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I Forge Iron

Ted Ewert

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Everything posted by Ted Ewert

  1. Cleaning toilets was effective for milder violations. If it wasn't done right they got to do it again plus another one.
  2. Not at all. I would frequently kick one or all of the boys out of the car and tell them to run home. Nothing wrong with a little exercise to burn off excess energy.
  3. Thanks, be my guest. TW, if I'm making something that needs material divided, if possible, I pound it flat first, then cut it. Much easier to get the material accurately divided and cut.
  4. Thanks, I dug the flag out but the pole is missing. Is solid round stock ridiculous for a flag pole? I've got some electrical conduit that might work.
  5. People may scoff at this notion, but I look at physical skills, like hammering, as literally training your body. This goes further than muscle-mind coordination. Training your arm to swing a hammer is sort of like driving. When you first start learning it's all brain. After the skills are ingrained, the brain just makes navigational decisions. At the anvil it's the same. The brain is deciding what it wants, and the arm is making it happen. It's my belief that the body has a rudimentary intelligence of its own. How else could a chicken run around with its head cut off? I heard somewhere that brain tissue can be found throughout the body. That makes sense to me. The body would be a far more efficient machine if the brain didn't have to do all the work.
  6. The wedge is so easy I'll leave it as is. Interesting alternative though. I was bending some little brackets over a form, while holding them down by the end tabs, and the clamp kept loosening up. Very frustrating. It won't loosen up anymore.
  7. I modified my anvil clamp today. It used to be held in the Hardie hole by a nut drawn up by a bolt to expand two pieces of steel into the sides. It held moderately well but would loosen under strain. I converted it to a normal wedge under the hardie. I also added a locking bolt for the swivel head. I have used this clamp quite a bit. Once it's set up, clamping is quick. It's great for punching holes or holding down a bottle opener while working the tab out.
  8. I'm wondering how hydroxy would work with propane. I know there are Chinese rigs for cutting steel. Maybe one of those would work all by itself. Hydroxy has some interesting properties. I've heard that you can pass your finger through the flame and not get burned, yet still cut steel with it. It would be interesting to see how effectively it heats steel, and if it would be practical alternative.
  9. Good advice, thanks for sharing! I made a couple of sets on the hammer, which is tricky, but a lot quicker. I've made 6 sets in the past couple of months so it's getting easier. Another 20 - 30 sets and I may become proficient.
  10. Before starting to build anything, one should have a clear mental picture of the end product and the means to get there. For some reason my brain didn't like to think about making tongs. It wouldn't sequence the simple set-downs with any clarity. It was like trying to get a horse to jump over a fence. My brain would go full tilt right up to the set-downs then throw the rider. I watched a bunch of how-to videos on tong making to show my brain there was nothing to be afraid of. I then went through the three steps several times at the anvil. So far so good. Let's try it hot. Set down the jaw, easy. Roll it to the left 90 and set the boss. Brain is starting to get skittish, didn't like going across the anvil. Keeps asking if we turned it the right way. Mind overrides brain and makes the set-down. Brain takes offense and vows revenge. Take a heat and finish flattening out the boss area. Next heat, find the square and make final set-down for the reins. Vindictive brain springs the ambush just before the set-down by quickly suggesting that the jaw needs to be on the opposite side of the reins. Mind then puts set-down on opposite side of jaws. Rider thrown. Mind then has harsh words with brain. Brain is unrepentive. Mind vows to take control, and the next try goes perfectly. Mind then becomes smug and unwary. Starts the second half and everything is running smoothly. Mind begins thinking about how to further refine the jaws, then hits the dirt face first on the third set-down again. Brain is chuckling. Mind starts to reconsider blacksmithing as a healthy pastime. Brain suggests making tongs on the power hammer. Mind stupidly accepts.
  11. Pardon my ignorance, but what the French is an abdul?
  12. I was in the same boat you were not so long ago. All you really need is a big oxygen bottle and a 20 lb propane tank like Frosty mentioned. I bought an old used oxy acetylene rig and then traded both bottles for one big oxygen bottle. Having a good torch was a game changer for me. I use it a lot.
  13. I wanted to get rich so I had 4 kids and bought a small house. I then had to double the size of the house, by myself, and when that was done, send the kids to college. Then I took up blacksmithing. When does the getting rich part start?
  14. Thanks, I'm going to use them to upset some 1" round on the hammer. Sure glad I don't have to rely on tong manufacturing for a living. My hat's off to those guys who can make a profit building these things.
  15. Made some tongs. I made them specifically to hold 1 inch round bar for a particular job, but they'll find other uses.
  16. That looks really nice. Are you working off plans, or is this a built as you go project? What size cylinder are you using?
  17. Careful Gandalfgreen, there's no cure for this disease. Pretty soon you'll be pulling off to the side of the road to get a closer look at that piece of debris to make sure it isn't some usable steel. Every dumpster you pass will make you wonder what's in it. A beautiful woman may ask you what you're staring at, and you'll reply; "that nice piece of rebar on the ground right behind you..."
  18. Good advice Anvil. It took me a while to get in the mindset of tool placement. I used to do a lot of woodworking, which never cools off. Plenty of time there to fuss around. Blacksmithing is all about how much you can get done in a short period of time, which means pre-planning. Pre-planning has never come naturally to me. In my old job I built and maintained microwave radio installations, which were mostly located on remote mountain tops. When there was a problem, I would have to take a long drive to fix it. There was nothing more frustrating than getting to the site and realizing that I had forgotten to bring a tool or part I needed. My boss didn't find it amusing either. A "Xxxx the torpedoes, full speed ahead" mentality doesn't work well in blacksmithing.
  19. Pat, I like your globe. I think you're idea of epoxy for the continents is probably best. There won't be any stress on them (unless and little kid gets a hold of it). You could always hang it, then spinning is easy. Maybe even install a light bulb inside. A hanging globe light! For the fuller, I would just make a new one out of spring stock. Otherwise, the spring should go on the working side.
  20. Looking good Haywood. What size are those angle irons? Is that 1/2" plate in the middle? I built an almost matching hand towel rack today. I didn't bend the ends of the mounting plate, but instead went straight in with the twist. A little easier and looks close enough. New one's on the left. The picture shows them a lot darker than they are.
  21. Rojo, very nice first effort. The most important part was that you had fun making it. My wife was telling me recently that as we get older we forget to play. I told her that my shop was my playground. There is nothing quite like walking into the shop and wondering what would be fun to build today.
  22. While your piece is in the fire, get any tools you're going need ready and placed in a spot you can grab. Mentally go through exactly what you need to do next. I will often stop what I'm doing and take a moment to think through the process again and make sure I'm not missing anything. That alone has saved me from having to start over on many occasions.
  23. I've watched this stuff accumulate on the scale while a piece is reheating. I tried to scrape some off to see if it was magnetic. Unfortunately the layer is quite thin and all I got were bits of scale. I wiped some off with a towel and it was unaffected by a strong magnet. The sample was so small that it wasn't conclusive, but I couldn't get any movement at all, even on small threads that were covered in it. I dunno. It's probably just some deposit from the propane.
  24. I've recently been using graphite in bees wax for punching and drifting and it works so much better than dry. The punch comes out of the hole quite easily as well as the drift. I found that a mix of more graphite and less wax works better. Maybe 70/30.
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