Mills

I commend you for that. I am that way but got overwhelmed with 'stuff' when I got my garage. Now I have 'no, thank you' policy for ANYTHING that wants to come home with me. I'll be dug out in another couple of years. Be vigilant my friend, you can do it!

I have been building a railing for my parents place and it was coming along quite well til my mig hiccuped, a LOT. It is a '78 Miller with leads you switch between jacks like some old Forney stick welders I've seen.

Can't seem to get the wire to feed. This was given to me with a spool of wire in it. It sat for quite a while before I got it and the wire was very dusty on the outside of it. It was almost full, though. I have used up the spool tonight. It has put down the entire roll till now without a hitch. I had replaced the liner when I got it and the tip seemed to be fairly new so I left it on. I have had this thing cranked up laying down a lot of bead for a couple of hours at a time the last 3 days. When I started having trouble I started diggin in deeper and deeper. Found a lot of gunk in the tip and in the part the tip screws into. A lot of build up in the end of the liner, as well. Decided to switch out the liner with the old one that I kept just in case but I bent it while hurrying as fast as I could. I now have the newest liner soaking in kerosene. Was told that was a good way to clean them.

Any advice from those in the know?

Absolutely, this is the place. I like to hear family history and how it impacts current generations.

The Zn chromate I have seen was splotchy and grayish yellow, Cd plating is used most often in the oilfield and is a darker blackish yellow.

Not to fan the flames, BUT, the parts about water especially fuzzy memory , fatigue and joint pains are on the money. Been around that block a couple of times. Once I was so dehydated that I became completely soused on two cans of beer. My 1SG and Sr Drill found me asleep/passed out with trremendous muscle cramps and disoriented. Near Death? naw but in pitiful shape. Left alone, I would have been days recovering and not realized why I couldn't hold my likker. Been making a point of drinking water ever since.

As well, I sometime have to go to restaurants and take pH samples after they get busted by the City for being out of Environmental Compliance. Most restaurants pH will be acidic. The reason is tomatoes and fruits. They are acidic and most all else is neutral. Dump enough tomato sauce down the drain and you get busted for too low pH. Cola's will get you busted as well but they are not as acidic as tomatoes.

Food for thought?

I got rid of all powered wire wheels about 8 months ago. Flat wheel on small flat sheet and badly needed surgery was put off another 2 months whilst my belly healed. Wickers in the jeans, which get washed then transferred to the socks where I recover them in the wee morning hours as part of preparation for the day. I now use more chemicals, which has a different set of risks that I find more acceptable.

Sorry to hear that Bruce, may you recover well.

take a look here and see if that helps you any. Seems as if you are describing a cee 7/17 plug, if so it is likely then to be a 50 hz machine and would cook at 60hz
Domestic AC power plugs and sockets - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I can envision a device that you put over the forge. Fill with wood and route the smoke into the fire below it. I you have a sidedraft hood a chimney with a good draw then you should be able to vent the smoke outside. So whil;e you are forging in the open fire you could be making charcoal in the box above the fire. I would imagine that that would be a lot of work.

Another thought, Build a drum sized stove that can be loaded with wood and charcoal is removed easily. In whatever fashion you choose. The top of this device can then have your firepot in it. use propane or natural gas as the primary heat for the charcoal, supplemented by the waste smoke from the charcoal production. I could then act as a stove in the winter either by heating with gas or burning wood in the retort, or be the forge. It may get a little toasty if you try to make charcoal and forge.

Bruce does something like that every year. 4 or 5 'lads' make an anchor or anvil strictly by hand.

:) Somewhere between Kinta and Wilburton, OK somebody found a really nice hat complete with a store bought hat press to keep it in good condition. That was the day that I reconsidered my 'if it blows out I don't need it anyway' view of moving. Learnt me a buncha stuff that first year of college. <:p

Got it, simple and succinct. 2 of the hats are in the original boxes but I did not think of mothballs or cedar chips nor taping them closed. A friend made the toilet seat you described gerald and that is where the third one is. All the eagles are still shiny (enough) and the straps need to be repolished. Will do.

Thanks guys, I have never had a hat long enough to worry about storage and never paid more than 75. That was 30 years ago though when I had more money.

Ron Reil showed an idle circut for his forge. Should be on the Abana Site. he T'd off the main line through a needle valve and then T'd back into the main line. He had a ball valve that this circut went around. He would throw open the ball valve when he wanted to forge. when the ball valve was closed a small amount of gas went around through the needle valve and kept a small flame lit.

I have found that if I shut off the propane and then get back to it while there is still red inside, the forge will generally relight. I also decided that I should just keep feeding stock into the forge so that something else is heating whilst I'm beating.

Whilst we are on the subject of Hats, What are some good long term storage tips? I have three round browns that I have noticed some tracks in. I would like to pass them on to my daughters as they have children, to remind them of their roots and to not get sucked into 'stupid'.

klickitat how about getting it as hard as it can be then drawing it to where you want it? You'll have to decide if oil, water or air is the best quenchant. I'd start with oil.

What is "burnt" motor oil?

What brand or model? Are you able to strike an arc with it where it is at? that tells a lot right there. If it is a lincoln AC225 (aka tombstone) or equivalent they last seemingly forever, if it has DC capability (and it works) I would snatch it up quickly. If you are refering to a wire feed machine (aka suitcase) it would depend more on the brand and the amp ratings. Some of those little ones will only cost 150 new, I'd pass in that case.

Details are needed if you can get them.

Outstanding, Chris! Congratulations!

TSP: TriSodium Phosphate Can be found at most any paint store. Used for cleaning walls in preparation for painting. Takes greasing stuff right off. Can take paint off as well but is pretty slow. Can be used as a neutralizer after soaking iron in muriatic to remove scale. Builds a very small phosphatized layer on the steel. Kinda like on the M-16, et al. good stuff.

"but just one drop of Nitric acid on your arm and you ARE going to the emergency room"

I use Lab grade Hydrochloric, Nitric and Sulfuric acids as well as hi-grade Sodium Hydroxide. They are in my truck and are used to preserve samples that I take day in and day out.
Nitric turns your skin yellow. It will leave a surface scar if a sudden gust of wind should say, blow over the container the acid is in, onto your forearm, and you don't bother rinsing it off. Get some water and rinse.

Now Sulfuric, well that will go through your jeans as fast as that goop from the 'Alien' movie went throught the decks of the spaceship. and light up everything it touches. Does not do a very good job of taking off scale either. Doesn't bother paint too much though.

HCL is my favorite for rapid scale removal. I use it the most on the job and in smithing. I like it the least overall though. First problem is the release of chlorine, man, that is rough! Ventilation for this stuff should involve moving air and not just a big room or outside. Second, it chews on you as bad as sulfuric does. Definitely should use some glove here. Now muriatic is a watered down (dilute solution) of I believe anywhere from 10-20 percent HCL . potent stuff and straight from the jug at about 20% is very quick scale removal.
Eye protection is a biggy and remembering to not wipe your face or eyes till you have washed your hands is important as well. your lungs are the most at risk with any of these chemicals, but HCL is the worst IMO.

Ammonia, this is highly reactive with every thing! I am not allowed to bring it into the shop for nothing! I stripped our halway one time prepping for fresh wax and the lab manager was very agitated. seems that they had to go back and rerun a dozen or so samples that didn't play well with ammonia. I would like to know what exactly it will help you with in terms of these other chemicals. I don't get to mess with it much.

Mac Thomas the Dean already made the introduction but I'm just down the street in Norman. there is quite an active group around Central Oklahoma. Be happy to join in with you on whatever yu may need

Will do Rick.

If the soil doesn't burn, it'll do fine. As for rain, well throw a tarp over it. and as you use coal, the ash and clinker will mix into the soil and it ain't gonna wash away. Up here in OK, it is used to fix roads.

Dilligaf not trying to dissuade you from you course of action but consider this. If you were to build a campfire in your back yard would the burning dirt be a fire hazard? In other words don't over think this process as I did and not light a fire for another year after I set out to learn. granpa built his forge out of 2x scrap and heaped dirt, sand, what have you in to it. 3 or 4 inches deep should suffice. You have what I think is the most difficult part, a good air source! Like on the television commercials " Don't Wait! ACT NOW!"

I have been forging in my garage 6 or more years, with coal and gas. Now I have a power hammer. So far so good. Have had the fire dept come by in full gear to look it over once and since then they respond by seeing if I am forging before putting on the whistles and bells.