Crawler

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. For the time being, it will likely just help anchor a corner/small area for my projects & materials at the Makerspace I go to, partially because the massive semiautomatic bandsaw slipped the blade last week. As for the Toyota forklift, it's only about a year old and this is the most abuse it's received so far. The other tine was fine, so it was stowed in the maintenance shop as a spare (contractor replaces them in pairs). The driver, a lil'ole ladie in her early 60's that literally runs (on foot) circles around everyone else was quite shaken, but otherwise fine. She isn't very fond of being on a forklift anyway. They did revoke her forklift certification for the time being. As to how it happened: an empty one of our larger pallets (82"x64" or 112"x64") had become askew, so she was using the lift to push a corner against a structural I-beam column. We work in a large section of the 100+/- year old former International Harvester complex. The structure was built to last, but the floors are slightly different elevations where a new section was added on, or entirely uneven/rough because of wear and tear over the years. Edit: I forgot to add that the tine was already bent slightly when a different operator caught it on a mangled dock plate. It had maybe a 30-40 degree curve.

Glad to be back. Since the last time I was here, the 100 year old bread factory (10,000 loaves/hr at full-tilt) I worked at closed down. I've been at my current underemployer for 3yrs, where we produce sound & thermal insulting products. Had a house fire over 2 years ago, and we are still cohabitating with the in-laws. Job is crap. Pay is crap. Housing is crap. Car is crap. But at least I survived COVID. And now I use haymaker hammer blows as anger management. Life goes on.

A forklift at work got its tines replaced due to one of them getting the tip bent straight up. After getting permission, I scooped up the bent one when the contractor technician finished swapping them out. Anyway. I'm still very inexperienced at smithing. This tine weighs over 100#, thus is a decent score for someone such as myself who is lacking both experience & funds. I know it's got potential, but can't think of the ideal use(s) for it. I could just cut it down to more manageable pieces. Or it could be used/modified into tooling of some sort? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Hello, all. I've finally come back around here again. Been a few years since I posted, or lurked much, but I'm back with purpose this time! Recently, I started banging hot steel at a local Makerspace. And it's about time! As I'm currently working on hammer control, and getting a feel for moving steel the way I want, I don't have anything worthwhile to show for my efforts in the HotShop. But I have been able to connect with a few other smiths that use the facility, including one that started in the 70's or early 80's.

Thanks again for the guidance, gents. Yeah, the brand did seem like one I had filed under "HF gambles" in my brain lol. Actually found it on the site right before I fell asleep. At around $100 new, this person wants to sell two used Chinese welders for the price of a new one. I agree: not worth it. If I ever show up to look at used welders that don't wire, I'll make sure to bring my own for testing. Owning a spool of welding wire without a welder to use it in, is better than owning a welder(s) that doesn't work! Cheers.

As someone who has never welded before, I doubt I'd know a good deal if it jumped out & bit me. Two welders have been listed locally, at $100 for both (just the machines, not even wire included) . They are both Chicago Electric, but seem slightly different between the two of them. The intended use will be mostly learning & practice, along with light fabrication, and small to medium sized sculptural pieces when I want to make the wife swoon. Would these be good for learning? What should I ask the seller? Other considerations? Thanks in advance for your thoughtful response!

I left some absentee bids on a couple of anvils, and I'd like some help getting more info on them. The first is a 100# BABCO OAKLAND brand anvil, in really good shape. It was bolted onto a small, purpose built table with pipe legs, so I don't think the "ring test" I did was of much value. The only info I've dug up is a reply on reddit: The other is a 70# (well, maybe a few ounces shy now...) cast anvil with a hefty plate, with edges that have unfortunately been abused. It certainly doesn't ring like a bell. But I would rather have a city anvil. First, I NEED a usable anvil. The body of this smaller anvil is covered thick with schmutz and paint; still, the only markings are a "70" on the bottom under the horn, and an upside down "14" on the lead edge of the same foot. Could this be a Fisher? If not, what is your best guess? Having left modest absentee bids, my chances of owning one of these is slim in the wake of smithing being popularized on TV. Still, I welcome the opportunity to learn more about these anvils. Thank you in advance for your thoughtful response!

Ah, my guess on that: item #1 of 2 was probably the other half of an auction lot. In such situations, one item was desired, and the price was well within it's worth/value. This would make the rest of the lot unnecessary.

Hehe. If I had the means, I'd probably take it off their hands, hire a locksmith to get new lock & keys, then sell it. I suspect a lack of keys to be the reason they are giving it away.

You proud of that one? Lol!

Ah, I'd forgotten about safes using "filler". These comments make sense. Thanks gents!

This popped up locally, for free, this morning. Apparently, it's a 1,300# safe! I have neither the means, nor the space, to transport & store this beast. I am posting it just to get some feedback on how viable this would be as an anvil? On an unrelated note: if they are giving it up as scrap, and it was already in the back of a pickup, why didn't they just haul it to a scrap yard themselves?

Nice! Can't say I'd be mad at having an anvil in the living room "just because". And my wife would probably only complain about it not matching the peacock them of the decor. Lol! Good score. (I know it won't waste away in the house .)

Did you remember to get plenty of pics?

At first glance, I thought the odd rust pattern on the MH may have been from the anvil getting a coat of paint or oil/grease to protect from rust, followed by light use at some point in its life... And then I turned up my screen brightness & zoomed in on the picture. Then something caught my eye. On the side facing the camera, the top-right corner of that side of the anvil: look where the vertical & horizontal rust lines meet. The weld lines are more obvious in that area. What stuck out for me was the gap between the anvil material & the weld material, towards the top of the vertical line. To play "devil's advocate" on myself, I'm willing to admit to the possibility that I am wrong. Calling myself a novice where anvils are concerned would be an understatement. Zooming in on the pic does start to degrade the resolution quality. But... I do have 20/13 vision, and well above average problem solving skills. Use my words with a grain of salt .

That would explain why you can see the different metals on the side. If they were plated, the coating would likely wear much faster on the two faces. But still, blast welding is neat!

Blast welding would be far too cost prohibitive for coins. Though, I can see how one would come to that conclusion. When you look at the the edge of a quarter, you can often see a distinct line of (silver colored metal substance) and (brown colored metal substance). I'm rusty on my numismatism (spelling?), so I can't swear that its how they do it, but this is normally easily achieved through plating. Sincerely, Crawler.

I too saw it on the 'tube. Though, I thought it was Modern Marvels. Could be wrong on that point, cause I watch all them shows (How its Made, How do They Do It?, Modern Marvels, Surviving The Cut, etc.) Anyway, I thought it was the use of explosions to "sandwich" two dissimilar metals together. Wouldn't thermite do too much melting damage to the lower metal?

Has anybody here ever considered blast welding? http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosion_welding Possibly somebody that blows things up for a living? Using fire to create something is awesome; but doing so with explosions just delights the 10yr. old in me... Anywho, thought I'd though that nugget out there and see if I get any bites. Lol. Sincerely, Crawler.

Though lacking forge time, I'm no stranger to working around & handling hot metal. I love the challenge of trying to adapt and overcome. That being said, sometimes you can't get around needing "the right tool for the job". The bakery provides "one size fits most" cotton gloves that have about 1/8" to 1/4" of material between one's hand, and the 400+F degree bread pans comming out of the oven. Many use these gloves on the other end of the plant when loading dollies of finished product onto semi trailers. I spent 2 months with no gloves loading trailers; took pride in the whole-hand callases that developed. I had to consider gloves after my gal complained about the roughness, and the winter season started to dry out the air. Work provided gloves were out: too blasted hot. Since I don't like the fit & form of all leather gloves, I searched for some that would well, fit like a glove, and keep retained body heat to a minimum. I now wear "Mechanix Fastfit" (found at any "bigbox" store) medium gloves during my shipping dutties. Their slogan of "the tool that fits like a glove" is quite appropriate. My uselessly longwinded explnation above points to why I think the complaints of lost dexterity and loose fit (and possibly cuffed slag) could be solved with the proper (use and fit) glove. My Fastfit gloves wouldn't work for forging. The materials used on the back would melt the instant glosing metal touched them. The palm side is far too thin for protection from holding hot metal. Maybe a welder supply would have a good selection of well fitting gloves in varying thicknesses that I can look into for my PPE needs. Won't be giving up an arm and a leg for it, though. Mechanical operations should be done without gloves, with the possible exception of cut resistant gloves where appropriate. Working with my hands, in the absence of dangerous machinery, gloves are strongly recommended. I'm unapologetically a bit abusive with my body. Hard work does a body good; but that doesn't mean I will ignore things that will cause me actual damage. Rambling complete. Sincerely, Crawler.

Agreed. My guidance was geared towards the hunting (or being anywhere in colorado). Don't need to wear stuff that will melt when slag is flyin.

As far as dressing for cold weather, remember the simple phrase: "cotton kills". The attributes that make it great for heat are what make it dangerous in the cold. In cold weather, you don't want the layer against your skin to be cotton; it doesn't do a very good job of wicking the moisture away from your body. You want polyester or wool. I recomend getting thermals from the local army surplus store. 'Should have heavy-weight, full polyester thermals there for about the same or less than any retail sporting goods store will sell thinner blends (varying amounts of cotton & polyester). Also, wool socks that are already in a hunting-friendly color :-). Now that I've rambled on, a better point to make: cold weather is not very imposing next to a forge...

Frosty: I would be honored to hunker down and sponge up some knowledge from Steve. Unfortunately, after seeing y'all wax philosophical on various subjects (ESPECIALLY heat-treating), I came to the realization that my metalergic vocabulary is on the weak side. As a result, I need to teach myself more about certain processes and how the metal reacts to them or changes by doing them in varying orders. Mr. Sells: I'm profoundly greatful for U're offer; but I will hold off on accepting until I have beefed up my knowledge on the "basics". I'm not afraid to ask "stupid" questions: assumptions result in mistakes and missunderstandings. I figure since we have this wonderful resource at our fingertips, I should at least educate myself on the "square-one" things, rather than waste his time with such tedium. Also, since my schedule is erratic until I get a fixed bid, usable free-time that aligns with my better half is a precious commodity. Sincerely, Crawler.

Well, it has been my internet handle for 15 years (aaand now I feel old... lol). Anyway, "The Amazing Spiderman" was my favorite cartoon at the time. Still fond of the franchise. So a couple classmates had already scooped up the likes of Spiderman and Doppleganger (sp?), I reasoned my way from Wall Crawler down to Crawler. And with the advent of voice-chat enabled gaming, and the fact that Chris is NOT an uncommon name, Crawler just simplifies things. Wow... that got long-winded. This always seems to happen when I go typing stuff up before bed. Hopefully my schedule is open whenever these events pop up. Posted on Thursday, and starts on Saturday. So preplanning is a crap-shoot.