Wildernessmedic

Hahahaha

I've tried riveting. Getting better but not good enough to start anything. Had some trouble here are there.  You can see a few tries at it here.

 

http://s1357.photobucket.com/user/WildernessMedic/library/Armor%20Crafting?sort=3&page=1

Yeah, I have no desire to use power tools. All by hand. I can crank as fast as I feel is needed. Any faster and i'd probably make some uneven coils.

Generally you scale off steel faster than carbon migrates in.  

 

A *lot* of urban legends out there in bladesmithing-----like the folding and welding *increases* the carbon content in a japanese blade---actually they start with dang near cast iron apx 2% carbon and after all the folding and welding end up with edge material around 0.5%.  

 

Any hot work above dislocation climb temperature totally gets rid of any work hardening---so heat treat will remove it!  The outer layer is more likely to be decarburized, especially for new people who take much longer to forge

 

Edge packing does not make a denser edge.  It can decrease grain size but for modern alloys thermal cycling does a much superior job without the risk of causing cracks from working too cold.

 

Now quenching a blade in the urine of a goat fed ferns for three days works---but just using a brine quench works better and is SO MUCH EASIER and less smelly...

When you say we scale off steel faster than carbon migrates in....sorry you lost me. Are you saying attempts at carborizing normally makes us lose steel more than gain carbon? If so then that would put the ratio of carbon up still right?

 

Ok so I was combining two different things. Cold working and hot working. While i'm cold working wire it stiffens up. So I heat and cool to get it back to soft. If I was working it hot I would not be work hardening it at all. 

it does not work harden when forged hot.    We use heat to remove the work hardening when cold forming.  But I will re-read the paper again later, hope I can get past his typos, stating low carbon steel is 1.5 to 4.5%   .  we know that  > 2% is cast iron,.  I know he meant .15 to .45% carbon but still he needs a proof reader. .  
 
Addding carbon is not a fast operation. carborizing take a long time at high temps, what we do have to wory about is carbon burning off with the air around the blade, rather than staying in the steel where we want it.  and I noticed form his testing his highest result was tested around high 40's RhC.

 

Being the new dummy I am, even I was kind of irritated with this containing typos. So carborizing is above and beyond most blade making, but we have to worry about burning carbon atoms off. So we just make sure we don't let it sit in the forge forever right? Simple is that or is there something else needed to keep them from burning off?

Ahh so many different types of steel Geoff... Torsion bars or tie rods are hardenable yes? 

 

The tool is basically a flat round sharp shovel. Bottom right of this page.

 

 

 

http://www.tequilasource.com/glossary_02.htm

 

HWooldridge, so there are J shaped ones. I thought I saw that somewhere and that's what I was originally making.

Can't remember or find what threads they were but somewhere on here, a few people told me some info I was wrong about. I'm reading about it elsewhere and want to make sure I have the right info.

 

One subject was the matter of case hardening. Example was from "A birth of a sword" where they say mechanical fullering of a blade removed a hardened layer from the blacksmith hammering on it. This is why mechanical fullering was garbage and not authentic. A few people on here said BS, but i'm reading and experience it a bit. I'm looking at this

http://ethesis.nitrkl.ac.in/1138/1/Heat_Treatment_of_Low_Carbon_Steel.pdf

 

When you work with mild steel/copper it hardens as you work it (work hardening?) So is this something that doesn't apply to hammering high carbon steel?

 

Another subject was something an old school knife making neighbor told me. That using coal or other combustibles are better than gas forges because it adds carbon to the piece being worked. Someone told me this was an old wives tale and BS. But reading that pdf it mentions carbuerizing and adding carbon somehow?

 

I believe someone also said low carbon steel can not be heat treated? If so why do I keep having to anneal some mild steel to be able to work it after work hardening? I see videos of people heat treating and quenching mild steel, is this pointless and achieving nothing?

Wow didn't know that. Thought 1095 was for high quality knife production. Why the XXXX  is flat stock so expensive then!!

And. You are right. From the pictures I see they are like a sharp flat shovel. Which kind of sucks now...
Because it sounds more like I'm just cutting a saw blade than really blacksmithing it. Hmm. Also now how am I going to attach it to the pole. With the curved blade I was just going make a couple spots to just lash it on.

What is the cheapest most readily available steel I can use to make a cutting tool? Will mild steel work? I want to make a Coa de jimi, basically a j hook blade on the end of a pole, for harvesting agave. I want it to be functional, but doesn't need to be pretty or anything crazy like 1095 high carbon. Mild steel or what?

Pretty pissed off. My coke and coal gets here I go to fire it up and all of a sudden the hair dryer is trash.

 

Also kind of bummed, they sent me my bags but didn't label them, how can I tell which is which. I thought coke was white? I have two bags of black fragments, one is slightly shinier than the other.

Yeah I have a dump cap on the bottom. I like your table.

I get what you mean about it being nice in the middle of the table, I can always add that later, but how is the way I have it going to let fuel drop on the ground?

Thanks!

 

I'll see about building you sheet metal fence idea after a few times messing around on it.

 

I don't know where to even get real lump charcoal.

 

No HazMat I wish I could say I did but I got lucky and found something that fit it perfectly. Had to cut it and fit it, but it's not built from scratch.

Got it done. Now i'm just waiting on my coal and coke to arrive in the mail.

 

I was saying I couldn't use iron pipe from HD because it was only 1"

How do you know the drum is steel? Weren't newer ones(or older) made from cast iron?

You guys don't use gas powered Telly's? Fancy. But if its not gas powered how can you take it out near the cement pond?

I don't think I asked for the wrong thing. Well maybe I did but I explained to the guy what I needed and he said sorry we can't sell any pieces that short. 20+ ft only.

I don't know why I didn't think of that. I can just weld to the flange to cover them that's not cast iron... Thanks!

Also local Home Depot only had 1" iron pipe. Local plumbing supply only had wholesale stuff 20' plus. Time is money. Spending forever looking for something cheaper probably would have cost me more in gas and time. I've been keeping an eye out for these parts for over a year and finally just want it done.

Because its easier and I'm impatient. I know. Contradictory to this hobby. And I'm not too good at finding stuff that works. Plus I can manage a weld but I suck. I didn't even know I couldn't weld my steel to my cast iron brake drum until I took it to a neighbors shop. Now I'm stuck. I bolted on the flange but the holes in the drum didn't get completely covered. Trying to find a way to patch them.

I went ahead and just bough all the threaded galvanized te flange is a bit off so I'm just going to weld it to the drum instead of bolting it.

I got lucky and she way under charged me some how. Came out at $47.

Ahh. Well if I can remove the galvanization ill just buy the easy pre threaded stuff.

I wasn't aware that you needed to line brake drum forges.

Good ideas I can keep in mind for locating parts. Thanks.

How do you line galvanize pipe? Is it difficult expensive or not worth the time? It's just the portion underneath for the air, I think only a small section ei heat up from the conduction of the fire pot.

I'm searching through here but can't find a clear cut answer. Am I asking for trouble using galvanized? I see a lot of instructables and people using it.

I know galvanized once heated releases deadly toxic gas. I'm in Home Depot and the pipe is all galvanized. Can I use this? Will it all burn off , ie can I light it back away and let it burn off? What other pipe can I use?

Also why the xxxx is this so expensive. Everything days under 50-70 bucks total. I got the drum but just the undercarriage with fittings is nearly $80 without a blower or legs. Inflation? Every project I take on says it can be made for such and such price but always costs triple or more...

 sometimes over 100+ hours into a blade and get offered like Steve said a couple hundred dollars!   But I'm paying a women 2000$ to take pictures at my wedding and she was one of the cheaper ones!!!!!   sorry starting to rant

 

 

Crazy....I understand, that is ridiculous. If I ever get married again I think i'll just wear my GoPro on my head and call it good. Haha.