thingmaker3

Saying "union" is like saying "wine" or "steel" or any other generic term. Might as well say I do/don't like people. Or dogs.

Some locals of some unions are great. Others suck. Welcome to the human race.

Places i'm considering ... Portland outskirts (west side.. like Banks/Cornelius),

I mean really, it's not like there're blood sucking lawyers or politicians buzzing around everywhere you know.

The politicians and county officials in Washington County Oregon could give Count Dracula lessons.

I suggest Columbia county instead. Many places in or near St.Helens or Warren or Scappose are close enough to Portland's NW industrial district for buying steel or other supplies. Land use rules are far less restrictive than in Washington county. And you can legally buy locally made suppressors for your full-auto .50 cal.

Check "Craigslist" for rental properties in the area.

The book "Iron Menagerie" by The Guild of Metalsmiths might be of some utility here.

Either old style cast steel or newer Chinese cast steel. Both become brittle at higher temperatures do to bad things happening between the grains.

Did you reshape the wedge any before using it?
I'd love to see a picture too.
Phil

No reshaping done. It was a big wedge which had recently been dressed. Top was maybe three inches across & just a bit domed. Sorry, but nobody had a camera that day.

Why NOT Keith? How about I don't have a big enough claw hammer?

Mayhap one could use a power hammer to forge a sixteen pound claw hammer...

I don't know if this counts as "improvised" or as "recycled," but here goes...

My coal forge is made from 1/4" x 4" x 4" angle. This was gas-cut from the 4" x 8" U-channel of the flatbed truck my sister-in-law's ex-husband drove into the ditch of my wife's folks' property. Legs are adjustable because they're made from old damaged house-jacks cut down to size.

As for pure imporvisation, Padawan and I have used a big splitting wedge as an anvil. We thought we might have to change out "stumps" a few times, but the hot workpiece made a good shock-absorber.

Take the biggest pieces, clean them off with low-pressure compressed air, coat them in varathane or some such, and sell them for $5 each at ren-fairs as "dragon dung."

Clinker is my #1 choice for filling pot-holes.

Don't forget to add C.F.'s shipping charges when you calculate price. You might be better off burning diamonds.

Those are Canadian dollars, right? I didn't know the exchange ratio was so skewed.

How 'bout something akin to a milkshake mixer or drywall mud mixer?

I have one. I'm quite pleased with it. For welding or brazing, it's like having a jeweler's torch and a Victor both in one package - no need to change out parts all the time. Cuts very nicely too.

Not quite up to par for rosebud work. (Or maybe I'm just using it wrong.)

Needs special (and more pricey) regulators.

I got mine used at a good price, and I'm glad I got it.

So, why is it that these steels are shallow hardening? (and therefore good for creating a Hamon)

Louis

It's all about carbon moving around in the steel. If there are few or no alloying elements other than iron and carbon, then the carbon can more quickly form cementite. The more things we put in the way, the longer it takes for the carbon to form cementite. If the carbon does not have time to move around and form cementite, it gets caught in the interstitial spaces of the iron lattice - viola! Martensite!

For a more eloquent and more detailed explanation, read "Principles of Heat Treatment of Steel" by George Krauss, "Principles of Heat Treatment" by Grossman and Bain, or "Tool Steel Simplified" by Palmer and Luerssen.

As I understand it---as you change thickness of stock, the angle of the marker changes keeping it aligned with the center----Very neat trick indeed!

Looks like our clever Mr. Sarver has once again been dabbling in the dark arts of Trigonometry and/or the Pythagorean Theorem.

Based on the dimensions given, and on dimensions given for several anvils on google, I'd say it weighs closer to 600.

Seller's post has been deleted from Craigslist, but IIRC it was 22.5" by 6" face, with anvil height being in the teens.

Even if it is "only" 500, the deal is still a "can't pass up" one.

Here we go again...

"Flexible" means "thin." And that's all it means. An annealed peice of given size takes the same force as an as-quenched piece of same size when it comes to bending. Do NOT take my word for this - go out to your shop and TRY IT.

Sure, some steels have higher strength than others and will take a set (or snap off) with less force per unit cross section. But you can't "heat treat for flexibility." You have to design for it!

The stainless steels which do harden via heat-treating will harden in air. They are difficult to forge, barely moving under the hammer. I just about wore myself out last time I played with the stuff. Of course, if you have access to a power hammer... Or a striker...

A couple of friends and my wife and I went to OMSI today. (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) There we saw "Samson," one of the largest and most complete T.Rex skeletons ever found. The monster was truly awe-inspiring - much more impressive in person than in any of the depictions.

But as captivating as the beast was, I found myself equally impressed by the support structure holding up the fossilized bones. It was subtle, fuctional, but still artistic. When we got home I had to find out who had made this structure. I learned it was fabricated by "Phil Fraley Productions" - a team of six experts who have been doing this kind of thing for a while now.

Have a peek: http://www.philfraleyproductions.com/PDFs/Science-Ill.pdf

Sadly, the photos don't do either the iron or the bones any real justice.

Go to a thrift store and buy some ladies' nylon stokings. Pull one of them over the motor. This does an excellent job of keeping the motor innards clean without blocking air-flow for cooling.

If you are embarrassed about buying such an item, have your wife or sister or someone get them for you.

I have made and forged thermite iron. If you only use ore ad Al-powder the iron will be fairly pure Fe, no carbon at all.
Grainsize is HUGE and there will be lots of cracks wich makes it a bit tricky to forge in the begining
.
alloying elements can be added in the process to make instant steel, but it is quite hard to control exact composition of the steel.

Out of curiosity, are there any filberts near your anvil? (Are you who I think you are?)

The short & easy answer is "EDM." The long answer is to chalk the loss up to tuition in the school of hard knocks. Drill bits don't drill throuhg other drill bits. You need EDM for that...

Cheap grinders like Dewault, HF, and Ryobi can really cause damage to the nerves in your wrists due to excess vibration, and simply are not worth the risk.

Jerry Bennett, who has been wielding grinders for a living for nearly three decades, taught me a spiffy trick a few years back. Losen the 90 degree handle a quarter turn to absorb a great deal of the vibration! This makes a huge difference on the cheap grinders, but can also be more comfortable on the high-end grinders. Never loosen more than a quarter turn. Re-tighten when done.

I have White's logger/smoke jumper boots that are custom made to fit my flipper like feet. They're expensive, well over $350, last time I checked but I bought mine a good 25 years ago when they were about $250 a pair. Anyway, ZERO foot injuries or related skeletal problems wearing White's Boots.

The Danners I gave $225 for only lasted five years. I'm thinking "well over $350" for a quarter century might be a darn good investment... Two pair woul last longer than me.

I spoke with Berkley on the phone today. He did have some from an old shop, but is not able to help. He suggests we try Texaco for their quench oil.

Not too many of the scrap yards around here (Sw Wa - Portland Or) sell to individuals any more.
Unload and go - NO scrounging!

Luckily I've been collecting scrap for so long that I've got plenty of fellas who give me a heads-up when they have the good stuff . . .

The Steel Yard on Killingsworth and Clackamas Steel just off Hwy 212/224 on Evelyn St both still sell scrap to the public.

I gave a quarter a pound last time in Clackamas.