firefarm39

Corin, welcome to IFI, and thanks for the great information! One question regarding higher temps. You mentioned "high gas pressures". How high is high? I usually run around 8 psi for normal forging, and don't feel I get enough heat for effective welding, but have been reluctant to crank up the pressure too high. My forge is very similiar to yours, single burner, shell made from 20# tank, 2 inches of dura-blanket plus reflective coating (ITC100).
Also, on a different note, there has been a lot of interest in ribbon burners as of late. Can you comment on any experience you have had with those? Very interesting thread!!

Wow, that is an awesome honor and responsibility. I don't have any suggestions for you, but admire your willingness to take such a project on. Good luck!

GunsmithnMaker, thanks for posting you self-intro. I for one, look forward to getting to know you better through this forum. In the meantime, keep on hittin' hot iron!

:D Grant, you do have a way of keeping us honest in our usage of the language!! ;)

Dave, don't drill those out, at least until you try to use an "eazy-out" to get the broken end of the pipe out! I looks to me like the remnants of the pipe should come out very easily without having to resort to drilling and re-threading. If you don't have a set of screw extractors (easy-outs), you might want to invest in some, they are pretty handy. A screw extractor is a tapered, fluted tool that looks a little like a drill bit, only the flutes are reverse direction. You put it in the hole, and with a wrench turn it counter-clockwise. The flutes grab the inside of the broken pipe and out she comes! Good luck!

Nice detective work!! Hope you have lots of fun with the "new" anvil. :D

I tend to agree with the "heavy grease in the clutch bearing" theory. I have the same issue with a LG 25, especially when the shop is cold (whick it has been lately!!). Works better with a very light grade of grease in cold weather. Good luck, and let us know what works for you.

AJ, if you can't find components locally, you might try McMaster-Carr. Their web-based catalog is one of the best I have ever seen, and in my case anyway, the shipping is incredibly fast. Somewhere I think I have parts numbers for the air components if you are interested.
Dave

Does anyone have any idea where the term "slack tub" comes from? I suspect it may be a permutation of "slake", as in to quench, but have no evidence to prove it.

I have located a Hawkeye Helve hammer like the one in the attached picture. It is in the process of being restored and I would have to finish it. Can anyone give me a idea what a fare price would be for this hammer? Thanks Harold

Grant, I love it!! With your permission, I would like to print that one out and post it at the firehouse. The guys will certainly get a kick out of it. :lol:

Interesting how different people appreciate different aspects of the sculpture. Overall it is a beautiful piece, but I especially like the leaves! Great job!!

Beautiful! The amazing thing Brian, is that you make it look so simple that I feel like even I have a shot at making them.
BTW, folks, a group of cranes is called a sedge or siege, according to the Audubon Society (I suppose they should know...) :D

SS, your plan has some merit, but there are some things to be aware of. Based on my experiences with 3-point hydraulic log splitters, your 7 inch cylinder is quite large and will move fairly slowly. Should work fine for welding a billet where the cylinder only has to move a short distance, but beyond that, it will be frustratingly slow. You should be able to generate 20 tons or more of pressure. Some tractor hydraulics are better than others for this kind of application. Does yours have a hydro valve that allows continuous flow? Many don't, and that means you would have to either bungie cord the valve open, or reach over to the tractor to operate the valve. If your tractor allows for a continuous circuit, I assume you would put control valving at the press. I don't think I would worry too much about length of hydraulic hose, if flow rate through the hose is an issue, you could jump up in hose size, say from 1/2 inch to 3/4. Good luck! Take pictures to show us!

Has anyone tryed welding pattern welded billets under a fly press? Does it work OK? Any tips or tricks to know about? I know the fly press is not the best choice for drawing out the billet, but it seems like it might be a good choice for the initial weld.

I too have the dvd, and also recommend it. Flypresses have even more capability than shown in the video, but it is a great place to start.

Matthew, I have a Bradley 60# Cushioned helve with the original helve along with a spare replacement helve made by Bradley. Both are laminated. Both are also tapered as you describe. I think the lamination is a good idea to counteract warpage and for strength. I guess I would compare it to a single piece of 3/4 inch wood compared to a piece of 3/4 plywood. The plywood is much stronger and more stable. By the way, the laminations on mine are vertically oriented. Good luck on the build, it has been really interesting to follow along!

Looks great! I'll be very interested in hearing how the repair holds up, as I have a couple of anvils I would like to resurrect.

Well, this doesn't have anything to do with tools, but we make apple butter using additional apple cider. The mixture is then cooked long and slow until the sugars carmelize, creating that rich brown color and concentrated apple flavor. Good stuff!

One thing to check for is if your sow block is in backwards. Sow blocks on newer LGs are seperate pieces and are held in place with tapered wedges just like the dies. This often creates problems with dies lining up.

Years ago, I thought I'd trade in my one 40 for two 20's...........that's when I learned I wasn't wired for two twenties!

I'm clean-shaven, mostly because I need to have a good seal area for a full face respirator for work AND it is a state (or maybe MIOSHA) law that firefighters must not have facial hair that interferes with the seal of a SCBA mask. Safety first!

Very nice. Are the vertical and horizontal pieces interwoven, or welded together?

No they are not "good"

They are "great, wonderful or fantastic" The best utility hammer available.


It's not only a great hammer but John sells them for about half what they are worth

Matt, I second Freddie's "thumb's up". A website would be a great way to share info on Bradleys. Let us know when you get 'er cranked up!
Dave