Mills

I don't have any suggestions, but way to go boy, keep on hitting it.

I personally am thinking "Borax in a Bucket", warm water, let soak til you remember to do something with them. Use a strong solution. Afterwards you may wish to run them through the machine. I recommend that you plan to do an empty load afterwards, Just in case.

Nice job there, Woock.
It is interesting to see it riveted in such a manner. I am not very familiar with artifacts, so is that following an older item or did you dream that up on your own?

Yessir that is a good looking saw. Good find!

Very Nice. It has some good lines and I really like your interpretation of the fleur-de-leis. The knocker is an really eye catching part as well.

Yeah, and that is the feeling of wisdom growing inside you. My first gasser was little better than a weed burner in nature. The forge was built by jwolfe and he explained how to put the burner together and it worked! It used 20 lbs of propane in 4 hours but didn't get hot enough to weld, but by golly I was in bidness!! If I had been on my own, it would have never happened, for I was intimidated by the propane. After having success tho and the confidence that it brought, I wanted more and better.

So pick the point that you CAN and WILL. A weed burner in a pile of bricks may be just the ticket. Only after you have motion can you change direction.

Short answer, yep it'l work.

Medium answer, you can do better for some more time investment. It'll have a big flame and will heat small stock but the dragon's breath may be huge necessitating extra long tongs for small work. And very inefficient.

Long answer, its been done for preheating large masses like an anvil before welding. If you have the equipment, then Larry Zoeller has the plans to build a sidearm burner that is very functional. He also sell components and full assemblies. Everything necessary to put together a nifty little or large honkin' forge. Google for sidearm burner and you should find him. Also on the ABANA site you can find the original build your own gasser by Ron Reil. His pages are full of good to great information on 'rollin yer own'.

Pick your poison. Be safe and have a ball.

:lol: I think we kinda hijacked 'ol Archies post, didn't we.

Yep Strine that was good reading. Afterwards my wife went out and found the movie, we watched it again. Funny, 20 years ago he seemed to be just a guy who had some hard luck, not a headstrong kid that needed some growing. I wonder when that changed? :?

I am Larry Mills a practicing eccentric from Norman Oklahoma. I am 46, with a wife of 25 yrs and 3 daughters. One grandchild anticipated for Sep. My oldest completed the White Rock Marathon in Dallas this last Dec. Middle child is a nurse assistant on her way to being an RN, I imagine. Youngest is still in High School, has 2 years left.
I have been at this since 99 when I had beaucoup free time on my hands and started surfing the net to see what I could learn about granpas' vocation. Been at it since, set aside wood working til I master this, probably get to it on the other side.
I'd like very much to be able to travel to other shops and see how things are done in other ways. A journeyman if you will. So far I have made it to one shop in Tulsa and that was a tremendous education. Mebbe get over to Bruce Wilcocks before it gets too late and help with the anchor or something.

How is Esme doing? Haven't heard anything of her in awhile, having a baby last I recall and that would have been several years back. We all owe her a debt of gratitude getting you online and all :)

Swe_karlArchie has it right for here in the United States, BUT you live in Sweden I believe. There are a few smiths in Sweden that could help you I think. One posted on Ian s world tour forum.

Hotel Rwanda

there are some other good ones that I have forgot about that made the list Valdez, Man from S River

Will have to look into the ones you have mentioned Strine tho it is unlikely I'll find them this far north ;)

Gallipoli- excellent and heartbreaking
Not particularly historical but a good representation of the USMC is Heartbreak Ridge
How about Chariots of Fire? There is amazing. As well as Cinderella Man.
We Were Soldiers
The Passion of the Christ
For fun I really enjoy Quigley Down Under
And then there is The Shootist for some more ideal values.
Mr Smith Goes to Washington and Harvey

The Cowboys- LOOOoooVE that Roscoe Lee Brown.

When I was roughnecking it would get to 0 C or less and even sitting in the dog house which is all steel container, it gets cold. But you don't get to sit in the lap of luxury for long, cause inevitably the drill bit needs changing or some malfunction occurs and it is spitting rain with 30 MPH winds. I preferred that over sitting in a saddle with numb legs though.

Geez I am too young to be talking about "back in the day"

Just to be on topic a little bit, Since using the gasser I put a rivet block /cutting plate in front of the dragon which is 1"x4"x4" I'll lay that on the anvil when time, got to remember that it is hot though. :oops:

Shucks Strine I don't pull a coat out until it gets to 0 C. :wink: When I do pull out a coat most folks start heading for that fire you refer to.

Bruce I would like to get my wife to agree to letting me get to work BEFORE she feeds me. Something about I get wrapped up in my work and forget it til lunch.

I made a jig from 3/4 pipe. Take about 6" or so split 3" and ope up for a shelf then square what is left and it will be about right for sliding the pointy end into. Adjust the depth it will go by tapering the pipe. My next one I will try to make a depth stop simply by punching down into the pipe where I want the spike to stop. The taper has a tendency to grab and hold. Another refinement I haven't tried yet is to weld a squared up pipe onto a piece of 1/4 or 3/8 stock which would give a bit better clarance for the head to hang over.
I will see about making another today and post it later, when I can get my friend to take a picture.

the Mayor is my mother-in-laws' cousins stepson from his third marriage to his second cousin on his fathers side of the family over in the brush country down Uvalde way. And we know how THEY do bidness. That is neither here nor there if I don't get this fire lit! Now where did Jacko put..

GOOD for you SWE_Karl! I am interested in how it turns out for you.

Thank you Glenn! Merry Christmas to all!

Work hardening? You'll get tough enough without asking for it, if you stay with this stuff. Years ago, as a mechanic I would put hubcaps on with punches that I learned in Tae Kwon Do. Tore up my wrists a bit, they healed mostly, but I am reminded of those days again as I get older and feel the pains again. If you were working with me, I would shut you down and find the cause, just as T-gold says.

For degreasing I recommend TSP that can be found at paint supply places. Works good and doesn't leave your metal as exposed to rusting due to the phosphates in it. Not sure if it leaves a film on metal though.

Jim, I mourn with you as well, We thoroughly enjoyed your visits with us. Jeanette was a wonderful woman. The kids send their condolences as well.

If I was doing that I would harden and draw the steel back to purple or so. Pry bars should be a medium carbon and benefit greatly from the stiffness when properly heat treated. If you are not set up to do that then I believe Swamp Fox has a better idea.

I imagine that what you are seeing is the use of what is available and easy to adapt rather a need for the heavier wall. Woody has it right, as well as your intuitiveness.