Scott NC

" in case I run out of rabbit holes to follow." That reminds me of when Hillsideshortleg said - "I spend too much time in the junkyard"....

The last part is the best....

A lot of good music. I sometimes suffer migranes and relaxing with this on low does wonders. Not everybodies cup of tea.

https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17048/nasmyths-steam-hammer/

Those that could only afford such quality were probably happy. I found the wording rather amusing. Here's another one. After this I will quite bombarding this thread. The creation of it (this thread) has opened my eyes to a lot of things. Some great discoveries for me, some trivial. It's all about learning in my book. Some great rabbit holes. An 1871 oil painting of a steam hammer invented by the Scotsman James Nasmyth (1808-1890) in 1839 during the Industrial Revolution. The steam-powered machine lowered a weight onto an anvil using gears which allowed for both precision and speed. The steam hammer allowed very large metal pieces to be forged and uniformly shaped, essential for large engineering projects like the construction of weapons, bridges, trains, and ships. Painted by the inventor himself.

I think he got carried away with the cross slide on this one... He also made his own end mills, router bits and other stuff. I have a lot of his homemade experimental things.

I wonder why.

Those are all great items. Thanks for sharing. I will take a photo of the ol boot jack today, later. The crankshaft is still in a box somewhere. There is a also a tiny camshaft to go with it. I don't know what he was making. I have a bunch of rejects from when he was trying to turn his own drill bit's.

Thanks for the input. Das, thanks for the tip about different alloys. I suppose I have noticed that but never considered the cause. All my past stuff, for the most part, I just let rust. Worth keeping in mind. George, I will find a small bottle and do some experimenting. I guess I should have said "stain" instead of "patina". It's just something I have been thinking about for a long time but never got around to trying. New territory to me. I'm also considering gilders paste. I found a cool thread and may try it as well: https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/880-gilders-paste/ They even make turquise color. It might be interesting to work it into the cracks and crevises on some other project, and buff to reveal steel highlights. I don't know if I'm envisioning how it would look correctly or not, but a fun experiment, maybe. I want to try realism for a change, something that people can relate to as well, so mayby fossils aren't the best way to go. I can see it now... "Look dear, a flying turtle skeleton". I think the fossil aspect would be lost or hard to achieve. Maybe a fossil embedded in matrix would work, but too involved. I refuse to make a T-Rex or the like. I thought fossils would be a nice niche but it's going to be warm here and I may go ruminate on it in the shop for a while. This is why I like other's perspectives. It makes me think. Thank you. Btw, I will take your idea and make a small one for myself, just because. But I am ready for something substantial.

Thanks Larry. I think I have done enough "faces"...... I am going to start doing fossils now starting with a turtle, I want to find a brown patina to use on them though. This ones from wikipedia, named "Archelon". I am going to work more forging into them as well.

I'm not sure. It came out of my "public domain" folder though. I usually describe them so I can credit where I got them but not this one. Maybe a teaching tool.....

My imagination outruns my ability and scrap pile. Thank you.

Thank you. Dig around come thaw.

He lost his footing and the piton failed.

I learned a new technique. Thank you. This should also be in the "Tips-N-Tricks" section. Mod note: Moved. Thanks for the tip.

Have you a tool, book, fossil, antique widget machine, chunk of metal that's special to you? Have you something Grandpa left you that has a story to tell? Old Photo that's special to you? Flea market find that's one of a kind.... What resides in your curio cabinet or under all the junk in your shop? I collect weird tools, historical photo's and the list goes on. My favorite is a Bulldog Boot Jack in the form of a pistol. A family heirloom of sorts. What's hiding in your closet, shop, show cabinet or under the bed? My Grandpa was both blacksmith and machinist and I came to own his tools. Amongst the lot was a toothpick sized crankshaft he cut that I treasure! Everybody must have a collection of "things"!

I would suggest creating one then, as George has been kind enough to share many of them. I have commented on ones I feel interesting. They should have a home, as opposed to helter skelter.

I would imagine creating a new sub-forum would increase bandwith or whatever it's called these days, and cost more. Scott - "Not An Authority On Anything"

It's a shame how much talent goes un-noticed. I have a collection of railcar graffiti photos from back when I repaired them. You start recognizing the artist. To this day, I keep my eye peeled. I'm a railfan. Theres a lot of brick wall murals done here and I'm starting on documenting them.

Stuff shirts work on the shop floors too. They detest fun. Maybe for a reason, IDK.

My thought was it looks kind of dangerous, even before it fell into ruin.

That's a nice lathe for the price and what came with it. Some people collect and rebuild small ones, I used to. It's worth more than that. I walk by this thing at my favorite junk shop quite often. He want's $10 for it but I can't see it. Not much money but still. The motor is burned out. Sitting outside in the elements. Split phase is junk anyhow. It has some interesting design aspects. A testament to do it yourself on a budget.

I fear that is a dead musical note on that fork. Google "Note Eater" and all will be revealed. I read it originally came from a graffiti on a wall. I have drawn inspiration from muralists and graffiti artistry before. I don't condone or copy graffiti, but can't help appreciating some of it. BillBones, I love their music.... "How could you even think of such a thing?" I love practical jokers and the crew at the old bean plant were pro's..... Going into work was like a cross between Benny Hill and Monty Python. Good times. I think it preserved our sanity.... The Stuffed Shirts didn't like it so much.

Yes, I borrowed it to get some lumber and didn't get very far. I assume insurance cover it. I've been looking and they sell bolt on security kits so either way I'll add one for him for his inconvenience.