Kozzy

Practice practice practice. Sometimes those lesser welders can work pretty well when you learn how to work with their foibles. In the realm of desktop CNC they say something which applies here too: You actually have to become a BETTER machinist when you have one because you learn to overcome their shortcomings via proper planning, programming, etc. to cover for the machine's issues. When you have a great machine, the machine covers up all those pesky details for you. So learn to make your hoopty sing...it might serve you well. That means taking the time (and frustration) to practice with it. You finally have an excuse to use all those little scrap pieces which aren't useful for anything else.

I hate to play into the madness but after the past 10 days, I'd certainly recommend everyone stock up on EASY meals that one can make/eat even if you feel awful. I came down with a flu-like thing in WA state about 10 days ago..and after traveling to an area that had a few cases of the bad stuff. No, I don't think I have the "real" thing...it's just a nasty flu like bug...but because of the scare and issues, I haven't wanted to be Typhoid Mary and kill off anyone on that .001% chance it's the bad stuff. That means I've been stuck in my cloister, feeling like death warmed over, and trying to sort through stuff to cook that isn't a pain in the neck. First week wasn't bad because I was stocked with "good" food but then all the easy stuff starts disappearing and you only have boring stuff. So..if you go shopping to put some things on the shelf "just in case"....get 1) easy to make stuff that you'll be willing/able to cook even if you (and your family) feel like complete crap and 2) Stuff that isn't so boring to eat that meals seem like something you dread. Don't forget basic meds to help you feel less terrible. Nyquil et al are a godsend (I ran out about day 5..who anticipates a 10 day+ illness yet can't chase basic meds? Oh...I guess everyone these days) I have a TON of stuff for the long emergency but was surprised at how unappealing it all was when one feels horrible. And it's just me now that my wife has passed away so I don't even have someone to cater to my incessant whining and whims

If you get nowhere with it, let me know. There might be some things we can do to help in my shop if you are ever back through town.

Like Vern said above, 'round here a good Swedish steel anvil will tend to go for about $ 6 a lb these days--especially the heavier ones (slight premium for heavy...usually). People usually start at more like $ 6.50 asking and wait for a bite. At $ 5/lb, they fly out the door pretty quickly. $4/lb would leave burn-out skid marks from moving so fast. That's Eastern WA...where people from Seattle are often willing to travel (several hours) to get anvils. 100-ish pound Kohlswa Swedish currently listed in my town @ $6.50/lb but hasn't yet moved after several weeks. Most likely because this town is way out in the sticks and it's a bit lightweight (relative to others available). I'd probably bite if the seller would come down a little...everyone needs a spare anvil or three

The problem with welding up some of these castings is that they are often really poor material and have a ton of voids. This wasn't a high-end piece to begin with so casting quality is at the very least, in question. I've had similar castings sort of disappear under the TIG gun because the material was almost "foamy" with internal voids. Though I totally agree and welding is the way to go, I would hesitate without seeing it first--which is why I only mentioned brazing. If the O. P. can find a "friend" who has a least a little experience with poor quality material, they should be able to adapt and make welding work. But dang, when the casting disappears under the heat like when we used to put model cement on styrofoam as kids, it is a bit disheartening On the more modern chinese crap, I've discovered huge hidden voids, perforations, and pockets that they hid with bondo. Looks great until the paint comes off and then it looks like swiss cheese.

Do you actually use the table tilt? If not, I'd scab in a simple new fixed piece--shouldn't be hard to make. One could fab up a full replacement with a little work that did everything the old part does but the hours to do that are probably more than the unit is worth. Due to the age, I'm assuming the part that broke is cast iron and not cast zinc. Assuming it's CI, it can also likely be brazed back to a working condition assuming you don't over-stress it in the future. If it's cast zinc (test with a magnet) you are stuck making one from scratch. And the above is easy for me to say because I have a full machine shop to work from. If you can eventually post a photo of the broken part, it might be possible to suggest alternatives and options better.

It was frozen but not in terrible shape---I figured it would come apart reasonably easily with the usual soaking etc. It's a stamped sheet metal buffalo that was sold to Cowboy Rich.

Found one guy in town willing to take it on...but he isn't happy and is charging to reflect that. Customer is paying the bill so I only care that it's getting done. Total job cost is about a third of a million so the electropolishing barely makes a dent.

I've got a job currently where the customer insisted that about 8000 lbs...250 pcs x 8" x 8+ feet long all get electropolished. Talk about a gigantic hassle! Polishers all just groaned and didn't want to take on something that was going to tie up their operations that long, putting the other stuff they normally do behind. It aint a super fast process. But...as you said, once done it's beautiful.

Sorry--typo that I didn't catch. Rouging as in rouge...reddish discoloration that isn't as bad as downright rust. They call it "stainless" because it stains LESS. Otherwise it would have been called stain-free steel.

Most likely T304 but possibly T316 unless your food company is doing something weird. Ok to forge but don't expect to make anything edged with it as the grades normally used in food processing are not hardenable. Rarely, you can find something like T430 which can be hardened "at home" --the only way to make a guess at that is the 400 series stainless will stick to a magnet quite well where the 300 series barely sticks (work hardening and forming makes 300 series a bit "stickier" so judge vs plain old carbon steel comparison of magnetic attraction) There are a couple of other grades like 17-4PH but that'd be much rarer to see. 200 series might show up if the equipment is "cheap"--that grade replaces the expensive nickel with manganese to save money. It tends to be a bit brittle and even harder to work. One thing about stainless--it doesn't like to move under the hammer. Something larger like a shaft will be a bear to work alone so you might need a striker or power hammer to be efficient. Smaller stuff just takes longer and wears you out. Ok, 2 things not one--you also tend to have to work it hot or it can crack/split under the hammer. Don't push your luck and do any major hammering toward the cold side of bright red-yellow. It will not generally be nearly as "stainless" after the kind of forging a home smith can do as it's almost impossible to shield the parts from oxygen when hot. Pickling may help so a soak in vinegar or citric acid will improve the surface by dissolving the iron that concentrates there--less potential rusting (called "roughing" when it happens with stainless and is mild).

Guards were always a pain until I got my Milwaukee. Not only were they almost more dangerous than no guard (from vibration making guards come loose and rotate), the older ones were often not designed for the thicker flap wheels so you had to remove the guard to use those. Since the Milwaukee came into my toolbox, the guard stays on 99% of the time...but once in a while it comes off for the slight extra clearance. They really did get the guard thing right on that tool. Wish more makers would put that kind of time into making safety EASY rather than simply a slip-shod after-thought solution to comply and keep the lawyers off their back.

Reading up on this in the book "The Making, Shaping, & Treating of Steel" Published by the U.S. Steel Corporation about a zillion years ago (my copy is 1957)--since phosphorous increases brittleness, you tend to want to keep it to .1% of less...and keep the carbon level down at the same time Phosphorous goes up or you get a hunk of "glass". Addition of aluminum to control grain growth can partially overcome that. As to the addition...they go into pages and pages all about removal/reduction but right now the only thing I can find on additions is " Ferrophosphorous in two grades containing, respectively, 17 to 19 percent and 23 to 26 percent phosphorous is usually added in the ladle". That's in the section on how and where to add herbs and spices so I assume something similar can be done on a smaller scale...knowing the near exact mass of the heat so you can get the content right. They don't usually stir things once in the ladle so I can't say how it actually gets properly distributed. Obviously a wrought bloom would be a little different than an open hearth steel like this so maybe you can adapt.

Laser isn't usually quite as bad but with plasma there will virtually always be a hard heat affected zone. Most plasma systems use dry air as their cutting method so are actually burning material and that can cause both hard oxides as well as plain old carbon-hardening at the edges. With laser, they tend to use nitrogen and blow the kerf rather than burning the kerf so you don't get quite the same HAZ..but there is still some. Rarely, plasma will also use nitrogen and blow the kerf but that's pretty expensive for basic plasma cutting. SOP for machining such things is 1) grind the entry point through the HAZ so you start cutting in "fresh" material and 2) when machining (most often profiling), you make sure your depth of cut is plenty to always be cutting in fresh material--and always conventional cut rather than climb cut so the endmill isn't diving into the hardened surface...it's always coming out of the softer material to remove that HAZ. Sawing basically the same although most people are lazy and only grind the infeed point. Best on the blade if you also grind the HAZ off the exit point too.

I know the regional differences affect things but around here, (not insane) people are asking about $ 250 and they are moderately slow to go, but do still sell eventually...those just under $ 200 seem to be picked up pretty quickly. Assumes good working order, tripod legs there though that is not a major part of the price a they aren't hard to duplicate. The rarer cast single leg base is a really nice upgrade and gets a pretty good premium. I'd say your $ 100 figure is a bit low unless you want it gone in the next 30 minutes (or it needs a hospital visit)

Because you now know that ACCO bought Lowville Machine & Vise for the patents, you might try a patent search for both Lowville and Fulton--That might explain some of the jaw questions or help date the vise toward the early end of product vs later. I tried doing a quick search and it didn't come right up. However, there was one link from the patent office that tied Lowville to a name the patent was actually under...implying Lowville was the assignee. Didn't dig it out though.

Well, here's some library of congress photos of the inside of the ACCO chain plant in the early days https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.pa1309.photos?st=gallery They had their fingers in so many things that it's hard to get a good date but in a hacked up post I found: "American Chain Co. Bridgeport, CT - ... This company's vises come from their purchase of the patents and business of the Lowville Machine & Vise Company in 1929. Prior to being known as the L. M. & …" Lowville Machine & Vise actually came from Fulton Vise company, an earlier iteration of the company, and vises before about 1924 are Fulton branded. I can't yet find anything about ACCOs vise production years to help date yours. There are some hints that they farmed out production but nothing certain enough to say that's for sure. Some other people searching on their vises have hit the same wall.

If you were standing right there with all three and hammer-tapped the Vulcan, followed by the others, you'd immediately see why there is value in upgrading. While serviceable, Vulcan's are not much of a thrill to work on. The "final word" should not be decided until you've done a proper rebound test, delamination test, and general inspection. I'd really hesitate on the PW that's been welded. More anvils are wrecked by people doing bad and unnecessary cosmetic fixes with a welder than just about anything else. As to pricing, location location location. The vise price is in the right "range" for many areas...but the critical thing is the screw-box wear. If the screw is well on it's way to the graveyard, the price goes down on these quickly. So again, INSPECT before making a deal.

Nice build. For those who don't want to roll their own press brake but have some sort of hydraulic press, one of the chinese junk tool companies centered in the midwest has a pre-made version designed to slip into an existing press available in their catalog. It's not ridiculously expensive and is actually reasonably well built for a chinese tool. Handy thing to have around the shop when you can't find a good bargain on a real press brake or finger brake. Obviously not as much fun as building your own but when you have 2 lifetimes of projects backed up, sometimes it's worth it to toss some money at things.

There's a story that the singer Meatloaf told once...Early on he forgot his earplugs so wadded up some paper napkin to make temporary earplugs to get through his performance. Unfortunately, those napkin bits were dyed red and the color ran as he sweated...so everyone thought he was bleeding out of his ears. So...choosing the right earplugs for demos can enhance your reputation as a tough dude if you plan right

Spotting drill bit without the extra step of the centering bit is fine too--the goal being to have a super short shank so the bit is rigid and doesn't immediately try and wander (bend) as it makes it start. It's amazing how much a full length drill bit can actually bend under the pressures involved. They are only useful with a rigid set-up--both the work and bit fixed in place on their respective axis--end drilling in a lathe being the most common example. Very little benefit without that rigidity, though if I'm hand drilling a pilot hole in fairly thin material I sometimes use a spotting bit in a center-punched divot just because I like the stiffness. On deep hole drilling, especially with aircraft length bits, the exit is NEVER perfectly in line with the entry. With care, one can sometimes drill a bit undersize and use a reamer--most reamers are a bit stiffer than spiral flute bits and can slightly straighten a hole..bot it's not a miracle-worker (requires rigid set-up). Parabolic flute bits are also great to use on deep holes as they clear chips better than your standard drill bit. If you are trying to get super accurate hole locations, there is a machinist trick to that but I don't want to ramble on unless that is the actual goal.

I am not quite getting a notion of how you want to use the HDPE but I manufacture plastic sprockets in many plastic materials and HDPE is too brittle for that. HDPE for those who need a comparison is what is usually used for plastic screw caps on things--as well as cutting boards. It becomes useless at about 190 degrees F. LDPE is what one usually sees as the body of plastic milk jugs. UHMWPE is the next step up..and it's a big step..from a molecular weight of roughly 200,000 for HDPE vs UHMW with a molecular weight of about 6,000,000. LDPE runs 30,000 to 50,000 in molecular weight. UHMW is almost impossible to break; LDPE is so soft it's mostly bendable; HDPE is flexible but can crack, especially if it was even slightly over-heated in processing. None can be glued effectively using normal procedures--to glue you must do a special etch of the material and use semi-specialized adhesives. LDPE and HDPE can be plastic welded. I've seen UHMW plastic welded but it isn't as strong as the parent material. And there is one more issue: Cold flow. As an example, imagine a bar of the material spanning between supports. Over time, that bar will sag as the molecular chains slide relative to each other. The bow is effectively permanent and can only be removed by causing flow the opposite way. The stuff HATES UV light and will degrade--so this material isn't what you want for things left in sunlight. Carbon black is usually added as a UV blocker so UV resistant material will generally be black in color. But it has been used and some people like it. I wouldn't usually though--at least not without some sort of structurally stable member like a steel core to provide the actual stability. Many commercial kitchen knives (the ones for the generic "slice and dice" staff who don't need expensive knives) use it--those are in the $ 15 range in cost as semi-disposable. Compression molding does work for the material and is the likely choice for forming short of really expensive dies and procedures. To put it into perspective, the whole class of plastics is just variations in lengths of chains of ethylene molecules--starting with propane and butane at the low molecular weight end, turning into paraffin wax when the chains get a little longer, and plastics when they get quite long. If you heat an unknown plastic (burn a little such as with a hot pin) and it smells like a wax candle, it's one of the polyethylenes.

The negative of the Champion 400 is the bronze worm gear in the train (not the worm itself, the gear which drives the worm). If it's been used aggressively, that gear can be on its last legs--the teeth basically nothing but little knife edges left from all the wear. You aren't likely to find a replacement for that gear...and if you did, it'd cost more than another blower. So..it's best to only buy one where you can pull the cover plate and take a look. At the very least, check backlash in person assuming you can't get that look (the access screws are often well stuck). I'd really hesitate buying one sight unseen. The extent of wear on that gear affects value and without seeing that wear you are likely to over-pay. When using, you need to NEVER let the kids (or adults with kid-like tendencies which we all seem to have at times) crank like it's a toy..and use it like the innards are made of glass (no shock loading). It's not terribly fragile but fragile enough to not like abuse. But, they are nice blowers when in good shape. Technicus Joe did a really good youtube video on rebuilding those that's worth a look. I fond mine cheap...but one of the access screws is stuck like the dickens and I haven't had the time to take a torch to it so it can be removed. Penetrating oil has not worked in the slightest and I don't want to risk shearing it off at this point.

A friend has connections with the editor of Farm Collector Magazine and offered to send it along for their whatizit segment that appears in every issue. Might take a while but their readers are often amazing in what they can identify....and have actually used in the good old days.

Excellent...probably worth sandblasting and powder coating because they'll be around for your great-great grandkids to use. What hole diameter and pin were you planning on for the riser? Since that's the weak point on these (being built like a tank), I was curious what your plan was for those cross pins.