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I Forge Iron

Billy Salyers

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    www.yellowroseforge.com

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Rutherford County, NC
  • Interests
    Blacksmithing, Bladesmithing, Scuba, Taekwondo, Writing, Woodworking, Etc...

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  1. I couldn't agree more. I only used a single bead of caulk around the perimeter of the foot of my anvil and the ring is fully deadened.
  2. I was originally going for an explosion pattern, but in the next to last weld, rotated all the pieces 45 degrees in the wrong direction. Still, for a first attempt, I'm very pleased. The handle is bubinga with brass pins.
  3. I have, and I think that's probably the direction I will end up going. It preserves the original spindle and still accomplishes my overall goal. However, I'm no machinist and the precision needed for that is probably beyond my skill level. I'll likely have to pay someone to do it or tackle and extreme learning curve.
  4. Thanks for the feedback. Always looking to improve.
  5. Hardinge will make them, but at $481 per collet. For a full set, it'd be cheaper to buy a used bridgeport. Sadly, I've been all over and most forums and groups generally concede that the collets are nearly impossible to find. I was hoping to get lucky here. I do plan to buy a lathe at some point, but I also would like to use some tools that don't fit a collet but use an R8 taper. My local machine shop will do the work for about 2 hours worth of shop time $150-200 dollars. I'm going to hold off a bit before I go that route, just in case. Thanks for all the feedback so far guys, and for any to come.
  6. So, I managed to get this Duff vertical mill for $100. It's barely used and in great working condition. The only downside is that it uses D5 collets and I only have one of those in 1/2 inch size. I'm wondering if anybody here has a line on where I can get some of those at an affordable price. I'd also love it if anyone has a manual for it. I can give you the model number if you need it but almost any Duff manual would be great. Right now I'm thinking about making do with an ER 20 adapter and at some point having the spindle milled out to fit in R8 collet.
  7. I started with a cheap 2x36 but decided to make my own 2x72 grinder from scratch. It's not, mechanically speaking, a complex build, but it needs to be fairly precise to work well. That being said, it probably cut my finishing time by 60% compared to the grinder I was using. I wouldn't want to go without one, but we have to remember that smiths were doing fine work with little more than hammers and files long before fancy grinders came along. As with anything, find what works for you, and do the best with what you have until you feel like you can do better. Finding someone who has experience and wisdom is one of the best ways to learn as well, and a side benefit is that you can use their stuff while they teach you.
  8. Look way better than my first knives. Great work.
  9. Just finished a couple of Sgian Dubh...one formal, one casual...or something like that. Either way, these were a fun project. They're made of 240 layer ladder pattern Damascus, 1095 and 15n20...The ladder pattern is subtle, but this was my first attempt at it, and I'm happy with the result. This is my second antler handle knife ever. Also, the butt cap and the (I don't know what to call it but a front cap) are made from silver reclaimed from an old snuff lid (at my client's request). It presented some interesting challenges, but I'm happy with them and glad to share them with you guys. Hard to believe I started this only about 13 months ago banging steak knives out of rebar. I'm hooked.
  10. I've spent a good bit of time searching for an alternative to 15n20 as a high nickel steel for damascus. It seems that it is only available in thin flat stock. I want to play with some mosaic damascus and find a lot of videos of people stacking square bars, but the closest alternative I seem to be able to find is 4340 in 1/2 round. I apologize if this has already been asked. I have looked through the forums. What I'm hoping to find is a steel that I could buy in 1/2 square bar form that would serve to play the part of of the "bright" side of a pattern welded billet. Think checkerboard. What steels would you use and where would you get them. I know someone here must know what is available and where. Again, if this has already been asked, I apologize. Thanks for the help.
  11. Thanks Thomas Powers. That really looked like an A instead of a 1 to me...the first digit that is. Is there any significant difference if if it is an A? So, would there be a difference in 131761 and A31761?
  12. Just picked up a Hay Budden stamped A31761. Is there anyone with copy of Anvils in America that could look it up for me and tell me when it was born and any other interesting bits about it?
  13. Thanks for the idea Frosty. Hadn't considered adding a coin.
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