racer3j

Nice-Saturday I will go to the surplus steel place-rebuilt the generator carb, so I can mig one.Thanks, mike

My new Vulcan was described as 3/4" hardy. Not really- most of my hardy tools that shank size wont fit. The face is good hard steel and a file just skates in the hole. Any suggestions for enlarging? I have a die grinder and carbide bits for steel/iron but that could get ugly. Suggestions?mike

I really like the idea of the truncated pyramid with sand for damping. I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around this--?? When you are building this style do you cut a compound bevel on the verticals that also slant inward as they go UP? I was thinking about getting a long 2 x 16 and making a strong base that could use double-locking casters and making the same material be the verticals. Thanks for any help. BTW- picked up my 100 pound Vulcan today. There is one edge chip on the off side( I have the horn to my left so this chip is at the heel and closest to me). Otherwise, edges as crisp as can be. No flaws anywhere else. Not beat up. I will have to open up the hardy to a true 3/4"- more like large 5/8th" now. The V & B will sit in a corner until I become so famous I need two stout anvils going all of the time-wink- mike

I would like to buy a large framable poster of the "Tougher in Alaska "print. Seriously, It would be a big seller.mike

I taught myself to torch weld. I was working on race car chassis and did not have much power besides a light bulb or two in my garage. Fact is, I got quite good at it. I learned with conventional torches. Then I bought a Dillon. A Dillon/Henrob/ Cobra does all that is claimed. Some conventionals will do most of it as well. But, not all conventional torches mix gases as well at low pressure. They will struggle maintaining neutral flame. I truly believe that the Dillon is better for me as a weldor. But my conventional torches are always ready to go as well.The Dillon just whistled a tune from .083 4130 to 1/4-3/8 plate with no more than change of tip size( and very small flow changes to accomodate Bernouli effect). Expensive, yes- but worth every penny.Ultimately I got power upgraded and had a big water-cooled tig and a metal cutting bandsaw- so I did not cut much with it- when I did, it gave better results, but I have never been that good at torch cutting.mike

I'm not trying to be cruel. I have received automated email responses from them. Like I said, sorrow and more heaped on by things like flooding is nothing to just brush off as "whining." I tried to make it clear that I have read on their site and have some idea of what has beset them. I have been "bustin my butt" trying to be another paying customer- they owe a priority to those who have deposits down on a product. How many other new customers are they losing by not getting a pal to sit down at a computer and respond for real to new contacts? If I were their neighbor, my nights and weekends would be donated to keeping up communication for them. Maybe that is just me, but I don't think I'm close to sainthood yet. I have not bought from them before; probably won't now. I have kept trying to contact them because I felt that with all of the troubles they are having, they could use the money. At least I know I tried. ( One thing I was trying to order was their #8 forge body, in parts, for me to weld up. I thought that would use less valuable time or $$ if they sub out their welding.)mike-- PS- if they sent me a cheat sheet on their projected schedules for their tools, knives and resale products, I would be glad to have all emails forwarded to me and I would sit here this weekend and do the "personalized" responses for them. They seem like hard working and likeable young people- if no one is coming to their aid, then those who may claim to be their friends are not, and should be ashamed of themselves! Bruce- I already think of you as a buddy and I have some woodworking forum friends whom I have never seen, but if they called me at 3 am, in a crisis, I would pack fast and fire up my S-10 4WD "buckboard" and be on my way to whatever rescue was needed. I thank the internet for bringing so many wonderful peolple into my life. I might even be heading to a few pals like that right on this forum. You folks give such a warm and patient welcome to strangers- this is a place to make and keep genuine friends. At WoodNet Handtools there is one gentleman who has actually become a surrogate father to me- I am just lucky ,I guess.mike- FROSTY- I am not sure I would survive a highspeed run to AK- I don't have enough Vicodin- it would be one heck of an adventure though!m

Has any one here received an actual responsive return email from these folks? I have had to deal with death of close friend(33 years of hunting partner-"Uncle Dean" to my daughter) and massive flooding myself here in Iowa- not my home, but friend's house on an island- I haven't just blown off my clients- one would think under the circumstances they would need every paying buyer they can get. If the tragedies have put them under for good, will someone tell me- or tell them to just step up and do the hard thing. I am not being cold- I have been torn away from 34 years of law practice because of health matters and have had to notify clients, state courts, judges, federal courts and fellow lawyers- I am not just ignoring people.Oh, if it matters, I did not practice "rich lawyer law"- I still have to work at other things everyday, whether I fell like it or not.mike

I was taught to set the rollers so that as it feeds, let the wire feed into a solid surface-VERY BRIEFLY- when it stops feeding immediately release trigger. Immediately is important so you only have a kink at the rollers, not a bald eagle's nestI think many folks run too much wheel tension and when things go wrong they have a tangled nightmare. A side note. I carefully fitted a teflon liner in mine- Tweco 3 Pack- stilll on the first one.The advice on having machine end closely fitted up to the rollers and perfectly fitted at the torch end is so valid- when poorly fitted, the feed is ragged and as you think you are fine, that eagle's nest is building up at the rollers and then there are few cuss words that will vent the anger sufficiently.Another no-no is using a roll of wire that has rusted- the little drive wheel struggles to break loose the oxidation glue, and then, another avian condominium. At that point one exhausts the personal cuss word inventory and then you have to stop and turn on a comic performing on HBO.mike--PS- I regularly spray the roll of wire with food grade silicone spray- a shot on in the nozzle helps too.m

Heat treatable is the key. As we all know, with correct elemental make-up, some ferrous pieces can be made tough enough for Thor.mike

Frosty- Nobody expects the Grammar-Syntax Police.!!-- It has been 38 years since I forged the muzzleloader furniture- so this will be a great reunion. I will also just be attempting to shape bevel edge chisel blades- good thing I have a decent belt steel grinder- there will likely be lots of cheating going on.

Everybody here does a good job of pushing "Fire it up, heat it up, beat it up and practice until your arm falls off"- so, here goes. "Caution, Pilgrim at the anvil!" mike

Check out completed sale #330247394696 ebay. Sure I probably paid too much- I have bought some nifty things from this seller- always a real pleasure and totally reliable. He knows some about smithing as well. What do you guys(generic- I attended a sensitivity session yesterday,believe it or not the presenter, an Afro-American in her 30's did a great job, made it a fun session- got everyone thinking and there were lots of laughs- I only say'believe it or not," because these classes have merit but are rarely enjyoyable- I recommended her to our Chief Judge in our District) so anyways( she's a Chicago gal too, so we had lots to talk about over a couple of Diet Pepsi's- she got me talkin' dissin and dattin and youse guys again). Anyway, I think this anvil is a little gem- marked semi-steel should be like ductile iron. Oh, and picked a very crisp Vulcan 100 pounder and a good price- good edges, no cracks, face firm and acts as "one" with the body- well shaped 3/4 hardy and 1/2 pritchel. Came from another seller I know.

Tomorrow I am firing up my bigger gasser(ITC'd) and will be cussin' a steel streak as I try to forge weld it into layers. By the way, the NC Baby arrived, and had been properly shipped. It got a dose of the miracle coating, ITC 100, and I will fire-cure it tomorrow.I think I need to negotiate a woodburner and forging approval for the garage- landlady is really nice- They will carry me out of here feet first- it is that nice a little bungalow. Regards, mike

One of the reasons I am tip-toeing into smithin' is the demand for A2 and D2 and AST34 from my handtool buddies. I will be trying to forgeweld to mild- just a guess, but the fluxes with filings will more likely help.They machine like very hard but sticky, mushy putty. I'm starting out with O1, though.mike

Now a Pilgrim wouldn't want to try this, but Frosty's so tough, that he once hog-tied a Brownie(aka Kodiak, not the little girl in the uniform-) to the muskeg surrounding his forge and just kicked it in the rump when he needed a big huff of air to the coal!

"OUCH- Where's the Aloe?"

But you need to handle it like fiberglas- it will do the pokey-itchy thing to you. I have been using some lately and I use some tyvek coveralls with elastic wrists and nitrile heavy duty(still good tactile) gloves. I have been cutting it outside and in open so wind(we have had a bit doncha know,) blows airborne away- I am up wind. I will likely pick up a few decent masks for when there is no wind. I sure like the way it sticks to metal with ITC stuff and toughens up well with the ITC 100. I have the #8 2600* stuff. I got 8square feet. It is easy to poke through when handling but it is like cotton candy in texture and you can pull off a scrap and fill the hole and it just blends in well- that miracle ITC 100- I am eager to get the 200 series stuff- I am fabricating a forge with my "revolutionary" HA-HA burner arrangement- some of you may find it interesting- it will offer a kind of flexibility not usually seen in gas forges. Really- might be the only clever thing I have come up with lately.mike

Last week I bought a Harbor Freight 500# hydraulic lift table thinking it might make a versatile mobile and stable anvil stand. Shipping weight= 107 pounds. I gave thought to the examples and advice I saw here and returned it today. Yesterday I turned 62. In a large portion of my life I have battled chronic low back pain which I only made much worse in my racing. Surgery, PT, drugs, huge needles haven't done much. I talk about this again because it was all I could do to lift the carton from the ground to my 4WD S-10 Chevy( I am actually a Ford truck man, but that is another story)- a lousy 100 pounds and meds and gritting my teeth barely got it done. The kid at HF picked it up and handily carted it back into the store. I am not confident that I will be able to easily and safely move my 196+ V & B(actually a Brooks- bought out by Vaughan) even on a stand with a wide spread base. So, as I suggested in another post, I am serious about the number two Delta Future 100 pound anvil. I have found few reviews but at least one owner commented about a bit less hammer return and quiet. I haven't hit my anvil with anything so it is literally new and untested and I would not know what I am sacrificing by the change. All comments and written information indicates that as heavy as you can afford is best. That will not work for me. I am close to Centaur, so shipping will be quite reasonable. I still have not connected with getting my pics in the gallery so a kind person might just let me email pictures and then post for me. So, visit the tailgate of my anvil hauling S-10, if you get the hint.jet--AND PS-my nickname is Mike and I am just going to go with that from now on. If I tell you the real name I have to kill you.

For those familiar with racing and the yesterday/Friday tragedy, please understand that my bumpersticker post was before announcement of Scott Kalitta's death. I truly believe that those of us who belt themselves into various motorized rockets, strip, oval, roadcourse,rallye- fear fire the most. I have been on fire twice in racecars- in both cases methanol, so things were burning before anyone sensed I was on fire( there is a universally recognized way a human moves when on fire) and I got out with localized second degree burns. Those suits are "fire retardant." It drives me crazy that I have two best quality $800 nomex/kevlar firesuits stored in a closet- both custom fit and good looking too. Both replaced a suit that was in a fire. Burns and two broken back injuries, torn up shoulders and hands beaten to death by wildly spinning steering wheels and I would get into a racecar at a moment's notice. The interviews done of fellow racers at the track confirm what I have written above. My bumper sticker is right- we don't usually acknowledge it so publicly until a loss like this occurs. My prayers for Scott and his family. On a light note- I could wear the suits while smithing, but the three layers would be mighty warm. I thank all who stayed with this post- for many it is difficult to understand why we do/did it. The second race of my life I was in my car about to be pushed off when the slow ambulance left the track with a deceased racer who just died in a turn two horrible crash. I look back and still can't figure out why I did not pop the lever on the 5 point harness and walk away. Mike Tobey #3J Sprint/ #13midget

Frosty- It is things like your forge that get me going. Since I am ignorant, things like that,your recent as shown( thanks for the sketchup) get my attention. I have come up with a variation in construction that I believe everyone who uses a gas forge will find near irresistible if they try it.

I am not quite a new lamb, but I appreciate your point- " what in the world makes this absolutely rookie idiot think he can improve something he has not extensively used?" A reasonable question- even irritation. Hey- I have a propane grill and I have heated up steel and welded it and shaped it// family background and gunsmithing experience helps a bit. Used to color case harden and heat treat on a small shop scale- we built some crude "forge/furnaces" and I understand Bernouli- and I will publically ask stupid questions here and you vets can help..jet

I see it is on ebay- Pm me please about making one for me. Some changes I would like to discuss. I gave my fully accessorized Atlas lathe- every attachment known to man and spare parts of all but the bed- so, I can't turn the horn. Thanks,jet

As much as I have done from scratch fabricating( did not make my own steel) and grinding I was exaggerating a bit. But if it costs $8 in labor time to detail, you can expect 5-6 times that in retail price. I still have not put hot steel on my fairly big(196 pounds) Vaughan anvil- considering a Delta Future 100 pound and selling the V & B. So, I know nothing about anvils to be commenting- should have kept my mouth shut. It is a very crisply shaped anvil and so I can see that flash would be distraction.jet

I tend to look at things and daydream about building or improving- unfortunately, often about things where I barely know "jack". Like blacksmithing. So, I have 1 1/2 propane forges, now have the parts to make 2-3 coal-coke forges. I say 1/2 because I paid $40 to a Best Offer Ebay Seller for shipping. My offer was for the forge and $40 for shipping. This is a new in box Whisper Baby. Based on the fact that if done priority as I asked and paid for, the forge should be here, the seller healed the $$ hit by cheap shipping me. Kind of makes me glad that I can leave truthful feedback- I take the position that instant payments, never modified or rejected, obligate a seller to leave good feedback. Full and honest payment is all that a seller can expect- Now, this is just my opinion and anyone who disagrees is just as correct as I am.

I have tried to buy an Ellis kit(unwelded and no fuel delivery parts)- they are still recovering from their flood problem I guess. Since I am on the banks of the "Father of Waters," I understand. But I have some intriguing ideas and want a big forge. Well, sitting along my garage is a two chamber round smoker- kind with the fuel chamber fastened lower than the cooking/smoking chamber. I am lazy and use the Bradley Smoker. The 16" diameter barrel, 28" inches long and the fuel/smoking chamber, 16" and 16 inches long are just begging to be lined with some 2600* ceramic wool and high density brick floor. And the ITC products would make me a stockholder in the company. The burners can be mounted on the doors- one could be forging and one for unfluxed work.Of course, it is already on its "running gear."

Recommendations for number and size of burners, anyone? I seem to recall that 350 cubic inches needs an efficient 3/4" conventional venturi burner. Well, if I could do math, I would have been a fuel(coal and coke) engineer like my Dad and his Dad before him. Actually, I would like your daydreams or hard won knowledge on any aspect. Thanks, jet

So I paid the dues. Does anything happen besides someday I should receive a magazine?jet

"If it can't kill you, it ain't a sport"-- a bumper sticker that someone gave me and finally my wife at the time begged me to take off of the tow vehicle.jet

Thanks-will do.jet

My ball joint reamer found(one of them)-- This is odd- I went to photobucket- my album named "edmunds4bar"(page 1) copied URL but hasn't worked. sorry