bikecopXXX

very nice, i gotta learn how to do those tubular rivets

nice ChrisJohn the knife has a small pattern on one side and big pattern on the other. is that from the original file teeth, coarse on one side and fine on the other? the large pattern looks cool.

http://www.sheffield-pottery.com/SOFT-BRICKS-Insulating-Firebrick-s/372.htm

very nice...any pix of the process?

thanks for the propane info DSW. do you know why you get hydrogen embrittlement with propane and not with acetylene? and yeah i have read many bad reviews of the multifunction machines. I was thinking more along the lines of "buy a plasma cutter and use it for welding also", but not likely unless i can rig up shielding gas somehow. in the meantime i'll keep practicing with my mig welder.

thanks younghammer in looking into it further it appears you need a plasma torch with shielding gas and its mostly used for robotic welding...but supposed to give high quality welds like TIG. if one machine could cut AND weld...i'd buy it. and on the oxy-propane question...i saw a demo with oxy-propane torch used for heating in blacksmithing...looked very efficient. and i was thinking the same way...one system that can cut, weld, and heat...but it seems it might be good for only 2 out of 3. if you go to the Smith equipment site and look at the oxy-propane kits...no welding tips, just heating and cutting. general concensus is it doesn't work well for welding, but the story is vague. where are you in OK? my mom is in Moore and sister in Norman.

i just noticed i am an "advanced member". must be talking about my typing skills.

Hi samcro i am a beginning welder and have newb questions: Can i weld with a plasma cutter? i noticed plasma arc welding listed in your intro. Can i weld with oxy-propane? i am told not, but why? not hot enough? i am working with my low-end mig/flux-core rig and getting better, but i still look forward to more education. thx Mike

hey Berryhill, everything i make is ugly too. post some pix so i won't feel so all alone.

that has a very nice shape. and it's really thick, i guess that's where the 2+ lbs comes from. i like the touchmark and the flamed handle. pretty much like it all.

very nice basher, i have made a few bodkins, but nothing like this. Do you have any pix of the sequence? seems like the wings would get in the way of forming the socket, or are they done later? thx Mike

very impressive, dancho! especially for forge only. beyond my skills currently. did they use the back side for hammering also? or is that a handle reinforcement? Does that type of socket use a wedge in the handle or is there some other method?

i like the blown forge so far. it's pretty simple, no mig tips, flared ends or any of that. just pipe, pipe bushings, cheap regulator/hose, free hair dryer from the goodwill bag.... screw it all together and light it. my regulator can go from lean (near blowout) to super rich (big yellow flames coming out both ends of the brick stack) , but i have only had my blower set on low so far. I have the zoot-capri 3-speed pink blower so i need to push it up to 2 or 3 and crank up the gas and see what it will do. I'm a little concerned that it will be a gas hog, but i'm still on my first 20 lb tank, so we'll see. if you can plumb in NG that would be very convenient.

Nice work metal99. i really like the small and large "curly handle" knives. Did you do the wrap yourself? how would you recommend a newbie go about learning how to do that type of wrap?

mine is propane. so far have made a bodkin arrow point for my neighbor and a garyhuston-style cross for my wife. slowly learning... Hey Dodge, i used to live in Bellevue as a kid. my dad was in the AF at Offutt.

well i built it, but it is too ugly for photos. It is similar to Jymm's photos above, but with one burner instead of 2, with the end mashed down to a square oval shape. It uses a hair dryer blower, 1.5" pipe, a regulator from a turkey fryer, and it blows into a brick-stack forge ala zoeller. Performance: from cold forge to yellow heat on a 1/2" square bar in 3.5 minutes. better than i expected. I will try to get it up to welding heat next.

very cute. is clarke a UK-only brand?

very nice pitt. i like the handle with the stopper at the bottom. and i like the "split" feature on the blade. looks good.

wow, that's a big one. i used a #6 at the campbell folk school and it was plenty big enough for anything i would ever do, but that one is way bigger than a #6. How did you find it? i want one.

yeah i think being an archer is where it was at back then if you had to be in a battle. archer with warhammer on the belt for backup.

Charles you mean the movies are wrong!?!? hey my mom lives in Moore (house still standing, thanks for asking) and my sister lives in Norman. not far from Bradley.

thanks everyubody i looked at fletchtite on the 3-rivers site and the reviews were mixed. They also have a product called ferr-l-tite. specially for tips it says. any experience with this item? http://www.3riversarchery.com/Ferr-L-Tite+Glue_i4191_baseitem.html

Hi all my young neighbor has made his own longbow and arrows and is interested in me making him some bodkin points. There are plenty of videos on youtube on how to make them, but no mention of how to attach them to the arrow shaft. Are they jam-fitted, glued, pinned, or some combination? Period correct is nice but i'm not above using some epoxy if required. thanks for any help Mike

wow those are nice. i want one. can you show the steps for installing the handles with the tube rivets? what tools did you need? is there a counterbore in the handle to flare the rivets into? very impressive.

i'm a big fan of that "as-quenched" pattern on the steel.