MailleMas

Thomas, interesting idea - I might have to try that.

Will - real question is did he spill?! The resistance welder is pretty cheap from TRL - but lemme know how the forge weld goes. I have been tempted for years, but never seem to remember when the fire is lit!

Here are two micro maille pieces I made years ago. Both are 24g (0.02" wire) and 1/16" ID rings. The ring is sterling silver and the tetrahedron is anodized titanium. The little tetrahedron fits on an a poker chip and can hold a couple pounds before sagging...

You could (I have) use a resistance welder from TheRingLord.com to weld butted rings together. They work great, and with a little practice make exceptionally strong welds. Another option could be to cut a notch in your cutter to cut a two loop ring (like a key ring). You could then try forge welding them using a die and a punch. you'd need either a stainless die and punch or some way to make sure they don't all weld together. Obviously, a ton of work, but it could be pretty cool. I have also used a TIG -but you typically need to be able to turn it VERY low. I use a small inverter TIG that can go down to single digits in amperage. I suppose you could hot form overlapped rings and weld that way... but wow the work. However you do it, I would love to hear how it goes!

Reminds me of arranging the living room with some wonderful and caring woman I know!

Mark - congrats regardless! We had a similar experience making a dress for a movie. Actress didn't make the measurement predictions.... one 'I feel fat' and it was over. Such is life, and people in the industry remember. Next that group needs something, I wouldn't be surprised to see you posting again!

Well, I'm not sure how it works in the 'States but in Canada we have a national certifying body for the machinist trade. I'm mid-apprenticeship right now on the way to my ticket, so take my opinion for what you figure that's worth. There is alot of 'bah-humbugging' of CNC machining, but it IS the present and the future of machining. There are many, many parts that would take many, many times longer with a manual set up. Having said this, there are nearly as many parts that CNC is total overkill for. They both have value, so you should try to find a place to work that has both types of machines and is willing to train you on them. There is nothing like holding the wheels and feeling a tool work for generating an understanding of what is going on. As for CNC jobs to avoid... none. Take anything you can get and learn what you can! If you find that the job you have is no longer challenging you, either ask to move machines or find another shop. every chip made is a lesson you can learn. edit: the most important thing I've found is a shop that welcomes progress. Always doing things the same way doesn't yield progress. They should be willing to let you experiment to SOME degree. New/different tooling, varying speeds, feeds and depth of cut, changing clamping etc can all yield big improvements in productivity. Always strive to make it better, faster. Course, the guy before you has probably looked at alot of ways for that so ask first before you change things :)

I just moved to a new city, which of course means..... new scrap yards!! Picked up this forge for $15 and the post vice was $25. No cracks in the forge pan and all the vice really needs is a clean up as far as I can tell! I also found a nice cast iron stand for my gasser, but ran out of camera batteries. My new garage has a 8'x 15' shed attached that I get to use as a smithy Now all I need is to trip over an anvil somewhere. I was looking at chunk of big I beam (probably 1/4 to 3/8" thick and 6" or 7" across the top) - might have to pick that up next time.

Wow Oak - a beautiful and unique piece... and appearently a study in patience while yer at it! Great work, pieces like these give newbies like me something to shoot for (in a few years lol)

a a Well, it isn't finished (1 more heat to straighten a little bow I just noticed and to HT it as much as a RR spike will), but it is close enough to take a pic of Looks a little more like a kitchen knife than I was hoping for, but I'll take it 90% of the shape was done by forging, but I cleaned up the tip with a grinder.