Smoggy

Luke this is essentually the same as the bench drills that certain highstreet supermarets sell, (the bench drill in the photo will have exactly the same drill head) it's not a serious industrial tool, it's a hobby machine and as such will have limited features. This isn't really a problem for a home setup as your not looking for high output and accuracy. If used correctly it should manage most of what you want to do as a hobbyist at a reasonable second hand price. The biggest drawback with these machines is the slowest speed is too high, but it's not too difficult to convert them to a slower spindle speed, plenty of info on the web on the subject. You're other option is to hope an industrial grade machine comes onto the market but that may well be dearer or so worn out it performs no better than a hobby model. If this is in good condition at the right price (and I'd suggest not much more than half the price of a new one), then it'll be sufice for your needs.

Chrome plating is a hazard, alloys containing chrome not so much, hence the confusion you may have found in your searches. A web search will find UK suppliers of uncoated plain bolts, or just contact Iron Dwarf and get some stock from him. I have a growing collection of bolts from all sorts of defunct machinery, my biggest supplyer is scrap cars!

There is at least one smith in europe I've heared of copper brazing higher carbon inserts into mild steel bodied blades, what subsiquent heat treatment is carried out I have no idea, maybe someone will have more information. I never managed to find any more information on the technique or who it was but this does however suggest it's a viable option.

The thread may well have been turned to that profile given the date of manufacture, rather than just wear. As stated even if perfectly joined the likelyhood of some level of deformity will result in binding, which may or may not be acceptable. You can only try and if it don't work out it's find or make a replacement.

This may well be the case in some instances but not all, All my prop shafts are both hollow and arc welded (speculation on which type of arc welding) and include a sliding joint.

All sound advice above, I've got coil spring compressors more than capable of dealing with the Land Rover spring I needed to change, they are not infallable! I can't help but cringe when using them and I can at least take most of the weight off the spring by lifting the chassis above the axle, not possible with a unmounted shock strut. Either get shop to strip them or find a source of strut free springs.

I've just found a PDF user manual with dra ing and parts list, I think will supply the sizes you need to know. I'll pm you a link.

Assuming this is a used jack hammer tool, and we have at least some evidence of that, you may not have done anything much wrong as it could heave easily been hiding a stress fractuer from a former life. I've brocken my fair share of them in use in a jack hammer and I'm sure there are plenty on here have been employed resharpening/shaping them over the years. Not withstanding, the good advice above is still relevent.

Can you give details of the fan you'e made Alex, there may be away to improve it, also your supply to the tuyere as Glenn refers to may be restricting flow if you're now working at a lower pressure. Is it aside or bottom draft forge and what fuel are you using? Pictures are always useful if you can supply some.

You can build frame panels and panel in steel or ply etc and bolt them together at the corners and bolt the roof on to the top of the wall sections, then when its time to move, unbolt, flat pack and reasemble at the new place To make it easier to move, the panels don't have to be one piece, they can be made up in sections. Most low cost prefabed garden sheds are supplied like this in the UK but are generally nailed or screwed together on site.

TP. good point (pun intended) as regards the acute taper, it's also a good step in aiding the prevention of a fishmouth forming, a problem so many seem to have especially with larger stock. Cutting the stock at an angle is another good tip (oh! another pun) Jenifer, that lighter video, same for me with a lighter hammer except I'd not last as long as you do!

Welcome to IFI Josh, I don't think we have many members situated at your current local but there may be a few not to far from your stateside base. I know folks can get a bit frustrated not having a certain tooling and being on posting must be a real stopper on getting a hobby like smithing up an running, stay safe mate.

Ah yes that sprue. or should that be gate? A heafty ingot. What do you do with that Andrew, does it just feed the next pour or do you set it aside for machine fodder? As a machinist I can see it becoming parts for other projects, guards, pommels, etc. Don't be too long getting back to us with that fished handle.

A most informative video, thank you Jenifer. I've recently been trying to explain to others why I need to use a larger than would normally be advised hammer, in my case it's how the Fibromyalgia effects me. Using a smaller hammer to carry out heavier work causes me pain and discomfort, however I do tend to go down the sizes as I progress through the process and don't need to be so hard hitting and a little more finese is desired. There are always exceptions to rules.

When I built mine, the door on that unsprung itself a little. I simply attached the hinges and latch and it has enough spring in it to put that little bit of tension on the latch to hold it firmly shut and no annoying rattling. If it's not a lot out of original you may not want or need to reform it.

As Stan exclaimed, "you can take a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead"

Thanks for the additional information psrticularly the Flask and Green Sand details. We need to see more of your work if only by way of a change from the forge work. Looking forward to seeing the completed sword.

You can't just post a few pics of a mold and a lump of bronze! As much as we like pictures we need detials! What was the mold made from? is that a solid fuel furnace? How are you intending finishing the blade, just a grind or will you be hammering the edge to work harden it? And last but not least......Will it kill!

The English language is based on the misspelled words of languages from the world over, Latin, Greek, Scandinavian, Indian, French, Germanic etc etc etc, we've spent many centuries perfecting our misspelling........is it any wonder we get all grumpy about the Americans messing with it!

I know this type as a 'sheeting hitch', well not exactly the same knot, a variant that does the same task. I've used it in place of a block and takle to move a ton and a half of stone slabs to rebuild a ancient footbridge in a remote area of the North Yorks Moors only accessible by a long climb down a steep bank......Jobs like those demant a limit of gear to be hauled and carry most of it inside your head where it's no weight at all!

I think you'll find it is an incline plane, the front end being ever so slightly higher that the back, otherwise it wouldn't work as a sledge.

I'll leave the anvil identification to those with such knowledge, however I strongly suspect the other piece of steel is a weight. A 56 lb scale weight and likely cast steel or cast iron, used on scales at docks, warehouses, railway platforms, scrap merchants even the post office. They typicaly have the hole in the bottom to accept a lead plug to attain accuracy and are cast underweight to be topped up with shot to a master weight and the shot then metled in situ. You'll have seen similar with the old domestic kitchen scales. The mark twixt the 5 and 6 will be where the eye was attached that the lifting ring was mounted in. I use two similar wieghts (ballast not scale) as block anvils.

I know these as a Dutch Hoe, a web image search offers may design options on the basic tool, plenty of ''features' to ponder over.

Intersting lathe and an interesting drive conversion! I can't help but wonder if the ww2 bommer that turret drive gear came from was powered by......a Pratt and Whitney!