Ten Hammers

Please, keep us updated on this glue. Thanks.

Metal99, I would indeed say that your fancy has been tickled. You have been given specific instructions by 2 competent welders. Sorry if I sound harsh but give it a try.

Snap On Brand Taps and dies ?

New taps should almost cut your hand when handled. I might just grab a selection of better quality nuts and screw them on the taps and bolts for the dies. If they are in a box that lets the stuff all bang together I would isolate each piece in some way (like wrapping in clean shop rags.) I would also clean and wipe them with something ( Marvel Mystery oil might be my choice) and then store. Call me picky but when you need good threads you need good threads. Some may be good for that and SOME may be better for cleanout on old stuff that a good tool might get torn up with.

Mick, your work is indeed inspiring. Thank you.

Yeah Beth, we've seen you in action on a power hammer.

Someone once said " I think I saw you the other day ". I said yeah, there ARE a lotta fellas that look like me

Phil, perhaps a few pictures of your welding experience would be nice and some essay of your experience personally with wet rags and heat sink. Also your experience with stack welds.

Here are a few pictures of my welding. There will be many of course that have better skills than mine. I have a couple of pictures of my stack welding somewhere if you wish. Thomas of course makes the most important point and suggestions but Marks point is indeed well taken. A waist weld is much different.

Wayland Forge, check with Blacksmiths Association of Missouri.

Maybe the real question to me is, " does the net and access to places like this actually make me stop thinking ? " The amount of information on the net is of course staggering. Spell check corrects us. Some things are learned by experience (first person singular). The net has been well, hard to describe.

For those of you that have always had the net, you just type in the subject line. Those of us that are older had to wait to see that fella (or gal) that we thought might have the information we needed. This would require us to think perhaps differently. This is not a hard times speech, simply a way for you to perhaps understand.

The information I have acquired in my life has many times been given freely. Some I have worked for by studying, some by asking questions to folk that were indeed rude to me until they perhaps found out that I wasn't half as dumb as they thought. Being polite mostly solved this problem.

This rights thing is an issue that I will I guess not touch. There will be God Given rights. Some will disagree. So what. I have a personal foundation. My grown kids know where I stand and my grandkids are learning. My associates know where I stand. There will always be lifes issues. Sharing information about shop work is just part of life for me yes.

Placing principles before personalities is some days easier than others. Those first words in the last sentence are not mine but are part of my foundation.

We all have had our times.

I have operated lift trucks for some time. New folks are told that the shipping dock is the deep end of the pool. You can't swim, stay away. On the other hand, production and receiving is another matter. Folks unfamiliar, I just tell them that this is salt water and there are SHARKS. 5000lb gas lift trucks at between 9-12 mph. Mostly loaded running backwards. 3 of us to be specific. No accidents because quite simply, everyone is on their toes. Staying out of the way is mostly the key.

Wire wheels are salt water and sharks. Period. Faster the speed, quicker the reaction time. Deadly. For an old fat guy I'm fairly quick. I haven't had a wire wheel or a rock (bench) grinder in my shop for years. I use chemicals to de-scale for a large part.

Thomas, glad you healing with all your appendages. Take heart. You a club member in good standing. I have had times when I was a frequent flyer. Sometimes still, I get a little light in my head that says " you fixin to do something not too smart ". My choice to ignore that light and unfortunately I still do from time to time.

Attached is one of them times. 2nd one kinda looks like a shrimp don't it ? No amputations yet ( that last word means " you eligible too " ).

Call me traditional.


Iron Man

Perhaps " Oh Well " to be added as a post script but the list could go on for years really. Certainly Little Wing and Get Rhythm ( CASH ).

Frank, I do indeed share things in common with you. siesta time is good.

This professional shop would be minimum 30x40 10' plate. Gable construction. 6" slab with footings around. Porch/overhang over the entrance and one sliding door on side. Entry on one end, double door. Rollers inside to unload bar/round tubing etc. Also rollers to unload sheet/plate. Stock stowage on wall behind rollers. Burn table on other end of bldg (downstream from double door). Plasma/gas torch/chopsaw/bandsaw on that burn table. SERIOUS exhaust with overhead and under table collection vents. Drywalled/insulated. Floor heat, wood boiler. 200 amp service single phase.

Central location, 12" stainless flu. Side sucker hood for standard coal forge ( one I built is fine). 2 gassers. BOSS power hammer for now. For now, same MIG, stick and gas welding equipment (along with plasma). NEW drill press. Hydraulic unit to run press and a couple of motors.

Nice work Big Red. When you get a reply from a retired bosuns mate, you got the key.

Stewart, the simple answer on the glove is because she wants to keep her hand cooler (and apparently she has no handled punch). Come forge a few 16" plates with me. Tongs holding the hot have 16" reins. THAT hand gets a glove sometimes. Hammer hand never does.

Opinions vary. Women see different colors than men. I don't understand " cream ". It's just light or lighter brown. Smiting is the same. PROCESS may be the same in many cases but the end results are different. I know some fellas that are extremely good critics in finished goods work. They give me feedback which I need from time to time. I know a couple of women that give feedback of the same piece but they have a different view. Perhaps it is female view, perhaps not (I guess) but I absolutely know that both opinions are important to me. I don't press the flesh with any female smiths ( read blacksmiths). I do have however a friend that is a 35 year experienced bench jeweler. I see her a couple of times a year. Of course jewel work is for the most part whitesmith. The fact is though that running hard solder or seeing a puddle in ferrous metal is quite similar as is cold and hot forging. We have large in common and have excellent conversations comparing trade from time to time.

One of the most foolish things you could do is to try and hold either of my daughters down when it comes to skill and ability. They neither one smith but their skills are indeed quite impressive.

I was raised around farm women. Skilled in equipment operating as well as animal husbandry. Anyone that has opinions that women are not capable (physically, emotionally or otherwise) are short sided in their views. Not all men are obviously capable of smithing.

Yeah, the NOW nags would be kindergarten compared to a few women welders I know when mad. Beth, nice to see you in action. Look forward to seeing more of your work. You too Coleen.

Beth, you go girl.

I have 2 grown daughters and 6 granddaughters. Hopefully one of the granddaughters will take the trade. They all like the fire.

Reproduction side of the trade ?

Something for you to consider. Ebay is just that. A place full of folks that sometimes have no clue of what an item is and wish to convince you they do. the fella has a punch for sale and says it is a machinists punch for knocking out bolts. you should always beware on that place.

I am a BAM member so I of course recommend their site.

these links are to your state:

http://www.balconesforge.org/

http://www.fourstatesironmunchers.com/

http://www.habairon.org/

this will give you a start. Tyler is located close to a couple of groups. Check them out and see if they are compatible with your needs. Good luck

Nurse tanks ( large tanks to supply homes and industry ) are measured in gallons held. They have specs stamped on a dataplate that is attached to the top of the tank normally. They are filled
( common case ) by the tank truck. They have gauges to measure % in tank. Truck driver fills to whatever % you have asked for or full ( as close as he wants normally). This is measured in gallons pumped on the meter on the filler on the truck and you are charged the gallon price of the day OR your contract gallon price. There are above ground and underground tanks. Most will draw gas from the internal dip tube. Large tanks are rated in gallons normally. They will have a regulator to take tank pressure down. A second stage regulator on the house (example) takes the first stage down to 11 WCI to enter the appliance control.

Bottles are weighed fill here locally and in many places. They have data stamped in the handle normally. Water capacity tells how much liquid the tank is rated for (as do the large nurse tanks). There is a chart by the filler station (normally) that the filler uses to set the scales. So much WC = so many gallons in the tank. The scales are set and when they balance, the filler is shut off.

Some places will measure the existing weight ( tank not empty ) and charge you the difference when they have the full weight. Some will charge you a full weight fill each time. Normally there will be a set price for bottle size fill. Common upright bottles draw gas. Horizontal ( lift truck for example) draw liquid. Different needs. Different valves. You have one regulator on your home gas grill or other appliance (gas draw). Weed burners will normally run on tank pressure. Motorized devices (lift trucks, tractors, cars, large trucks) may have liquid tanks or gas draw ( normally liquid in my experience). they are regulated at the point where the fuel air mixture enters the motor. Hope this helps. I'm sure there are folks with better information in some of these areas I have described.

The real question is which hammer do you use ( OK Frank I know how you do it ).

Far side starts a dull point and then the neck for the leaf stem. Horn continues the stem till length is happy. Full face (or far corner) next to smooth the stem. Near side (or near corner) to finish the inboard transition.

There is no real answer on which side I use the most. I use them all. I also use cross and straight piens and rounding and ball piens on all sides.

I have experience using a brake press in this process. Schedule 40 pipe flattened on the ends for welding. Micro switches on the press. Outboard stand for indexing the ends to make even. I would think that some radiused top and bottom dies on an arbor press would work for the conduit. A depth stop inboard (fence) would give you the same length each time. you would need a comfortable stool to set on to make process friendly to yourself. Perhaps a spring return UP on the arbor press. YES pay attention to the weld on the tubing (pipe).

I have done several hundred pieces of pipe at a time in this brake press process. good luck.

In reality (with modern shop) a piece of " I " beam or " H " beam or other stuff could be made into a bottom tool, radius ground and welded to a base that fit in the hardy hole or on a piece of angle to fit in the vise.

Just more tooling for more needs.

Actually I'm gonna be with Dan. Consider it a challenge. Find the right connection in the coal industry local to you. Just break the ice. This may take some time. Salt their oats with a quality forged piece. You may get one chance to do this right. I would make sure this connection is authorized to give samples. You have no need for trouble with someone stealing from the company. It may pay you returns on your investment. Just ask for a sample bucket.

Perhaps there are legitimate reasons for the industry not selling to small customers. Perhaps the reasons are not really nice politically.

In all reality, the coal may be junk for forging. Coal trains pass north of here. Hundreds of cars. Power plant coal. Worthless for forging to me.

Hoping you find a solution. Charcoal still works quite nicely.

I learned to (gas) weld with a Victor. I have had a Dillon torch for several years and would not be without it ( or the smith gas saver it hangs from). I do not cut with it ( I use the hypertherm 600 or Smith gas torch for that ).

Agreed the cost factor is smaller using a standard Victor or Smith or whatever for welding BUT the tip selection on the Henrob is where it's at for me. I can weld anything from 16 ga wire to 3/8 plate (although I would normally use the MIG or stick for plate). Common welding I do with the Henrob is 14-16 sheet and rod form 3/16 to 3/8.

Some day when my Dutch Uncle lets me turn loose of some money I'll add some QD's to the torch hoses and I'll have the same handy way to change things I do on the gas forge.