SoCal Dave

Judson: Definitely part of the brake. The brake was added on by the previous blacksmith. It worked well for me for many years but now needs attention. I was thinking leather as you describe it with the copper rivets. But, that is not what I found when it came apart. Some kind of pad with wire running through it.

The brake on my 50# LG is starting to come apart. The piece that came off looks like it has wire in it, like a steel belted radial tire. I need about 30" X 1 1/2 inches of new material to replace it, but don't know what to use or where to find it. I didn't find any previous posts about this. Any suggestions. It looks like it was riveted on.

E=mc2: Welcome to a lifetime of learning and enjoyment. A brake drum forge is a great idea. Do you have some type of metal for an anvil. It doesn't need to be the classic blacksmith anvil, as you can tell by looking at different forums. A rounding hammer, and some tongs and away you go. Good luck!

Any kind of protective coating on the metal and handles?

The devil is in the details. What is a short distance to drive before you start charging for the drive? What do you charge per mile? And, what do you charge for the drawing/design? Is it for the design or computer time for the 3D drawing? If someone is willing to pay for the drawing, it should be detailed so they don't feel like they are getting taken advantage of. How detailed is the design they will keep? Sorry for all the questions, but I have never charged for a drawing/design yet.

Coal or gas forge? I don't think you are soaking it long enough after it reaches critical temp. I usually give it 15 to twenty min. when working with 1/2" spring steel and put it in vermiculite. I think most coil springs are 5160 steel. Good luck

Impressive!

You might check with the Vista, Calif. people, where the spring conference is held, as they use lots of coal. That would be a couple of hours away, depending on your location in Southern Cal, and of course, the traffic.

I have a slab in my shop 6" thick for my 50 lb LG. I cut a piece of plywood in half, 4'X4', and laid it on top of each other. I then put a piece of conveyer belt on top of that and it is very solid. I drilled holes through everything and bolted it to the slab. No cracking in the slab for two years of mild use. Good luck

When I clear coated metal, I use a two step process that I get from an automotive paint store. Two cleaning solutions to clean it and no bare human hand contact during and after cleaning. Immediate drying, and spraying the clear coating. Otherwise you will get rust from the oils on your hand or you gloves. It will show up soon or later. Even when I do primer and paint, I still clean the metal the same way. Good luck.

unique design. Nice braiding on the handle. How does it work?

To me, it's sad that it is rusting so. Maybe, Mr Knox would want it that way, but I think some treatment for rust, and some type of protective finish would help preserve a great tribute to the man. Nothing is going to last a long time in that country, but something would help. Maybe an annual gathering on the date of his passing that would bring his friends together to at least remember him for that day and for the annual maintenance party.

After soaking two bars in a solution of vinegar with Baking Soda for 24 hours, I discovered a few differences. The solution was foaming a little around the bars. The bars came out with a very flat black coating. I can't tell if the scale came off any easier.

Love to see each part and the whole thing when completed.

My wild guess is leather work. Shoe repair, or saddle work.

Thanks Frost for the info. The arenas are just DG and Sand. No impact from rocks. I was just hoping that there was a better mouse trap out there. Of, course, I wanted the best AC hardfacing rod for abrasion resistance and not pay very much. I was just surprised at how fast the hardfacing wore off. The number of times we use the arena rake works out to average one arena per day, seven days a week.

I tested the vinegar solution on two of my twisted legs. I soaked them for 24 hours and then wire brushed them. They came out great. The scale came off when brushing and left a shinny metal finish. I rubbed them with a layer of Johnson's wax to reduce the rust factor until I'm done assembling the table. I ran another test with the two remaining legs, but this time, I added some baking soda to the solution. Lots of people suggested this, so I'll give it a try and report on it's effects later.

I got this back from Victor/Stoody about hardfacing: To go to the next level of abrasion resistant hardfacing one would have to go to Tungsten carbide (1 layer , flat position, and about 3 times the cost ). I have no experience with the Lincoln hardfacing rods so I can't speak to their abrasion resistance, but I will contact them to see what they offer.

Proportions of vinegar and water or is it straight vinegar?

I have not contacted any welding people like the ones listed above. I did talk to my local welding school and the Airgas local welding store. And, you guys of course. I will contact Lincoln, Miller, and Stoody and see what they have to offer.

Sorry guys, it's scale. At my age, if a word is close, and I give my brain a few seconds to compute, and nothing else comes up, I'll stick with it.

I twisted some 3/4" bars, one way and then another direction. I took a wire wheel to it but it still has some deposits that a tough to remove. I tried a 120 grt flap disk but it's impossible to get deep into the twisted area. Is there a chemical or solution, say vinegar, that would remove this scale. I either have to press to hard with the wire wheel and it is to slow and I don't want to grind it off to a new shinny surface. post edited to replace the word slag with scale, the product he is trying to remove.

For hardfacing rods, what info/data am I looking for when comparing the rods and their ability to withstand abrasion? I have been using Stoody 35, but Stoody XHC was recommended. So, for strictly, abrasion resistance to sand, what am I looking at to find the best rod for this purpose? When I read the characteristics of a rod, many say, "abrasion resistance is excellent, but is there data that I can quantify? Is there numbers that I can actually compare for abrasion resistance?

I was looking at the Stoody XHC rods on the internet. How do they compare to the Stoody 35 rods? The description of the 35 rods indicates it also is for abrasion situations.

Sorry, but what are sds breaker bits?