son_of_bluegrass

CO detectors should be place between 12 and 18 inches from the CEILING (and if memory serves not in a corner and I think there is a distance away from doors and windows). CO is slightly lighter that normal air and will concentrate at the ceiling first. CO2 is heavier than air and will collect at floor level. CO has a density of 1.165 kg/m3 (NTP) or 1.250 kg/m3 (STP), "normal" air has a density of 1.205 kg/m3 (NTP) or 1.293 kg/m3 (STP). This is taken from http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/gas-density-d_158.html ron Hit the post button but it doesn't seem to have went, if this is a double post - sorry.

I forged these for a sign I made at my day job. (I work at a zoo.) When we were designing the sign, my boss had the idea to use straps and I commented that if I was doing it, I'd forge the straps and do something decorative on the ends. She liked the idea and commissioned me to make the straps (as I was doing those on my time I sold them to the zoo). These were the first ones to show her the lines I was thinking along and she liked them (told me they were perfect). I would have liked to re-do some things on them. Ron

I just read this http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/340704/title/Even_moderate_noise_may_harm_hearing It might not need to be loud to be damaging, constant lower lever sounds may be enough to cause problems. I'm wondering about fans, blowers and the like and if the constant but not overly loud sound may cause problems. I gather from the article that being able to distinguish subtle differences in sounds could be compromised by the lower volume constant sounds and that could make it difficult to properly understand speech even if your hearing is fine. ron

You could temper anything from 325 F for a very hard blade to 550 F or so for a springy blade. An hour is what I consider minimum but many people go with 2 or 3 one hour cycles, although you could get away with long enough to heat throughly (maybe 20 minutes). To get more specific than that would require more knowledge on what exactly you want and that requires answering you question with a question. You could read the stickies on heat treating here http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/56-knife-stickies-here/ That may provide you with enough information to answer your own question. ron There I did it without asking a question.

I'll be following this thread as I'm interested in something myself. I'm leaning towards a Hobart (which I read is still made in the U.S.), probably the 140. ron

I would recommend to someone just starting out and asking about the hardening process to read the stickies http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/56-knife-stickies-here/ A solid fuel (coal or real wood charcoal) can be dirt cheap to build. Any hole in the ground to hold the fire with an air source can work as a forge. Of course where you are may preclude a solid fuel forge. ron

Yes a muffle pipe is a pipe placed in the forge to even the heat on the blade. I don't find it as necessary in a propane forge as in a solid fuel (coal or charcoal) forge. You may be able to adjust the temperature of your forge by adjusting the propane / air mix. If you can reduce the propane to a point that the forge holds stable at the correct temperature for quenching (around 1500 F) you won't have to worry about overheating. For tempering you only need to reach between 300 and maybe 600 F for simple steels depending on the desired result. You should be able to reach that with any propane torch. For tempering you don't need to have the whole piece reach temperature at the same time. I've tempered springs to 550 F in my kitchen oven before and a lot of people use toaster ovens for tempering. ron

A slower quench will result in less austenite converting to martensite. This likely will be less brittle, but as martensite is what makes it possible to hold the edge it won't be as sharp or stay as sharp as an edge with more martensite. Untempered martensite is very brittle, tempering it makes it less so. A better edge will be had by tempering to a higher temp to reduce the brittleness. Non-magnetic on cooling is a bit cooler than on heating, you may not have been quenching while the steel is still fully austenic. How are you heating? Torch, forge (solid fuel or propane), something else? If you are using a forge a muffle pipe can help getting an even heat. The tang end can me preheated to 800 or 1000 F before heating the rest so it come to heat at the same time as the tip or the tip can be cooled before it gets too hot to slow the heating of the tip. Have you read the stickies on heat treating under knies? link removed do to relocation, see the knife reference section That may help with your questions. ron

Rene Descartes walks into a bar, the bar-keep asks "You want a beer?" Descartes replies "I think not" and disappears.

I've never used motor oil. I use old cooking oil myself. I warm it to around 120 (warm to the touch). Today's motor oil has a lot of additives. Don't breath the smoke it you use it. Non-magnetic is a good starting point if you don't know to look for the decalesence (not sure on that spelling, the steel darkens for a moment as it undergoes the phase change) but you have to catch the non-magnetic point as it heats not as it cools. If you rasp is something like 1095 you need to get the temperature down from non-magnetic to below 800-900 F in under 1 second to get as much martensite as possible. In other words, don't dawdle. A soak is merely holding the steel at temperature (non-magnetic) for a while. Hard to do well in a forge, easy in a heat-treat oven. ron

You mentioned quenching in motor oil but didn't say if you warmed the oil first. Nor did you mention the weight of the oil or how you determined the temperature of the steel when quenched or if you soaked the steel. Room temp oil is a slower quench than warm (about 120-140 F) oil. Light weight oils are faster than heavier oils. Quality rasps that I've played with have been very similar to 1095, although one required a soak to harden. And some are case hardened which may not harden in water. You may have had only partial conversion to martensite if they held some kind of edge which may indicate 1 that steel needs a soak 2 that steel needs a faster quench 3 that steel doesn't have enough carbon to get harder 4 you didn't hold your tongue correctly when quenching 5 you didn't get the steel to the quench fast enough (1095 needs to be quenched in something under 1 second) 6 or something I'm not thinking of off the top of my head. ron

From the pictures it looks like there used to be some posts supporting the beam with bridle joints where the newer posts are now. If that is the case, you will need to replace the structure with something that will support the weight. The unused bridle joints are also a point of weakness that will need to be addressed. You really should find someone who knows timber framing and structure who can come out and look at it in person and figure out what can be done with what you have and what you want. ron

Drill rod is commonly available as W-1 with around 1% C. That would be about 1090 in round. A search should reveal many sources. I believe Aldo has some round, although I don't know it the sizes he carries is what you may be looking for. ron

I've got bees coming soon myself. If you're interested in beekeeping without chemicals or foundation and haven't yet checked out http://www.biobees.com/forum/index.php you may find it interesting. ron

If you'll post a general location (city, state, country) there may be someone around the corner willing to help you. (You can put it in your profile.) Also there may be a blacksmithing group in your neck of the woods, search for ABANA (assuming you are in N. America, Artist Blacksmith Ass. of N. America) then look under affiliates for your state. Search the forum for key words of specific questions. Read books. There are a number of good ones out there. "Plain and Ornamental Forging" (can't remember the authors spelling) was written as a text book. "The New Edge of the Anvil" by Andrews I think and "Blacksmith Primer" (think that is the correct title) by ? (I should know...). If you don't want or can't afford to buy, check your library. If they don't have it you may be able to read it through Inter-Library Loan (ILL). If all else fails, feel free to ask. ron

Mixed with vinegar it can be used to dye wood or leather. The higher the tannin content the darker it will go. ron

That looks very similar to my rivet forge. Mine only gets wobbly if I pump too hard. I don't need to pump very hard to get enough heat to weld with, if I'm struggling to get heat then I really need to clean my fire. ron

Purely a guess on my part but I'm thinking it's not a hammer but a struck tool. Perhaps something to do with making a mortice for a tenon to fit? Or maybe set hammer of some sort? But like I said I'm only guessing. ron

Had a hiccup, don't think the first one went through. I don't currently have the beard, this picture made the Hutchinson, Ks paper when I demo'd at a renaissance / celtic faire last september.

I've heard folks insist it is impossible to forge in a charcoal fire. ron

Is there some reason you don't buy some? I don't know that someone making a few would be able to make them cheaper than what you could buy some from a woodworking supply store (even if online). On one woodworking forum I read there was a diagram showing angles and sizes to get such hold fasts to work right, I may be able to find it again if you're interested. If you don't get close on lengths and angles they don't work well (if at all). ron

My thought is I didn't see charcoal mentioned. Is charcoal (or wood to make your own) available? If you've covered this before and I missed it.... my apologies. ron

There is some variation in coal (and charcoal) and that can affect a bit how much energy you get form a pound of either. On a per pound basis, coal and charcoal are within 10 % of each other as far as energy output goes. As for how long coal or charcoal last, that depends a lot on your forge and set-up. I have a couple of forges and on with last about 1.5 times as long as the other with the same amount of fuel. There are a lot of variables that make it really hard to say if propane or coal/charcoal makes a better fuel for you. There can be more control with a solid fuel forge but it takes time to learn the skills of fire maintenance. If you don't have a solid fuel forge, you'll have to find or build one and will need an air source. This subject has been covered in multiple threads, have you done a search?

Ok. Science nerd time. I recently run across an article that in the wild, hot peppers vary the amount of capsacin (sp ?, the hot stuff) based at least in part on the amount of rain fall. It appears the capsacin is there to reduce fungal attack that is more likely under wet (as in rainy) conditions. ron just full of useless information.

If it's just a hobby, check to see if your home owners covers you. I've also heard that as a hobbyist some home owners insurance will cover you if you are engaged in your hobby away from home. Again I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on T.V.