Dodge

Congrats Chris!! :)

Welcome to the forum Denny, Really cool (no pun indended ) about your pour!! I've always been interested in casting. I want to do someting with the brass I've been collecting over the years, but I dunno if a plaster mold would hold up in that case. You came to the right place although there aren't too many doing castings. You'll be an asset!! Ask lots of questions and keep us informed on what you learn. I think I can speak for others in that we'd all like to learn more. You can teach as you learn Even the oldtimers don't know EVERYTHING. LOL

Wicked hammer, Val. Why is it not going to be a permanent fixture in your shop???? I'd give my left uh... well, I'd like very much to have a hammer like that ;)

Jim, Is this not the same as super glue? And would you need to vacuum to stabilize or just coat with brush??

Just in case it was missed, one must be careful when working on concrete with molten metal. Extreme sudden heat and concrete don't mix. A violent reaction can result. We're not talking Hiroshima or even Forth of July type explosions but little pieces of hot concrete that stick to your neck just below your face shield because you spilled a little moltem bronze during a pour or you just had to get that anvil cut form 4" plate done now come xxxx or high water are really annoying. Whats that?? You weren't wearing a face shield???

Wicked hawk Tyler! I gotta find my spikes!!! ;)

Jim, What is TSP? I'm intrigued with this bone idea that I have heard called "Bovine Ivory" Cyanoacrylate: Super Glue?? Need to use vacuum chamber for this procedure or just paint with glue?

I bought the Hypertherm powermax 380.

The neat thing about dirt, clay, gravel, etc vs concrete is that the non- concrete materials are less likely to explode if molten steel or other such hot material was to come into contact with it. Heavy flame cutting over concrete should be avoided as there is always some moisture in the concrete that will expand and can rupture the surface. Not in a window shattering explosion but enough to send particals into places they should not occupy. i.e. eyes, ears, down the front of yer bibs etc. Just a safety note :)

Bary, Not too sure about gyroscopes, but as I remember from the toy one I had as a kid and what I've seen on science shows on tv, the key is balance, as would be the case on any spinning wheel. I would say that brass would make a fine scope. Turning this on a lathe?? If I was to make one, just sitting here brainstorming, I would make the frame from steel (Stainless;)??) and the wheel or "rotor" from brass. Brass seem to have built in lubricating qualities. Just an opinion. Use at your own risk. Sounds like a fun project though :)

Here in Nebraska, we have an abundancy of good ol clay. Just under the topsoil. Usually less that a foot. When I build my shop I will op to have probably half un-paved maybe all and just rely on hard packed clay in the forge area. Save lotas money that way too ;)

Hey Jeff, Welcome from a former Coloradian. Arvada, specifically:)

Welcome Andreas, Intersting about starting with bladesmithing and evolving to other stuff. I started the other way around. I too have been interested in smithing for years but did fabricating, welding, sculpture and such and only recently have I been focusing on blades. Having a blast and this is the place to be:)

Wasn't aware Naval Jelly was that hazardous!! I've used it a couple times to remove rust on some pieces and experienced no adverse tramas, but was I lucky or flirting with disaster?? Instructions simply said wash with water after it did its work. But that was in the 70s when things were done "differently" i.e. drain yer radiator at the curb and run the hose a while so it didn't kill yer cat.

Steve, Another oversimplified explanation, (kiss;)) might be that they are advertising the high and low end of typical useage. 40 psi being the minimum that most paint sprayers woul require and 90 psi being the highest working pressure that OSHA will allow in the workplace. Just a guess, uneducated at that :)

Nolano, Ed T, Hofi, You guys beat me to the punch but are absolutely correct about using grinding wheels on soft materials such as wood and aluminum. Its not a matter that they can clog. They WILL clog and become a time bomb. Saftey shields should be used regardless of the conditions but an exploding wheel may not discriminate. An alternative might be a hand held 4" or 9" grinder. They will still clog but they are reinforced with fibers that reduce the risk of explosion. Plus, the grinder's guard will stop a good deal of debris if it was to come apart. That doesn't help the innocent by-stander, however. Always be aware of spectators!! Flap wheels are most likely the safest and most effective when using this type of grinder and they move an incredible amount of material while leaving a nice, smooth finish.

Ellen, Thanks for clarifiying the scfm / cfm difference. If I understand it correctly then scfm would denote perfect texbook conditions and cfm would denote actual average shop conditions? I know thats probably grossly over simplified;)

WICKED!! I like it. Very Tolkienish ;)

Tracy, Welcome to the forum. I was stationed near Irvine at MCAS El Toro. Not much of it left these days;)

Sign on shop door: "Work done good, fast, cheap. Pick two!"

JWB, LOL! My cover has been compromised. Improvise, adapt, and overcome!! Yup, Fully aware of moisture and dirt problems and am planning accordingly. Thanks :)

Welcome to the forum Ludo -Scott

Welcome from Omaha Gary;)

Let me rephrase the question. What would be the smallest compressor I could get away with? Would a smaller one, say a 30 gallon tank, just limit the cutting time or would it limit the cutting capacity etc??

I am getting ready to buy a plasma cutter. I've never owned one myself but used one at work for years and took air supply requirements for granted. Now that I am going to have to be aware of it I realize I may need to get a bigger compressor. You guys and/ or gals that have a plasma machine; How big is you compressor?? The plasma machine I am looking at requires 270 scfh ;4.5 cfm @ 60 psi. I saw a compressor at HF that claims a rate of 6.0 scfm @ 40 psi - 4.2 scfm @ 115 psi. By doing the math, this seems to cover the range but it only has an 8 gallon tank. Do I need a bigger tank? Whats the difference between cfm and scfm? Same thing?? Pre-thanks for your input :)