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I Forge Iron

FredlyFX

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Posts posted by FredlyFX

  1. Thanks for the heads up Ed. I printed out all the pics from the two listings and took them over to my machinest buddy Jim Riddle of Mohave Southern Machine Works while picking up some ITC 100 at lunch. He showed me what to look for in the used machines and confirmed that they would probably be ok for what I plan to do as long as they are cheap enough. I figure if I stay patient and snipe the bid in low I can't get too hurt on them. If I show up to get them and they are too beat up I can still back out and just take the neg feedback. I've been wanting a mill and a lath for a long time, but I'm not willing to pay what they frequently go for. I'm just too cheap at heart.

  2. Thanks for the info Jim. I'll start working on those billets now so I am sure I have what is needed when the time comes.

    Slightly off topic. I just bought and watched your pattern welding video. Wow, what a difference a picture makes. I have read through the complete bladesmith, and the pattern welded blade, but seeing you do it acctually answered a lot of questions. It also showed me a few things that I thought I was doing right, but that now realize I wasn't. Thanks for doing the video.

  3. Lots of stuff has found it's way back with me.. Some I bought, some I took.. Some were freely given.

    Most I've made into things- A few I've written about here: http://krstofer.org/projects/

    My welding table & computer desk are both made from 1/2" plate aluminum I picked up in a Forest Service "boneyard".. Both tops are 2' by 4'. Add some inch square thinwall for legs & wallah! Indestructable.

    With the change to the newer propane tank valves the old ones become un-refillable- Often free at refilling stations. Great for forges. And freon tanks? Look behind the local car shops- light weight pressure tanks for that home-brew air compressor. Or a small forge as well.


    Interesting projects Krstofer. I particularly liked the trike. How is it coming along? Did you finish it?

    FredlyFX
    http://fredlyfx.com

    PS. I work in the disabled student program at Mt. San Jacinto College training students to use adaptive hardware & software. I have a couple of students who would be kindred spirets with you. They are both quads that do all sorts of projects. I am impressed all the time by the stuff they can do with a tiny fraction of the grip you have.
  4. Welcome River-Gazer.

    It doesn't take money to find scrap steel all over the place. Walk along the road and keep your eyes open. Ask friends if they have any old steel laying around. Tell every one of your friends and neighbors that you are looking for scrap steel, and you would be suprised at what you get handed to you.

    I would think that almost any scrap steel would be better than wasting your time trying to work that cast iron.

    Just my .02

  5. Hi Nick,

    I've smithed a few times in my great kilt, but your right, it is way too hot normally for that. Now I always ware britches. I am attaching a pic of me at the Ojai Pirate Festival from a couple years ago.

    The blacksmith at the Koronaburge European Festival always wears his great kilt. It's the only garb he owns. He does 7 weekends both days, all day in it.

    FredlyFX
    http://fredlyfx.com

    99.attach

  6. Nolano, I have a Peter Wright that rang like a bell before I tied it down tight. I used two pieces of chain and 4 lag bolts. I wrapped one chain around from one side and lagged it into my "stump" which is 4x12's glued and bolted together. The start and end of one chain started on the same side of the anvil. Then, I did the same thing from the other side. I'm attaching a picture, since I don't think my explanation is making too much sense. This pic is before I went after the face with a belt sander.

    FredlyFX
    http://fredlyfx.com

    98.attach

  7. I made this feather from 1 1/2" X 1 1/2" X 1/8" angle iron. Most of the detail was done cold, as I found when I tried to do it hot it took several heats to just do a couple inches of it. I tried it cold and it worked just fine. I welded a 1/4" round bar on the end for a stem with my O/A rig. The finish is just a brushing with a brass brush to give it some color. I may spray some clear on later.

    91.attach

  8. "A note to FredlyFX- 5hp is so over kill for your 75# by a factor of 2 or 3."

    Yes it was not my choice of motor, but I am staying with it now. I was out of money on the rebuild project, so a friend of a friend offered to buy me the motor when I was rebuilding the hammer in exchange for instruction and usage rights to make some cable damascus. I told him to get a 3hp 1750 rpm motor, and he came back with a 5hp 3450 rpm one. I had to add a second jack shaft to get the thing slowed down enough to work. Funny thing is, the guy has never called to come over and actually do any work, and it has been over a year. Good deal for me.

  9. I have a 75lb Common Sense #2 mechanical hammer. I call it the purple beast. It runs off a flat belt. I have created a stand that holds a 5 hp motor with a couple of jack shafts to slow things down. The dies are flat, with the bottom being about 4" x 5" and the top being about 2" x 5".

    I'm not completely comfortable using it yet. There is a lot more it can do than I can. I'm sure over time I will get much more use out of it.

    There are a lot of pics of me rebuilding it on my web site at http://fredlyfx.com/hammer.htm

  10. I have sold quite a bit of my work on ebay, and bought even more stuff from it. My power hammer, 2 anvils, 2 post vices, and almost all my tongs and hammers were all eBay purchases.

    Having said that though, what others are saying about folks on ebay being cheap does mostly hold true. Most of what I sold was kilt pins. I usually just made them out of the small dropps from the ends of rods I was making other things out of. Smash the ends, wrap it around the horn, then add a small cross pin wrapped around one side. I can make them in about 3 minutes, and that includes twisting them when I do one out of square stock. I usually sold them for about 4 to 5 dollars. I made sure to put SCA in the listing title since that is pretty much the crowd I am aiming for. It was definetly not something to feed the familly on. However, when I took those exact same pins to the local ren faires I sold them for 10 to 20 to the other vendors who then marked them up as well. I quite bothering with eBay after a while.

    I would say try it. Don't make a bunch of anything. Just do one or two of several different things and see what sells. I do know the reall key is in the listing description and the category. Be sure you spell things correctly.

    Good luck

    FredlyFX
    http://fredlyfx.com

  11. Yeah Sandpile, I have been building this relationship for a while. Even when I am in a hurry I take the time to stop and chat with the old guy whenever I buy anything. He is facinated by my forging. He has been a welder & fabricator all his life, but never did any forging.

    You were reading my mind. I was thinking tonight that I would make him something cool as a nice thank you. I've been playing with some cable trying to make some knives, and I will probably give him one.

  12. This was the luckiest scrounge I have ever made. I was at my local welding supply 2 weeks ago and we were just shooting the breeze. I had talked to him several times about a wire feed welder, but it always came down to not being able to afford one. I almost bought a worn out former rental from him once, but couldn't even afford that. So, out of nowhere he says,

  13. I love scrounging at yard sales. I seldom get out to the scrap yard because the closest one is about an hour drive from here, and from what I've heard tell I may mortage the house and go nuts if I ever go there.

    Here is a pic of my last great yard sale day. I picked up the air compressor for $300 at a yard sale. It's a 5hp Ingersol Rand with an 80 gal tank that worked great. I rented the trailer to get it home, and along the way stopped at another sale where a business that had repaired heavy trucks was closing down. I got the 2 tables and shelving unit and all kinds of other great stuff. Down inside the trailer is a whole pile of large U shapped shackle bolts used to bolt axles to springs, and a bunch of large pieces of brass that they had used to pound out bearings and things. I also got a nice 4 point lifting sling. I even got them to throw in a 5ft digging bar because it had a broken corner, and I had bought so much other stuff.

    truck-loaded.jpg

  14. Hi everyone. My name is Fred Frontino, and I go by FredlyFX in everything I do on the net. Email, gaming, websites (fredlyfx.com) etc. I always use FredlyFX. I live in the small town of San Jacinto in beautiful Southern California. (84degrees on Christmas day yeah)

    I'm 43 and pretty much a newlywed still. I met the love of my life a few years ago at a Renaissance faire. We have been married 4 years in April. I've been working with metal most of my life in one way or another. I was the neighborhood bicycle repair shop, and then went on to Jr high & high school welding, metal shop and small engine repair classes. After spending 3 years in the Marines I got out and worked as a machinery mechanic at an orange packing house, then went on to numerous other jobs. I even had a handyman service for about 10 years. When I was 31 I went back to college and ended up getting into computers. My major is Public Administration, (I wanted to be a politician) but I kind of sidestepped into computers. I work now in the disabled students department at Mt. San Jacinto Community College. I train disabled students in the use of adaptive hardware & software. It's very rewarding, and it also pays for my expensive blacksmithing addiction.

    Years ago I did a lot of competitive target shooting, (IPSC, Modern Action, Cowboy Action) but now I spend all my free money on tools. I used to do a lot of live steel sword fighting at Renaissance faires. I got into blacksmithing to make & fix my armor mostly. I found I loved the smithing more than the fighting, so I ended up selling off most of my swords and armor, and just do the blacksmithing now. I love creating new things, and want to continue in this wonderful art as long as my body will allow me.

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