sawyer04
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Posts posted by sawyer04
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Unrelated to smithing I put vinegar in a rusty motorbike tank and let set for four days. Put the vinegar back in the orginal jugs and put some acetone in tank to vaporize . Air dried and filled with gasoline. I was leary, but it worked.
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I'll second that in regards to 'professionals'.. I don't want to think about how many times 'they' had to come out and how long it took them to get the gas line properly connected to a 'mobile home' we had put on the property.
Sounds like you guys have so called propane installers working for the company. All these guys want to do around here is pump gas and charge the bill. Something about insurance. -
I have only played blacksmith for a hobby, not wanting to make it a business, but have had several things going, farming, garage, lawn service, construction in the last 40 years and one thing I know is the make it or break it is in the office. I was never too bright about office work. I hired a bookeeper, found a good one and kept him.
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I am afraid my experiences with unions of the trades have been negative, starting in the mid 80's to present time.I see shoddy craftsmanship. I complain to the contractor and get a stuff shirt union representive trying to convince me the project is of quality. I have seen union starting late and quiting early, but still under wages.
The unions were needed for safety and honest wages in the early years, but as in Europe the unions, maybe not all, have become socialistic. I still see many blue collars working an honest day for wages, but they are plagued with having to work with incompetent and lazy peers because of union protection. They pay their dues and get coaxed along by white collar stuff shirts that unity is the word.
The early years I work as a contractor with union and we appreciated each other and yes, I needed my ears pinned back a time or two. I am retired as of 7 years ago because it was time, but I think the unions need to really look at their agendas and pick their leaders wisely. I feel they are in for some hard times if they don't get off the high horse. I know several good union masons, carpenters, and tile layers off work because of the economy, or is it they priced themselves out of the market? -
The other day in "it Followed me Home" DiverMike brought home a doming hammer and we were all admiring it and some of us wanting one, well here is one on Ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/HAMMER-VINTAGE-ROUNDING-BLACKSMITH-/150487738432?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2309c4a840
Looks fairly decent and the price for "buy it now" don't look bad either, only I ain't gots no money and I have decided that I sure don't need one.
I found another one starting bid is cheaper too http://cgi.ebay.com/BLACKSMITH-HAMMER-ANVIL-TOOL-UNUSUAL-BLACKSMITH-HAMMER-/260658086466?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb06ec242
Price doesn't look bad, but the shipping breaks the deal -
A lot of older tools were junk too - even if made in America. My great uncle lived on the farm his whole life and kept all sorts of knick-knacks that dated from before 1900 through the 1980's when he passed away. I remember there were many "antiques" that had broken prematurely or just didn't work due to bad design - on the other hand, the better quality tools were still being used daily. It's the same with guns; millions of cheap firearms (mostly pistols and shotguns) were made since the mid 1800's - but about the only ones seen or collected now are the name brands.
My entire career has been spent in manufacturing and I have seen a large amount of work move offshore but the Swiss screw-machine company I work for now is extremely busy and we have added about 15% to our workforce in the past 6 months. Our biggest problem is that we can't find qualified people - many applicants can't pass a basic math test and have horrendous work records. However, the general view in the US government and the educational system is that manufacturing and the need for trades is obsolete so all the new school grads should go to college - even though many can't write a legible sentence.
I think this is why we have the quality of merchandise we buy, Our society is getting to lazy and stupid to care about quality. In the old days it wasn't complicated to get a machine repaired. Good machinist were in old barns and garages scattered around the country with dated and self made equipment, now mostly the metropoliton areas have good, capable shop equipment, but no craftsman to operate them.
I see a lot of college hamburger turners, and it is a job, but hardly worth the money for college training.
Who is the cause of this dilemma of tradesmen demise? Look in the mirror, we are. -
Jay leno has a similar garage/showroom/museum Personally I don't think of that as a garage. Me, personally, I feel a garage is a place where oil can be spilled, welding can be done and vehicle repairs most likely will happen on site. anything that doesn't fit this description is not a garage. Notice I said oil can be spilled, not will be or should be, same goes for welding and vehicle repair. these things should be a possibilty not necessarily a definite.
I wonder if the people that own these palces are as happy as a fellow that steps in a little tin shed laced with tools mostly made by himself and has no debt. -
I made a deal with the local scrappers when I lived in Columbus. I told them that anything I left in front of the shop doors was fair game for them and if they took anything in my scrap pile they were fair game for *me*---no season, no limits!
We got along well and sometimes they would stop by and howdy or I would flag them down to get some stuff that didn't make it to in front of the doors yet.
Out here in the country my shop is getting crowded as I'm not putting anything out in the expansion until it can be locked up tight and I can throw in a couple of rattlesnakes with their rattles cut off before I leave on trips...
I like the idea of rattlers without rattles, and as as far as I am concerned a thief needs an arranged meeting with his maker. I know about where thieves live around me, but I actually get along with them, I have given them old air conditioners and steel I have no use for, but then again I always have a 38 special on my hip or near in the shop. -
I'd recommend to sharpen them with an angle grinder or other grinder. They don't need tempering, they take a beating, so they need to be tough, not hard.
All I have ever done was grind brush hog blades and kept the heat down. If it is an actual brush hog it doesn't have to be sharp like a finishing mower. I draw the old style plow shears and hard surface them, that might work on some of the old brush hogs. If they get to that point we buy new blades. -
Wow, this thread went buzzing over the top of my head, but I have smashed my thumb under a hammer and almost puked, I understand that one.
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Drafted 1969 and didn't like it one bit. Didn't agree with the idea of killing the yellow man, I Corp, Americal division. Came back to the states bitter as hell carrying a Silver Star, purple heart and a bronze star with v device. Couldn't get hired for a job cleaning toilets. Some of you guys know what the score was back then. Retired in 93 from Army and Army Reserves with a firm belief that a soldier is trained to do a job and it's not being butt wipers for third world countries.
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I had mud daubers in my blower and soybeans. I have found a mouse nest and a screwdriver in other blowers I have aquired.
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I believe that would make a great conversation piece for the shop sitters to ponder over coffee.
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Free delivery always means its harder to say No after inspection.
I'm with the other guys, save up and get name brand. Auctions are a good place to get good oldies. I saw a 300 series go for around $850 and it had a cooling system. Guy was so happy he could hardly contain himself. He said he was willing to go $1200 because he liked the older machines with coils or someting.
I like the older machines beause they are copper wound and in my opinion hold their power longer, but repairs are hard to find unless it is a brand name and even then takes a while to get spare parts. I try to keep spare parts on the shelf or donor machines in storage.
I have never tried the less expensive new machines because of the luck I have had with other tools of less expense. -
Strange thing today. I took apart 2 pair of tongs I made and was unhappy with. Removing rivets is interesting. I reforged and reshaped them, and then my bottles froze.
I am using 2 20# exchange bottles manifolded together. They were about half full when I started, and since I was just forging I didn't set up a water bath. It is about 40F outside. The bottles were at a slight height difference to each other due to the slope of the drive. The empty bottle was uphill, and about 1 inch higher. The full bottle seems to have more in it that when I started.
I'm just confused as I expected the propane to be consumed evenly, and not apparently siphon from one bottle to the other.
On the plus side I only need to get 1 bottle fille
Phil
I used to work for a propane company and propane will go to the lowest point down,where as natural gas will flow to the highest point. We would pour propane gas out of a coffee can like water. We would pour natural gas to a coffee can held over the lower can. Now back when OSHA was not such a pain the propane gas would be ignited in the bottom coffee can and natural gas would be ignited in the coffee can held open end down just to prove the point. The tempature being 40 degree and the proper humidity could be the reason the propane went to lower cylinder. The humidity will cause a propane cylinder or tank to sweat and it is possible to guage how much liquid gas is in the tank by sweat ring around the tank.
Just a little two cents to add to the confusion -
Nice scores.
The guillotine tool is a cable cutter.
Frosty
I had one bolted on the D6, old cable operated bulldozer to cut the cable when it needed to be replaced or shortened. -
I smoked briar pipes with a cavandish blend and Dutch masters cigars. Been 10 years now since I have smelled a good pipe or cigar.
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Looks like a belt pulley to me. That being said I would motorize it with a reduction pulley set up.
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Ah, I just let the collectors go at it, I pounded on a rail iron for a while until I found the Peter Wright. I had just as much enjoyment out of the railroad iron as I am just tinkering, but if I made it my business I would purchase or make a power hammer. The fun and feeling of accomplishment is to do with what you have in my case. I make my own rifle repairs with modern hand tools. The old timers made beautiful pieces with hand made tools, drills and files. So, let the collectors go at it. I think some of them are a very entertaining and interesting.
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The first time I fired my gas forge I wondered if she was going to blow, most racket I ever heard out of a forge.
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Yeah most of us have similiar traits, I'm about 6-2, 250lbs, yet when dealing with kids, if you get down to their level, they don't seem to be too intimidated.
I was thinking you ask a kid and you will be told if a person is a smithy. Seems they know and at least the ones I know, not the least bit intimidated by noise and coal dust. I am really just a farmer, but always have a trinket made of scrap for the little ones. -
That is a great buy for a compressor, just needs a little TLC. My first air compressor was off of a refrigerator. Yeah, it was slow but I was poor back in 1967. I have still got it for use on an air brush.
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I purchased a drill doctor and have tried to use it reading and rereading the directions. I don't care for it's results. I just went back to hand and eye sharpening. I have a sharpener that General tool designed for a bench grinder, but never used it..
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I use Bullet brand mostly and like has been said seems like the cheapos work well for the money.
Nothin like a little fraud in the morning
in Everything Else
Posted
Some pee head used my credit card to buy i-tunes. I am doing more than change my password. I will not use paypal period. I called paypal and got to talk to a person in the phillipines. I told them I wanted to talk to a U.S. representive. I got a philipino supervisor which could speak a little better english than the first person. NOPE, no PayPal for me. Sure the insurance took care of the charge, but if you don't check your account often some pee head will test it with small purchases and if they get by with it they will continue on to larger charges.