R Funk

I don't have a digital camera so I can not post a picture of my forge I made my forge from a scap sheet of 1/8 plate from an old tank. It was all ready cut up in small pieces so I did not to be concerned with the safey issues of explosion etc cutting up a tank. I esentially made a table this 1/8" thick plate apprximately 24" wide and 18" long. The table was edged with 1-1/4" by 1/8" angle to prevent coal from falling of. I notched the angles on the 18" long side so I could lay long peices in th fire. I fabricated a "Bob Patrick" firepot from 1/4" steel plate and welded this in a hole in the center of the "table". The Bob Patrick firepot design is listed several times in IforgeIron.com and can be easily located with a Google search. I fabricated a tee pipe from scrap 2" threaded pipe and installed a Buffalo # 400 hand blower on the forge. The forge has 1" scrap steel pipe, Subsequently I installed a 4" post vise on one corner of the forge. This forge performs well and has heated 2.5"-3" round for a replacement anvil horn to forging heat in a appropriate amount of time. Thanks to Bob Patrick firepot design and the #400 blower. Feel fee to contact me for a more detailed discussion

An air compressor will work but burns a lot of electricity as it compresses the air to 100PSI +/- and then the air is used at the forge at well under 1 PSI. Plus I would think many small shop air compressors would not put up with required duty cycle. If I remember correctly my "3 HP" (yeah right... Probably actually 1.5 hp) has a duty cycle of 35%, that means the motor running 35% of the time. It is very easy to measure "inches of water pressure" as literally that is what it is . Place a 1/4" or 1/8" pipe tape between the blower and the tuyre. Install clear vinyl hose on the pipe tap. Yes it would be better to install the vinyl hose as far form the tuyre as possible. Pour in a few tablespoons of water in the tube. Operate the forge in normal operating conditions and measure the difference in the two water levels. For example if the water in the tube pushes up 1" in one tube and down 1" in the other tube that would be 2" differential and hence 2" water pressure. You could add a few drops of food coloring to make the water levels more visable.

I do not know why anybody would buy a new sears O/A set, as they are just as expensive as Harris or maybe even moreso. You have to be careful buying from Sears has reulted in a lot of orphan tools as they switch from supplier to supplier. However if you run across one that you know works I would be tempted to buy it for the right price. (15% for one in questionable condition to 50% of new price for one almost like new.) Since I have so much Harris already I would buy a cheap Craftmen if I found one as back-up components. I replaced one of my Harris regulators when it went bad with a two stage Craftsman. I bought for $5.00 and not the $40.00 to repair the Harris As far as the issue of repairs, most LWS (local Welding Suppilier) send the equipmnet they recieve for repair to an independent repair shop and most them don't care whether it is Caraftsman or Harris As far as 2-Stage vs 1-Stage I have found that single stage has not been an issue for me. The only advantage that I am aware of for a 2 stage regulator is that if you use a substantial amount of gas from the tank in one usage, The 2 stage regulator will keep the gas supply pressure on its orginal set point. A single stage regualator's discharge pressure will droop as the tank pressure decreases. I would expect that most hobbiest blacksmiths will not use a 1/4 of a tank of gas in one operation, unless you have the very small tanks. I have not spent additioanl money for a 2-Stage regualator but that was just my choice. If I were burning for hours at a time I might have a different opinion.

I am impressed by those like Hofi, Tom clark and others that do almost all their forging with one hammer. I have several hammers that I use to expedite the forging proccess. This in part is due to my relative lack of skill compared many of these well known smiths. Of course I like tools and more hammers is always better, right? Maybe not?

I welded the rail coupler on the sides of my first RR track anvil. It approximately doubled the weigh of the anvil. I don't remember of hand, but it is good steel, Probably 1050 or better. They are under a lot of stress and a failure would be catastrofic so they are carefully engnieered including the material and heatreat.

Covforge is exactly correct. If you use a table for a ground make absolutely 100% certain that is a bullet proof ground from the table to the welding ground. Or you might be a dissapointed owner of a power tool that used to work. If the tool is grounded it may be an easier ground path than the table. Thus the 10 amp tool or whatever it is may see a full 150 amps of welding current releasing the factory installed smoke. Please note: once the factory installed smoke is released it is almost impossible to re-install the smoke and make the tool run again. The same principal applies if you are welding on a truck bed or other equipment that should be grounded and you lay a power tool down, creating an alternate ground path for the welding current thru the tool.

Phillp in China is on target. The welders at work use Vee Blocks or Vees on workstands for grounding pipes. This allows easy rotation of the pipe as the weld progresses. Another hint is they use a power pipe threader as a "lathe" to turn the pipe and use a 4.5" right angle grinder to put nice bevel on the pipe for full penetration welding.

I do a little digging and find out what happened to the plug. Is the post outside? Any where near where you want to weld? Is there a 50 amp breaker in your box? Do you have any electrical aptitude? Do you have any freinds with electrical aptitude? I would not let this stop me. If it is inside a outlet could be quickly re-installed. If it is outside the outlet could be installed in a weather tite box and an extension cord run to the garage. If you have a electric dryer in your house you could make an adapter to adaptor to adapt from the 30 amp dryer circut to a 50 amp plug. This probably would cause some discussion with your local inspector if they find out. But this is probalbly safe as 30 amp breaker will still protect 30 amp wiring to the dryer plug. A 30 amp breaker will generally hold a Lincoln 180/225 amp unless high amps settings are used. (ask me how I know) If you are short on cash and not up to spending huge dollars on 50 amp SO cord, you can observe that per the code, #12 AWG Copper THHN is good for either 25 or 30amps (I don't remember which) However it is only good for 20 amps when serving outlets. I can not recomend that you construct an extension cord made from 2 of 2-12 with ground romex cables to carry 50 amps as this would violate the National Electric Code which does not allow parralleling that small a conductor. Let us know how this turns out. But don't get in over your head. Electricity can kill and burn down structures. By the way grat deal on the welder!

I would not rank Jet and harbor Frieght in the same level of quality. Jet is consistantly higher quality than HF IMHO Also make certain that they are both the same size (travel) and that they have a R-3 taper and similar specs.

I have never tried this but it appears that the vice screws are Acme threads. I have in my stock of vices a vice with an Acme nut and a small plate or large washer to give better bearing of the nut on the vice. If they are standard Acme threads a Acme nut could be purchased and cobbled to gether to make the vice work. If you had access to a lathe you could make a box and fit the nut in the box. I feel the older the vice is the less likely it is to be a standard Acme thread

I have run into this problem at work. The legal way is to weld keystock to piece that the bolt goes thru so that it prevents if from turning. Just make certain that it is okay to weld that keystock to the piece. For example it is not permissible to weld on the flange of an ASME pressure vessel unless the welder has an ASME R stamp and the proper paperwork is completed.

The C teen, I concurr with others to be very careful about buying anvil over the internet unless had a chance to inspect it in person or have a trusted blacksmith inspect it. If I had a name brand and photos of the anvil with the brand name clearly showing along with other identifying information I would feel better. Ask the person listing the anvil * Who made the anvil? * What steel is it made from? * How hard is the anvil? * How many has he sold and a list of buyers? OF course a brand name is not always a guaranty. I bought a William Foster for well under a dollar a pound but it was dead soft. Must have gone thru a fire... Oh well live and learn.

M brothers. It is my understanding that historically Hobart never made torches. Hobart was bought out by Miller electric and Hobart is no their lower level welder line. I would probably not buy a Hobart torch unless I can detirmine who is the manufacturer. If it is not a major manufacturer such as Harris, Smith or Victor and possibly one other whose name slips my mind. I would not buy it for fear I would get stuck with an orphan torch several years out in need of repair and no sourch for parts. (yes I have had several) I can say with 90% certainty that the torch pictured is not one of the manufacturers I have listed. I wish I could see it in person but I can't based on my health. TSC used to sell Harris, I don't know if they still do. They were a pretty good value. Airgas sells Harris and one other manufacturer under their own brand name. I have serveral Harris sets and a little of Victor equipment. If I was starting over I might select Smith as they have a lifetime warranty torch and the mixer is in the replacable tip. StJohnBarleyCorn. PLEASE DON'T CUT UP YOUR TANK! Around here they can get requalified for $20-$30. Isn't a replacement tank nearly $300 for a big oxygen? My last new tank was $225 Airgas has never charged me for a requal even when I brought in tanks more than 5 years overdue. I am certain that somebody can help you get a current tank.

Hofi, Thanks for clarifying the Hofi Hammer and its history! Do you have a picture or can post a link for the type of hammers Habermanns used? I would like to see one to help me better understand the hammer they used. Also do you have any information on the Haberman Anvil? Thanks again!

Grinding a weld smooth can actually reduce the likehood of cracking in some cases. For example when splicing a truck frame to lengthen the truck, it is recomended that the welds be ground absolutely smooth to minimize "stress risers" Stress risers are changes in the shape of the steel. It could be a notch, a hole or a change in thickness, such as a weld. For fillet and corner type welds this is not as critical. Just try to keep the size of the weld approximately equal to or larger than the thickness of the material being welded if strength is needed.

Matt87: I don't know the parameters you require for a cross pien hammer. If you don't want to spend the 25 Eng lbs or more for a high quality name brand like Peddinhaus, I would by a double face hammer and mofidify to a cross pien. A 4.5" right angle grinder with a slicer wheel will do the job. After the sides are sliced off to form the pien use a frinding wheel and/or a flap wheel. It will take some time but you do not need to reheat treat. Using a ox/ac torch would be a lot faster but will require re-heatreatment and re-handling. If you modify the hammer you have the option of making a diagonal pein hammer

This looks like a catalog picture with out tooling. I have never used one so I can not comment to much. However what tooling comes with it? Vice Collets Mill cutters hold down clamps fly cutter etc etc You can pile up a lot of money in tooling maybe even more than the $450 for the mill. Hoever I would be tempted to look at it. Look for slop, in the bed, the cross slide, spindle and arbor, the precision down feed system etc, etc, Ask to take some trial cuts. Be careful, do not climb mill. That is feed the steel in the same direction that the cutter is turning. Feed the steel into the opposite direction of the cutter.

HD Warner, Why do you want a perfect anvil? The 1/8" belly is not that severe and adds personailty to the anvil. Plus you can do things on a worn anvil that you can not with a perfectly flat anvil. If the edges are good I leave it alone.

I hand grind my drill bits, but do not know how to explain how to do it over the computer.... One of the most important items, outside of patience, precision and good lighting, is a simaltaneous rolling and changing the angle of the drill bit. This step is critical to get the clearance but comes only with practice. As far as grinding a reamer I know of no way to hand grind a reamer. This is a certain path to ruining a reamer in my opinion. With a small abrasive stone, for example a 1/4" X 1/4" X 6", you could "stone" the radial face of the cutting edge to get a fresh edge. DO NOT TOUCH the outside diameter of the reamer with the stone. Only the radial face of the cutting edge.

Thomas Dean. Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera so I can't post a picture (sorry) Here is a link to a photo of a hand drilling hammer Vaughan HD3 3-Pound Hand Drilling Hammer I took the hammer head and turned it around so the straight side of the hammer head was turned away from the handle instead on the handle side. Examine the eye of the handle to make certain it is tapered appropriately so that the head can be turned around I then cut diagonally thru the hammer from face to the eye, leaving approximately 3/8" of the face remaining that was then ground with a radius appropriate for a pien. The key features of this hammer: *The vertical face on one side of the pien like a french locksmiths hammer allowing better access to corners *This is short compact hammer inspired by the Czech pattern, not a long skinny hammer *It was cheap ($0.50 fleamarket special) *It does attract attention because no one has seen one like it I would prefer to remake the hammer from scratch and make it with a square face as opposed to the octagonal face it has now. I was concerned that the non-symetric shape of the hammer head and the eccentric loading on the hammer head might loosen it on the handle. To date that has not been a problem. Trust this helps. Respond if I can assist further.

If you are buying steel I would recomend 4340. This has an advantage over plain carbon steels (1035-1090) in that it has nickel and chrome as alloying materials which increases the toughness of the steel making it more resistant to chipping and cracking. As far as heat treating that depends on the steel. However in general make certain the center of the face of the hammer is harder than the edges. This will reduce the likelihood of chipping on the edges and keep the face from getting "hollow" This difference in hardness can be obtained both in the quenching process or the tempering process. I know some excellent hammer makers that quench their hammers by spraying a garden hose on the center of the face, making certain that the center of the face is qenched as rapidly as possible for maximum hardness. I would recommend using a toaster oven for tempering as that way we get acuarate control of the tempering temperature and expose the hammer to an extended time period at the tempering temperature. Remember steel does not change completely instantly. TIme at temperature allows the changes in the steel to occur completely. And of course the commercial heat treaters rule of thumb of 1 hr for every inch of thickness. Thus I would put the hammer head in the toaster oven for 2-1/2 hours allowing time for it to get up tempering temperature. After it is tempered, use a torch, being careful not to over heat the face or the pien to temper the eye area so it does not crack in that area as well as temper back the edges of the face and corners of the pien slightly to reduce the likelihood of chipping. As far as junk yard steels that would make a good hammer I would look for agricultual eqipment scrap such as cultivator frames and tool bars. They are usally high carbon steel. I have a 2 inch square cultivator bar that I obtained for making hammers. Of course this may not get done until my health improves. rthibeau is exactly right on the dozer track pins. Not only are they reasonably good steel they come in a variety of sizes based on the dozer they came from. Thus hammers of various sizes can be made as desired. The only thing wrong with track pins is that they are round and should be forged square for the hammer as I feel strongly that a square faced hammer like a Hofi hammer is superior for most blacksmith work. Look up and find "track repair" and also construction equipment repair shops. The dozer tracks are essentialy a very large roller chain. The pins wear and are pressed out and replaced with new pins. Thus a shop that does track repair should have piles of these pins. Another good source of junkyard steel is truck and axles. These are often found scrap yards. Springs are another source of good steel. If you can find some very large coil springs these might have big enough stock for small hammers. Some of the truck springs are getting thicker and thicker. I have some truck springs almost 1.75" thick and 3-1/2" wide. These would make a hammer but a little on the small side.

Yes they are appropriate steel for a power hammer die (not high volume production however) Just make certian that you have a good fit. If you fit is not correct you could whallow out or even break your hammer head or sow block

Just a reminder, the pressfit dimesions are related to the diameter of the shaft/bearing. If a bearing is twice as large the pressfit should be approximately twice as much when mearsured in thousands of an inch.

Ice Czar is on the money when he relates the volitales to the "creosote" build up in the chinney. I did not look it up but if I remember correctly wood has 3-5 times as much volitales as coal, Thus wood is more likely to cresote up a chimmey. I would doubt a forge fire would condense volitales like a wood stove, but the chimmey should be checked. If we allow a wood stove to burn at low heat, as many airtight wood stoves do, the fire is not hot enough to burn the volitales, and they condense on the chimmey. With a hotter fire more volitales are burned in the fire plus the chimmey is hotter and more volitales can pass thru the chimmey without condensing.

I feel that a cast steel anvil is essentially equal to wrought iron/steel faced anvils if they are appropriately shaped, high carbon steel and properly heat treated. The Haberman anvils are cast steel. With these anvils having only a 0.18 carbon content they would need to hardfaced. If one could get one cheap enough I feel that they would be worth hard facing if you have the skills and tools to do it. Thanks for disclosing the steel composition.