Culver Creek Hunt Club

Nice score. Did the last user mount that sping upside down to get the mounting bracket lower and had to add a chisel to do it?

59 minutes ago, Cardinal Knife said:

I'm sure you already know this but if not, those respirators, once unsealed, are only good for an average of a few hours to a few days depending on what your using them for.

They still work for dust of course.

The respirator is reusable. The canisters have a life as you indicated. 

Rockstar. 

A couple comments. I have worked for GC's as well as Large Subcontractors. I have worked in the field and came up from my tools , I have managed projects as a PM and a Superintendent. I have spent years in estimating and have run an estimating department that bid a billion in work a year and had 15 estimators working for me. The market is changing. Very seldom are we involved in projects bids any more that are "read 'em and weep". Most are negotiated, best value procurement, design assist or design build. I really liked those days when the envelopes were opened. Most of our work is Government and large private like Pharmaceuticals, labs, data centers and such.  I will say that the two companies I worked/work for have a strict confidentiality policy. A sub's number or their standing in the group was never talked about. I can't tell you how many subs would come back after awarding to another sub and tell me they had money that they could have come down, after the fact. We found that that strict confidentiality with the numbers actually kept things on a more fair playing field and got the best available numbers to start with. 

There may be discussions once we win a project to assure that the scope is complete and it is an apples to apples comparison. It amazes me how many subs to a crappy job understanding scopes or just bid the portions of work that they feel they want to. (Painters, caulkers, firestoppers and yes even electricians can be the worst at this) Bid day is hectic, I know when the last minutes roll around for getting numbers in electricians are typically the last number the GC's see. That is usually due to the gear suppliers holding out until the last minute. But imagine trying to get a 150 million design build prison number together and fully understanding every nut and bolt, or what sub left what out of their number. There has to be after bid day evaluations of the scopes and numbers. 

That said I am now with a large Sub and I know our numbers get shopped by the GC to pad their bottom line more. It sucks. 

Just a different view from the inside. 

Side note( Sorry didn't see the OP was so long ago.)

With the heat rising and air currents moving in the shed it could be possible to disturb areas that weren't cleaned very well. I would visit a Doc and you might want to read up on histoplasmosis (sp?). when talking about spores, they can hang around for a very long time and can be very resistant to normal cleaning methods. 

Here is one I did yesterday. I had the glass laying around so gear it around that. For scale the overall is about 7-8" tall. No idea why the pics are sideways. 

Railroad ties and Old power poles too. 

I put together a stand for my post vise. The only real requirement I had was I needed to make in mobile in my garage. I welded on clips to the back edge and mounted wheels on angle iron clips that slide in and can be removed so I am not tripping over a permanent wheel.  to holes in the base plate so I can bolt to the floor using a drop in concrete insert and a couple bolts. That all works well but I have a concern with the top mounting "shelf". In the picture you can see how wide it is. I like the idea of having a shelf to place tools on while working but now have concerns it may be in the way. the picture only shows one side but the other is the same (without the wire tool holder). 

Thoughts? I am very new to this. What has your experience shown. 

I took a class last night and it was  the first of two nights. It was forge welding. 

We were making a flux spoon to take home. Flux that we used was borax. We started out with a piece of 1/4" round and a 20" piece of 3/8" square. Partial Cut the round into fourths and folded them in to make a bundle. forge welded the two ends and drew down to 3/8". Then  welded the bundle onto the end of the square stock. twisted and then untwisted the bundle to give it the open look and drew out the hook on the handle. On the opposite end we partial cut and folded back about 1-1/2" of the 3/8" and welded it to itself. Then drew out and shaped the spoon bowl.  Sounded pretty easy, huh? LMAO

I ran out of time so I still have some straightening and cleaning to do for the finished product but pretty pleased with how the welds came out and how well they held. 

This is really my first real project that wasn't a tool and I thought, "never have enough bottle openers". Started with 1/2" square stock. 

22 hours ago, arkie said:

Culver, your tool-making is coming along nicely.  BTW, that Collins monkey wrench you used for your twisting wrench is in some places a collector's item (google and research the Collins monkey wrenches).  I recently picked up one at a flea market for $17.50 in mint condition.  Checked up on the value and they had been selling for anywhere from $65 to $130.  If you cut off the welded-on handle now and ground it smooth, it would loose any extra value, so just continue to use it as it.  That large size wrench will be good for large stock.  If anyone else runs across a mint condition Collins wrench, check it out before you weld on it.

I had actually looked into it when it was given to me. the area where the stock is welded on actually had been previously welded, i believe for the same purpose. The off side wooden handle had been replaced as well.  I figured both of those things would have impacted the value and since it was given to me for use in this purpose I figured it was only right. This is something that I certainly have to be mindful of for sure and I'd hate to see a really nice tool altered and not preserved. When my father passed away I ended up with bins of old tools. After looking at some of the prices I saw on line checking this wrench out I better take a closer look at what is in there...lol

7 minutes ago, notownkid said:

Wow, I've never seen NEW Chain around an anvil before much less a new bolt at the same time!  Tooling looks good.  My neighbors are far enough away I don't need to chain mine.  Wife likes to hear it as she knows all is fine out there when she hears it. 

too funny. Had no choice, didn't have anything big enough, buddy offered me 12' and I figured beside anchoring I would wrap it. Figured it couldn't hurt. 

10 hours ago, House of D said:

Mr. Culver,

I said turn "them" in my post, I meant turning the material being forged not the swage. I like to be clear, but sometimes think faster than I type. All apologies.

D

I followed. Thank you all for the input

<--------------  Speechless. 

1 hour ago, House of D said:

Culver, 

Looks like a solid first run on some much needed tools. However, you are going to want to chamfer the edges on your spring swage. Those sharp edges will get you a cold shunt in your material. And have seen much worse welding, yours looks like it will hold just fine. Pretty comes with practice. And tongs are a tough beginner project, they will improve with repetition. So long as they hold the material well and you hands stay uncooked, they'll work. Nice anvil.

D

I eased the edges but they are more like a gentle roll. How much should I take them down do you think? 

taking a harder look at some more pictures is seems like they keep about 45 degrees of the top and bottom true circle and then lay back on a 30-45 angle? sound about right?

Guess I'll be heating up that spring section again to open'er back up. 

First real run at getting some tooling together. Had to take a run at a set of tongs because the vice grips just were a tad short for the direction of the wind...lol

Still a lot of work to do on technique as well as my welding ability. 

not sure if each handle has two points of contact or not but if each has only one point of contact can you use a hanger bolt and drill and tap the handle?  Thread it on the hanger bolt and use a set screw to keep it from being turned?

http://www.rockler.com/steel-hanger-bolts-steel-hanger-bolts

Any way to add an attachment and make that a wheel foot pumped?

That is very accurate. Stainless can pick up contamination from any carbon steel used to work it . I have seen it happen a lot with grinder wheels that were used on carbon first. I imagine in order to totally avoid this you would need a stainless cover plate for the anvil and even a stainless hammer or other tools. 

Thank you. Going to head over the the   New York State Designer Blacksmith Association  meeting on the 16th to check out the group and see who's in the area. I figure an organization and meetings like this may cut down on my learning curve. 

Finally got it fired up. ran very well. wired in a rheostat on the blower at table height to avoid bending. just ran a couple hooks and a poker and a rake. getting enough heat is not an issue with this fan. I actually melted off the very first piece I put in the fire. I didn't expect it to heat up quite as fast as it did. 

58 minutes ago, Anthony San Miguel said:

O1 Tundra, how did you make the bowl shape in the stump? I'm making a stump swage now with various shapes but I can't come up with a good way to make big dishes like that.

It was for a different application but I actually used a circular saw with a carbide blade, held the guard open and inserted into the log. then rotated it in a circle. it had to be cleaned up a bit but the general shape was nice even with cutting with the side of the teeth. Be careful of kickback and don't stand behind the saw. . depth of the bowl is set with depth of the blade.

Your work is absolutely amazing. You can tell from the results that you have an intense passion for what you do. That in itself is a blessing.

Not sure about across the pond, but here it is common to utilize a water resistant plug connection or waterproof enclosures. . We use them all the time on the construction projects I manage.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cooper-Wiring-Devices-15-Amp-125-Volt-2-Pole-3-Wire-Water-Tight-Industrial-Grade-Plug-Yellow-14W47-K/203492422

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Headz-Extension-Cord-Safety/dp/B00A4DVNMW

I didn't realize you had power issues from the source. Just hate to see you get rid of a forge that nice and could serve you very well.

Good luck.

What are the actual poser requirements of the blower?  I am pretty new here an very new to this all, but how often are you planning on running this? In my back shed, before I could get power run, something as simple as a extension cord got me through until I got the underground in. It literally takes only a few minutes to lay out and recoil. I apologize if I am over simplifying.

if you have Harbor freight stores near you or order on line.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-speed-portable-blower-61729.html

works very well and the description isn't accurate. the one I bought was variable speed with a rheostat and nice an quiet. a floor register duct reduced the rectangular exhaust opening down nicely. I think rated for 300 CFM at max