Lance Hildefuns

G-day Burkey. Good to have ya on board.

I love this idea. Living in WA. However BAWA seems to be a very popular indian word when searching for this page.

Hi I have a friend who is currently in Brisbane and would like to see some of the local smithing. Does anyone have any information about local workshops, clubs or upcomming events he could check out. Please feel free to pm me if you are uncomfortable about putting the information up here for all to see. Your privacy will be respected

Thanks heaps for this thread guys. I always find it interesting to find out the silly things we used to do in past industrial ventures. I myself have noticed a massive change in attitudes in the last 10 years alone! The "just get it done" hero is a dying breed. Mostly because they are now actually a dying breed. Which tends to limit any feedback that can be had on the practices of the day. Unfortunatly I have noticed the "cotton wool" approach causing its own problems in the youth of today. Regardless of work environment.

Congratulations on the new vice Blake. Getting something for free, in serviceable condition, is bound to put a smile on your face. :rolleyes: Happy hammering

Thank you Bob S .....I got a real kick out of that :) dmac2 (Don McNeil) Machining out the pulley shouldn't prove to be much of a problem for any local machine shop. I would consider that part almost hobby lathe size capable. The pulley is able to be held on the inside of the rim by reversing the jaws on the lathe chuck. (You remove them, spin them 180 and re-insert them so that the stepped tier is largest on the outside and stepps down in towards the center of the chuck. This effectivly reduces the diameter you are trying to grip. If done carefully (packed with sandpaper to prevent jaw marks) and dailed up true. It is possible to do this without leaving any marks. You shouldn't have any problems with this method due to the softness of the bearing material being machined. The bearing material sounds remarkably similar to what I have heard called "old school, white metal" and is relativly soft due to the lead content and machines very easily. Modern "white metal" no longer has the lead content due to health and saftey issues. It's a little harder but very similar otherwise. If you get a young machinist, just tell them that "she's an old girl, treat her gently" If they go hard there is the possibility (though slight) of damaging the bond of the soft bearing material to the housing. Either pushing it through or causing it to spin in the housing at a later date. Hope this helps.

Nice! I especially like the upward curve of the twist bar towards the tip. Lots of character

I am curious to see pics of this. I have never heard of "pouring" a bearing before. I have only ever seen one white metal bearing and it was a press fit insert.

Hello and welcome aboard. Sounds like you are starting out with about as much as I am. That fact alone put a smile on my face. Just about everything you need here...except steel in the hand.....and maybe even that. Have fun. I am

G'day I'm a fitter/machinist by trade and have recently decided to finally get a small smithing workshop up and running. There has always been something about hot metal that just inspires me. I'm new to smithing and still have a lot to learn but I'am finding my previous metal experience of great value all the same. Currently I make 14th century medieval armour but am looking to branch out to blade smithing quickly. I have been making purpose tools as I go. It's an itch I have been needing to scratch for a long time. I would like to give some thanks to all the support and helpful hints I have found on this site so far. You guys have been awsome. Suddenly after months of fumbling in the dark for relevant information and local smiths to learn from. I have more info than I can possibly soak up. Cheers :) Oh and here is a link to the Aussie roll call on I Forge Iron, for any other Aussies that stumble across this post http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/7176-oz-roll-call/

Welcome Frodo. I too am a new member. I'm a fitter/machinist by trade but very new to smithing. Already I have been blown away by the welcoming support on this site and look forward to catching up with you on chat. Lance Perth, Western Australia

G'day Lance here from Perth Western Australia. Just starting out down the path of the smith. Fitter/machinist by trade. I have been doing a bit of cold work and am now keen to get a nice source of heat going and do some heat treating. Next mission is a LPG gas forge shortly followed by some dodgy hot metal attempts at blade forging.

Hi Sam. Looks like you're off to a flying start there. I'd love to see how it worked out for you, what method of articulation joints you used ect ect. I am also currently in the process of fabricating some medieval armour and would be happy to give tips or advice on anything you may be having trouble with or be willing to trade ideas about. Most of my kit so far has been made out of 3mm aluminium. Not the greatest medium to work with. However I have managed to successfully do a couple of complex bends so far on a 14th harness I am currently working on. I will upload some piccys when I get a chance. I don't have an anvil but I do have a T-bar stake I made and a few other odd shaping tools I use. I generally do a lot of raising as opposed to sinking as I find it gives me greater controll and a better surface finish. The effects of work hardening from cold working in this manner are also a great boon. Especially when working with stainless steel.