bubba682

Transferrin the coals is not a bad idea.I got a barrel for makin the charchol plus the woodstove what s left in the morn im only a hobbiest so i wouldn't need to much i'm thinkin about building a 10'' test forge.Well 10''long by 9'' high.

Bob i got a 33 and i agree i wish the dies were bigger but other than than i'm happy with the performance i've got mine a few yrs now.

I understand what your sayin George and thats why i was askin for opinions and thanks for yours ,cause i'm betwixed and between i may make a small one to test it out.

I've been searchen the archives about wood forges after seeing a vid on the Whitlock forge i'm starten to consider building one couple of ques ,is there a better design,does it get hot enough for damascus after lookin at the vids i think it would and whats fuel consumption ruffly. I got a a propane forge and coal but propane is getting expensive and getting good coal can be a challenge here.I burn hardwood in my house and i think a wood forge would take care of alot of the scraps of wood ,anyway opinions please on wood forges...

I usually only use a remote for xray work and thats a a dial remote, finger and pedals get on my nerves there just pains in the butt especially in tight places.

I made most of my punches out of used jackhammer bits and welded them to 1/2 '' plate they have held up over 3 years now with no issues.

When i built my forge Toasty i did alot of research and everything said to coat the fibre blanket i over did mine lol,then i put the refractory cement on then i baked it so far 3yrs now and no major problems.I will say i ve had some chiping problems on the outside edges and its nice to see the blue rigidizer is there doing its job of containing the wool fibres.As for a quick fix i put cheap 3000 deg chininy cement on the chips. When i redue the forge i'll fix that problem if your able you might want to replace that liner .

MY press is h frame and next time or this one i might do the same as you and seperate the unit to make a smaller set up than i have now but i did [put it on wheels for moving around and storage.One thing for sure if i do another one is go smaller on the frame steel i went with all 4''x4'' by 1/4'' next one will be 2''x2'' by 1/4 to save some money.

The press is fast that i made but as soon as it comes in contact it slows down and the dies i use to make damascus are 2''x4'' but my quote was meant about getting the dies and material together quick as to not lose to much heat.Some presses you see take to long to start squeesing and guys are working the material to cold.And also my ram speed was not a personnel choice its just how it worked out with 2 stage pump i put on .I aint no hydraulics guy but i know a few and if i recall my relief pressure is 2500 lbs sq in and the pump is 16 gpm but i will say i like the speed and precision its a great tool.

I use whatever is on sale and it has the Oil engineering stamp on the back of the pail.

Thomas i took your advice and watched some vids of Chinese smiths makin woks it was pretty interesting what is seen lol and the music was unbelievably bad.One smith sad over 20 thousand hand blows to make a wok but the did have specialized tools to make it easier a little anyway.The tools i noticed were custom bowl shaped swedge block and there anvils were rounded along with a handle former and none of there woks were flat bottom.All were made with heat nothing cold formed but i will say this they would probably give the last of the teeth they had for a press and a plasma cutter lol.

Speed is important in a press and so is warming the dies up to help prevent heat loss in the piece your working on.I'd rather a small 15/20 ton two stage press with 3 to 4 ''a second travel over a slow heavier press any day.Now if your running a pro shop with a big budget, the sky is the limit that might be differant but for me makin damascus billits and blacksmithing for a hobby is what i'm basing that comment on.

When i pressured up my system i pre filled the filter i didn't fill my reservoir to capacity i left it about a 1/4 from full then i turned it on worked the control then shut it down and checked for leaks which i had a couple once they were fixed we cleaned off the excess turn it on and repeated working the controls with no load until leaks were gone.Once it was cleaned we tested under a load and we checked for leaks it was good to go.I was told by the hydraulics guy to leave my tank 3/4 full when running it to allow for flow and heat expansion on the return side to the tank i ain't a hydraulics guy but i did from the start and have no flow problems.Make sure your hoses are covered from hot metal dropping on them and always check your connections periodically for leaks.I am not an expert and i suggest you talk to a hydraulics mec if you have doubts this is a chat site and my way worked for me i built my system off a schematic from a hydraulic shop .Not from advice on a chat site so good luck and i hope everything is hooked up right cause they are a great tool in a shop.

Two Dog Forge and Fabrication i call my little shop it took a few years to gear up but the hobby is opening some doors but its something i wouldn't want to depend on . I got into it to learn the old techniques of working metal and making damascus knives and axes i'm were i want to be and i enjoy this hobby and thats all it will ever be for me.When i get to old or sick to enjoy it i'm selling everything but my anvil it'll go to the grandkids if we have some untill then i'm forging,fly fishing and hunting early retirement is good for the soul....

In case anybody was wondering what happened to it in laymen electronic terms apparently a zenor diode or a as i say a thingy on the circuit board wore down over time and popped so it got some new heavier guts that should last till i'm dead.Anyway got it back it runs pretty good like a lincoln should.

I agree theres a reason the old ones last forever but for me this machine was recommended and i got alot of faith and experience with lincoln and if it don't hold up back to older gear.Hopefully no more problems after this..

Blew up my lincoln square wave 200 tig machine lol got to say i'm not a fan of inverter type machines but thats the way the welding industry is going.What i am a fan of is lincoln, 20 days over warranty and there goin to fix it.Why it blew is anybodys guess till its looked at by a tech but i read on the web there is some issues i am very intrested in what happened.I'm not lookin for opinions on why it blew i just want to let guys know this stuff happens and lincoln is great to deal with so far.And when they tell me what blew i'll pass it on.Now time to fire up the 40 yr old thunderbolt ac/dc non inverter type and that are bomb proof and finish the job.And if anyone is wondering why i retired the thunderbolt its because i wanted a machine that could tig aluminum and that square wave tigs beautiful till it blew lol...

If you don't have a warm box or rod oven for 7018 and say your garage is damp and you notice your 7018 is sticken or it takes more heat to get them burning good put them in your oven for 30 min on 400 they usually come right back to life and sounding like crispy bacon in the pan again.Nodebt i wasn't tryin to jump on ya cat...

6011 does not go in a rod oven

With a 1/8 rod ya wanna be a dime wide and a nickle high with your bead thats the slang we use also no porosity or slag intrusions you should turn off the hotstart with 6011 cause its a penetrator rod(rustrod etc)and on thin stock can cause blow thru other than that practice ,practice and practice.Once ya get pretty running beads and buttering them together nice in the flat do the same in the vert,horizontal then overhead.And learn heat controll if you get alot splatter next to your beads it means your to hot and it looks terrible to cold and you'll stick alot...

I'VE used it for over 20 yrs for cutting the thickest i cut was around 1 1/4 '' i've tried brazing but i didn't like the results and your right that most guys don't know about the tips.Alot of guys i work with are switching because the price of acetylene in Canada has gone nuts last couple of years.

I wish i had of seen this hammer before i bought my anyang i think its a bit of a game changer for the more serious back yard guys shop cause its cheap to build and run and thats the play of the game for alot of folks.I think he done a great job and if it holds up ok great if you got to do some maintenance once in awhile so be it they all require maintanace.I agree with you Greebe cool concept and glad he built it.

Nice hammer it hits great and real good control whats the over all cost do ya figure.

Great thread just gettin ready to make one i'm thinkin 2x4 with adapters to add length and defiantly on wheels i seen one made with flat bar on top with 1'' gap for clamps i like the gap idea but i also like tackin my work to a table anyway decisions decisions got to gather a little more material then time to cut and weld.

swedefiddle if your gettin alot of groaning and creaking in your press send it back and get your money back.I thought John Little only did traditional work when did he go modern with a preess..