Woody

Once again I ask is there any scientific facts that you can hang your hat on other than "feelings and hearsay" Nothing I have been able to find anywhere advocates redundant normalizing, quenching or tempering. I think it is time we get the mytyology and alchemy out of bladesmithing.

do you have anything scientific other than your feelings to hang your hat on? What exactly are the metallurgical effects that are produced? Once again if 3 is good why is 6 not better and 12 better yet?

You might want to check Blueprint 170 Toxicology

An adequate ventilaton system is a definate plus, they also make powered air purifying respirators that have a blower and hose that supplies air to the face piece but still this only filters the air that is available. Get the Material Safety Data Sheets for the welding rods you are using and read them carefully if there is anything that you don't understand please feel free to contact me via the message service on this site leave your email address and I will get back to you.

what is with this normalize 3 times quench 3 times, anneal 3 times, temper 3 times. If 3 is good why is 6 not better and 12 best? Normalizing is a function of time AT temperature and then slow cooling not the number of times raised to temperature. According to JPH triple quenching has "some marginal effect on deep hardening steels like 52100 but otherwise is a good way to crack a blade." Tempering is once again a function of time at temperature not the number of times cycled thru the process.

Ask your local safety supply store or a place like Linweld they have reference material that will tell you what you need. Don't rely on the clerk at Lowes, or someplace like that to know what is needed. Remember that a respirator does not make air, it only a limited amount of contaminants out of what is there. Most air purifying respirators have a protection factor of 10, that is they will protect you from a maximum concentration of contaminant up to 10 times the premissible exposure limit (PEL). That means if the PEL is 10 ppm, the respirator would protect you in an atmosphere up to 100 ppm. When selecting a respirator, one size does not fit all. You have to be fitted for a respriator and go through a fit test procedure to ensure that the respirator seals to your face completely. Additionally you need to know what contaminants you will be dealing with in order to select the proper filter cartridge. It is not a go to the hardware store, buy one and put it on type of deal. There are different canisters for different contaminants. The little dust maks things they sell are great for protecting you from the dust of mowing your lawn, but as far as protecting you from any chemical contaminants, they are equally effective whether worn on the face or stuffed in your back pocket. Know the material you are welding on and also read the MSDS for the welding rod you are using.

Railroad Spikes are 1018 steel, the HC, Higher Carbon, Railroad Spikes are 1030 steel. Not sure about tie plates, there is a section on this site about railroad steels, do a search and I think you will find it there.

My prayers are with your dad and all those in harm's way. I pray for a time that men will be able to live in peace with one another Woody

"I heat to yellow flux and return to the forge wait for the heat then i try to tap the two together" You might try fluxing at a lower temperature, a blood red heat, before the temperature gets hot enough to form scale. Have the metal clean, heat to a red heat, flux return to the forge and slowly bring up to welding temperature. let the heat soak thru the metal. The object is to get the metal coated with flux to keep the surface from oxidizing. By fluxing at a yellow heat you may be applying the flux after the oxide has already formed.

Ami, there is a host of informationn out there about the hazards of various substances. These are links to a couple of chemical databases The Chemical Database Haz-Map: Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents There is also a vast aray of information available with a google search. Before you deal with any chemical get all the infomation you can on it. Get and read the MSDS. Remember that you can act in haste and repent at your leisure. Many chemicals have long term effect that don't manifest themselves for years. In the emergency response classes I used to teach I would always ask "how many repetitions does it take for an incredibly stupid act to become standard procedure?" The answer is Two. If it don't blow up and kill you the first time you will do it again. If you get away with it twice someone will write a procedure telling everybody how to do it.

my recommendation is Jeremy, in Phoenix, AZ he learns knifemaking from Rich Hale

I thought you all might like to see pictures of the little guy you helped to pray to health. Once again on behalf of Sasha thank you all for your prayers for Andrew. Sign In

There is an outfit in Wyoming that makes cast steel anvils, thing their name is Rat Hole Anvils. Jack Parks, a local blacksmith, bought one of their 275 lb ones a few years back and he liked it a lot.

Hot dip galvanizing = molten zinc = very toxic fumes. All of that has been covered in previous threads. To hot dip galvanize you need a tank of molten zinc that is big enough to dip the whole piece. The process does not lend itself well to small applications. For outdoor work I have the material sandblasted, then paint with a high quality zinc based primer. Then two coats of paint and clear coat over the top of that. I did that with 40 foot of railing on my patio deck 6 years ago and there is no rust yet.

you can probably glue the insulation back together with ITC100.

you can get almost the same results as super quench using iced salt brine. Just remember to move the steel around in the brine when quenching to cool it as rapidly as possible.

Also Richardson's Practical Blacksmithing Volumes 1 thru 4 are good reading, lots of information from old time smiths consolidated into 4 volumes

If you want leather, check these people out, they are where I got the leather for the bellows I made in BP 141. I also have the plans if you need them. Brettuns Village Leather These people are cheaper than Tandy and they have any type of leather you want.

I am delighted that things went well. I will keep you all in my prayers till she is completely recovered. Woody

Andrew came home yesterday, on behalf of his family and Tender Hearts I thank you all for your prayers. This is an update from his mom Home update Posted 15 minutes ago WOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!! Andrew came HOME yesterday. It feels so good to have him home. He is doing much better than he was 5 weeks ago. He is a little quiet, but i guess i need to take advantage of it while it lasts, LOL. He is wonderful and I am so blessed to be his mommy. Thank you all for all for all of your support and thoughts and prayers. Sasha GOD IS GOOD!!! pass it on!

Alan, my prayers are with you, God Bless and Keep you. Woody

If you want a dark finish, use gun blue, or if it is plain carbon steel a quick trip thru a ferric chloride solution will darken it up.

I continue to hear the myth that A-36 is a re-melt hodge podge of scrap with no consistency. For some reason people would rather repeat this myth than to do a bit of checking. If you do a google search you will find that a-36 is actually ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standard A-36 which quite specifically states the acceptable chemical analysis for this steel. See this link for chemical analysis. ASTM-A 36 Specifications This is the most widely used structural steel around and to think that todays batch is whatever the steel maker wanted to throw in the furnace and remelt day is absurd. It is easy to blame our tools or the material we use for our failures, but if we want to see the root of the problem usually all we have to do is look in the mirror.

you had best check the archives of the Phoenix paper, AWalker, the apartment complex was in Tempe. I know the guy who handled the cleanup, he runs an environmental service in Phoenix, he is a retired AZHP Sgt his name is Brad Butler. Oh, and incidently I happened to live in Phoenix at the time. The incident is well documented. But then in your case ignorance is bliss, do as you like. I only spent 30 years in Safety, Hazardous Material Cleanup, and teaching Hazmat emergency response so I obviously know nothing about the subject. Oh and my signature line is there for a reason.

use the electrolysis rust removal that is here on this site in the blueprints. Then when the rust is gone, use Blaster on it.