brianc

I've crimped a lot of hoses on those presses. They are usually an air over hydraulic Enerpac style pump, single acting cylinder with a spring return. I guess you could re-power it with a more suitable HPU but I don't think I would. Not trying to rain on anyone's parade. Brian

What does your gage read when the valve is not actuated (center postion)? This will show what it is taking to pump oil thru your basic circuit (back pressure). If it is above 75-100 psi you have a restriction somewhere and that is probably the source of your problems. Slamming the valve open and shut and inducing huge pressure spikes while forging with everything close coupled isnt helping either. Hoses do have an accumulator effect to damp out spikes. Nothing wrong with a low return filter, as long as the return truly is low pressure. Im not a huge fan of pump inlet filters because if they start to plug then your pump gets starved and cavitation could occur. Regards, Brian

Those are typically used for pulling bushings into bores. Part on table, run ram up thru hole and bushing, split ring driver and keeper on top of bushing and pull it home. Much safer since stuff cant fly with a rod thru the hole. I've designed a few over the years. Brian

I am a member of the NWBA and attend their monthly events and conferences. I'm just looking for an excuse to travel to a different part of the country.

Last I heard Frank was recovering from health issues. I haven't looked to see if his school is still active.

Question for the group mind out there, I am largely a self-taught smith, couple weekend classes here and there. I would classify myself as an intermediate beginner. I am looking to take a weeklong intensive course at one of the many schools around the country. I will be flying in from the west coast, renting a car and driving to the school. I think some have on site dormitories, and all probably provide lodging recommendations. Who has taken what, where, and how have your experiences been? I think the immersive experience of such a class, combined with finally having a home shop to help lock in the techniques once I get back will really move my skills forward Thanks for any input Brian

One thing to keep in mind is that tonnage isn't everything when it comes to forging. A fast 25 ton press will outwork a slow 50 ton press all day long. If anyone is in the Hydraulic Press group on Facebook, you should look at the latest press Larry Langdon built for Jay Nickell. I helped hin with the hydraulics, its a single stage 7 gpm pump with a regenerative circuit to get the ram to the work quickly without using a 2 stage pump. The problem with the 2 stage pumps is they are way to slow (3gpm) when you need them to work. If you can keep the ram speed up around 1.5 inches/sec. you can get a lot more work out of it. Brian

Your best bet would have been to attend the monthly Northwest Blacksmiths workshop in Longview, WA this last weekend. Jim vonMosch of Mountainbrook Forge would have likely been there (he has been at the last few anyway), and he usually has a few sacks in his truck and plenty more available. That being said, pretty much all the professional smiths, and most of the hobby smiths here in the Northwest use gas or induction in some combination. Coal is reserved for the oddball parts that don’t quite fit anywhere else, because it is so expensive out here. Check out the NWBA if you aren’t familiar with us; plan to attend our spring conference in Longview this May. If you need more information, I can probably help.

Trying to identify as well as guesstimate a weight on this anvil. It's several states away from me, so I'm depending on the owners daughter for pictures and what I have isn't great. I did get some dimensions though. The rectangular face is 25.5 long and between 5.5-6" wide, 12" from the step to the tip of the horn, and 15.5" from base to top of plate. I'd like an idea on weight so I can come up with a plan on how we might load the darn thing. Its part of an estate and the tractors have already been sold off. I'm sure the collective mind here will have some ideas. Thanks Brian

15B30 is still a medium carbon steel, typically .35-.38 carbon. The boron enhances the hardenabilty. It will harden up if you have a way to effectively quench it. I have given lots of chunks away over the years to guys getting started such as yourself. They typically make a post anvil like you did (have been given some nice knives back in return from such anvils) or make striking anvils ala Brian Brazeal. They typically work fine as is for hot iron. Have fun, Brian

Almost the forklift forks we make (and I work for the largest manufacturer of forks in the world) are 4140 or 15B30. I have cut planty of forks in a metal cutting band saw with a good Lennox bi-metal blade. I'm sure you can get something close for a Sawzall, or even a hacksaw if you have extra time on your hands. They aren't anything super exotic Brian

If you want to see one of these machines used in a production situation search for “nakedanvil” on YouTube. Grant Sarver was one of the early adopters of these machines and started bringing them in for sale. He used them extensively in his “Off Center” tong product line as well as many other uses. He was a frequent contributor to this and other online forums, with a wealth of knowledge to share.

I’m not great at multiple word queries on this site, so at the risk of being referred to existing posts I’m looking for some specific forge build advice. I have obtained several empty Freon tanks for forge bodies and am not sure what I need to do as far as cleaning them. The valves are open, but before I fire up the plasma cutter, are there other cleaning precautions I need to take? I have seen references to Freon converting to phosgene gas when it burns, so the plasma cutter may not be the best choice. We are building Frosty’s T-burners, his construction document seems pretty straight forward, especially since I have a lathe. Insulation will be one inch wrap of Kaowool, with another inch of Kastolite inside of that, coated with some HYB-UV I got from Rex Price. I like the split shell Wayne Coe shows on his website, will probably incorporate that into one of them. Thanks in advance for the help Brian

Those are lumber forks, with the full taper blade and tall back height. The heels probably got too thin from them dragging them and they flunked the OSHA inspection. I'd make whatever out of them. Doubt they can "legally" be put back in service. Brian

Larry, We have kicked several ideas around between us in the past but I think your biggest hurdle is going to be peoples available power. I don't know how to get the flow rates you need without 480 volt 3 phase power. It seems like this will significantly limit your market to the larger industrial folks. Maybe that is your target anyway? Brian

This weekend, June 26,27, 28 is the Brooks swap meet in Brooks, OR just south of Portland. I can just about guarantee there will be post vises there. I have picked up several over the years, along with lots of other old tools and gas engine goodies. It's not in your backyard, but still an easy drive for a good swap meet. Brian

In regards to my source, its NFPA (National Fluid Power Association )/ T3.16.2 or ANSI B93.18 if you want the specific language, plus almost 25 years working as an engineer in mobile hydraulic systems. I also added the caveat about duty cycle which in most of our home shops is limited as other posts since mine have also pointed out so your mileage will vary considerably depending on usage. Even a quick Google search with "sizing hydraulic reservoirs" comes up with 2-3x pump flow, not that I put much faith in that without investigating sources

Actually the rule of thumb is three to five times without any sort of secondary cooling. Proper consideration should also be given to internal baffling in the tank to make sure the return oil isn't immediately directed back to the pump and to minimize aeration. Duty cycle will change your requirements as well.

I'm well aware of the math (design mobile hydraulics for a living). One question I did have with the two cylinder design was did Randy use any flow division to synchronize the cylinders. When he was using the wide combo dies and one side hit first, the other cylinder is going to get all the flow, wracking the platform and throwing a lot of extra stress into guides and frame. As long as the design allows for it, this will work but there are hydraulic solutions for this as as well. One other thing regarding 1 big vs two small cylinders and speed would be the plumbing. A bigger cylinder will have larger ports allowing for more flow. Two cylinders will have slightly more complicated plumbing. It's splitting hairs, but I'm a big fan of neat, tidy hydraulic plumbing, have seen a lot of hairballs out there. Use bigger hoses, sweeping bends, as few 90 degree fittings as possible and you will have a more efficient, cooler running system. Whew...

Area and volume are gonna be the same regardless of one or two cylinder. Smaller bore cylinders are a lot more common (cheaper) on the surplus market

I just found out that a very good friend of mine Don Kemper passed away yesterday. He was a former ABANA as well as NWBA president. He spent countless hours promoting the craft, and will be missed by many. I'm not sure what our local county fair will be like in his absence. His blacksmithing demonstrations were enjoyed by many, both young and old. Please remember his family in your prayers.

I have been through the same situation as you; heart attack, stents and then a double bypass 6 weeks later. It may seem tough now to stay on the recommended regimen; I couldn’t lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk, and wasn’t supposed to drive for six weeks. I did a lot of sketching, shop cleaning and organizing, all in preparation for my eventual parole. Looking back on it, a year and half later, it’s truly amazing to consider what all they did and the speed of my recovery. I’m doing everything I was prior, and more. Good luck and behave yourself!!!!

KMG was where I had initially come up with a TEFC 2 hp 3600 rpm motor. I'm not big on re-inventing the wheel if I don't have too. I also only want to build one grinder (for now), so there isn't that much difference between 2 hp and 3 hp motors for example and enough folks weighed in and said they wished they had a little more "oomph" I might veer that direction. The above referenced chart was interesting, but only gave one speed for steel with no regard to grit size. This may be one of those acquired things where most folks go by feel as far as how fast they run their various belts? Is there a maximum surface footage one should not exceed? That would help me calculate input rpm and drive pulley diameter.

My grinder in a box (GIB) should be waiting for me when I get home tonight. It’s one of the 2 x 72” kits. I’m hoping to get an idea from some of the experienced knife folks out there as to what motor may be appropriate in terms of hp and RPM. I had initially settled on 2 hp and 3600 rpm with a VFD speed control, but in reading the various forums some comments made me re consider this decision. Some folks pointed out that with the VFD, if you are running at 50% speed your torque is substantially reduced as well. This is something I am currently researching. They also pointed out that running at less than full RPM; the fan won’t be cooling as efficiently, leading to potential motor overheating issues. I’m new to knife making but not too mechanics so I realize there are choices you can make in terms of drive pulley diameter to change belt speeds as well, but I haven’t found any sort of chart that spells out appropriate surface footages etc. for the different grit belts so I can better bracket in my desired speeds. Any comments or suggestions from the more experienced folks would be much appreciated so I can get the appropriated drive parts on the way. I've found little bits and pieces on my research, but nothing approaching any sort of consensus (not that I expect too with this crowd) Thanks Brian

On a double acting cylinder, back pressure in the return line directly reduces the force available