thingmaker3

Get a very long skinny piece and wind it into a hollow sphere.

How does one go about fitting a golf ball onto the tang of a file?  Sounds really useful.

Drill a hole in the golf ball. (Stand back, as the ones with liquid centers spit blue goo.) Jam the file in tang first. The ones with formerly liquid centers don't stay on too well.

SAFETY WARNING: You do not ever want any hydrofloric acid on you. Not even a drop. It is far nastier to one's flesh and bone than most acids. Far nastier! This stuff absorbs into your skin very rapidly. It can cause nerve damage and bone problems. At my day job, we keep the stuff in double walled pipes with expensive sensors in the the outer pipe. We aslo have very strict protocols regarding any unidentified clear oderless liquid.

Much much much safer to stick with the nitric acid.

Now... if you meant hydrochloric acid, then yes, hydrochloric is a dandy etchant.

If you don't know what you have, then it should obviously not be used.

What it's made from does make a difference, but the SHAPE is the big thing with bells. Grind off what you welded on. Strap it to a wooden shaft instead. Or if your heart is set on a steel shaft, wrap it with leather before strapping on the bell.

In order for there to be "cheating," somebody has to come up with "rules." ;)

I make up my own rules as I go along. Here are a couple examples which might apply to making bottom tools:

If it works, it works. If it costs too much, try something else next time. If it takes an unholy amount of time, try something else on the next go. If somebody else comes up with a better way, try it.

It's good for cold-work punches & dies. Very good for machinist's accessories (like special mandrels or collets or such). I'd offer to buy some from you, but the shipping would be prohibitive.

 i know that some makers such as murray carter and bob kramar use water to quench, is this just for certain steels, skill level, or what factors?

Don't know about Bob Kramar, but Murray Carter uses a steel which is very low in manganese. Water is the appropriate quenchant for said steel even in thin sections. Not so for most AISI grades. Even 0.60% Mn increases the hardenability just enough to promote cracking when quenching thin sections in water.

You make it sound easy, Sam. I'll wager you make it LOOK easy too!

I have not changed my opinion since I posted back then. It MUST function within specs. It MUST have the illusion of perfect appearance. Only then is it good enough.

 the lights dim every time I run my 1hp equipment.
 

When you run or when you start? If it is when you "run," then get your landlord to hire an electrician - there is a faulty neutral or ground to be hunted down. If it is "start," then nevermind.

 The steel will need to be brought to a point slightly below the eutectic temperature (ie non-magnetic state) and then allowed to air cool

 

Well, sort of...

Eutectic and eutectoid are different, and niether applies here. The steel needs to be converted to austenite, which for pro-eutectoid steels is about 50F above nonmagentic.

Kurgan,

Sorry to hear about bad health. I hope you are able to resolve things and get better!

What competitions? What committees? You made me curious about this, but I will never find the litterature unless I know what it is.

Here's one: http://www.bladesports.org/ but it is not one of the ones Steve was talking about. They have no restriction against differential hardening. Perhaps Steve will be kind enough to name the organization(s) he was referring to.

 my "smithy" is at my parents place an hour's drive away

One of the biggest differences between Americans and Brits is this: A Brit thinks 100 miles is a long way and an American thinks 100 years is a long time. :D

Etch deeply, put the color on (chemical patina or whatever works), then sand it off of the high bits.

Instead of a pipe, you could forge an appropriately tight spiral. Or a pair of rings one above the other. Or the pipe could be hidden inside a larger decorative forging.

What does "recast" mean?

It means "melt it and pour it into a mold."

If alloy steel is overheated, the grain becomes unacceptably large. If this it the only problem, we can fix it by thermally cycling the steel. Some steels will have elements coming out of solution at the grain boundaries when overheated. This can make the steel come apart at the seams, so to speak. D2 is one example - hit it when it is too hot and you'll shatter it. Some steels will remain brittle because of this even after being tempered.

Overheating also causes rapid decarburization.

Depends on the "job" doesn't it?

Can't copyright a name either. Those get a trademark.

I think Glen was trying to make sure Jerry Hoffman got due credit.

I  have found clinker to be a superior material for filling pot-holes in our gravel driveway. It packs beautifully and proves durable.

I've heard tales of folk cleaning the larger ones with LPA, spraying them with urathane, and selling them at ren-faires as "dragon dung."

Use a threading hammer. ^_^

lol, I was acually trying to get the blade to fail (brake) instead the lag bolts holding the vice down failed.

Time to make some lag bolts from the L6. :lol:

I consider good lighting to be vital. I also insist on a place to "go." A cooler for the beer is nice, but I can do without the cooler if I have to. A player and stack of Celtic Rock or older Heavy Metal CDs is most helpful.

BAAAAAH-you-tiful!

For "plunge cuts" a "goofy file" is a handy thing. It is a flat file with round edges. They can be had from the better stocked chainsaw vendors. Here in logging country they can be had for $6 each.

I hear you, Brother Stells. Last week I spent about five hours making lables for a data center expansion.

But I try real hard not to have that many cords plugged in at home at once. :lol: