arftist

Warren, I didn't feel dissed, I am just trying to understand what this thread is about. Thankyou for responding. For example I am still not sure about tuning for the upstroke, and wonder if I am missing something.

Warren, trying to understand what the issue is. Tune for the upstroke? First of all, the purpose of the spring is not "to adjust for tooling and thickness of the work". All power hammers have springs in one form or another. The purpose of the springs is to prevent the hammer from self destructing soon after it's use begins. To adjust a spring helve hammer for thicker materials, or higher tooling, one shortens the pitman arm, thereby raising the lower point of the tup stroke. Have I still misunderstood your question? Some people believe the "Dupont" linkage to be the ultimate, and they may be correct, but my spring helve has served me well for many years, and while I am sure it could be improved upon, it's operation is certainly adequate, and compares favorably with similar sized dupont linkage hammers, perhaps even better than some.

1/16th wire is a heck of a lot smaller than any thread I have ever seen on a post vice, and 1/16th sheet metal would have no structural strength anyhow, so I am not sure what you are trying to do. Yes, those sizes are too small to be readily tigwelded, and would lend themselves more to a soldering operation. The type of brazing used to fabricate a postvice box nut is forge brazing, not torch brazing, two entirely different operations.

While they are called antiflash back valves, the actual purpose is to prevent mixing of the two gases in one tank. Propane-air forges don't have two gases to mix, however, anti flashback devices are also not required with oxy-propane setups, can't remember why.

What do you mean by "harder to tune"?

A little small. Try a small squirrel cage blower from Burden Sales (Surplus Center). To adjust air flow volume, partialy block the INLET side. You will need 200-400 c.f.m. depending on forge size.

Yes. Hit harder, work hotter (near white heat).

Peter Wright anvils have a wrought iron base with a tool steel top plate forge welded on.

If it is burning back, but leaving a ball on the end, it is the wrong polarity. If it is just disapearing, the heat is too high for the size of the tungsten.

Right Quenchcrack, freshman year engineering consisted of two computer courses, binary and basic. I chose a different path. I did not touch a keyboard for most of my life, reasoning that knowlegde is like a pie and the less slices you try to take, the bigger your one slice will be. The slice I chose was metal. Finaly, with the developments of windows and the internet, the computer became too good of a tool to ignore, so now I am here, trying to add to its usefullness, and continue my education. But I digress, let us now analyse; Mike brought up h-13, a member of the chromium hot work group. These are deep hardening steels, which will essentialy harden all the way through, in small enough sections, IF HELD at critical plus, for soficient time for the heat to travel all the way through, also known as soak time or soaking heat. Whatever tool you are hardening, including knives need sufficient soak time. Thin or heavily machined metal require great care, skill, or knowledge to properly heat treat. This is what Quenchcrack meant when he said anybody can send it out and get it heat treated. The easiest and arguably best way to heat treat metal is in an oven designed for that purpose. However, most needs of the blacksmith can be met with a forge. The only caveat with air hardening alloys is that normalizing ( heating to the upper critical limit, soaking, allowing to cool in air, also known as open air annealing) will cause complete and total hardness. Which brings us to Evfreak. Even h-13 has a limit as to how red-hard it really is. Frequent cooling with water will entend, the work time, work capacity and life span of tools made from the chromium hotwork group. It is also tough enough to be quenched in water, but that is not nessasary. Are you sure it was at it's upper critical temp, or more, and had sufficient time at soak?. Plus it may not be air hard. High carbon tools, while very hardenable, can require frequent dressing and rehardening. That is why air hardening allows were developed. Which brings up to hunt for steel, which is different from gathering steel. When gathering steel, we must be armed with methods, tests if you will, to closely guess their properties. Hunting, is different. We determine the alloy we wish to aquire, by use of a list from a book, which lists all the different alloys of tool steel, and most of the items ever made from said alloy. Then we deduce, from that list, what object, near or available to us, is made from that alloy. Such lists are available in many comprehensive metalworking books, but much more detailed and complete in certain books such as those published by the American Society fo Metals(ASM), but also, ASTM,SAE, you get the idea. The advantage to this technique, is that the information for optimum heat treating becomes a known. Next week, using gathered steel.

You can also make you own band saw tires from the right size truck inner tube with a pair of scissors or a sharp knife.

Racer3j, why does it have to be a long time before you can make a one piece chisel? Anyway, An appalachian power hammer can be as stout as you make it. It is a simple design, that lends itself to well thought out and engineerind modification. In fact, I am pretty sure Jerry will help you engineer it to any reasonable size, if you buy his plans. Asuming you have a power hammer, a one piece chisel becomes even more realistic. This by the way, is a perfect application of spring steel. If I were to set up for it, I would forge the blade with the power hammer, flatten the socket side with the power hammer, use a bottom swage in the flypress, with a tapered top fuller in the flypress,do a heat of however many blanks you can fit in your forge(gas forge), switch the top tool, to a swage, insert blank and tapered mandrell, refine in flypress. If that was not clear, I will explain it better.

Quenchcrack, I can empathise. I have cardio-myopathy, in addition to a host of other heart ailments. Thursday and Friday, we had to travel several hours, to do a stair-rail install, 6 hours one day and eight the next. Saturday I was to beat up to even type. Get well soon.

Thank you for all the great replies. Glen asked me to provide references so others could verify what was said. Being who I am, I had to wing it, stream of mind so to speak. Naturally, now I can't find the particular book I am looking for. But I will provide some foot notes and let you guy correct what I get wrong. Starting at the top; MikeHr, h-13, possibly the most popular air hardening alloy, at least among blacksmiths. Thomas, what exactly do you mean? I somewhat agree, with Thomas on spring stock. It is great for making tools of many types. With a carbon content generaly between .6-.8%, It can be readily hardened to a sharp edge for wood cutting, or tough and strong(softer) for a wrench or pliers, plus it makes great springs. Please be aware that present day spings can be deformed cold however, not sure what has changed to allow that. Evfreak, how does red hard spark? You do realize it is a low carbon alloy right?(Metals Handbook) QC, thanks for not peeling me apart like an onion, which I know you could have done. 6013, see my previous post on s.s. quench tubs, the cleaner water was the main reason for the design. B.T., would like to compliment your truck, but the link didn't go. Finaly, todays point is, There are two different kinds of people in the world, those that believe there are two different kinds and those that don't. Different strokes for different folks and all that. Here is an example. I make a lot of bolts. Not the crossbow type. That means I make a lot of bolt headers. A piece of s-7, 1.5" diameter, from Mcmaster-Carr, lists for $175 plus shipping. My bolt headers are only 1.25" long. If I were to order that stock, to make one tool, in short order, my steel inventory would surpass my net worth. When I find that book, I can explain my reverse engineering method, of finding tool steel in the wild, where it can live, and be had for free. Thanks for listening.

What he said.

Hey jet, sorry I had to work a bit there. Almost recovered from it. I followed a little bit of your post about the chisel sockets. Trying to figure what your game plan is here. Are you just making sockets? Not chisels with sockets? Are you planning to draw them?As in press a form into stock, until it deforms into a socket shape? I would consider rolling a blank around a tapered mandrell, and welding the seam. As to the size selection, I wish mine was bigger. You can do small work on a large unit, but not vice versa. Buy the most capacity you can afford.

Okay folks, Thomas is chomping at the bit to hammer some hard metal. But first, which metals are best for making what? While the answers to this question are manifold, some alloys are better than others for certain uses, in different circumstances, for different people. Here is an example. If I get hired to design and build a tool and die for the local whatever factory, after I figure out the BEST alloy for the job, I will order that stock, the heck with what it costs, my reputation as a tool and diemaker is on the line. But, what if I just want to make a drift, for enlarging a hole, that I punched in a hammer head? Can't I just grab a piece of that wicked hard stuff I got from under that car that just exploded in the driveway? Maybe, maybe not. Heres where it gets tricky(and where the disagreement will likely originate), First of all, what am I making the hammer head out of? Why does it matter? Depends on the constituents of the alloy. As Thomas pointed out, some alloys of steel are HARD even when hot, like red hot, even orange hot. So that means that whatever metal I force through that Hot Hard metal, needs some special qualities. Like toughness, and impact resistance, and ,(actual metallurgy term) Red-hardness. Red hardness is the ability of a metal to stay hard, when red hot. Back to the drift. Should I get out a tool steel catalog, determine the qualities I need, see which alloy most closely meets them, order the steel, pay the piper, pay the shipping(ouch), or should I use this piece of a jack hammer bit that is almost the right size? Since it is red hard, tough as all get out, impact resistant, and AIR HARDENING, I'm going for it. What does air hardening mean to me, right now? .(wheres Quenchcrack when you need him. Good luck in the hospital QC) ,After I take it out of the HOT chunk of steel I am working on, it air hardens again, all by itself, with no help from me. There may be 1000 ways to skin a cat, but some of them are easier or just better than others. Yes I know that early jack hammer bits may not be air hard. More to follow.

Irnsrgn again! A one man refference. Welder 19, took the pictures, trying to size them, get back to here, they are already posted. I will figure out how to attach pics, for future posts. Beautiful tool Irnsrgn. Thank you for posting that.

With steel prices so crazy, I am down to shopping at the scrap yard less than once a week now. I usualy keep it in whatever container it's in when I buy it. What little scrap I produce, I keep in either old welding rod boxes(the metal ones) or metal buckets if I find them. Saving it up to charge the cupola I am building. My last score from the scrap yard was a rockwell 6x48 metalworking belt grinder for ten bucks, with a 1 horse motor.

Better than a full time volunteer. More acurate too. What would you like to know?

This ones for every one, beginer or pro. Make an exact copy of your favorite sliding tee bevel, entirely from steel. Replace the wood sides with 1" wide flatbar or chanel. Use a countersink and a Flathead screw for adjustment, so a wing nut or whatever is not in the way of a quick mensurate.

Thankyou Thomas. The knowledge is flowing. Skunkriv added the grind to shape method of forming or modifying a tool or a hammer head, ( a method practiced almost entirely by some respected knife-makers), and Thomas is ready to split and drift. To make sure another important method of toolmaking does not go unmentioned, Some hammer heads are easy or different to make than punched and drifted or split and drift. A chunk of round or square brass, bronze, copper, zinc, plastic(of almost any type) wood, etc, all make usefull hammers for the metalworker. A variety of sizes in each or any material is handy as well. Put stock in mill, mill apropriate size slot. Put in bench vice, ease one end of the hole with a die grinder, turn part over, taper the opening nicely, at least 2/3 of the way down. This will be the side you drive the wedge. If you do not have a mill and a die grinder, divide required opening into 5 even spaces. Center punch the three center lines. A section of angle or the right size channel can give a straight line along a cylinder. Drill out the three holes to 1/4", then drill with larger bit to fit handle thickness. In place of diegrinder, use files.

Thomas, thank you for another quickly made, inexpensive and useful tool.

Thanks for the clarification Irnsrgn, I came up with those dimensions myself, for a project I did a long time ago. Great to get your input.

skunkriv, thanks for contributing. I was saving that one for when I couldn't think of any other tips. Thomas, apreciate your input, These are pretty much beginer level tips. If you heavy hitters start chipping in, I'll kick it up a notch.