bluerooster

Finally, today I built the gate for the hinges and thumb latch I made a couple months ago. Got it installed, and works just fine.

made some headway on the vise project. Got the jaw formed, and ready for poking a screw hole in it. By the time I had a slitter, and drift made of proper size, it was late in the day, the iron was cold, so i decided that I'd best get to getting ready for work tomorrow. As I work away from home 4 days a week, it takes some getting ready. I have to make sure everything around the house is good to go without me, then I have to get all my stuff together for work, gas up the car, etc. So hole punching will wait 'till next week.

Rule of thumb; "If it doesn't rust, a torch won't cut it".

Fabricating a post vise from scratch is indeed an undertaking not for the feint of heart. I figure that the education that I get from this project will be a valuable resource to draw on at a later date. For the upsetting, I have an anvil on the floor, and an 8# hammer. I upset to a little over the thickness of the parent stock, then flatten two sides back to original thickness, and go again. The most difficult part so far has been waiting on it to get hot the first time. I don't let it go black before re-heat. As to jack screws, The jacks we use for gear swings etc. are hydraulic. But Acme threaded rod is pretty cheap, and there is a variety of nuts to use with. New jaw plates can be had pretty reasonable as well. If all goes well, I should have that half well on it's way, and hole slit, and drifted to size by end of next session. A fine start, and I like your well organized scrap bin. Looks just like mine.

I will. Have to work next week, so no forge time untill mabe Saturday.

I have a bad shoulder, rotator cuff. But, that has taught me proper technique (for me). Also, as mentioned before, too heavy a hammer will cause more problem, than work getting done. My grip is usually first two fingers, and thumb. The other two fingers operate the "steering wheel". I've found that hammers with the rubber grippy stuff on the handle are way too grippy, and tear the skin on my hammer hand, especially when it's hot out, because I hold it too gently.

I need a post vise. Being not the brightest bulb on the tree, I decided that I want to make one, rather than buy one that needs complete overhaul for $300+. (going rate in these parts) So, I spent the past couple hours at the forge, upsetting and flattening, upsetting, flattening, upset, flat,.... On a chunk of Kelly bar. Pretty much the largest thing I've had in the forge for a while. I got tired of cranking the blower, and my hammer shots started getting off, so I called it quits.

Remodeling an old barn, and found all manner of rusty gold. There were several old jackhammer bits driven into the ground used as stakes. A couple of "Kelly bars", 2 square, one octagon. and 2 complete plow shanks from a spring tooth harrow, which I intend to salvage for use as they were intended.

$225/ ton. $30/50pound bag, $20 profit/bag, 40 bags $800 gross, deduct $200 to go get, $600 clear profit. allowing cost of bags, and filling them.

Machinery handbook is a handy thing to have for sure.

Portable hole, reminds me of Yellow Submarine Ringo mentions that he has a hole in his pocket.

I've been working on turning a new hire into a framing carpenter. I've found the best way to do it is demonstrate one, then have him do 200, while giving pointers and assistance when needed. He's picking it up pretty quickly.

Here it is assembled.

What about 4130? I have access to plenty.

I'd rather attend a "Cackle fest" where you get to see the old AA Fuel Altereds '32 Fords, Willys, and what not. They don't run those any more. And many of the old time front engine rail jobs. Nitro methane, can't light it with a match. Fewer BTUs (less power) than Gasoline. Produces vast quantities of nitric acid when burned, and when you burn 15+ gallons of it in about 3-4 seconds, you get 8000 HP, and ~350mph from a ded stop. :D

Two pieces of flat steel, welded on. Through which is a hole for a rivet. I tried to slit and fold the hole for the two parts on the back side, but that didn't work out too well. So I flattened it all back out, and welded two pieces, on on each side of the hole, on the back side. I need more holes in my homemade swage block. And as sure as I write this they were welded with fire by the forge.

Here, $200 for a broken, not useable post vise is about the cheapest you'll find. If you get lucky you can end up buying two, to make one, and have $400 in a working vise.

Tell that to the architect. Coke is more expensive than coal because you have to pay someone to turn the coal into coke. Or you could buy coal, and turn it into coke in the forge as you go. But the first fire will be awful at the start. Lots of smoke, and stink, until it makes coke, at which time there will be very little smoke, and what little there is will be burned before it leaves the forge. just remember to leave a good amount of coke at the end of the session, for a smokeless start next time.

And I'm allways over filling mine. I figure best too much than not enough.

My first forge was charcoal bottom blast, very similar to the OPs first pic. It worked very well, once I figured out how to supply air. With a brick or two I could set the size of the pot to fit the work at hand.

My forge table is made from an old water heater tank, cut , split, and flattened. The edges turned up about an inch and a half, and the front left open. The firepot I welded up from 3/16" sheet steel, It has served me well for a few years now. No need for a mig welder, An Oxy/Acetelyne rig will do just fine with the proper welding tip. And is more versatile. I can weld from razorblades, to 3/8" material with mine it just takes a minute to get the thicker stuff hot.

This, you can fill the angles and dish it, or not. Mine has rather steep sides, and a wider than optimum bottom, but ash, dust, etc. seem to fill, and insulate it quite well.

Haven't been at the forge for a while. but today I decided to start on the gate latch to go with the hinges I made. Got the handle and thumb part made, then called it a day. Still have to poke holes, and attach the "thumber", and then a little wire brushing, and mabe some tweaks here and there, then a nice finish. Then on to the latch mechanism.

I have clinkers ranging from "coral" to melted blobs, and one in particular that came about when I first used the new firepot. It's perfectly round, with a 2" hole, kinda like a donut. Actually, I've found that since changing the firepot, I've not had clinker stop up the tuyere. But it will form a circle around it.

That HT code on pallets is a pretty interesting process. And I seriously doubt there are very many pallets at all, and none in the U.S. The heat treatment goes way beyond just kiln dried, and takes it just a step or two before becoming charcoal. It's put into an autoclave, and cooked at high temp until 100% of the sap and sugars are gone. Nothing left for fungus and bugs to eat, and very dry, ~5% moisture content. As a result it's rot, and bug resistant with zero added chemicals. Neat stuff, actually smells like it's been in a fire. Very light wood looks like it's been stained dark, and the color is same all the way through the board. Here's a picture of heat treated Ash, I installed this on inside, and outside of this house.