HWooldridge

We make windows where I work so that experience has helped me somewhat but we don't do anything that is high heat. I was planning to sandwich the glass between two pieces of 1/8x1/2 angle, with both "legs" facing outward so a channel is formed. I was planning to leave at least 1/8 gap on the ends and 1/32 where it is sandwiched. I'll tell them that it just has to rattle a bit. The only other thing I thought of was to install some spring loaded plunger buttons so there would be tension but the glass can move. Thanks for the ideas.

I am quoting a large fire screen (5'x6') and the customer wants an option for glass. I know plate glass doesn't work - anyone have an opinion on what the best grade and source is for suitable material?

History International channel had a show on tonight about Sustenhofer, the famous Austrian armorer of Emperor Maximilian, from 7 to 8 pm, CST. Best of all, they showed a modern armorer raising an entire suit of armor from plate sheet steel using both hot and cold work. They said he had 59 hammers!!! I thought it was a well-done and accurate show in the details - they let the smith talk so there was no hipwader BS - just real BS. Check their website for future showings.

Grant Sarver knows a great deal about this - I think he has done it a couple of times. Not sure if he's a member here but does post occasionally across the street on Sparky's site. Memory serves that there was a recent discussion about this very subject. As I recall, the tolerances should be very tight because air doesn't build the "ooomph" that steam makes. Steam runs with relatively loose tolerances because of the heat - air needs good sealing surfaces.

A 25 lb will work fine on a normal slab but you should put some wood and a rubber mat under the hammer. This tends to cushion the shock and reduces bounce on the dies. Tractor Supply makes a cushion intended as a stall mat for horses that works well.

Mine is on a truncated pyramid of concrete so the anvil is 250 and the block is 300 - makes for a good, solid foundation. The sand-in-a-box method is popular in Europe with big anvils (over 350 lbs) but they still settle and move around while you work. Their answer is that it's easy to lift the anvil and level the sand - but I like my concrete block. It just sits there quietly and nothing scoots around when I have a helper with a 15 lb sledge.

Properly fitted wood clutch blocks work great, which is what LG used. I have seen brake shoe linings were used on center clutch models and they are usually OK if properly adjusted. One thing that makes them stick is no oil on the clutch. There should be a liberal coating of oil on clutch surfaces. That's counter-intuitive but a dry clutch sticks while a wet one engages and disengages. My old 25 had completely worn out blocks. I had to step so far down on the treadle, the thing would jam and run full speed. I made new blocks from maple on a band saw and fitted them large so the treadle barely had to move to engage the hammer. Don't write off this hammer but go into the deal with your eyes open and some bargaining power. They are pretty easy to fix if you have a little mechanical common sense (and most blacksmiths are gifted in that area... )

I don't know what your wife likes to do with her spare time but hair pins are good, or broaches, maybe a candle holder or two (romantic, don't you know..) - or - cooking utensils, but you gotta be careful with that one. :wink:

Thanks guys - I just had to get that off my chest. As others have already said, time to move on to blacksmithing subjects. Kudoes again to Glenn for a great site...H

Amen...H

Frogvalley has good points - for that amount of money, it better be in pristine condition. There are too many choices on the market today to pay that for anything requiring work - it should be plug and go. If you want a price barometer, I paid $150 several years ago for one that was in pieces and requiring a complete rebuild. I sold it later for $2000 in complete running shape, the new owner had it working about two hours after unloading. If it's under power, stick a length of 2x4 between the dies and step on the treadle. This hammer will work 2" stock - it's just slower than a larger hammer. A 2x4 is a good approximation of max load. To cycle properly, the dies should be no closer than 1" apart at the lowest idle position (not running). Also take note whether you can very lightly step on the treadle and start the hammer. It's sort of like a car - you don't use it at full throttle very often.

This is in reference to the recent posts which have caused hackles to rise here and there - it is not directly related to blacksmithing but may apply once in a while... Humans first developed speech to effectively communicate and even though it is still often misunderstood, it's usually better than the written word because the speaker and audience can note inflections and make adjustments accordingly if they detect confusion or that the message has gone off-track. Writing then developed as a way to carry information over the course of generations, which is why civilization began making so much progress - later generations did not have to "re-invent the wheel". Writers were usually well-educated and trained in the written word so they had some idea of usage and meaning to convey whatever message they were after. They might work and worry over a passage for days - just to make sure it was interpreted the way they wanted. I have been surfing the 'Net and reading, posting, etc., ever since it became common to do so. It is a new medium, quite unlike anything we have had before. It allows a user to access the world and find just about anything or anyone - and to do it almost anonymously. This has resulted in written "conversations" all over the place on an infinite variety of subjects - something we called boards, forums or now blogs. An interesting addition to the mix is that most of the users are not trained writers. They may have hated English in school and figured that composition and essays were not something they'd need later in life. There are many people who are quite successful and accomplished in conversation who cannot recognize subject or predicate and don't care about the use of a comma. This doesn't imply ignorance - just an overall tendency to be more focused on other skill sets. Another facet of this issue are the international users who are not posting in their native language. It would be utterly pointless for me to surf a Chinese blog, but many people access forums written in English and do a great job of communicating their thoughts. Hopefully, I have communicated effectively in the few sentences written above, an accurate description concerning a few salient points about the Internet. If I have been successful, the following may have some value to the reader: A regular poster recently asked an innocent question, followed by equally innocent responses. The moderator has a certain criteria for this forum, which is his choice and responsibility. His interpretation of the thread was to monitor and finally lock it when his personal comfort level was exceeded. This would not have been an issue in a verbal conversation held among the members but certain conclusions were drawn based on the posts. Whether accurate or not in the intent, interpretations were still made. Hollis' guidelines to using the Internet: Stop and think about what either you or the other person is trying to communicate, then respond with as much care and clarity as you can muster. We all participate on certain forums or boards because we feel comfortable with the other members or the subject matter. Viewer ages can range from those people who are barely old enough to read to seasoned veterans - youth and fresh vigor on one end with great wisdom and experience on the other. This audience requires each poster to tailor a written question or response as though you were standing in front of a great crowd with a microphone - it is not an anonymous act without consequences. I hope no one is insulted or antagonized by this post as none was intended.

I'll discuss the question in general terms: Apart from the ethical discussion, I think there is a real liability issue to restraints and certain other items. I am not a knife/sword maker but many years ago, I worked with a guy who was into medieval "Renaissance Fair" role-playing. He asked for a pair of custom push knives for his play acting and I made them to his design. They had double-barred handles with finger/wrist guards and 10" dagger blades. After I was done, I held them in my hands and shuddered a little - because I had created a couple of serious weapons. Told my wife they would probably win in trained hands against anything but projectile weapons. I was somewhat reluctant to give them to a casual acquaintance known to me only thru work - plus this fellow was a little weird anyway (always trust your gut because it is seldom wrong). I went ahead and sold the knives to him, then he left the company shortly thereafter. I forgot about it for several years until I ran across a co-worker who had stayed in touch with 'Boy Wonder' - sure enough, he had been rehearsing with another role player using naked blades and stabbed himself in a leg. It did not cut an artery but put him into the ER for a while. It was his poor judgement but I still felt badly about it. I realize knifemakers probably have good opinions on the issue but I decided then not to build anything similar because I did not want it on my conscience - or have to worry about getting a call from a lawyer. I have disclaimers on my website and do not make anything in the questionable categories. I don't condemn anyone who does - you just have to make your own decision and live with the possible consequences.

Your tongs look proportional and well-made...I use bolt or box tongs for almost everything. You may already know that square jaws hold both round and square stock. I also have some cute little extras I made to hold flat stock, which are nothing more than a piece of steel bent into a "C" that has a short piece of angle welded to the back. The angle is captured in one jaw while the other jaw pinches the work against the open part of the "C".

"The Wind and The Lion" (Sean Connery flick) "The 13th Warrior" "Quigley Down Under" "True Grit" "Saving Private Ryan" "Star Wars" (all of 'em) And anything by Akiro Kurosawa...especially "Sanjuro" and "Yojimbo" Jr. - I truly LOVE "Valdez is Coming" ('What you got in dat ting?' 'Something for rabbits...')

I am 47 and have been practicing blacksmithing for about 25 years. A friend in college was a farrier and although it was interesting, I never was overly fascinated by horseshoeing and went other directions. My family is comprised of a long line of blacksmiths going back to at least 1697 when my Wooldridge ancestor immigrated to Virginia. He was trained in either England or Scotland as a 'smith and indentured himself for two years to buy the boat ride. His descendants either farmed, were blacksmiths or coal miners. These three professions remained firmly entrenched in my family until my dad went into the oil and gas industry in the 1950's. I guess it's a genetic thing because my grandfather on my mom's side was also a 'smith in the 1920's and had a portable rig on a Model T. He lived into his 90's and was a major influence on my life since my dad died when I was young. They lived next door to my mother and I built my first shop to give him a place to work but wound up getting hooked. He would often come sit in the shop and watch me but seldom picked up a hammer. I was fortunate to finish college and went on to varied careers in manufacturing but thoroughly enjoy all types of metal work including blacksmithing, machining, gunsmithing, etc. I consider myself more inclined toward the tool making and industrial side of the craft - more so than calling myself any sort of artist.

McNichols Wire sells fireplace screen and a 6 or 8 mesh is a good size. However, it is somewhat expensive so you may want to contact a local smith who has some if you only want to do one or two. McNichols has a $100 minimum - I was able to talk them into giving me a piece 17' long x 36" wide. They can also sell you other material types such as brass, copper, stainless, etc. Dona Meilach has a book called "Fireplace Accessories" which is a good source of both design and some degree of technique. You will probably need to make a set of stretching tongs to get the wire taut and that is covered in the book.

Strine, We have weather similar to yours but I heat the anvil when my shop gets to 40 F or below. That does not happen very often (it is 72 F as I type this) but we occasionally get blue northers. I am most concerned with the anvil sucking heat out of the work rather than damaging the anvil. However, in northern climes where it really does get COLD, it's best to preheat and prevent shocking the tools.

Ten Hammers, That Synchrowave is a real machine. It's quite lovely welding with it as I learned to stick weld on a Lincoln AC cracker box, which is OK but the Miller is just so smoooooooooooth...and the TIG just takes the cake for performance. Get one if you can - you won't regret it.

Problem solved - the points were pitted and oxidized. I removed all four and wire brushed the bodies, then cleaned the spark ends with emory paper and finished with bead blasting. Coated with WD40 and reassembled at .008 gap. Arc starts fine at about 1/8 gap from the workpiece and welds just fine.

I have a 35x50 three sided hay barn with metal poles set in concrete. Almost anything done inside that building will echo 500 yds down to the neighbors. However, my blacksmith shop is a metal building wrapped around large WOOD poles, because that was what I had at the time of construction (about the diameter of a phone pole). Does not ring at all but my wife can occasionally feel the power hammer running at the house, which is about 50-60 yds from the shop. It doesn't rattle the dishes but she sometimes can tell when it's going. Fortunately, my neighbors cannot tell when I am working and say even on a calm night that the sounds from vehicles and other sources drown out anything I do. The only time anyone knows I'm there is when the lights are on or they see an arc flash. If I were you, I'd take an old galvanized trash can inside the barn and whale on it a bit - with doors shut and open. Let your wife move around outside from spot to spot to see if it's objectionable. Your barn may ring like a bell or be relatively quiet. The can will be noisier than anything you will likely do for real work.

This is for anyone who does TIG work. I'm posting it on a couple of boards so apologize in advance if you see it twice. I have a 10 year old or so Miller Synchrowave 250 AC/DC welder, which has stick and TIG capability. There is a switch on the panel that allows three choices: Hi-frequency start, hi-freq continuous or off (scratch start). Scratch start gives an excellent arc and welds perfectly but there are occasions where I need the start-only feature. When I first got the machine, it started fine but I got a little arc wandering. However, the start feature has now stopped working completely so I am forced to use scratch-start. Does anyone know whether this is related to the points on the machine or a bad switch or something I have not considered? Thanks, Hollis

Might be a post for a large acorn table.

WD40 also works well on aluminum but plain old water is pretty good on almost anything. A very small amount of emulsifable oil makes it slicker, which is why most of the modern coolant "brews" are nothing more than oil suspensions that can be added to water. I have about three gallons of Cincinnatti's proprietary concentrate but it's a 30:1 recipe - 90 gallons of mix would serve my great-grandkids... I still use unsalted lard for tapping and threading on the lathe but bacon grease has salt and will eventually rust your work if you don't take the time to clean it.

It doesn't get cold here very often but when it does, I heat anvil and power hammer dies with 2x4 steel blocks that I put in the gas forge. I place 5 or 6 of them in the forge, then light up and let both heat up together. I then set the blocks between the hammer dies and let them kiss, plus put a couple on the table and near the hardy to heat the anvil. By the time I load the forge with whatever steel I am using and am ready to work, the blocks have shed most of their heat into the tools, so I just lay them on the floor. I have a 10 inch scale engraved on one side of the anvil originating at the heel. I can easily lay a piece of steel against the side of the anvil and check a measurement. I made the scale by laying out and engraving with a cold chisel then stamping the numbers. The numbers are done normally and upside down so I can merely glance over the anvil and still see without walking around. Some people can convert easily in their mind but I still like to see "6" instead of "9"...