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FieryFurnace

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Everything posted by FieryFurnace

  1. I recently made these. This is a pair of 6-inch billet tongs designed to wrap around and manipulate 6-inch solid material. I took a few process photos showing each major development but not quite every single heat. starting material was 20 inches of 3/4 round 5160 I used 4-inches of material for the loop to the square corner 2-inches from the square corner to the boss. overall finished length is 36-inches. IMG_6732.MOV
  2. This is not really an instructional video….just entertainment. This shows the process of forging a pair of 1/4x1 1/4 offset tongs. Starting material is 5/8 round 5160 steel, cut 8.5 inches long. The tooling used is pretty simple. I have a 100 pound self contained power hammer with a full flat die on top and a “near side/far side” offset die on bottom. The near side / far side die is just like using half-hammer-face-blows on the near side and far side of the anvil. The deep U-jaw is formed in a spring tool I machined for the purpose. Total overall length is trimmed down to about 18 inches after forging. It takes 5 heats to forge a half, 10 to forge both halves and 1 to set the rivet and line them up, so a total of 11 heats. IMG_6414.MOV
  3. I think I am going to try making a hammer today! I think I will try for a cross pin style! wish me luck!
  4. The particular one I got a hold of is .082" thick and about 8 inches wide. I am being told by one of my steel sources that saw-blade 15n20 is only made thicker than .045" and thinner than .125" with the majority being .095".
  5. 14 years smithing and I have never really toyed with pattern welding / damascus. I have decided to start practicing in preparation for a "super secret" project I am working on. While these are tools, I decided to put this post here because the focus isn't on the tools......rather this is a generic here's what I tried, and here's the results, post. So these were three test pieces I did.......the center punch (far left) is 16 layers of 1080 and 5160. Dark pattern, distinct, but does not "pop." The chisel is 16 layers of 1080 with 16-inch circular edger blade material. (I was told it was 15n20 but it does not pop enough for that so the material grade is unknown.) The weld was good except for one small part that delaminated in the third heat of the first stack. However it welded back in and otherwise seemed to weld fine. Whatever the material is, it did crack a bit during hardening and it follows the blade material in a spiral with the pattern. Of course, there are many variables with hardening and I was not using my oven. Very well could have been operator error. The butcher (right hand tool) is 16 layers of 1080 and large band-saw blade material. (According to specs, known 15n20 steel.) The weld is clean, held up good, and the pattern really pops out. All three test billets started as 8 layers. They were welded, forged, cleaned, cut, stacked, welded, forged, and then twisted. The circular and band saw blades were sourced from friends. Each piece was normalized three times prior to rough grind and hardening. Etch was post quench and temper in muriatic acid and then coffee. Commercial link removed
  6. I think that pair ended up about 5 pounds or so. Definitely not your typical, work-at-the-anvil, pair.
  7. I made these today! This is the largest pair of tongs I've ever made to date. They are sized for holding 1 x 3-inch flat bar They are 33-inches long Rivet is 1/2-inch mild steel Tongs are forged from 4140 steel These were a challenge but also surprisingly simple. Basically just all the same steps as small tongs, made big. One thing that helped was I did a rough sketch on my layout table of the box-side of the jaw so I had some target dimensions to shoot for. I also laid out the center line, as on these larger ones you want the jaws to overhang the outside edge of the reigns as apposed to being in line. These were a lot of fun!
  8. I browse occasionally but I've cut down a lot on posting on the web all across the board. Too busy working! haha Things are going fantastic! 'Been married for a year and three-quarter, the wife helps a ton with the business, and we've got a 9 month old son now too. Plugging away at building our house......we moved shops.....doubled the size of our original building......now we are thinking of adding on again. haha
  9. I forged a couple of these out yesterday. They are made from hex 4140 stock, and not heat-treated. It's been a while since I've made any top tools, so I was a bit rusty on process. I used to make handled, hammer-eye-punches with some regularity when I was still punching my hammers by hand. I use the hydraulic press now for that, so I don't do much striker/director type punching. This type of punch is typically used for punching hammer eyes, tomahawks, axes, and top tools, but it can also be used for doing punch and drift work. (Similar to slit and drift.....just slightly different tooling.) Anyway, I decided to pop a few of these out, doing a little bit of striking directing work to make them. On these-type top tools, the eye is a single taper profile. (Larger on bottom, and smaller on top.) The handle is 100% friction fit, instead of using an hour-glass shaped eye and wedge fitting it. This prevents the shock from hitting the tool with a sledge, from transferring directly into the handle, and also helps prevent the handle from snapping due to missed or off-target striking.
  10. My wife and I are headed up on Tuesday! Currently planning on hauling two trailers with two separate trucks. Be sure to stop in and say hi! BTW Quadstate is always the fourth weekend of the month. They didn't bump it up........but this month ended up with five weekends because the 1st was a Saturday. It seems earlier but it's always the fourth weekend. Camping is available onsite........you can still register online or register when you get there. Registration usually doesn't open till like Thursday or Friday morning. People will be arriving much earlier than that though.......Last year it was a chore finding a spot on Tuesday afternoon. Make sure you get registered and your camping spot paid for though.....apparently there were some issues last year of some campers not paying and the fairgrounds got a little antsy or something. It's a great event.......we all have to put in some $$$$$ to make it happen. BTW I am not a part of SOFA staff in any way. Just trying to put info out there so everyone knows what to do! Safe travels!
  11. My anvils found out! Actually she's already helped me make two hammers and 15 pairs of tongs. She's a hard worker with a "jump-in-and-help" attitude. (Yeah, she's pretty awesome.) I appreciate the testimonies and examples of long successful marriages and words of encouragement. I'm a strict toilet seat down after use guy, so we're all good there! lol
  12. Many of you guys have followed and helped my work since day one! So I figured I'd share the big news on here. I'm getting married! I've been looking for a while now and like just about everyone else, have had my ups and downs....happiness and heartbreak. My bride's name is Sarah Grace! She's from North Dakota! We've "known" each other online for several years but I started talking to her this year and we really hit-it-off and things have just gone really well. We are getting married on October 14th of this year. When we get back home, we'll be living in the house I am working on building on my 17 acres. The house still needs lots of work, but she is willing and able to help and is looking forward to being able to set up her kitchen and things like that. We are both greatly blessed and looking forward to starting our lives together. My smithing business is alive and well and fully capable of supporting myself and a family so I will continue to forge and be active in the smithing community to the best of my ability.
  13. Interesting thoughts here! I do not have a secondary air source, but I have just finished a hydraulic press so I can make my press do most of what my air hammer does during the down-time for a repair. If I go that route, I'm almost more inclined to by a new pump and the repair kit so I can get back running faster and later on assemble a second compressor. Now there is a thought!
  14. it has three cylinders...not sure if I am using the correct terminology.
  15. my air compressor is running on it's last leg.....45 minutes to fill the 80 gallon tank to 150 PSI. So the compressor pump is a LeROI Dresser 440A, 7.5 HP. I found a complete rebuild kit from "factory air compressor parts." Price is $425 + shipping I'm also looking at options for replacing the entire pump. It seems the selection is varied. Wholesale tool carries a 7.5 HP, 3 cycle, 2 stage pump which is advertised as a 24 CFM unit, for $689 plus freight. Brand is RDX superior import. Ebay sells a Schulz air, 7.5 HP, 2 cycle, 2 stage pump which is advertised as 30 CFM unit for $782.00 including shipping. Northern sells an Ingersol Rand, 7.5 HP, 2 cycle, 2 stage pump which is advertised as a 24 CFM unit for $1399 including shipping. I can get a new comparable unit for about $1500 - $2000.....plug-n-play. Thoughts about these brands and the price comparisons would be appreciated. Thanks, Dave
  16. I would sign up for a build as long as the dates don't collide with other obligations. What is the time frame we are talking about? I'm just finishing my first build of a wide span 24 ton H-frame. I'm no expert in hydraulics but this build is giving me a little knowledge and I can weld, drill, tap, make dies.........you name it. I also have have local access to Leeson motors.....up to 10HP......MAYBE larger for competitive prices. (Single phase) I also have access to inexpensive new 3 phase motors from 1/4-100 hp......but they have odd mounting systems that you'd have to work around. My steel yard also has large structural beams and sometimes heavy angle for 35 cents per pound, in usable lengths. I've got two Miller welders, one mig and one stick that are both large enough for this type of work. If you need a working hand to help out shoot me a PM
  17. Hi vinny I have done a bit of tire hammer building. Bumping down to a 25 pound ram gets you in the right direction, but you still would end up with a 500-800 pound hammer if you did the absolute bare minimum on everything. (My first run of 50 pounders weighed just over 1000 pounds and my current hammers are weighing in at between 1200 and 1500 pounds.) Power hammers and roller carts just aren't a good combo. A press would be an option, just depending on what you want to do. If you want to do a lot of small forging (1/2 inch and under,) I'm not sure a press would give you satisfactory results. I don't have experience with presses, but I do know that compared to hammers, they are slow. Another complication is vibration and side-ways momentum. Power hammers have to be bolted down.....tire hammers and any sort of rotary drive hammer require good foundation mounting, due to the side ways energy generated by lifting the offset ram. A heavy 50 pound hammer run at full speed with no mounting can knock itself over, or at least move all over the place. A 25 with a light frame would be far worse. If you are stuck with having to work outside, here is what you do. Build your 25 pounder with a lighter tire, 4-5 inch solid round or square anvil, 4-5 inch square, 1/4 wall tubing frame, and 1/2-inch thick base plate. Incorporate lifting slots that fit a standard pallet jack or develop some sort of controlled, safe, lifting mechanism. (engine hoists are inexpensive and effective.) When you want to use your hammer, use your lifting/moving system to wheel it outdoors and set it down on some concrete anchor bolts that you install in an out-of-the-way place in your concrete. (two bolts in apposite corners of your base plates should do the trick for light work.....a thin rubber insulator pad to protect your concrete is a good idea.) When the hammer is not in use, put some decorative planted pots or something around your concrete anchors so you don't trip on them.
  18. Let's assume that this little giant you are looking at is in perfect structural, and mechanical condition. When you get it home, how will you repair it if parts break down? Do you have machining equipment to make dovetail dies for it? Do you have the skill or access to someone who can weld cast iron? How mechanically inclined are you for working on the clutch system? $3000 for a 50 pounder in fair working condition is a good price. However, for $3000 you can purchase a brand new, 50 pound tire hammer. All the parts on it are new, easily accessible, inexpensive, require very little maintenance, the dies are easily made in shop or comparatively inexpensive to have custom made, and if anything breaks, it is easily repaired by anyone with decent mig-welding ability. When I build a tire hammer it costs me about $1500 in materials buying everything new. I do buy enough pieces to build a few at a time, so I probably pay a little less, than if you were just building one. But if you wanted to buy all new material, are good at price shopping, are good at fabrication and making things move together and fit, and are good at following instructions, you could build one for under $2k without difficulty. The Little Giant is a nostalgic piece of american blacksmithing history. But practicality wise, the tire hammer wins every time.
  19. I used a 1-inch holesaw to ream the pipe out to final size after I assembled the arm. Then used my post vise as a press to push the oilite bearing into the pipe. It's tight, but it does fit. I have no milling equipment so I used a drill press for the drilling, a bandsaw for cutting, and a belt grinder for cleaning up the ends. If you have access to milling equipment, that's great.....if not, it isn't the end of the world. Close does work.
  20. Thanks frosty! I used one ton in the past year and some change....I'm getting in 2000 of 5/8 and 1000 of 3/4 inch. We have expanded quite a bit since those early days. I haven't been on here much but I check in occasionally. 5160 rounds are hard to find. Flats are a bit easier. I even had a lady at Southern Tool steel tell me they didn't manufacture new 5160 anymore. LOL
  21. I buy the material in bulk 2000 pounds or more at a time. (Got 3000 pounds on the way of 5/8 and 3/4-inch rounds.) I think they carry flats too but minimum order is 2000 pounds. The company is Security Steel in Illinois. I had a HARD time finding anyone selling rounds....which is why I now have to buy bulk. I don't buy bulk flat.
  22. Jonah K....the hammer head is filled with lead. There is a void space filled with sand in the lower portion. Those plates are about 1/8-inch thick and also offer a ton of additional bracing to strength the hammer frame overall.
  23. Technique, technique, and more technique. There are plenty who will disagree, but if you work over the far and near edge of the anvil, using half-hammer face blows, with a good 4.5 pound rounding hammer, swinging the hammer head as high as you can reach, you can forge a pair of tong reigns from 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch in a couple hours tops. Look up Brian Brazeal and Alec Steele on Youtube. Both have good videos on tongs that show this technique.
  24. Other than those of us making tire hammers or a spin off the tire hammer, I don't know of any mechanical hammer produced in the US.
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