NeatGuy

Renato Muskovic makes a 400# and 640# south German pattern anvil. I own one of each size. 400# Anvil. I would pm you contact information if you wish.

brad

Jose, I would be interested in how you use the accumulator. I have been planning on the using one and like to hear your comments on my circuit.hydraulic-circuit.pdf

brad

Some gasless wires require DCEN. Make sure that you can change polarity.

brad

Would adding an accumulator to the top of the cylinder help increase the speed.? I was thinking the accumulator would act kind of like the flywheel of a flypress. The pump would push the cylinder up thereby loading the accumulator. When the operator is ready a bypass valve could be opened and all the energy stored in the accumulator could be released ... Just a thought.

brad

I saw a radial arm saw with a belt gringer attachemnt that was used as a poor mans surface grinder at an NWBA conference a few years back. I think that would make a hand tool.

brad

An article in the Hot Iron News (NWBA) says use molasses to remove rust.

brad

I've just bought this kiln to try to get to grips with proper heat treating. Not blades but jigs, PH and other tooling. Mostly 4340

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110563439221&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

There's no temperature controller with it but there's plenty of VERY cheap ones on ebay. They're almost too cheap. Does anyone have any experience of them. Or has anyone got any advice on temepertaure controllers/thermocouples in general. Maybe I should go for a programable controller, eg with times, ramp up ramp down etc?

Make sure that the controller can operate a solid state relay (ssr), these can also be purchased on ebay. Choose a ssr that matches you kilns current draw and voltage requirement (if your kiln is 3 phase you will need three ssrs). A controller that does not have a ssr output can be used with the controllers internal mechanical relays but then you will need an extra power supply to power a mechanical relay for the kiln.

The controller should be a pid controller so it will automagicaly adjust itself to your kiln. If you buy a controller with ramp and soak you can then fuse and slump glass which is nice if you make architectural lighting. In fact I think that glass and iron work well together. If you get a controller with ramp/soak features you can also do controlled anneals. I like Honeywell and Omron controllers.

Get a type "K" thermocouple they are made in different lengths to reach the interior of you kiln, you should also get a ceramic sleeve to protect the thermocouple. I get my thermocouples from a ceramic/pottery supply but they are also available on ebay.

If you choose to use a Honeywell or Omron contoller use there web sites to help decode the product feature codes that are on the controllers.

One last thing get a fan or small blower to keep your ssr cool.

I hope this helps a little.

brad

Nice, very nice !
This is the stuff i like: simple, easy, and very functionnal !
P.S. : Your dirty floor looks like mine just after I finished sweeping it .

Great info, thanks !
Naz.

Thats one sweet vice. Is there a name on it ?

brad

I'd rather endanger a punch than my health by breathing anti seize or moly paste fumes!!!!!!YUCK When I do lots of punching I keep a bucket of warm water with a cup of soap flakes in it.. Like Grant said-we're not quenching here-just cooling. I'm not a bonafide blacksmith but I punched a lot of holes in jumper and polo horseshoes over the years for drive caulks. Both H13 and S7 held up well for me..

I have been using moly grease for years is there a better alternative?. I have lots of H13 so I made two more chisels today and will be rotating them and cooling. I assume the soap acts as a surfactant?

brad

I think the bend is for convenience like a power hammer tool.

brad

I have seen several cones that size but never one with the tong groove. It looks very nice, all of the ones I have seen are hollow and have had a very visible casting seam on them.Is it solid? Good score. Swage looks nice also. How big is it?
Rob

The cone is hollow about 1"-1/2" thick.

The swage block is about 100lbs (12x12x4) (I did not weight it when I had the chance). I bought it because it came with a nice cast stand. The block itself appears to be for making bolt heads and is not hugely useful to me but one can never have too many tools.

The guy I bought it from also has a swage block which looks to be about 400lbs also with a nice cast base. He has asked me to make him a resonable offer for the swage block and an 8.5 in post vice. The vice looks like a Peter Wright but I was in a hurry and he was in a hurry so I did not get a chance to get a great look at it.

Any idea what a 400lb swage block would be worth ?

brad

I acquired a cone mandrel and swage block and thought I would share. Mandrel is the largest I have seen 4' long and 18" diameter at base and weights (at least by the scale I used) 495lbs.

So you have your own company doing mobile welding and fabricating?

everyone has told me if you want to be a blacksmith its either feast or famine lol I dont doubt it either.

I really want to make it happen somehow, I dont care if fabricating or sheetmetal work is part of the job I can do that as long as I can have a shop and do what I want sometimes I will be happy.

I think the trick is in the business part because people around this area dont know what a blacksmith does, the other part is being able to make it without killing yourself in hours and hard labour.

I am no longer self employed and work for a structural steel company.

There are several very skilled blacksmiths locally so you will need to develop niche or you may have a hard time competing in a fairly small market.

Develop a portfolio that you can to show to architects.

brad

sounds like a good idea, I will have to think about how to do it though

do you work as a blacksmith, welder, or fabricator around here?

I worked as a professional blacksmith for about 8 years but it is a difficult way to make a living. Either feast or famine. Now I am a welder, fitter, fabricator better paycheck.

brad

this is my little forge for general work

I am currently building a big one with a 25 inch long floor and and 13 1/2 wide and 5-7 inches tall

the doors make a huge difference

I used 1/2 inch angle iron and made two side to the frame and tacked them together

I didnt have the right channel for the door guide so i tacked together 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch channel

it was really simple to build and didnt cost much

Consider adding a foot peddle to open the doors on your new forge. It is very handy when trying to put a long piece of stock in or out of the forge.

brad

http://www.integritysteel.com/aisi-h13-hot-work-tool-steel.html

Note: When oil quenched, this grade is as vulnerable to cracking and has the same distortional characteristics as an oil hardening tool steel.

h13 is really tough and can still hold alot of its integrity at a red heat. I would not recommend quenching it and let it air cool. We have 2 tools to rotate through for the process.

I was thinking of this route but I like to grease my chisels as I use them. If I alternate chisels can I grease them after they have had a cooling period with no ill effect ?
brad

I am sure that this has been asked before, but since I have not seen it ... I will ask again.

If I quench H13 chisels in the anti-seize grease that I use between uses will I risk re-hardening them and hence risk breaking them.

brad

I place my 400# anvil in the back of my pickup or on my stump with a ramp. I just rock it along the ramp until it is where I want it.

brad

I got these 3/4" threaded rods from my local scrap metal yard. The thread roots are unusually round and the count is 4.5 TPI. The nuts are made for this thread shape and spin easily on the rods. I wonder at the origin of these parts and what they were used for. Could I use them to build a light weight fly press or?

Those are called dywidag bolts and are used for high tensile concrete anchor applications. They are made of cr-mo similar to astm 4140 steel.

I have one of these swage blocks as well; very handy. I made a holder that fits into my anvils hardy hole.

brad

Black powder people like it to remove lead from the barrels of their firearms. if you want to dispose of it they may be a good source.

brad

These little hammers are great for sheet metal. The rotating top die is for riveting which is a common application for these machines.
If you saw the Pullmax demo at an NWBA conference I was myself or Renato Muskovic. Renato had one of these machines he will be at next weeks conference so you might want to hook up with him.

brad

I saw a ceramic chip forge at the spring conference in Petaluma, Ca. a year ago. I talked to two people that used them on a daily basis and they said they liked them very much. The chips last about 4 years but I can't say how they were used for that time period. There definitely was no smoke and you could get a localized heat on a small area, but one person indicated that it was more difficult to get a large area to heat up properly. The chips were more difficult to get than coal or coke. Rumor has it that they are more prevalent in England and Europe.

try using old ceramic ferrules from stud welding machines. Any structural steel place will have an infinite amount for you to experiment with.

brad

My Hattersly and Davidson doesn't have the flywheel like a LG - it is part of the driven pulley.
I was thinking of making an adapter for a scooter disk brake and disk, to be mounted on the far end of the hammer shaft. It hasn't got to the top of the list yet - anyone done something similar?

When I was first interested in a brake I though of using a master cylinder from a car so if you go this route I would like to hear about it.

brad.

The flywheel must turn into the brake shoe to work properly. Grind or file any casting irregularities off of the flywheel. Keep the flywheel clean of oil and grease.

The flywheel appears to be tappered very slightly; maybe a casting irregularity. Do you think that it should be machined as I have a lathe.

brad