Anachronist58

A pleasure to see, and a superb silent tutorial. Great collaboration. Now show us the whole piece you Tantalus Taunter! Robert Taylor

Note the aircraft hinge section on hatch of this furnace. The cadmium / chromate remains intact in this area even though the door plate has reached peak temperatures a bit above 321° C (609° F), but did not soak long enough to vaporise on this surface. Around the corner is a different story. I have heavy metals bloodwork done periodically, due to the nature of my work. So far, so good. No apologies are in order, as I myself am too exhausted to avoid stumbling over every jot and tittle, a harsh situation, as I am quite the pedant. That said, I have read every word you that you have set forth in this thread, and I hold you in esteem. Finally about the cynicism: I could tell you a harrowing tale from this week at the Rolls Royce Trent factory concerning microscopic titanium plaques on drill margins, but I would prefer to remain employed. maybe I will start a generic thread instead of hijacking this one. Robert

Alan Evans, hazard, risk? I am fine with your semantic correction. And your assessment is sound. The screws have a Fastenal head stamp, and the company does apply a cadmium finish to some of its products. I'm only suggesting that the OP be aware of possibilities and educate himself, not call hazmat and the EPA I have Cad plated items lying about, I simply regard them with a prudent respect. Robert Taylor

"Military Contractor" increases the risk significantly. they might be Cadmium plated. Others here will chime in soon I expect.

All great and spot on advice. The County had me tear down my rustic shop in 2003. I chose a "blighted" neighborhood so that I might build my empire from a footing of poverty. Unfortunately, "the public good" (which is a vital concept) has leveraged the County into something more akin to a Home Owners Association. Good plan of attack, Lawn Jockey. Robert Taylor

I think you should follow Frostys' advise and get some face time with experienced people. What I am seeing in your photos is a commercial fastener most likely zinc plated with a zinc chromate treatment. There is nothing wrong with the screws being highly magnetic. The two critical questions are: From where did you get the screws? Are there any locations where they will come in direct contact with flame, or with red hot glowing bricks? This is an exercise in critical thinking, also known as problem solving. Answer the two questions directly and simply, and I predict that we will be able to tell you that the screws will work just fine! Robert Taylor

OK now, in my opinion, the first fix is in: On the Win 30-30, right out of the gate, split open and crudely flattened, we have ~.005" thickness at the mouth and tapering up to ~.030 at the base. VERY PLEASANTLY SPRINGY. Indeed one can make one's own music not unlike what ones gets from an Israelite Harp. I would imagine that that sound generated by the plectrum itself would feed back nicely from the soundbox of an acoustic. PM a mailing address if anyone wants some. My 30-30 has become quite expensive to fire, but I have plenty of found NATO brass with a nice desert patina. Robert Taylor

http://www.sidecuts.com/c17200halfhard005x2-316berylliumcoppercoil-heata26651-tag595153.aspx http://busbymetals.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/guide_to_be_cu.pdf

I like yer critters.

One mil equals .001", yes? I am good at sourcing this stuff, it will be on my list when I go to Santa Barbara next week. Wish me luck.

Charles, Sheila is renewing our request to the Network for you and yours. Robert Taylor

Alan Evans, All good advice and duly noted. There is actually a 32 micro inch ground finish under that 63 finish rust patina on the anvil block. I work around 4 micro inch finishes for a living, so I am on your page. All of those surface texture and hammer face refinements will have to wait, as I am already stealing time just to get in a bit of hammering. I skid my plannishing blows, and that makes up for some of the poor static texture. I just finished thinning a U.S. nickel, oh what pleasure! Very stiff and hard. I hope to get into some heat treatment, as noted above and elsewhere. The missus needed a new garbage disposal installed six months ago. My in-laws are asking me why I haven't finished the new front stairs. Oh, and the back stairs broke in January. Robert Taylor

Ok, so I decided I'd better show something for my previous lip service: This copper gets hard really fast. Then at about < .010, this really start to slow down, and I had to watch the corner of my hammer - any sharp crease wants to propagate a crack. Next will be some 30-30 Win: the cartridge will unroll to bigger than pick size, but will still need to be thinned. Oh my gosh, I never get to make anything (no scale on THIS anvil), and it makes me crazy! I'm sure I am not alone. Robert Taylor

It's missing some teeth and it's cracked. Send it to me and reduce the clutter (and increase mine).

Gnaw, the beer soaked rope, I'm no dope. With some good PPE, a nice chair, and some refreshments, I could watch that mag lift all day! Great video. Too bad there's nothing overhead to attach block & tackle (come-along) to .

Yep Charles, if it budges an inch, it's >mine<. I always try to keep ropes and beers on hand, but don't drink em whilst in process.

A minimum six foot pry bar (or an eight foot 4 x 4) and some blocks - looks like it just might pop right out of the mulch.

Wow, Vaughn T, some crew you have fallen in with. I'll skip the long story and paraphrase - broke my back in two places and didn't know it when I was 15. The future Mrs Taylor found me at age 29, living in someone's back yard. She took me to her chiropractor, and I have been going to him for 29 years. What I want to convey here, is that you need to be proactive about your condition. I am not qualified to give medical advice, but everyone knows you can't keep walking around with a rock in your hoof. I am certain that you are in sufficient pain to get past your irrational aversion to being touched - so get over it, and listen carefully to what your Peeps have been saying in your thread. The biggest challenge will be walking through your fears (I at times fail to "get over" mine, and must "walk through" them) and start asking people who go to Chiropractors about their experiences. There are good, bad, and mediocre professionals in every field. Last year, Mrs Taylor's Chiropractor told her "You need to have you're MD look at this". Ended up with a total shoulder replacement, and reminds me from time to time how proud she is of her new left hook. Never give up. Robert Taylor

With a .005" thick springy metal pick, is there a clacketyclackyness to it, or what desirable effect? I have started cold working a copper penny and will put some cartridge brass under the hammer. Cold thinning a penny to .010" makes it quite tough and hard (for deburring HSS cutting edges) If you use bronze-wound strings, how do they wear under a metal pick? I have always preferred the thinnest pick I can find, but that's to soften my ham-fisted clumsiness (lefty, play right-handed). Robert Taylor

If you venture into the world of beryllium copper, proceed with hypervigilance. Even generating dust via abrasion is considered hazardous. Robert Taylor

Backwoods German? I am definitely the Unlearned in this conversation, but I recall, while living in Hesse, I visited a commune in Beyern. Their colloquial was far easier to follow than that of up North. Amazing what effect a few hundred clicks can have on dialects. Great looking blade Theo!

Yes, really good for the brain, and TWO languages opens up a window into where English comes from.

Pretty good, JPH - I had to get help to present this: Big Apple New York is always worth a visit. Especially when at the same time, the New York Custom Knife Show takes place. And Thomas, your rendition looks good. I have found that my reading of German is terrible, the word arrangement so different from English. as I look back, My friends must have found my speech to be quite amusing. Congratulations, Theo!

I would thoroughly enjoy adding my thoughts and experience to this tangent, but in reference to Charles' comment, I don't want to encourage others to roll snake eyes I will agree though, that an ounce of arrow head takes a lot of energy to move downrange. Robert Taylor