HWHII

Nice job PEP! I see why you have won some national welding competions. ;)

I cannot believe the price of steel these days. I bought two 20ft. lengths of 3/8 round (I'm making chain) and one 20ft. length of 1/4 x 3/4 flat bar and it cost $40 total.

Just a couple of years ago this would cost me half as much. What's driving up cost, is it transportation/fuel?

What are you seeing in your area?

Welcome MG-42. You are right when you say this is a great site.

It is to bad he has to shut down. I too have subscribed over the years and have a Smithing Magician and bought many books from Jerry Hoffman. If your out there? Best of luck to you. :)

Mine is the Hartford/Abana stuff. Somewhere around $600/year. Partially based on gross sales. Similar coverage as HW's, supposed to cover me at shows, replace the rented shop and loss of goods, while traveling etc.
I actually deal with a local agent instead of the guys in New York.
Jymm

Nice Job!

Hey Pep! I have anvil envy! :lol:

ATNEA $1,000,000.00 Liability policy. Covers my equipment of loss or stolen. Damage to private property,and people in my shop for demos.Also if I am renting industrial space. I pay $1500.00 a year

I agree witn SASK MARK and Glenn . Use it, abuse it, and get to know it. From your photos it looks like it might clean up allright.

When my anvils heat up and after a using them, I usually spray them down with WD-40 then rub it in while they are warm. It give them a nice patina over time.

This has been a great thread! Good on ya Larry!


Harold,

While I understand how you feel, please, share your work with us!
When I post my stuff I know that it surely doesn't represent the top o' the line or stand as a testament to craftsmanship, but it really is a big part of who and what I am, and one of the best ways I know for communicating that to others.

Give us a chance to get to know you better!

Thanks! I am sure I will dip my feet in the water at some time.

For me the question is, " What do I want to be when I grow up? " I too like all the rest who have posted have run the gauntlet being a metal fabricator. In fact, when asked I tell people I am just a beginner. This is because I have been blessed with such a wide array of work and experiences. When I have told people what I have done, the look I get from them is one of, he must be lieing.

I have also gone to conferences demos and have been in awe of the work and the people there I am still intimidated to show my work. This is also why I have not posted much of my work on this web site because of the great talent that visits here.

All that being said my true passion in life out of all the things I have done is to heat metal, beat and shape it into functional art. It has taken me along time to be able to say this, I am proud to be a Blacksmith and this is who I want be and that is why I am here. ;)

Nice job Larry! ;)

I started in the metal trades over 30 years ago and am fairly competent in several welding processes but I just can't get the hang of TIG. Sometimes, the bead looks OK but for the most part, I can make a prettier weld with an OA torch - and I'm not boasting but my stick or MIG results are usually better than average.

Case in point, my youngest son brought home a stainless box last week for me to patch. This was a deep fryer tank from the burger joint where he works; the material was 18 gauge SS and one corner had split lengthwise about 4 inches (probably from the thermal cycling). I have a nice Miller Synchrowave 250 with foot pedal, which is supposed to be the cat's meow for TIG welding, so I set it up with a 1/16 electrode at 80 amps using 100% argon. I assumed this was 303 or 304 SS sheet and I used 1/8 303 filler rod. At this setting, I continually blew holes in the material and had "icicles" hanging inside the box. After a few minutes coloring the air blue, I ground out the excess and clamped a piece of 5/8 mild steel square inside the corner. This helped immensely but I still contaminated the electrode against the filler rod or puddle at least a half dozen times and made a "mud dauber nest" with the fill. Every time this happened, I would stop and break off the electrode tip then regrind it. Eventually, I closed all the pin-holes and went over it one last time with the torch to smooth out the "mountains". Fortunately, the repair didn't leak (and the cooks at the burger joint were happy with it) but I take pride in my work - it took way too much time and frustrated me to no end.

I realize practice makes perfect but I think my self-taught technique might be working against me - so my question is whether there is any value to the DVD's on Ebay or other sites that claim to teach TIG...or should I simply take a night course at the community college?

I have basically the same set up, use it to cold bend all the time. I like the front being open on the C not much to it. My only complaint is that the work area is low but I can set it on its side or lift it up on something as I have done here. I have a bottom table for the quick bend and a two pin carriage that bolts to the front for pushing long bends.

I have several (like 40 or so) enerpac and like like 10,000PSI cylinders.... I have like 5 14" stroke 30 ton units, Id sell you one for a couple hundred bucks if you would like...

Its about speed though... Nothing you do with that pump will be as fast as I would want to forge with, but you can still do a heck of a lot of work with one. I have a 30 ton C frame with a pump just like that and I do all kinds of things with it....

And 70 bucks was a gift. a pump like that cost $2000-$3000 new and would fetch $500-$1000 used pretty easy

Holy Hammers Harold! Good story. Does a blessed hammer hit harder?

Mine is Holy Hammer Ironworks.

The story behind it is a little long but worth telling.

I met my wife in 2005 and she is the head of a Episcopal school and she lived on the school campus. At the time the school was owned and operated by nuns who also live in a convent on the campus. There are only two left now and we take care of them. One thing led to another and I moved in. Then a year later she convinced me to quit my job of 14 years to become the maintenance supervisor for the property which has 14 buildings and also start my own buisness, which I have my shop on the property. My name is Harold Hilborn and all my tools and equipment have HH on it so I wanted my buisness also to have a double H name. Hammer was a given but could not come up with the second half. Then it came to me in a dream and I woke up in the middle of the night and said thats it Holy Hammer. Shortly after I started working I had a chance to buy my Sayha power hammer. When I got it our priest blessed it and it became my holy hammer.

Why yes it is. Have you met him yet? I do not now him real well but he seems like a pretty straight shooter.

Small world I have family that live in Wilhoit. There is another smith who lives over in Skull Valley and could be a good source for you.

Very interesting! I use a lot of leaves in my work and usually pound them out of solid round stock under the power hammer. I like your technique and have not seen it before and I am going to give it a try. Thank you for shareing it.

I would just like to suggest that if you do buy a 110V MIG welder, is that you stay with a name brand and purchase it from your local welding supplier and not a home center or buy from a catalog. You will find it will be easier to get your consumables and sevice with the machine if something should go wrong. I know with Lincoln their units you puchase from your supplier and what you get in a home center are not the same on the inside even they say Lincoln on the outside. They use more plastic parts and aluminum wiring. The same goes for Miller and Hobart. It will cost a little more up front but it is worth it. If price is a issue, which for most of us it is still stay with a name brand and you should be happy. :D

Welcome. Gordon is a great teacher! Looks like you all had fun. :)

You should give Penatrol a try. It is a excellent rust preventor. It is oil based you can put it on cold or warm but not hot. It is a oil based paint additive. You can find it a paint stores, good hardware stores, and Home Depot. You also can apply it right over rust for a nice patina. It seals it right in. I have used it on alot of my work and holds up well out doors. Over time you can just rub on another coat to freshen it up.

Welcome to IFI, SGT :D

Ladies and Gentalmen come one come all and mark your calenders for April 23,24,and 25 as the Arizona Artist Blacksmith Association presents our April Hammer In, hosted by Fred Borcherdt Scuplturist at his 100 acre Buckskin Guest Ranch in Bonita, AZ 45min north west of Wilcox AZ.

This is a 3 day event costing a whopping $25.00

It all starts Friday afternoon with Fred and Art Jones who work as a the head industrial blacksmith at the Mare Island Naval ship yard in the San Fransisco bay area and then later on for Stephen Bondi. They will be working on Fred's big Nazel hammer and 100 ton forging press.

The main demonstrator Saturday and Sunday will be Loreli Simms owner of 5 Points Blacksmith Shop and author of " The Backyard Blacksmith "

There will be plenty of dry camping space available and lots of lodging available in Wilcox. Saturday night there will be a catered dinner for a nominal fee sponsered by Fred's caretakers and biscuts and gravy breakfast on Sunday. All other meals are on your own.

Just a reminder this event is this comming weekend. Thanks!

For more information please visit az-blacksmith.org/ web site click on news letters and look for March 2010 issue.