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I Forge Iron

Ted Ewert

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Posts posted by Ted Ewert

  1. Like I said, there have been hair samples, scat samples, videos, photos, and even dead bodies. There is no lack of evidence. You just haven't heard about it. 

    But why then hasn't the government and the scientific community come out to verify these numerous findings? Well, they have. The government knows all about Bigfoot. So does the park service. Yet, they all remain silent and will deny any knowledge of these creatures.

    Anyone who hasn't done their own research will roll their eyes at that last statement. People who have done research will verify it. 

     

  2. George, if you do some independent research you'll find that there's plenty of evidence supporting the existence of Bigfoot. Start with the Patterson / Gimlin film and go from there. There are photos, videos, tons of footprint casts, hair samples, recordings of vocalizations, etc. 

    The thing to keep in mind is that these creatures are, for the most part, nocturnal, shy, elusive, and try their best to stay away from people. 

    Nevertheless, there have still been thousands of sightings and interactions with these things. Farmers, ranchers and rural property owners tell of living with families of Bigfoot for generations. 

    There's a huge body of information on these beings if you're curious enough to look.

    Listen to a few accounts on The Bigfoot Project on YouTube if you're interested. 

  3. I'm a veteran rabbit hole adventurer. I've got a whole library on paranormal phenomena. If it's weird or unusual, I've researched it.

    It started back when I was a teenager and watched a UFO fly over a buddy and me one night. It was a classic disc-shaped craft that went from a light yellow on the top to a deep orange on the bottom. We watched it fly from north to south for about 5 seconds then disappear into a fogbank.

    The ridicule and disbelief from my family and friends taught me a few things. The main lesson being that most people refuse to think outside of societal norms. Anything that doesn't fit into their comfortable worldview becomes an "extraordinary claim" requiring "extraordinary proof."  

    I don't think that way. I rate things on a scale of probability, not if it's true or untrue. 

    Take Bigfoot for example. I've never seen one but I've read credible books and listened to hundreds of eyewitness accounts of these creatures. They all describe the same large, hairy, bipedal creature. Many have physical evidence to back up their claims. They all describe similar behavior and other traits associated with this creature. These testimonies come from a wide range of individuals including police officers, firefighters, judges, geologists, soldiers, and many other reliable sources.

    The evidence is overwhelming to anyone who doesn't dismiss the whole phenomenon out of hand as a crazy, tinfoil-hat "conspiracy theory."  I would rate Bigfoot's existence as extremely probable.

    Having an open mind is not always synonymous with being a gullible idiot. If you wait for academia, the government, or the "experts" to tell you what to believe, your knowledge of the world will be extremely limited. Using your own intelligence, logic, and common sense to explore the fringes of our knowledge is far more fun and rewarding. 

  4. I recently acquired this vise from a friend who had it for many years. He said he bought it for scrap price when the company he was working for went out of business.

    It's a machinist vise with 4-1/2" jaws and weighs in at just over 100lbs. This particular vise was built sometime before 1957.

    It's in very good condition considering its age. I regreased it and cleaned it up a bit, but it didn't need much. 

    I really like the swivel lock on this vise. This vise replaced a Wilton I've had for 30 years. The Wilton never locked down well and would break loose and swivel under load.

    I don't feel at all shy about beating hot metal on it either. 

    20240302_084740.jpg

  5. 17 hours ago, Stonetar said:

    I know this post is getting old enough to where it's starting to consider retirement but I was curious if you might have some pictures of this thing running? 

    I took a couple of pics to show the flame path. The first one is on start up. The input ports are about in line with the crack in the shell. The blue is where the flame is igniting. 

    The second is the forge after its warmed up a bit. At that point you can't see the flame anymore. 

    One note, I removed the rear tube so there are now 4 tubes feeding the chamber. That's plenty for me. The rear of the chamber stays a little cooler which I prefer. 

    I've had to recast the chamber once since I first built it. Otherwise it's been a great forge. 

     

    20220720_173737.thumb.jpg.1d3ca5a501090c384f1d1fe2a57eee0d.jpg20220720_180709.thumb.jpg.ef0af203a3f68a178ab562732b879a0e.jpg

  6. This is a medium / light duty swage block which is anchored in the hardie hole so it doesn't dance around much. The concrete is merely a filler and stiffener and bears no real shock loading. I welded in some rebar internally to provide support for each swage.  

    I've used this block quite a bit and it accomplishes what it was meant to do. I've been keeping my eye out for some material to make a dish swage. 

  7. I saw this in an old video about Welsh clogging (dancing). It was being used by the clog maker to carve the wooden shoes.

    New to me anyway, so I thought I'd build one. I designed my own pivot stand which allows the blade to swing and tilt. It's made from an old leaf spring. I tried a standard edge grind but found a chisel grind works much better. 

    It carves wood quite well, from big chunks to small cuts. I've got no real use for it but it's fun to play with. 

    20211012_172850.thumb.jpg.e20a35a8552af28f32364258e94a410e.jpg

  8. Neil has a point. Smaller stock will work for tongs. The problem comes with over forging the different elements, which is common when you first start making tongs. 

    I have a number of sets which fall into this category. They're perfectly usable, but only for light work on the anvil.

    If you plan on getting a power hammer down the road, you'll be glad for some sturdier tongs.

    I have a couple of Ken's box jaw tongs. They're very sturdy and easy to make. A good choice if you're getting started or plain don't want to make some from scratch. They also make a good reference for building your own.

  9. 3/4" square stock is perfect for tongs, especially starting out making them. It provides that extra material to correct minor mistakes and still have enough left. 

    I rarely forge material bigger than 3/4" anyway, so most of my tongs are on the smaller side.  

    Never tried vice grips. 

  10. A good shape might be something like a charcoal briquette. A briquette shape is probably designed with many of the same considerations. 

    I don't know, there are so many different flavors of ceramics available it's hard to tell which one would work best. 

    Even with the right chips, an open top wastes a lot of heat. I would redesign the whole thing. 

    The more I think about it, the less merit I find with the whole concept. The complexity doesn't really buy anything extra. 

    Nevertheless, I think embedding ceramic balls in the floor of my forge would allow hot gasses to more easily pass under the work, heating it faster and more evenly. 

    As it is now, I try and suspend my piece about 1/4" above the deck. Since the gas flow is circular, and hugging the contour of the sides, it hits the work from the left. Little balls would allow me to lay the piece down and still get some flow underneath. No big deal, but more convenient. 

  11. The stuff I was looking at is hard ceramic material. Much harder than anything you'd stick in it. 

    Kast o lite is nowhere near hard enough IMHO, unless you're thinking of something else.

    I'm still not sure if it would be worth it to build one. I'll have to do some more research. 

  12. Thanks Mikey. I did do a quick search and saw those forges. I'd love to see how they're built. 

    I don't think it would be difficult to build one of those. Has anyone here built one? 

    The ceramic chips or balls might be difficult to find in small quantities.  You can find lots of that stuff online, but it's mostly sold in bulk with a 1 ton minimum. It all comes out of China. 

    The rest of it is just a container lined with refractive material, a burner, a grate and lots of chips. They probably use a peizo sparker to light it. 

    Might be a fun build.

  13. Houjous, I live out on the left coast, but I found a local steel supplier using Google. Read the reviews on Yelp if you can. It gives you a general idea of who and what you're dealing with. Some places aren't friendly to walk-ins. 

    The steel comes in 20' sections. Some places will charge you to cut it, others tell you you're on your own. If you own a pick-up with a rack you don't have to worry about it. I don't. 

    I found a decent supplier run by a Chinese family.  Very friendly and helpful. They even provide a chop saw out front to cut your steel down if needed. 

    Every place is different. 

  14. I was thinking about a coal forge and how the work is often buried in the coal to heat it up. It was the surrounding steel with hot material part that struck my interest.

    Here's a different concept. A coal forge with a ribbon burner in the bottom and covered over with alumina, (or some type of refractory ceramic) balls. Think of a decorative fire pit on steroids. 

    Refractory balls are often used in furnaces to retain heat. I was wondering if sticking a piece of steel into a pile of these heated balls would be an advantageous way to heat it up. 

    Wadda you guys think?

  15. 10 hours ago, Pat Masterson said:

    Ted - these are amazing. I’m always jealous of the finish for the pictures you post - it’s one of my biggest problems with my own work. I already asked what you use once before and you said you apply a satin clear coat. I got a rustoleum satin clear coat but it seemed to literally peel off once it was dried and looked terrible. I’m guessing I maybe didn’t clean the surface well enough before applying. Do you have a specific brand you use/# of coats/process? 

    Hi Pat

    I like the clear enamel better than the clear paint, but both work for me. The enamel dries faster and is a harder finish. I use whatever brand is at the hardware store.

    I spend a fair amount of time on the finish. I first get all the scale off with the big wire wheel, and then the nooks with a small wire wheel on the die grinder. 

    Next is the flapper wheel on my hand grinder, followed by a small flapper wheel on the die grinder. You can get a nice smooth finish with the little wheel. Both are 80 grit.

    Then I run it through the large wire wheel again to even up the texture.

    Once that's all done,  I clean it with a solvent before applying the clear coat.

    The clear coat will tend to darken the steel somewhat, depending on how well it's been cleaned. Any residual scale will turn dark.

    Hope that helps.

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