territorialmillworks

Having made similar items, here are some of the ideas that I have used on PINE. Hardwoods should work much the same. 1. When making a lot of Southwest style furniture, I gang mounted 10 wire brushs side by side on a horizonal shaft over an adjustable bed, powered by 1 hp motor. Strips the soft material right out leaving 'weathered' ridges of the harder stuff. Without a power feed, a SCARY tool to use. Never got around to reducing the RPMs 2. For small quantities, I just use the wire brush on my bench grinder. 3. Make a stain by soaking iron scale/nails/ or floor sweepings in vinegar for 48 hrs. Gives a gray color if diluted or a dull purple color full strength. Test first because it darkens a lot after reacting with the wood. 4. Wood leaching removes the hygroscopic elements- sugar/starch/protein/lignin, leaving harder elements. Only formula I have is water/lime/detergent and 2% sodium hydroxide by volume. Multiple application to desired gray color. 5. Use Minwax Polysealer in spray can. Let dry and buff with Scochbrite pad to denib and then reapply second coat. Another idea is to make a crown of thorns from black anodized/annealed craft wire.. We make the thorns by twisting short pcs around a small finish nail, thread them onto a longer wire, spacing them accordingly. Add two more long pcs, holding one end in a vice grip with the other end in a drill and twisting. Then trim thorns to length. Hope you will post pics later

Aarrggg....Frosty you should never have shown me that link on fold-forming.. Like most men, I'm easily distracted by shinny objects -- I want to try that real bad....focus focus Irnsrgn......PERFECT for what we need to do which is John 3:16 Thanks, Keith

Frosty, could you explain 'fold forming'? THX

I want to forge a book to accent a piece of artwork. The book needs to be opened up and approx 3" tall by 4.25" wide by .5" thick. This would be an element that I would use numerous time if I can produce it efficiently. Problem is it needs to have enought detail to be recognizable as a book!!.

Thanks for all the input. I bought a 250# Fisher cheaper than the last 127# Hay budden that I bid on. With my experience, I don't think that I could tell the difference between a Trenton and a Hay budden but I know that I can tell the diff between the fisher and the Harbor Freight ASO that I've been using for the last year.....

Any advise on Fisher & Norris anvils as to quality/desirability? The anivl is chunky with a short horn but with a large face........and definitely not portable!!

Having trouble being efficient with long tapers in 1/2" round stock. Should I fuller the whole length first and then forge to square/octagon/round or work on one section at a time? Also, should I fuller on all 4 sides or just the top/bottom of the round? Thx, Keith

Distance between 18" pulley and 3" drive pulley will be 36" - 48". Final speed will be 300+-rpm I want to use an idler pulley to act as a "clutch". Do I put the idler pulley on the driven side of the belt or on the slack side of the belt? Should the idler be in the center or near the 18" or 4" pulley. Thanks, Keith..

Tried a lot of different finishes including homemade brews. Generally too sticky, too thick or too slow drying. I've added Japan Drier and solvents trying to get it right. Then I tried Minwax Wipe-On Polyureathane. Flowed easy, didn't puddle and dried smooth in the advertised time of 1.5 hrs at 60 deg and high humitity (raining outside !) My linseed oir/japan drier/paint thinner mix is still tacky two days later.....

Thanks for the sources....Hole saw!!! Why didn't I think of that??

Without wanting to restart the debate between forged elements and production made elements, I've lost the source for concave shaped candle 'dishes'. A Calif company had these at a price that I couldn't fire up my plasma torch. Anyone know where to buy these?? THX in advance...... "Never to old to show my ignorance of things vital or mundane"

Jose, my closest friend, called Hospice yesterday for his dad. Jesus (spanish). Pray for God's peace, stength and mercy....THX, Keith

Once more I got in a hurry and knocked over my can of moly lube. What a mess! and yes, I'm am a slow learner. Solution was to Gorilla glue a magnet to the bottom of the can and then put a piece of aluminum plate in the bottom of the can so that my drifts and punches wouldn't 'stick'. Keith....

Any suggestions on tempering H13 steel for punches/chisels. Ordered annealed but got prehardened. Sucks cause I'm going to have to soften before machining...TNX.,Keith

Thanks to all the good advise, I'm 2 for 3. Now its practice makes perfect. My wife/best friend/partner said no to the die set until I'm finished. Focus, focus, focus LOL

Made a v-block with a vise-grip for a quick hold-down. Made my slitter thinner and added a handle. MUCH easier and I ordered H-13 stock (Needed to do this a year ago). Cold chiseling a mark helped a lot. Much better than a punch mark. Could you describe the die? Is it a spring set die? Is the slitter permanately attached? How does the stripper work? My mill & lathe are my other obsessions.. I definitly could not have grown in this craft without all the help. Thanks, Keith

Salvaging of oil tanks is often done be purging with dry ice or nitrogen. I'd still flush with water then dump the dry ice in and wait a respectful time for it to melt and fill with inert CO2. When I was young, I welded gas tanks by inserting a large dia hose from the exhaust pipe of a car and letting it run but I wouldn't do that today! God seems to look after stupid people, proved by me writing this....

Not much luck sliting/drifting 5/16" holes in 5/16" rod. Smaller dia seems less forgiving, 10" lengths cool fast even when I 'warm' the anvil. Too many heats and rods are bent up. Need 30+ pieces (yesterday) so I need to to be efficient as there will be more orders. Thought about drilling 1/8" pilot hole and trying to drift without sliting.. Any ideas on holding jigs other than anvil dog? Should have mastered this before I agreed to do it. But that wouldn't be any fun....THX

That's what I thought. ITC coating was always part of the 'plan'. Got the fiberboard for $85 on ebay and knew that I had to build a new/better forge.

Have (2) 2" X 24" X 48" sheets of 2600 deg insulation. This stuff is about the density of styrofoam. I have enough to build a new forge with 4" thick walls but I'm thinking this is 'overkill'. Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions???

Anyone have a source for small quantities of H-13 steel

Made 1/2 sized rapiers for grandsons. Wife insisted on blunted points/edges on the swords! Unrefined but got lots of compliments. Now their dad wants one. Trying to replicate a sword with perferated guard with scroll work cross pattern- a stretch for my experience/ability. Need to punch the plate flat, shape into 'bowl', then add scroll. The spacing is 1/4" X 1/4" centers. thanks for great ideas, will have to figure out maintaining punch to die alignment and deal with backside deformity....... might go with lighter gauge plate......

Need to punch 294 1/8 inch holes into an 8 inch diameter disc of 1/8" plate. I don't have a clue how to hot punch this many holes without endless heats. Drilling would probably be faster but would like to hear ideas.

Blueprints is just what I needed. The idea of re-working a cheap 2 pound hammer into a cross-peen and the step by step for tongs is great. I can even print the photos and take them outside to forge with me(short term memmory loss being what it is). With temeratures upto 120 deg in sunny southern Arizona, forging will defintely be a winter only activitiy. Thanks again......

Have been metal working for years. Wanting to expand beyond my plasma art so I signed up for college blacksmithing course in Jan. Will finish my forge this weekend. So which tools should I start making first? Yes, I have more enthusiasm than knowledge but failure never stopped me from doing many (most) things. THX