HWooldridge

Engines are the biggest variable. The transformer side that makes electricity is similar to a plug-in type - either works or doesn't. A good thing to know on engine driven rigs that have been sitting a while is that they'll occasionally stick one or more valves. That is usually easy to fix (pull the head and spray with WD40 or similar, cycle and tap down until the springs start returning the valve) so that can be a negotiating point for spending less. I had a Linde that would stick exhaust valves after a month in our humidity. I could pull the head without damaging the gasket and get it running in 30 minutes or so. It was a great machine and ran fine once everything started functioning as designed...:-) 2/19: I just remembered something I was told - don't know if it's true. On a stick machine, set the current to burn a 1/8" rod, then put one in the stinger and short it straight into the work piece. The engine should chug and load up but not stall. I had a pro weldor tell me that's how they tested Lincoln SA-200 machines to see if they had proper operation in the governor and engine.

Usually, an electric welder either works or it doesn't. If it turns on and welds in all modes at both high and low settings, it's probably fine. There's not much to go wrong that won't be wrong while under power at the seller's location.

In the absence of other info from the mfg., I would use "way oil". It's available under that name from several makers - I have 5 gallons at home in a plastic bucket. It's 'syrupy' so tends not to fling off - also tends to gather swarf and junk.

I have only one acetylene rosebud. It is 3/4" in diameter and takes about 8 lbs acetylene and 15 of O2. Not enough pressure and it pops out continuously. This is another good reason to use propane on the bigger tips as acetylene is dangerous over 15 lbs but propane can be run at higher pressure.

There is some difference in heat dynamics. I had a propane tip that I tried on acetylene and it disappeared in a nice pretty green flame. The local welding distributor told me that NG and propane tips will overheat on acetylene - but the reverse may not be true so you could try it and see what happens. The worst that can happen is that you'll have to buy a new tip as the torch shouldn't be harmed.

John, It's interesting you mention IED's as his ground scanners did not pick up this one. He was driving along watching the screens and BOOM! The truck compartment did its job and saved his life but the explosion was bigger than normal. He said most IED's they usually saw were around 15-30 lbs of TNT - they estimated this one at 100 lbs and probably buried 5 feet deep in the ground. Good luck to your sister - and anyone else on duty...

Hydraulic press and two V-blocks.

I've owned a couple pairs of those - I think they were an early attempt at Channel-lock type pliers.

Thanks to all for the prayers and best wishes... Update on the 14th - He made it through 9 hours of surgery and is in a lot of pain. However, he had an appetite (young men normally do at age 20) so his mom got a pizza for him - first real meal he's eaten in a week. Both legs are tightly wrapped but the surgeons are done with him for a few days. He will move to BAMC next week so we'll have him within 15 minutes drive. There are bone and skin grafts ahead of him so the recovery will be pretty long. Being an eternal optimist, he has decided this is a good opportunity to quit smoking...

Outstanding - shows what a real machinist can do if he sets his mind to a task.

I have issued this information on a limited basis but Glenn asked that I post it here: My soldier son won't have to worry about Iraq's sandstorms for a while. His mine sweeper vehicle hit a buried IED last Tuesday so he is now in Georgia - recuperating from two broken legs, a broken arm and shrapnel wounds. My wife is there now and I plan to see him soon. We are thankful his injuries are not worse and he shows his Purple Heart to everyone who stops by. Fortunately, he called us from the Green Zone with the first report or else they would have probably been treating both his mom and I for heart attacks. They are predicting recovery for him but we are keeping fingers and all else crossed in the fervent hope he'll walk normally - as I'm convinced he'll set off airport scanners for the rest of his life. He sees himself as a professional soldier and this incident as a temporary bump in the road to his career in the Army. We simply hope his right leg heals properly as it is a real mess. I must also say that the armored vehicle (a Husky) did its job - his buddies estimated the charge was equivalent to 100 lbs of TNT. Must have been quite a bang - he was knocked out for about 5 minutes from the blast but thankfully, his head and torso were not visibly injured. I hope we can get him to BAMC soon as that is only about 15 minutes away from our home. Update - he will be in long hours of surgery on the 14th to fix his legs. This is the first time in 28 years that my wife and I are not together for Valentine's Day but I'm surely glad she is there with him.

I would add that a slight radius across the width of the cutting surface is also good (that is to say, not straight across) - as is a very thin edge so it cuts easily. I see people all the time using what amounts to a cold chisel to cut hot steel. A thin edge slices through hot iron like "budda".

I agree with Justin - no permanent mods and can still hold a variety of sizes.

It's a long, straight "pig sticker". Was more popular in Europe than in America. Same principle as the spear but just a single long blade.

First ice - then aloe. We have several plants around the house so it's easy to break off a stalk or two. The only lotion I've found that works for me on hand cracking is Neutrogena. Bag balm and other greases don't seem to soak in as well. Maybe it's just my skin chemistry.

Pour the oil out into a container and see if it's easier to turn. Sometimes, the viscosity of the oil affects the turning speed. Many blowers only needed oil to the lowermost gear because it would carry it up and soak the rest - so too much oil is a bad thing.

A snapper has a square edge and is used to pop of any burrs that result from a cut that is not perfectly clean. The cross section is square but the struck side is usually rounded so it won't kick when hit. It is also fairly small stock - maybe 3/8 to 1/2 at max. For example, if the hack is used to cut straight through a piece, the cut will be wedge shaped and there will be a tail at the end of the cut. To use the snapper, the piece is flipped over so that side is upwards and the tool placed just over the remnant. The hammer strikes the snapper and shears the remnant away. In all cases, the snapper is relatively small and thinner than the stock size to be cut. I made four different sized snappers about 20 years ago and have maybe used them once during that time but that could just be a result of the work I normally do. A lot of this type of tooling came into use in places where the hammer drivers had no access to other tools. Clifton Ralph has said the forge shop where he worked was not allowed to have a grinder and other tools so they used the hammer for everything - which is why he is so good with one.

Now, how do you know all that? Sounds like personal experience...;-)

Adjustable spanner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Wouldn't you know it, the Wiki says both - 1. Movable jaw leads the direction of force (I was overly verbose in my earlier note but this agrees with what I've always been told.) 2. Fixed jaw leads rotation (which is what I think Irnsrgn stated). Sounds like nobody knows for sure. Buy a set of box ends and forget about it...

I was always told to put the force vector toward the movable jaw so it would be facing the operator as he pulls the wrench. My dad worked in a petroleum refinery and he was formally trained that way. However, I don't really know why it would make a difference. I also tend to rock the wrench back and forth as I tighten the jaw so it will be as tight as possible. Many people (including me) prefer box ends where possible but I have a large 30" Craftsman crescent that is an extremely tight wrench and doesn't spring any appreciable degree - even with me bouncing on it with my full weight.

I worked in manufacturing my whole life in a variety of businesses and am currently the Director of Quality for a large production machine shop (65 employees). However, smithing and machine shop work have always made me a decent side income for the past 25 years.

McL, Good explanation - I made it too cumbersome with the math and radii. Comes from working around the machining trade too long. Your comments are much clearer...Hollis

Dan, Tie a piece of string to a pencil and go out 24" from the point, then hold the string and swing the pencil a few inches so you can see what that large a radius looks like as drawn on a table top. Lay the hammer down flat on the table with the face just inside the pencil mark. That's about how much radius you want across the face. From a practical perspective, it's easier to simply do what Richard suggests and dress the face on a belt sander. However, I threw out my arcane geometric explanation so you'd have a point of reference.

I read an article in an old Anvil's Ring where a German shop had a huge air compressor driving most of the tools in the shop (like the hammers) and they had a 3" line going along the wall and branching off to each forge, which were all burning coke. They used this compressed air with the pressure choked down considerably to supply each fire.

Solid fuel requires pressure and some amount of CFM. The 400 Champion was one of the largest hand cranked blowers of its time so it's logical that 250 to 400 cfm is a good range for a normal shop fire. Electric fans running at higher speed may be somewhat smaller in size but should still put out about this much volume. However, it is more important to have a level of static pressure to push the air through the fire. For this reason, you should use a centrifugal type blower (or a bellows) because both produce pressure - not just high levels of cfm. On the other hand, a typical squirrel cage blower produces little pressure due to its design and is ill-suited to burning solid fuel properly. They are more suited to gas forges where it takes very little pressure to mix the gas and conduct it to the forge body. Some people will tell you how great their squirrel cage blower works with coal but they have likely never used a forge with the proper air supply.