arkie

Thomas, you put more work into that heart than you would have for a "regular" heart.

22 hours ago, George N. M. said:

Arkie, do you then make the wings as a separate piece and weld or rivet them onto the body?

George, I cut the wings out of 1/8" sheet metal or bar stock and tack weld them to the body.

The youtube video posted by wicon (above) is amazing.  Might have to give that one a try!

I'm not aware of a tutorial, but take a 4" length of 3/4" mild steel, fan out the tail with a cross peen, neck the head with a fuller, taper the bill and you have a hummer!  Hint...do the tail first.  Kinda hard to hold the thing by the bill, LOL

I have two Dayton blowers (using one currently, other is a spare) similar to the one Irondragon suggested.  I agree with him.  Works a charm.  Anything 50 to 80 CFM is all you need.  I can burn the ends of a set of tongs with either!!  FWIW, 500 CFM could blow the coke or coal right out of your firepot....

Lary, super job on the hummer and flower.  You should be proud of that piece.  I like the polished finish.  Upsetting to "fatten up" the hummer is a great idea.

Methinks he covets his hammer....and the look is "Don't even try to take it away from me!!!!.

Merry Christmas.  Good to see you in the shop.

He's gonna have fun with that (I have one like it).  Better than a steel drum.  My dad bought all the grandkids steel drums for Christmas one year........not good.

Merry Christmas (BTY, I'm not the gift giver...)

The Lincoln AC/DC models (and AC ones) are built like tanks and hardly ever "grow old".  They are heavy and cumbersome, pull a lot of power, but are great choices as a starter welder for a newbie welder since used ones in good condition can be bought for a couple of hundred $.  The AC only welders are not in so much demand and can be had used for anywhere from $50 to $150 at yard and garage sales.  The AC only models are a bit more restrictive on the types of electrodes that can be used efficiently, namely the DC electrodes.  Agreed that the newer multi-purpose inverter welders may be more versatile, but for starters, the old Lincolns can't be beat.  If your Lincoln AC/DC is in good shape, I would ask $200 and see what happens.

1 hour ago, JHCC said:

(That's "ground floor" and "first floor" for the Europeans in our midst.)

Our local hospital added on a large addition at a slightly lower elevation than the original building.  The first time I got on one of the new elevators it said the same thing..."Ground Floor", "First Floor", etc....  That really messed with my mind; had to rethink where I was supposed to go!  In addition to that, the new parking garage elevator had Braille characters under each floor button....I often wondered how a person who needed to use Braille managed to drive into the garage!  (probably an ADA requirement)

For a quick breakfast on the run, I like Jimmy Dean egg, sausage & cheese w/English Muffin.  I sprinkle the cheese & egg with Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning.  I haven't tried the bowl yet...someday.

Arkans, for derusting use regular vinegar, Evaporust ($) or electrolysis.  Electrolysis setups are all over Youtube.  Strong acids like muriatic (hydrochloric) acid are a bit more dangerous and problematic to work with.

Billy, it was amazing the lengths to which the RR went to decorate the train in Christmas/Santa decos.  I'd never seen one decorated like that.  Kids will probably remember things like that the rest of their lives.  Great that all of you were able to go.

Start a new post for your pictures.  Scroll down to the bottom of the text pane and select "choose files":

• "Drag files here to attach, or choose files..."

I think a large part of the "problems" with the "professionals" is that they have become numb or indifferent to pain and suffering and don't know how to practice sympathy with family any more...maybe I'm wrong, but it surely seems that way.

Thom, you and the other minions are indeed true friends for the Powers family.  Lucky to have you around for them.

12 hours ago, lary said:

arkie-  I was looking at Pinterest for hummingbird forging ideas an the first picture in this post came up. Wondering if its OK to borrow some of your ideas.

Please do...that's why we post our work, to inspire others to copy and learn.  One tip I learned from a friend who is an "expert" on the hummers.  My first ones had straight beaks, but she informed me that their beaks have a slight curve to them, FYI

I have two touchmarks, one small and one a bit larger, both made from coil spring.  The coil spring works fine.

Beautiful axes, Tony!

George, the leather at the top of the handle is what some folks use to prevent damage to the handle in the case of overstrikes.

Good looking idea, Billy.   I might want to make one as well, thanks for posting.  The pointed end adds a nice touch.  You might consider putting some stick-on felt on the insides of the part that goes over the door to prevent marring the paint, if any.

Thomas is a legend here on IFI.  Wishing him a speedy and healthful recovery.

Rojo, thanks for posting the series of photos for the tongs.  Those should help anyone successfully make a set.  Nice work.

If I would have said what I wanted to...I would have been banned for life.

Back in 1957 Russia launched Sputnik I.  It emitted a pulsing "beep, beep".  I was so enthralled with trying to listen for it, that my brother loaned me his Hallicrafters S38 SW receiver.  I put up a dipole antenna tuned to the 20MHz signal to try to received the Sputnik signal.  Shazam!!! I got the "beep, beep, beep..." and was so excited that rushed to awaken my parents to come listen!  I didn't wait to listen long enough.....turns out the beeping I heard was the National Bureau of Standards time broadcast out of Ft. Collins Colorado, WWV, which broadcasts time signals on 20MHz!!!  Needless to say my folks weren't exactly enthused about my "discovery".  I did, later on, manage to acquire the Sputnik signal.

I would strongly suggest taking the coil spring/strut assembly's to an auto repair place and have them disassemble them.  Look at some utube videos to see what can happen if things go wrong.

Great haul, Billy!  Yeah, those prices particularly at an auction are sky-high.  Good deals on the forge and tools.

I like to use 3/8" x 3/4" for a lot of tong types.  Plenty of stock to work in different directions.