Smoggy

I would suspect that is a part rather than a material identification but I couldn't confirm that. What are you intending to do with it?

I watched a TV prog about the rebuilding of a Spitfire. Despite the fine tolerances on the machining of parts, the the wing spar pin did not fit! Apparently, the presenter was doing his piece to camera with pin in hand, it had warmed to body temp and a flush fit turned into an interference fit. If body heat can do that in short order to a goodly fist full of metal......what will it do to the steel rule you've been holding half the morning? One of the first things I learned about measurements as an aprentice was accuracy is temperature dependant......I later came to learn it's also relative. 6" to a gardener is about the length of their dibber, to a welder it's long enough to span the gap, to a foundryman, plus shrinkage, to an engineer it is pedanticly 6,000" at ambient temperature. to a motor cycle racer it may be life or death, So if you want a near enough measurement then marking it of with a sharpie is fine, if you want an accuracy......use a cooled sharpie

Welcome Bigobs, I too arrived here from an engineering background.....and subsiquently IT. You've picked the right corner of the web, so much information you'll find usefull here.

After reading a couple of times I think I've got it, You are wanting input on the build of the headstock and spindle. For a small lathe such as this plain bearings will sufice if oiled via a capiliary hole. As regards the spindle, what are your intentions re a chuck/faceplate etc? If you fit a simple hand crank to the spindle end you can cut your own MT1 morse taper easily enough. I would also suggest taking a good long peruse of the lathes.co.uk page, Absolutely packed with good info on all sorts of lathes and see how they were and still are built, including many one off home builds of various quality. Keep us updated.....i'm looking forward to see how things progress.

I've use virtually the same "furnace" set up for my casting, it lives outside my forge so I can use the same bellows. Excellent series of pics, displays what many have proported to on so many posts. Anyone can get started without spending a penny on equipment, fuel or stock.

I, and no doubt others, would suggest that the backyard metal casting site is the place to pose this question. If their forum can't provide you with appropriate guidance........

What handle material? wood, bone, antler, horn, polyester, HDPE, epoxy composites, brass, leather, stone! If you decide what materials you want to cut the blade specs should tell you what is suitable if not ask the supplier.

"... I guess that seals it...Excalibur is outlawed in England. Someone better tell Arthur.... " Is that set in stone, or is there any chance of an extraction ? Let's think about it, what have they banned, hate txt on blades.....whoopy do! Half the prospective purchasers are likely unable to read it anyway!

I'm sure it does Frosty, having ones eyes open or closed is also directly proportionate to ones level of smartness!

Contact them, they have agents worldwide, maybe even where ever you are!

Are we talking English English. American English or smarter than an eyefull of detergent, know it all English?

bigb, If you are starting with a 'new' thread and nut.......get two nuts and weld one on the end and drill it for the bar. " Smoggy; you should NEVER admit to that ability around other smiths; a lot of us have vises that could use a bit of such help... " TP, please note the strategicaly positioned wording in bold > " Having said that, as a machinist myself......I'd probably faff about and make one! "

As it is most likely not the original screw thread for the vice, I agree with TP, easiest and most efficient to source a good replacement complete with nut/box, either from an otherwise damaged vice or a suitable alternate. Having said that, as a machinist myself......I'd probably faff about and make one!

Here in the UK, it is illegal to dig up a miden in search of artifacts, even as young as a century old. Your item, if correctly excavated, would likely be dateable by it's location and any other items found with it. You could well be destroying American History by runaging through a known tip. It's one thing finding a piece of broken tack in a field that's been covered by the plough, but digging through the miden if it is as old as you are suggesting in your previous posts destroys any dating evidence above the item you've found.....you may want to rethink how you go metal detecting.

It's a square thread, typical of a lathe feed screw, what is it from? What is it being used on? There may be options on where to look for or make a nut depending on what you need.

It's a wax apparently, and no I have no idea why it's a wax rather than oil or grease! Oh, wax!.....crayons.......a colouring in anvil!

I've not used any for many years so the current market offerings may well be much improved. I used to use it when carrying out safety fence repairs where cut sections or drilled holes were liberaly coated with zinc paint/spray to ensure they were in line with the dipped galv original spec ( industrial standard aproved ) Yes it looked like a paint finish rather than dipped, but as far as I can remember (....and I still check on the sections we repaired nowm some are maybe 20yrs since, as I pass on my travels.....) they all seem to have stood the test of time, at the side of roads that have been heavily gritted in winter. So, does it work......yes, is it the same finish as dipped galv, no.

I'd simply add it to my stock untill it found itself a job......no point splitting, reforging, coring or even cleaning untill you know what it is to be made in to!

Not to far from me there is a smallish village renown for it's beer and ale, Theakston's Bewery. Back in 1992 one of the sons, Paul Theakston decided he wanted to do his own thing so opened his own brewery, which he named Black Sheep Brewery, and his signature Black Sheep Ale is one of his most popular brews. I did hear his parents took offence at the time, and if that is true it is the only time I've known anyone take offence at the term "black sheep" but truth be known, they were a couple of Old Peculiars! p.s. If you ever visit Masham (pronounced mas-am) in North Yorkshire I thoroughly recommend any product from either brewery.

Welcome Beaudozer, Mount your forge on a trolley and roll it into the open doorway to use, plenty ventilation then, most vids Iv'e seen use the forge in an open doorway. Add a location to your profile, there may be others local to you who would be wiling to help you.

How did you get on with the gouge?

Any length of thread will work but some, being stronger, will work better than others. Just use the closest to the size you want that you can get and be prepaired to accept that it may not be quite as strong as you would have liked. If you can try and source square profile threads, which you may find on car screw jacks, or even old caravan stabalisers. They are often used on decent quality G clamps, especially the larger ones and are ideal for your project! Mtnsttream, I like that, added to the project list!

I have a 6x8' aluminium green house clad in steel (a few glass panels still remain to let in enough daylight) it houses a stove(fixed in the corner), brake rotor forge,(sits on the stove but can be moved anywhere) a bench,(fixed) box bellow (by far the largest item lies under the bench and takes up one side of the building, two block anvils on stumps. I've got a vice to fit to the bench, and a small hand grinder. I also have a chair.....and just enough room to store the basic tools I'm using at any given time, ample fuel (charcoal) and stock for the task in hand. I'm intending adding a few small shelves in the eves for sundries. This leave me enough room to walk in, which is may working area say two foot square. The entrance is accessed via the outside foundry which uses the same box bellows. I have, by choice, no electricity supply. If I need more room to forge larger/longer items......the garden is more than big enough for anything I could physically manage. I'm contemplating adding.......a small drop hammer, and stump mounted hardy hole. As you do when you have so much free space to play with.....!

From my teaching experience, if any learner will not comply with your instructions in a potentually hazardous environment then you cannot continue to take responsibility for their safety, which could very well endanger the rest of the class. What dissorders or otherwise there may be are irrelevent. So it's a grab your coat you are out of here/ Here in the UK if children do not comply to instructions in mainstream education they are moved to specialist environment where a higher tutor to pupil ratio is available, often 1 to 1. and the teaching staff are more highly trained in dealing with various behavioural dissorders etc. In extra curricular classes outside school hours ( this is the specific area I was involved in ) younsters are accompanied by a parent or other adult and the courses designed to educate both parent and child, with "correct" behaviour being reinforced.

Very nice work. Now, tell me about those calipers......