SoCal Dave

I found an old rasp with some good single cut portions still left and will try that on Monday or Tuesday. John B. - Do I run the colors and temper the rasp after normalizing or just normalize it. I will report back on what happened and what worked best.

Sorry, but I don't know what superquenching is?

I have some casonite I will try. I also thought that some bolt threads might be harder that pipe threads, but I'm not sure?

I want to take 2" pipe, cut off the threaded end, flatten the threads out, and use them as a fuller to impart lines in 1/4" and 3/8" round stock. I don't think the threads will hold up very long and wonder if I can do anything to harden them. I assume that most threaded pipe is mild steel. My goal is to make the stock look like vines, or small branches.

Yes, it is outside. It will be on the shaded side of the house, not in direct sunlight, if that matters.

I 've thought of making a spring fuller that would make lines and bump along the rod as I ran it through at a medium heat. Never done it before, but trying to figure out how to get the bumps and line in the 1/4", 3/8" and possibly 1/2" round rod. UNFORTUNATELY, I don't have a power hammer. If I have the power, I've got the hammer, which doesn't last long.

Try it with some clay. See if you can duplicate it with clay and then try it with metal.

Amen!

How about two pyramid shapes, like dinner chimes, forged, with a ridge pipe welded or slitted and drifted between them. I would worry about the edges of the twisted portions cutting into the underside of the saddles.

I have a Lincoln 110. I use the heck out of it and it has it's place with the other welders. It is portable, and 110v can be found almost anywhere where 220 is not. I don't use mine with argon gas so I can use it outside in most any conditions. I like Lincoln and Miller welders.

I have a metal railing that I want to weave some metal ivy vines and leaves outside a window. I have different thickness round stock 1/8'" and up to use. How do I get that bumpy look every inch or so? It looks like a leaf stem broke off and left a bump. I have different welders I could use, but thought I would bring up the issue to see if there are better methods. Also, the vines have lines running along the length of the vine and I'm not sure how to make that look on 1/8" or 1/4" stock. Any ideas on this?

Very nice looking pair of spurs. There is money to be made in spurs and bits. I think you wouldn't have any problem selling a pair of western spurs also.

That was a great series of photos. thanks

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Braze with what kind of rod?

I'm making some ivy wrap around some iron work. I have some copper ivy leaves that I want to join to mild steel vines. Is there any way to do this other than provide a barrier between the two metals? Is there a way to weld them together?

Very nice work. You did a great job on the horse and the landscaping of hills and land below the horses. Good job.

It seems like you need a set of tongs for holding the piece your working on. If you can't get one soon, then you could file off the teeth of your vise grips so they don't leave marks. Good luck. Also, with a gas forge, it is more difficult to burn up the material you are heating. Gas forges may not get as hot as coal, but that depends on the size of the box and number of burners. With a one burner forge, you can heat 3/4" to 1" material up to an orange heat without trouble, but it is more difficult to get to a yellow heat. I find myself returning my material back to the gas forge many more times than a coal forge. It is very much a timing thing for each type of forge. Good luck.

You should try James Johnson at anyangusa.net. He might be able to help you, if you haven't already tried him. Good luck

Very exciting. After you use it for a time, how about a report on the pros and cons of your hammer for those of us who don't have one yet.

There is an article in this month's ABANA Hammer-blows on slitting and drifting. It gives some general information on the process.

Has anyone done any forge welding with their diamondback forge. If so, which model was it, and how did it go? What size material did you weld and at what pressure was the gas?

I saw a ceramic chip forge at the spring conference in Petaluma, Ca. a year ago. I talked to two people that used them on a daily basis and they said they liked them very much. The chips last about 4 years but I can't say how they were used for that time period. There definitely was no smoke and you could get a localized heat on a small area, but one person indicated that it was more difficult to get a large area to heat up properly. The chips were more difficult to get than coal or coke. Rumor has it that they are more prevalent in England and Europe.

I've done the beeswax, turpentine, and linseed oil for an outdoor metal project. It needed to be re-applied after about 6 to 8 months, but it got rained on, snowed on, and beat on by the sun.

What part of New Mexico?