arftist

Sounds like you could use a hold down of some type to keep your stock from moving about while you try to cut it. There are(were?) quite a few in the blueprints if I remember correctly. This problem is also a reason why a number of us use a treadle hammer or a flypress. I personaly use a flypress and cutting and slitting couldn't be easier.

Grant, would you mind expanding a little on the improvements to the Johnson forge? I have one and the lid is on it's very last legs. Like you said, it uses a lot of gas, but is great for "many irons in the fire". I think I understand what you are saying, but what do you mean by pleated fibre and what supports said fibre? Thankyou.

Do it, by all means. When I was a teen I was told that someday manual machinists would be in high demand and paid well. When the economy blew apart last fall, and most of my contracts for high end architectural metalwork were cancelled, I was able to get a good job right away, because of my varied skills as a blacksmith, foremost among them, manual machinist. The boss likes that I can run the power hammer, TIG up a bunch of bronze or stainless, install a staircase, or run the mill, or lathe.

Didn't mean to paraphrase you H.W., just proof that great minds think alike I guess.

Dude! you have 6013 already. Save that stuff for when you are more skilled and buy some 6011. A lot of other good points have been made. I don't think your arc lenght is a problem, because you said you made good beads on single plates, but it could be. Even 2x rod diameter is too much. Also travel speed could be an issue. Train yourself to look for the puddle, that is literaly a puddle of molten metal right where the welding rod is pointing at the metal. Also, as wood and metal teacher pointed out, do yourself a favor and get some thicker metal, nothing wrong with 1/4"(6mm) for practice, that is what I was taught with. And teach is also correct about the 1/8" rod diameter, though I hesitated to say that initialy, since I don't know if your power supply can melt it. You need at least 80 amps to burn 1/8" 6011.

That definitely looks like rod issues. Put those rods on a back shelf somewhere and go buy some 3/32" 6011. Don't be afraid to experiment with the amperage.

When doing a flat/vertical fillet weld, proper rod motion is needed. You can't just drag the rod down the center of the joint. I make a motion that looks like a bunch of backward capitol letter L s laying on their backs, when veiwed fron left to right. I start by bringing the rod up the vertical a bit, then down and to the right, then back and up, down and to the right, each time progressing a little further. This ensures a proper fillet. I use the same technique for stick or MIG, but not for TIG.

It needs to be worked much hotter than mild steel. What type of forge are you using?

150 amp machine is plenty big enogh for 1/8 excaliber. 110-120 amps for flat or vertical up is enough. For structural, only weld uphill, never down. Preheat is required. Weld 7018 with DC electrode positive only. In Boston a light iron work license is required.

By all means grab a wheel or two. Certainly one wheel alone is massive enough to be a good anvil. Don't get too concerned with the hardnees/heat treat. Obviouly the quenched part of the rim will be very wear resistant, but the rest of the wheel will stand up to hot work well enough as well. Hopefully, by the time you do start to deform the wheel, you will have found a traditional anvil. While you are at the train yard, get some axels as well. The six inch (150 mm) diameter axels of trains around here make great anvils for hand, treadle or power hammers.

Very nice.

Actualy you can use propane for everything except welding. I would keep your propane setup and either get another setup with acetylene or an acetylene tank for your current setup. It is great to have two torch setups. I recomend a "b" tank for acetylene, as they are owner tanks and can be filled at plumbing supliers as well as welding supliers. Propane is just so much better for cutting and heating that to me it wouldn't make sense to abandon it.

See if you can sell them on a solid round bar handrail. That is the easiest whether you are experienced or not. Don't think of it as "dreaded", think of it as challenging, and know that you can do it. It they won't go for round bar, report back and we'll get some tips going your way.

Do your first show and see if you lose a lot of sales or not. While you are at it, keep track of what sells best and bring more of that next time. Good luck.

You would be hard pressed to do better price wise. Not sure if it is really 220# though. Not that it matters, for that price you can always get your money back.

I have a steel disc 2.5 inches thick x14 inches diameter. It sits on the shop floor. when I want to upset the end of a bar, I bounce it of the disk. Hot of course. Work can also be clamped in a vise and pounded on. For one job I even made a press to bulge the center of some bars. After the work was clamped in the press, I heated it with a torch as I tightened the screw. It was the least upsetting of any upsetting I've ever done.

Biggundoctors system isn't as crazy as it sounds. The only difference I have seen is using a small electric motor to start spinning the big motor, like a 1/2 hp belt driving the jack motor, but what he said makes sense.

Good that you asked first. Many good anvils have been ruined in the milling machine or on the grinder. Post some pictures if you aren't sure. Chances are that your anvil "as is" is in better shape than those many of us use. You really do want some swayback. The hard plate on top of the anvil is pretty thin. The body of the anvil is very soft. If your plate is 3/8" thick and you mill off 1/4" to clean it up, you now have a junk anvil.

I would get a vice next if I were you. A post vice would be better, but a machinists vice suffice. Get as large and heavy a vice as you can find.

Remember PowCon? They were the first inverters I remember. Came out in the early eighties or seventies I think. I have a freind who is still running two powcons, heavy duty use too. My Lincoln V-350 PRO was built (I think) in '95 or '97. Still kicks amp. My Thermal Dynamics 185 GTS is 6 or 7 years old and going strong.

Sand could be used for flux too. Is there a sandblasting outfit, equiped with silica (white) sand?

Oxalic acid, available from house paint stores also removes rust and is very economical. Do not keep muriatic or other strong acids in your metal shop, as the vapors cause everything else to rust. Heres one to remember; " Always do what you oughta, add acid to water".

That is a double ended fimjigamor with triple parralell perpendicular slots. Very rare.

Don't waste your time with seawater saturated metal. You can get all the wire rope you want from either crane or elavator companies. Both are required to chainge perfectly good cbles on a regular basis. Additionaly, even though the cable is very rusted, if you foun it in saltwater, it was zinc plated when in service. Much of that zinc will remain inside, hidden by the rust. Very dangerous. Finaly, Seawater deposits acid and base compounds into the pores of the steel that are difficult at best to remove. In other words, whatever you make from that metal will always be rusty. If you remove the rust, it will reapear on its own, as if by magic. Don't ask me how I know this.

Are you using cooking charcoal? It is not very effective and doesn't last long either.