways to tackle the same job. The link could provide inspiration for making your own. To purchase this tool is a bit spendy--but it may be worth the time... H the 8th

I have to agree w/ Candid Q... DRY WOOD! Let it burn, don't choke your stove down too far. Seal the chimney joints at the thimble--they sell the stuff to do it with at the woodstove or hardware store. Just be VERY careful! A chimney fire can get get hot enough to catch your wood framing on fire that is adjacent to a brick chimney! That's danged hot, man! Creosote is a byproduct of a poor fire...

Way to go yyear! I was getting ready to make a similar offer... You pay for the postal service pre pay box and I'll send you one that's a GENUINE ASO made from RR track. Just waiting to be used... Henry

The other thing that you could do would be to take your current furnace (some call it a forge--which is actually open topped) outdoors with enough pipe to make a new burner and burn off the zinc in your furnace. In all actuality, you could likely burn the zinc off with a charcoal brazier... Like others have said--the zinc vapors-gases-what have you-- can kill you!!! Then you can build a new burner from your now "black pipe". It'll turn black eventually after you knock off the zinc oxide... If you aren't concerned about the zinc fumes do a search on this site or elsewhere in the blacksmithing community on PawPaw Wilson. He WAS a well loved man, from what I've read... H the 8th P.S. Don't poison anyone else with that zinc stuff either! If you burn it off, do it in an open area well away from people, open windows, etc.

While TDY is Korea years ago, I witnessed egg delivery guys on "deuce and a halfs"-slang for heavily built bicycles- with four feet of egg flats front and rear...

Check out the sellers feedback. It's good, but the first item showing is a 106# Hay Budden with a single bid for $500! Nice anvil, but it's not made of silver or GOLD! H

...if this works out the way that it sounds like it will... Those machinist types will find items manipulated by "non-machining" methods interesting and would love to receive items in exchange for more materials, I'd bet... ...may pay off as Xmas gift buyers, etc. too!

I'd like to have one to use! A bit of a critique on your explanation, though... Your blade has a convex shape! Your slack belt had a concave shape while forming that profile. If you remember cave goes in--you'll always get it right... H 8

Only a couple of things on the face of this planet I'd say that about! Mice are one of them! Paper wasp/meat bee/hornets are another... One good reason to dislike mice immensely is that I've been told that they have no bladder and leak urine everywhere they go! Imagine that! Peanut butter is a tried and true bait for traps. No need for string, etc. usually! Get the right kind of trap that a bit of peanut butter will be forced into the bait holder--many of the traps today also have an adjustable set/trip pressure deal. The other slightly more expensive traps that have a pair of teeter totter ramps-one on each end work great too! Like someone else said--place along walls. And turn off all of the lights. Mice love the dark--you will catch most mice in the first couple of minutes of turning off the lights. Another deterrent that worked for me recently was DRYER SHEETS! I had a car parked outside -- no transmission -- for over a year. When I parked it I put three unused dryer sheets in the car and NO MICE! YEA! Ladies post, on the internet, about 1,000,001 uses for those danged dryer sheets--this one appears to work! H 8

Many of the things that we do in our shops have hazards--some of them not immediate--- ...for instance-NOISE! generally won't hurt you straight away--but after a few years or so, you're likely to develop the "huhs?" That's when someone says something that you can't make out and you say, "Huh?" There are many wonderful things that we like to continue to see, but hearing is a wonderful sense to preserve, too. I don't LIKE to wear protection! I LIKE seeing and hearing! I wear my protection, usually in my preferred form--a hard hat with flip up visor and ear muffs. I think that the setup cost about $80, but boy is it convenient. Not necessary to roll up those ear plugs and get your ears all grubby with your dirty hands, no need to hunt for your glasses. Put the hard hat on, when you need the shield and muffs flip them down... Henry

That's a fine looking knife, Jens! Do you do your own leatherwork/what kind of sheath? Henry

Another way to avoid cords in the middle of the shop space is to use hanging receptacles. The shop that I'm in came with three of them from one of the previous owners. Funny though, they are all at different heights and you can turn around and run your snot locker right into one if not careful... My plan is to modify these... Add chain, bungee and a pulldown cord with a light knob just at a reachable height. That way I can reach, pull down, plug in and let go... ...no more suprise nose knocks...