Woody

Fumes from Chrome are toxic as are the fumes from other metals. I would recommend a High particulate filter on the respirator. Ask at the safety supply store on the particular type of filter. Remember that chrome is usually not applied directly to steel, there is another metal first plated onto the steel, tinned, and then the chrome is plated onto the other metal. The other metal may contain zinc or lead. Be careful Woody

if you will email me, I will send you about 20 pages on the properties of various junkyard steels and their suitability for blade making. Woody

Nice work, beautifully done Woody

Dawn and Family: Words alone cannot ease your pain or erase your sorow, but please know that your pain and sorrow are shared by many here. My prayers are with you and your family, may God grant you peace. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and may perpetual light shine upon him, may he rest in peace Amen Woody

I have the Grizzly 2 X 72 knifemaker, it works well for me and the price is reasonable. Woody

Here is a link to a site that has data on all sorts of chemical hazards. The second one takes you directly to zinc oxide which is what you get when you heat zinc above it's boiling point like in welding or forging. You can then click on metal fume fever in the body of the test to get additonal info. This site "should" be bookmarked in every blacksmith's list of favorite sites and it "should" be consulted before using any chemical. Drinking milk to avoid the effects of metal fume fever is an old wives tale and is totally ineffective, sitting on a popsicle would give you an equal amount of portection. Further, I would direct their attention to my Blueprint on Respiratory Protection which is published on this site. As bad as Zinc is, there are other materials out there that are worse. Cadmium which can be found in Nickel/Cadmium (NiCad) welding rod and also as a coating on some brands of Grade 8 bolts and nuts. Hydrogen Fluoride is another. Hydrogen Fluoride is the gas given off by heating Fluorite which is found in some welding and braising fluxes. What follows is a direct quote from 29 CFR 1910.146 (OSHA Permit Required Confined Space Regulatons) "Immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) means any condition that poses an immediate or delayed threat to life or that would cause irreversible adverse health effects or that would interfere with an individual's ability to escape unaided from a permit space. Note: Some materials

Jim: You porbably don't want to suck hot metal grindings into wood dust, as Thomas pointed out there is a fire hazard as well as an explosion hazard. Remember what grain dust does in a grain elevator when circumstances are right. Perhaps one vacuum system with two seperate collection tanks and a diverter valve so you could switch from metal grindings to wood dust. Also probably a good idea to wear a filter mask respirator when doing any grinding or sanding. Any particle 5 microns or smaller will penetrate into the lungs all the way to the Aveoli and lodge there. This creates scar tissue and loss of lung functon. Asbestosis, Silicosis, Black Lung Disease are all caused by a sub 5 micron particle. Different materials, different diseases, results are all the same. Woody

I begin my designs by making random sketches on a pad of paper. Once I have a design that I am pleased with, I draw it to scale on graph paper. That allows me to see if everything fits together in the proper manner. The graph paper also makes it easier to draw patterns out and the scale drawing allows you to accurately estimate the amount of material needed. When I am ready to start construction, I make a full sized drawing on a piece of card board, or a sheet of wrapping paper taped to the garage floor for larger projects. For one of a kind objects, I use a full sized drawing in chalk on the garage floor. Woody

IForgeIron Blueprints Copyright 2002 - 2007 IFORGEIRON, All rights reserved. BP0240 Daffodil by Richard A. (Woody) Hanson Begin by taking a piece of ¾ inch thin wall tubing (not galvanized) block the end of the tube that you will hold with a piece of steel wool or a wet rag to prevent the heat from piping down the tube. Using the Smithing Magician or guillotine tool, start approximately 1 inch from the end and fuller the tube down till it is nearly closed. Move about an inch down the tube and repeat. These pieces will form the center section of the Daffodil, make as many as you need. After the first fuller at the end of the tube, each successive fuller will yield two center sections. The completed sections. It is always better to make them a little long. They can be cut to size later, but if they are too short, they are too short. Cut the center sections from the tube Shows the center section being fluted over the horn of the anvil with a straight peen, or in this case one of my double diagonal peens. The center section was held with a pair of bolt tongs, which are not shown in the picture because I didn't have 3 hands and also for the sake of clarity. Shows the completed center section after fluting.. 3 pieces of ½ X 1/8 inch flat bar that will become the petals of the daffodil. Working at the far edge of the anvil, point the piece off tapering it completely to one side. Once the piece has been pointed, reverse the piece and strike from the other side to center the point. The piece with the point centered on one end. Reverse the pieces and point the other ends. Once the pieces have been pointed on both ends, use the straight peen to draw them out wider. Leave the hammer marks from the straight peen, this will add additional texture to the petals. All three pieces drawn out and ready for assembly My flower forming die made from a piece of 1 inch pipe. Heat the pieces to a bright red and punch into the flower swage with a round nosed punch. A 12 inch piece of ¼ round bar that has been pointed on one end. Leave the pointed end square; do not take back to round. The square peg, so to speak will jam tightly into the round holes drilled in the flower petals locking them securely in place. Drill the center of the petals and the center piece using a bit that is a bit undersized from the size of the stem. Using the Monkey Tool or hollow punch or piece of ½ inch pipe, punch the petals down on the stem. Space the 3 sets of petals evenly, place the center section over the end of the stem and also drive it down. Using a flat punch, pound down the end of the stem which rivets the whole flower together. 2 pieces of 1 X 1/8 flat bar 6 inches long that will become the leaves. I would have used longer sections of ¾ X 1/8 flat bar but I was too lazy to go to Pacific Iron and get some and I had the 1 inch stock on hand. Ride in the pickup or pound your arm off. Don't sound as good now as it did then. Draw the leaf out to a point on one end and taper the other end down to about half inch wide. Using the cross peen or in this case another one of my double diagonal peens. Draw the leaf out to whatever length suits you. I try for about 2 or 3 inches shorter than the stem. Shows the Guillotine tool set up to flute the leaf with a fuller in the top and a 3/8 inch half round tool in the bottom. Use the Guillotine tool to flute the entire length of the leaf. The leaf after fluting Curve and form the leaf over the horn of the anvil. The completed leaf. Weld the leaves to the stem. Dress the weld and paint. The completed Daffodil. View full article

Leah: My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. It is nice that you have such fond memories. May God bless and keep all of you. Woody

Pam: Glad to hear you are doing well, prayers on the way for a full and speedy recovery Woody

Tyler: Excellent work. you did a nice job. Woody

Prayers for a complete and speedy recovery on the way Woody

Leah: it is obvious that one of AZ JOE's Stick Lizzards got loose. Don't worry the only venomous lizzard in the US lives far away from you. They do keep the bug population down and they are harmless. Woody

I lay out my scrolls much the same way, except I draw them on the garage floor with chalk. I use a seamstress tape, cloth tape measure, to measure the scroll. the tape is inches on one side and metric on the other so it eliminates one step in the process. Woody

It would probably be easier to shim up the corners with some thin stock to keep the plate from wobbling than it would be to try to straighten it. Ball bearings will work but be careful they can shatter when you weld them if they have not been annealed. I would stick with mild steel shims and save the bearings for knives. Woody

Julian: Two pictures of the same knife. Yes there is file work on the guard. I still haven't mastered the technique of getting a mirror finish to look like a mirror finish in the picture. Handle is Desert Ironwood, thanks to Rich Hale, and Elk Horn, thanks to my brother Frank. Woody

Dragonboy: The only reason for not using plywood would be for authenticity reasons. In the "good old days" they didn't have plywood. Other than that, if I had to make another set, plywood would be a definate consideration Woody

I made one knife out of chainsaw chain. I cut the chain into pieces about 8 inches long, then sandwiched several of them between a couple pieces of spring steel that I had drawn out to about 1/8 inch thick. I wired the whole mess together, then forged welded it together. The spring steel will help to fill the voids in the chain in the welding process. Another alternative is to make a small steel box out of bandsaw blades, cut the chainsaw chain into pieces that will fit in the box and then fill the voids with powdered steel like 1084. Weld on a lid and forge weld the whole thing together. Woody

Andy I will pray for your complete recovery. Woody

Ralph: I am glad things went well, I will continue to pray for Dawn, you and your family. Woody

Ralph, you and Dawn are still in my prayers, I pray that you both make a complete recovery. Woody

Luke: Your grandpa is on my list. May God bless you and all of your family Woody

Chuck: I will keep you in my prayers, I hope you have a complete and speedy recovery Woody

Ralph: I am so sorry to hear the bad news. Be assured that I will continue to pray for both you and Dawn. Woody