Crazy Ivan

Clapper dies, an open leaf swage or There is also the more acessible method of folding and opening the leaf back up.

Here's a few bolt head tongs and some power hammer tooling I made recently.

You do not need square stock to make tongs. I make me bolt head tongs out of 13" of 3/8" X1" flat bar. Less work to draw the reins down that way. I make my larger box jaws and flat bits/wolf jaws out of 3/4" bar stock but I make the jaw and boss (one or two heats) then cut the bit from the parent stock and forge weld on some 1/2" reins which I run out oval with a 1/2"-3/8" taper. Draw your reins using the anvils radiused edges or the horn. Your steel will move faster as you get comfortable with the technique. Also do not be afraid to get the steel HOT!!

No no no no no. Bring it to me, I want to fix it!! Lol. I love fixing vises. It's very satisfying. That one looks really good with a nice screw and the jaws line up well. Good find.

Steel is 40 lbs per sq ft and 480 lbs per cu ft. Easy math. When it comes to scrap or stock, most steel suppliers have data sheets (free) of weight by cross section and shape per running ft. There's probably a PDF for that list and there is also the "metal calculator app" which is free for the less mathematically inclined.

Awesome!!! Nicely executed too.

So today I been going in to work since Monday taking it easy. Me "working" this past week mostly consisted of quality testing if the couch in the shop lol. I'd do light work for about a half hour, then lay down with a pillow under my lower back for an hour. I just couldn't stay out of the shop any longer. Either way, I got some things done with minimal exersion and today I finally was able to put in a full day without getting sore. I'll be back in full swing (so to speak) by Monday. We got the new power hammer running perfectly today so I was busy all day making dies and tooling for it. We shot some video of the hammer in use as well which JWS is going to edit over the next day or two. Either I or he will post it when it's done. That's my update for now. Be back soon with the video and hopefully some pics of dies and tooling made. It's good to be back!

I'm in the same boat. My boss likes to work me 12-14 hours a day 7 days a week. "Gotta pay the bills" is what he tells me....what a stickler.

Exactly.

Ya that quench may have done it. Also, if your rivet is too tight, that's fine. Just put the rivet unsupported over the hardy or pritchel hole (whichever it fits over best without the head touching) and hit the other rivet head. Think of it as upsetting the steel. You are upsetting the rivet head into itself which makes its height lower which gives the tongs more room to swivel. Make sense?

Yes, and yes. So it sounds like if you keep the corners "soft" and fuller the V to finish it you may have better luck. Also, don't quench hot. Only at a black heat if you are in a hurry. I also see some grind marks that are from a hard disk grinder? You shouldn't need to use that. Work things flat and square at the anvil and any touch up should be able to be done with a file or flap wheel. Those deep hard disk marks are also potential stress risers.

The edges of the jaw before you split the V is what I mean by corners. If they are a sharp 90 degrees that makes a stress riser where a crack is more likely to form. You dont need to "round" them, but take a second and lightly knock them back with your hammer or file them back (before you split). Also, at 2nd glance I saw the crack starting at the center of your split as well. This pretty much has me convinced it is a combination of sharp edges and quenching judging from how far back the crack ran. 1stly on that, I would suggest after you split your V, take a blunt chisel (I use a masonry chisel which is ground to a radius instead of being sharp) and go back into the V to fuller the bottom of the cut. Are you using a cold chisel to split by any chance?

Leaving sharp corners on the finished piece makes stress points. On the jaw the crack starts in the corner created from splitting the V and it looks like the edge is sharp as well. Quenching may have added to the stress (if you quenched them) and working too cold will also increase stress. Then there's always the possibility of the steel being a bad batch (though definitely not common). That's why steel comes with heat #s from the mill so if there is a problem down the line they know which batch it was. Idk if this helps. I'm just speculating without knowing how many heats you took, if you burnt the steel, if you worked it too cold, what type of feul you use in your forge etc.

Very nice pattern on that. The bolster looks great and even though I'm not a fan of antler for handles, that one looks really good. Awesome work.

I'm with Thomas on the large pipe thought. I've made smaller pairs for that same purpose in the past. Don't have any pics though, sorry. I forged them so the round fit the ID of the pipe I was working with. They worked well.

There is no benefit to wrapping the outside of your forge with kaowool. Look at some plans for propane tank forges. They are a dime a dozen. The most common method of insulating is to use 2" of kaowool (or equivalent) a layer of refractory cement, and a layer of IR reflective coating. I have always used metrikote, satanite, and whatever ceramic fiber blanket. Get a removable kiln shelf to put on your floor during fire welding or messy flux covered pieces. There is no such thing as a one and done forge liner. They should be considered consumables. Also, look into plans for naturally aspirated burners (I like the frosty t burners and have had great success with them) or blown burners. There are plans all over the place if you look. Otherwise you can buy commercially built ones.

Really cool project, can't wait to see the finished product!

Interesting hammer there Wesley. May I suggest etching the head on the wrought iron and 5160 one? The wrought gives an awesome pattern and the contrast of the striking face 5160 would look killer! Keep em coming. Hammer making is addictive!

Like foundryman said, it's either a Peter Wright or a Trenton. My bet is that it's a Peter Wright because of the handling hole in the front feet. Those aren't the best pictures to guess from though and that paint hides any potential markings. Scrape the paint off the face to test the rebound before buying it.

Funny how working on 3-6 lb chunks of steel all day burns more coal than say a 6"X3/16" piece of steel for 30 minutes does ain't it? Lol you may use less coal than me but I use less abrasives and drill bits so it evens out . Don't worry. I'll be back soon enough to restore the coal to abrasives balance.

Awesome work as usual Aric. I think this is my favorite thing you've done yet. Keep em coming!

I'm back on my feet and walking around almost comfortably again. I'll probably be back at it again by Monday. Untill then I'll be stretching and strengthening my back. I'll try and post pictures of the shop and tools so far as well as the power hammer build that took me out out commision. Jokes on the hammer though since things will be so much easier on me physically now. It just had to sucker punch me one last time before I had it too easy lol. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes.

Best of luck Spanky. Hoping for a fast and complete recovery.

Well, currently I'm laid up in bed. I threw out my back again due to a chronic condition mixed with working 14 hours a day 7 days a week. There is no easy way to support yourself while still only moderately known as a Smith. Constant work/upgrades/internet presance work. I was building a new power hammer when my back went out. It's a 65 lb air hammer. We have spent about $400 USD on the build. JWS has some pics of it. Other than that it's been a shuffle of "make money to spend d money to make more money". I haven't gone thru my receipts lately to calculate my gain/loss but I would say at this point I am still in the black. When I am healed enough to walk on my own I'll get some pictures of the shop and all the tools I have built for myself. There has been a whole lot of shop maintenance time spent as well. Moving things around to make the shop more efficient/less cluttered between myself and J. I'll do my best to keep things updated. It is exhausting to keep myself afloat out the gate as expected. It happens but I'm too stubborn to fail so I'll make it work no matter what.

Awesome find! I've still never got to see an alligator shear in person. Always liked them.