MattBower

I looked around, and the blower probably does use a universal motor. So a rheostat would be a possibility. Just keep an eye on the temperature, and listen for unexplained changes in the sound it's making. Personally, I'd still be more inclined to run it at full speed and use a bleeder downwind of the blower discharge.

I don't know what sort of motor the leaf blower uses, but I do know (from unfortunate experience) that unless it's a universal motor, it will not like being hooked up to a rheostat for long.

I've been trying to post a follow-up all day. I'm glad the gods of the bytes seem to be appeased for now. I agree with BGD in that there are many good possibilities if you have the capacity to heat treat them to their full potential. Most of us don't. A2 and D2 are both used in high end commercial plane irons. So are some high speed steels. Some of the high carbon martensitic stainless steels like S30V also have great potential. All of these have enough carbon to reach maximum hardness, with extra carbon and alloying elements left over for wear resistant carbides, and all are at least moderately tough (with the HSS being probably the least so). But none of them are easy to forge, and none of them are really suited to simple blacksmith heat treating methods. That's why I asked about your setup. "Ideal" in a perfect world and "ideal" with what you have could be very different.

Way too much unless you're planning to run a cupola furnace. You'd need to choke/divert it. And personally, the noise would drive me insane.

It fits a Scion xB. I'd think about selling it, but I have something particular in mind for the big "can." FInding a tool that'll cut it isn't the problem. I've just never seen the inside of one of these things before, and I'm not sure what I'm getting into. I guess we'll see.

Nice buncha stainless for $5. Now how do I gut it without tearing it up too much?

Oh, didn't see that. Absolutely right, Master Powers. If you use copper and brass you'll stop when the brass starts to sweat at the edges. With quarter mokume you watch for the copper to sweat, because nickel melts much higher.

? I was talking about copper and pewter.

They do that sometimes. I don't think it's your expanded metal.

Just pour enough pewter to cover the copper, let the ingot solidify in the mold, and slab it out with a saw. At least that's what I was picturing. As long as the copper isn't molten and doesn't float (copper won't float on pewter, will it? hmmm . . . ), separation shouldn't be a problem.

How much heat treating experience do you have, and what sort of heat treating equipment do you have?

I'm not sure what that is, and Google isn't helping me much.

Since I can't even access the original thread now . . . Sorry if I am spouting disinformation, Grant; I had the impression that you based your "universal" tongs on that set that Brian Brazeal did. I realize there's not much that's new under the sun when it comes to smithing, so "invented" was probably the wrong word. But Brian's were the first ones along those lines that I'd seen. http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/16260-the-ultimate-tongs/page__st__20

I'm not sure what that is, and Google doesn't tell me -- at least not up front.

Within a month of scrapping the truck, you'll think of a use for some part that you got rid of. If you think beyond just what you can bang on (not that there's anything wrong with thinking about what you can bang on), there's so much that's potentially useful that it might be hard to decide what to go ahead and scrap. Scrap vehicle parts are tremendous resources for mad scientist types.

Well, the man who makes them posts here, as does the guy who invented them. I'm sure they have some info. :)

Thanks. Yeah, I know carbide isn't ideal, but it's what I had. I Will get a few HSS bits.

More sensitivity would help. That may be why the little one broke -- the drill press may be a little too clumsy.

It wasn't bad here, either. Shook a lot of the dead wood out of our trees, which is a good thing. And it forced me to clean up the back yard, which needed doing.

With 50 points carbon your theoretical maximum hardness is about 60 RC, and of course it'll be pretty deep hardening. That's about all I can tell you.

You need to determine how fast the drive wheel is turning. (pi)*(diameter of the drive wheel in inches)*(drive wheel RPM)/12 = surface feet per minute, assuming no slippage. There'll be a little slippage, but there shouldn't be enough to worry about. Drive wheel speed depends on your drive setup. Is it direct drive? Pulley driven?

If you've got a motor and some scrap metal, I bet you could piece something together. The motor could take the place of a treadmill. You said you've got tires in the truck. Think about it a little. Electrolytic rust removal works great, but it leaves the parts covered with loose crud that'll need to be removed before painting. Abrasive will leave you with a bright, ready-to-paint surface. I'm also not sure how any remaining galvy will affect the electrolysis.

Or a vibratory tumbler. :)

lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvGYfmbBYyg&feature=related

Vibratory tumbler. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1S2q_MuixI&NR=1 I'd stay away from oils.