beatamax

Thank you all for your help!

Thats the one Richard!

ctp13- thanks for the link, I missed it the first go round

I used that pattern to produce this for our lass last valentines

I'm a backyard smith in Leeds.

The post by Rich Hale

Up front Rich says he has not read about using rice straw ash as a flux. He then proceeds to give the best advice he can to what he suspects is someone new to the subject. I do not read anything in his post that is a put down. I do read it as not depending on IForgeIron for all the information available on a subject and to progress on to reading books written on the subject.

Exactly, the put down was the assumption that because Rich had no knowledge of the subject that jason0012 must be a beginner and therefore asking a stupid question because any experienced blacksmith knows that borax is the only flux!

Can you please suggest the right 20 books? This would be very helpful to those wishing to learn more on the subject.

I wouldn't restrict you to just books or just 20 I would recomend trying to read, talk, ask, listen and learn as much as you can.

When I used google I got about 6,970 hits for rice straw ash flux. The facebook reference was the #1 and #6 hit.

Hit #8 yields the following information

Exactly, easy isn't it and while I dont trust everything I read on the internet there was enough information to suggest that the use of straw ash as a flux is possible and has been used extensively with what cannot be argued considerable success.

You could look at this, there are a few academics mentioned that might be worth looking up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSHztk9Bw_I

These clips shows the process and the use of the ash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwQqtf86qOc

I wasn't suggesting anything other than not to dismiss things out of hand just because you haven't heard of it before, especially if you put someone down in the process.

I dont care what you use for flux obviously the easiest and cheapest available is the way to go.

"I have to admit that I for one do not see anywhere in the pdf article submitted about making Japanese swords, any mention of straw ash as a flux. As part of a way to prevent decarburization yes, but not as a flux. As far as the facebook article is concerned that is the very first time I have ever heard of using rice straw, or any straw as a flux, and grass as a flux too. After reading 20 odd books, researching for over a year and studying continuously, I would have seen that....hmmm."

"Flux is any compound used to prevent oxidation of the welding surface and aid in removing impurities" (http://www.appaltree.net/aba/terms.htm). From the pdf I linked to "This step dramatically reduces the oxidisation and decarburization of the metal during heating" so what else was the straw ash doing other than being a flux. Perhaps you should tell the Japanese that they cant make swords because they dont use use 20 mule team borax. Expand your minds dont just dismiss out of hand what you dont know, reading 20 odd books doesn't come close to making you an expert especially as you didn't read the swordmaking pdf correctly, the obvious conclusion is that you didn't read the right twenty books to find out that you can use straw as a flux, or is nothing else a fact unless its been in one of the twenty books you've read.

"Please consider posting your article A question of Cleanliness (Fluxes) in a post on this site for reference. It explains how to make the rice straw ash, and how to use green glass as a flux."

Its not my article the two links were found after 30seconds of googling because I remembered reading that straw ash was used in the traditional production of Japanese Swords.

Coals a pain you have to faff about with it i'd stick with coke. I either use paper and kindling or firelighters if I have them. The last lot I bought came from a different supplier, they didn't have what I normally buy so I got a couple of sacks with the smallest lumps. They turned out to be mix of normal coke and what looks like small lumps made up of little round balls of coke. I've no idea what they are but once the reformed lumps are lit they wont go out, so I have to try and rake all the unlit coke to one side of my forge and the lit stuff in the fire pot to the other.

Actually Japanese swordsmiths use rice straw ash both in the manufacture of the steel to make swords and while forging. Perhaps you should take your own advice before you put someone down.

Start here

http://www.forging.o...paneseSword.pdf
http://www.facebook....es/124863797394

I agree, looks good to me.

Your still going to have to learn blacksmithing techniques but you might find it easier to make a knife from a piece of coil spring rather than leaf spring but to be honest i'd bash a few bits of mild steel about first to see what happpens to it.

I have made and forged thermite iron. If you only use ore ad Al-powder the iron will be fairly pure Fe, no carbon at all.
Grainsize is HUGE and there will be lots of cracks wich makes it a bit tricky to forge in the begining
.
alloying elements can be added in the process to make instant steel, but it is quite hard to control exact composition of the steel.

Ever since I read about thermite i've wondered wether it could be used to cut steel plate from stencils. Having made and used thermite do you think it would work or is the reaction too uncontrolled.

What's the process of making charcoal. I've heard of it being done but are there any blueprints on doing it or is it just trial and error? It seems to me that there would be a lot of variables in the process

Have a look here this is the easy modern way http://www.twinoaksforge.com/BLADSMITHING/MAKING%20CHARCOAL.htm

On Peat Oberons beginners course your forge welding on the first morning

It looks cool and you got it pretty straight

it should look cool as a downtube but
I wouldnt use anything like that anywhere else that was supposed to be structural
the risk isnt worth your life,

the problem on anything with an engine that moves under power is vibration you would be amazed at what will crack from vibration since those are three separate pieces they will all be vibrating off each other even if you used solid it could still eventually crack or crack the welds because of excessive vibration,

I could be wrong but personally I would be wary of it


for my own project I was thinking if doing a celtic twist on solid it should add a nice blacksmith effect and still be safe

But only if its twisted properly this wouldnt be the time to let hairline cracks go

It should be ok for a rigid frame,there's more metal in it than a single tube. Once its all bent and welded up I am either going to braize the tubes together or tig weld them where it cant be seen. Plus i'm using a Honda 650 engine not a Harley so there shouldn't be to much vibration, it'll also be well braced.

A while ago I made a twisted round bar sissy bar for the chopper i'm building. I had bought an unfinished project that turned out to be scrap due to the worst welding i've seen. So with the sissy bar for inspiration I have twisted three lengths of 0.5" od 3/8" id tube together its ended up at roughly an inch in diameter. This was a test as everyone I spoke to thought it wouldn't be possible, i'm going to do two more lengths twisted in opposite directions. There going to be used for a double down tubed rigid frame with a 60mm od top tube

Never heard of rust rings before. I got a sliver in my eye while using an angle grinder and like a lot of others that have posted I had goggles on, which has to make me wonder about there effectivness. I use a full face mask now.

I have no idea if this will work with copper but this site has instructions on how you can do what you want with brass.

Bronze Cable Damascus Tutorial

Being tight, once the can of compressed air that came with his airbrush ran out my dad used to use a car inner tube that he piped through a water trap (you need a water trap if your using air). Either pump back up with a stirrup pump or take it to a petrol station and use there airhose. If you decide that air brushing is for you then you can look at investing in a compressor.

and this is the sissy bar i've just made for my chopper its three lengths of 5mm round bar twisted up and then the knot tied in the end. I cocked up a bit with this though I should have either twisted the bars or tied the knot the opposite way because as I started to tighten the knot the bar started to untwist, you can see it in picture no4.

This Bowline in 5mm round bar I did for a friend who does a lot of climbing, just with the vice, a bit of pipe to bend it around and a propane torch.

I love tying knots in steel, it takes a bit of practice and a lot of swearing but its not that hard really. This was the first thing I ever made at home after a 1 day beginners course. My forge was a propane and air torch and some fire bricks, my anvil was a sledge held in a vice and the knot doorknob came out pretty well.

When i've played about with wire i've found that the wire bends best without kinking if I pull it round the handle of my vice first, it needs to be kept tight while your pulling it. Hope you get what I mean I cant think how to describe it better.

Get Wayne Goddards $50 Knife Shop, there's loads of useful info on making tools from scrap and what scrap metal to look out for.

If I had to trust my life on one of those welds i'd choose the right picture. Simply because there I can tell you've gotten successful penetration. Now on the left you may have gotten good penetration even though it is slightly crowned. Or you may have no penetration in the center of that weld. I would take both of them and cut them in half and do Racers reccomendation. It's nearly impossible to tell from a picture what kind of penetration you've got there. Hence why do they all that xray testing and dye color penetrates, etc.

If possible can you explain how you can tell that he has got good penetration on the second pic, i'm not questioning your ability just trying to learn what you were looking for.

Start at one end and work to the other;);)

This is a picture from John Seymours forgotten arts. It shows a the knife shaped more like a gouge. The wood is usually roughed out while its green. I reckon the blade on the knife on ebay was too big for clog making, it only needs to be half that size.