thingmaker3

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:

http://corian.co.uk/Corian/en_GB/assets/downloads/documentation/corian_specdata_en.pdf You can do inlays or thermoform it. You can also use dyes on it.

Too bad you don't have enough for a test piece as well - you could see if 350F temper would be good for the skinner. As it is, you might want to play safe and temper at 400F. Won't make a whole lot of difference anyway, just would have been nice. Finish it. THEN MAKE MORE.

By the look of it, it is either scrapbinium or scrapyardium.

You think the Brady Labeler is expensive? Look up the price of the labels themselves!

The few saw wrests I've seen have all had multiple slots in them. They look nothing like a scrolling wrench.

This trick can be extended for even more cords. Say you've got four colors of tape. By putting two pieces of tape (or velcro or ties or paint or...) on, you can have up to 16 unique combinations. Five colors gives 25 uniquely labeled cords. A velcro pigtail glued on the cord somewhere keeps the coil tidy in storage.

Let's see, O1 austenitizes around 1470 to 1560F 15n20 austenitizes around 1480F So far, so good... O1 needs higher tempering temps than the 15n20 for a given hardens, however, so we need to look more closely at the thing being made: Is this a caping knife or a machete? And how much 01 per 15n20 - 50/50? 90/10?

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/2006-free-blacksmithing-books-on-the-web/ I usually go to a tire place and cut a deal for used balancing weights. Best price I've found so far is five pounds for free. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with a kid over in Arabia. Something about wanting a princess...

There were at least two kinds of trade secrets. First were those kept within the trade. Things like using swages to get repeated shapes were not talked about outside the shop or the guild hall. Second were those secrets of need. If you could make better crossbow springs or armor than the folk across the border, you did not advertise the specifics of your technique. But secrets within a guild or a shop? I concur with others here - that would indeed be counterproductive. Near the end of the 19th century, the more literate smiths began writing books and articles for all other smiths. (Some of the debates in the trade journals were identical to those we hold today on the internet. Trade secrets may have changed, but people have not.)

Great stuff, Dave!

Chris, if your's rubbed off with finger, then you may have done something differently than Thomas. Can you list the specific steps you took?

http://www.iforgeiron.com/page/index.html/_/blueprints/ ...and you get two more wishes!

Emery cloth and emery flour are specified in The Mechanician published 1879 From The Smith's Pocket Companion published 1893: A very useful polishing powder for metals and glass is made of very finely ground glass mixed with a small proportion of dried soda ash. So get out to the shop and start making some historically accurate glass to grind up! :lol: Optionally, you can get silica in differing grits from a pottery supply house. You can get soda ash from some art supply houses. The Companion lists two other polishing formulas, but you don't want those ingredients anywhere near food. Wear a respirator or you'll have historically accurate silicosis.

When you say "odd size," do you mean "metric?"

Rbig, you did not give your location. If you are in North America, you'll need two hot leads and a ground lead and a two-pole breaker. If you're not in North America, consult some electrician other than me. North America uses a single split phase. Other places do not. And, yes, fifty amps. (Wiring should accommodate 120% of anticipated load.)

I use 3-in-1. Works great.

The math says tempering for twelve hours at 450F has the same effect as tempering for one hour at 500F. Look up "tempering parameter" if you want to know more.

We are in agreement. Thank you for your clarification.

And I challenge you, Sir, to demonstrate that the last two digits specify ONLY carbon content. Start with the plain carbon steels.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, a good many a smith used what they called "lotions" for quenching. These were formulae containing anything from sal amoniac to yellow prussiate of potash. (Don't try this at home - it involves cyanide compounds.) To get back to the original question - look at the specific heat capacity of steel and the specific heat capacity of the quenchant. This is where the gallon per pound rule of thumb originates.

Look up the specs!! Each separate spec lists RANGES of allowable alloy content - including carbon. Though, admittedly, in this instance only the carbon ranges change. 38 to 43 points for the one and 48 to 53 points for the other.

When I think something is bogus, the very best thing I can do is go into the smithy and TRY IT. Nothing separates BS from fact like TRYING IT. Often I prove I am right and that what is being claimed is BS. Sometimes I prove I am wrong and that what is being claimed is what I should be learning. So... Brian: THANK YOU. Everybody else: meh... whatever... maybe you should actually try it.

Have you consulted a physician?

It is a flat file with single-cut curved teeth. Type "dreadnaught file" into your favorite search engine and select "images." They also seem to be called "panzer" files if they are without tang. I've seen them specified for aluminum work in some books. I would love to know how they hold up - how long they last in hot-work. I can them locally for about $15.