Anachronist58

Indeed, when you say "a LOT of metal", that means something different to each observer. A picture is worth a thousand words :rolleyes: In my case, "a LOT of metal" used to be .002". I think that's why I like Smithing. I'm still trying to loosen up, but maybe I shouldn't?.... Are we to assume that you are finishing a BLIND Hole? Will the Hardy have a Taper? So yes, seeing what you are up against would tell me, at least, whether it is file time. It appears that Mr. Swedefiddle has done this kind of thing a time or two before..... Has anyone ever had problem with sharp corners in their Hardy Profiles leading to cracks? Robert Taylor

Sorry for the frustration, dognose, but you sure nailed it on the piece you've pictured above.

Whatcha doin' over there, neighbor? Just bar-b-quein, neighbor, just bar-b-quein :ph34r:

Wow, I was going to post something mean and unproductive about throwing ashes away or digging up the yard, but my wife said if I did that, I would have to sleep in the back yard, under a tarp. :wacko: The county condemned and made me tear down my first shop...... Not to brag (but I guess that's what I'm doing) but my wife is pretty tolerant of my affliction: So, I have long puzzled over how to make a long heat bed that is quick and dirty and consumes as little charcoal as possible. Mr. Sells, your lawn forge is an elegant solution. Swords9023,Tell the Wife that you will carefully set aside the lawn divot, and when you are done no-one will ever know it happened, and the lawn is sure to benefit in the long run. The other thing Steve Sells said about moving back and forth through the heat zone is great advice. Dan C, I keep wanting to do a brake drum forge, but I would absolutely have to have a pan on it to give a larger "soak area". And nothing beats a tuyere that can be throttled for length (in it's simplest iteration, reads: "poking the coke"?). Thomas Powers, I'll have something to say about ashes when I've a learned bit more..... If I were to solve this problem for myself right now, I would get Diameter 4" or 6" black-wall stove pipe. Sold in 24" lengths, which comes with the seam not joined. Spread it open to taste, placing one section inside the other with 1" of ash dough in between the two pieces. the inner pipe will eventually get ate up, not that I would care for what it costs. Sealing the ends is only a matter of cold forming sheet metal caps and a few sheet metal screws. But then, I can dig all the holes I want..... If you work ash refractories, or such as contain Lime, etc., Consider wearing gloves, and protect your skin and lungs, One may be burned. I myself have to be reminded of these things over and over again. Mr. Stevens, How much sand does that take? I don't know much about wood-frame fire boxes.... Robert Taylor

Thanks, rockstar.esq. Ironically, I coined that phrase after working a couple of months alongside of several PhD's :o (not a smear of the venerable title per se, just the ones I was jammed in with....)

Blacksmithing, like any other skill, is of course only an App. You get the App, you click on it, and everything else is accomplished for you (Certainly I imagine many hundreds of swords have been forged whilst playing World of Warcraft). A young "machinist" a while back emphatically stated to me that "Aerospace Machining is an Art, not a Science: If it were a Science, then Anyone could do it." I always had to keep certain extra duplicate tools on hand for his shift. :( one of my Managers once declared that "Tool and Cutter Grinding is a 'Black Art', passed down from generation to generation". My point is only that I completely agree with you gentlemen above, and the saddest thing is: Those who manage our Education System DO NOT, as evidenced by the systematic elimination of our Vocational Programs, and as personally attested to by at least one venerable member of this forum. Sort of odd, Rich Hale, that at my former job, I was known as the Troll. If you came to my department ('Crossed the Bridge') with a request, you had to to have your questions better prepared than "I need a cutter, not too big, not too small", Rumor had it I was a Goat Gobbling Mean Old Man. Not True. I simply had a job to do and a backlog. I can't help that my face looks harder than an Iron stove. As for the way people start new threads on this Forum, I would love to start my own thread, but: #1, I'm too busy looking up what others have already gone to the trouble to lay down, as is proper for an utter amateur such as I. #2, I have several things I am working on, and I am Dying to share them, but they are not finished. Hence, they are neither real, nor earned. I have to say though, Rich, in these days, when a dime won't buy you a nickle('s worth of metal), If anyone has the ability to sway young neotrolls back onto the right path, It is this community of Craftsmen/Artists/Educators/Grownups/Administrators who keep a firm yet mostly gentle rein on the goings-on-around-here. I bow to All Robert Taylor

Uhhh, yeah, what they said - and a stunning pictorial metamorphosis.

My Hammer! I've been looking for that for weeks! How'd it end up in Florida??? Hammer Nappers? :P

Earlier this year, my brother bought 3 pieces of 6" dia. x 1" thick 6061 to turn and mill: "One for you to scrap, one for production, and one spare." I scrapped one, he scrapped one, and one made it through :wacko: My saying, which I strive not to be the object of: "My Intellect is no match for your Superstition".

Oh that makes me wish I had talent - Awesome it all right!

John McPherson and Arftist - Good Posts. IFI makes me smarter! :) Yesterday, between posts on this thread I was working two tools (one of which, Mr. McPherson, is a hot cut for my "Craigslist rail anvil" that my uncle roughed out for me 20 years ago- :rolleyes: ) on my milled (.025") Soderfors 88#. Were I not an Idiot Savant with hammering, I would have been very frustrated. One wishes to do his heavy forging over the center of mass, no? ).%C2%A0%20%C2%A0%20But%20I%20am%20fully%20qualified%20to%20perform%20that%20type%20of%20quality%20controlled%20operation%C2%A0'>). %C2%A0%20But%20I%20am%20fully%20qualified%20to%20perform%20that%20type%20of%20quality%20controlled%20operation I was drawing out and trying to maintain a controlled fillet behind a finish-machined feature. There is a reason for this Potential frustration that would be best addressed in it's own Thread: Ergonomics in Manual Operations. In short, small manual target zones contribute to sub-par work conditions. I am not advocating against the two square inch anvil, per se. Mr. Geek, by Dead Reckoning, I would put my anvil at ~45Rc. I consider that "soft". And yet, Furious Beating on Tough and Hard steel last night failed to booger my anvil face. This speaks to Mr. Powers "New Student = Soft Hammer" and John McPherson's pal "Lightnin". I am convinced that My Soderfors previous life was in "The Corner of Shame" in some classroom setting :wacko: Robert Taylor

Yikes!! :wacko:

Mr. "Crazy" Ivan, It is now time for me to publicly extend my personal thanks to you first, and then to all who found the courage to follow you on this thread, each with his own story and/or perspective - This is what we strive for as Human Beings. I have been fighting my way out of the woods (see Post #45, above) trying to make sense of my life and the fragments I have left to start over again with - and I have finally emerged, standing on my feet. The thing is, you see, we pass one-another on the road of life, and who can see the things we carry? A lot of us don't want to bother others with our burdens, and that's okay. I just hope that as we look at one another, be it on this site through our other interactions, we remember that none of us are only "skin deep". Thank you Community. R. Taylor

Yes, Yahoo2, I agree with you to the extent that my experience permits me. Fillet and Extrenal Radius were King in my former trade. We know the "Blurb" is crafted to sell hammers, it is not a Data Sheet. "Tough High Tensile Carbon Manganese Steel": Toughness and hardness are associated, yet separate material conditions. You want more Tough, you have to Sacrifice some Hard. This amplifies the concept that there are few absolutes in the wild, as one apple differs from another, so it is with hammer to hammer and anvil face to anvil face. It is the reason critical industrial applications require "provenance" and audit trail throughout the life of the item being manufactured, I once received in a batch of major brand name twist drills and put them to stock. They were all later found to be dead soft - you could cut them with a knife. A breakdown in the QA Stream. But since this thread is about "wrecking my Anvil Face", If one is able, as in my case, to test, execute, and verify........ If one can do that, then to humbly borrow a phrase from Rich Hale, "One may do wot one wishes". Robert Taylor.

Another fine lesson for me to add to my Tool Kit - Thanks IFI People!

Good points above - most hammer heads would be harder than almost every anvil face?...

Many times in my past, I have been the Goat Who Ate The Instructions. I made it my doomed quest while in Aerospace to make Documentation Compliance "Fool-Proof". Impossible. Post #873 of "show me your anvil": details the test I did. In short, I observed the same "peen and scratch" characteristics in both the milled and un-milled Face (a good portion of the heel zone was left un-milled). While not a laboratory test, I have some narrowly critical experience with aerospace alloys, and High Speed Steel and Carbide cutting tools. Another reliable indicator is when one sees no change in performance of the milling cutter, or the nature of metal removal under consistent controlled conditions. Post #873 also addresses the pits. Sometimes it costs a lot of money to replace Human Beings with machines, as in, for example, electronic surface texture comparators. Robert Taylor

Yep, milling off the face is indeed risky business, for all of the reasons mentioned above. I milled twenty-five thousandths off of my Soderfors 88 pounder, without altering its properties (as seen on Page 44 of "Show me your Anvil ).%C2%A0%20But%20I%20am%20fully%20qualified%20to%20perform%20that%20type%20of%20quality%20controlled%20operation'>). But I am fully qualified to perform that type of quality controlled operation on my personal property. I would have serious reservations about doing that someone else's anvil, for all of the reasons stated above. It would be nice if there were a flaming banner on the anvils page: "Read This Before Cleaning, Sanding, Grinding, Milling, or Killing Your Anvil!!" Years ago I rolled and totaled my Pristine '55 Chevy pick-up. Almost as bad as killing a good anvil Robert Taylor

Hi, Toby, Looks like your working your plan.... Keep at it... Robert Taylor

Buckets O' Fun?????

Rich Hale and Frank Turley, just want to express my appreciation. I am not accustomed to the level of sound information put forth by you and others on this forum. Learning a lot. All sincerity. R. Taylor

Finding one in color is going to be a Challenge. Like Frosty said, try a welding supply outfit. Not just one, you don't know which store has that special individual with the experience and resources to find that gem. Now If I ever find one, WmHorus, I'll sure let you know. Glenn, looked at your BP0020 Compiled by Quenchcrack aka Bob Nichols © 2003 Very good read . Robert Taylor

looking for print or downloadable? Robert Taylor I got a nice one years ago - A Hobart Weldor's Guide, purchased from a supplier. Great little chart for Ferrous & Non-Ferrous. Been trying to find it this week... :huh:

Yes, Mr. Swedefiddle, Exactly. So glad to read that you are teaching a skill that a student will carry away from your shop - and will serve him/her for a lifetime. Can there be anything more rewarding than to be able to solve your own problems with such a ubiquitously necessary tool as the twist drill - restore the geometry and get back to work! Understanding how the end of a twist drill works is KEY to nearly every other rotating tool out there - Milling Cutters & Saws, Reamers, even Gun Drills..... R. Taylor

oh sooo nice.