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I Forge Iron

Welshj

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Posts posted by Welshj

  1. Didn't get a single thing hot in the shop today...

    But i did get some progress on a few things. Finished up some work on an infinity sign/lamp for a friend, glued up the base for a nite light for my 4yr old grandson hero.

    Then helped a friend do some fit and finish and assemble his AR15 build. The lower receiver had some machining issues and had to hand file and fit take down pins and the safety. Like I said, no hot work... but moved some metal and lit something up. Lol...

    Nite light is 6" lexan cube with vinyl graphics and led lit.

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  2. Blueing works on high carbon steel to my knowledge. The knife in that picture was made from a piece of leaf spring from an army vehicle. I found it in a scrap metal bin in a motorpool on ft hood texas in 2006-2007.

    I've held onto it since then to make myself a knife.

    One of my best friends, my truck mechanic while deployed to iraq- gave me my anvil. I promised him the first good blade that came off it... so he got it made from that piece of spring.

    In general terms leaf springs are 5160 or close. So, yup... it should work. I blued that one completely cold. Applied a coat, let it set, rinsed it in water and coated again. I believe I did it three times if I remember just to get a decent coating.

    My research and the advice from a machinist friend who recommended the birchwood- shows that you get a better reaction and more even coating when done with warmed metal. Not hot, like forging temps... but 180-200 degrees Fahrenheit or so?

    He uses it to blue the knobs and hardware on his work- like the hardware on my belt sander he built in the picture. The knurled handle, and adjustment knob are done with the birchwood.

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    Where are you in the world chimaera?

    If you go to your profile block, you can update your location and anyone that clicks on your name can see it. That lets us have... a better idea of advice to give on where you can find things.

    For example- a great etching solution is ferric chloride. Depending on where you are... i got mine online thru amazon, 945ml bottle. I'm in the US in ohio, and had it delivered right to my door- relatively decently priced. It's then diluted down with water, dependant on your desired etch strength, and lasts for multiple uses. It's around $30.

     

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    Sorry for the huge picture! I tried to resize it, but the file size drops, still humongous.

  3. Theyre actually shiny as in the first picture.

    The bottom picture was actually my first taken. I used the flash, and it didn't pick up the lettering well. But it did show a contrast in the darkness of the blueing. Without the flash, the black looks more brownish in the house lights.

    In that shot, I hadn't removed the black vinyl letters yet.

    I have a vinyl plotter, and I used it to cut out the stencils for my friends name, as a mask for the blueing. The blade was hand sanded up to 2500 grit paper, then buffed on a polishing wheel with rouge before cleaning and blueing.

  4. I've had a bench grinder for 20+ years in every garage and work shed. I haven't had a grinding stone on one ever... i bought it new, brought it home- and put on the wire brush on one end, and buffing/polishing wheels on the other.

    Primarily automotive uses for a long time- the wire wheel is indispensable for cleaning 30 yr old bolts and parts on the aircooled vw's i worked on alot.

    Knife making after that, and metal sculpting.

  5. Are you familiar with the history of military challenge coins? It could be a similar... type of thing?

    Basically, a physical identification of a good standing in a club, group or community of sort... would be given in recognition of deeds or reputation, and used as proof thereof.

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  6. Nope, you're all good. I find communicating the hardest thing to do properly. Whats in my head is already four times past whats coming out of my mouth... lol.

    I am really drawn to, and fascinated by old casting work. To me, a statue thats 100 plus years old- but looks just like a real person proportionally and accurately... is simply an amazing feat.

    How technology savvy are you? One suggestion I'd make is something I've thought of for some time... 3d printing. They have some awesome filaments now that make insane molds possible. 

  7. 23 hours ago, JHCC said:

    The stars are one for each boy that the recipient brought through to Eagle Scout.

    My own sense of proportion would have put the hooks a little higher, so that the rifle is a bit more vertically centered. Well, that was their call, not mine.

    Ah!!! That makes total sense then. That is an awesome idea... i retract my previous statement... its darn near perfect.:wub:

  8. Welcome to the site... and the world of hot steel.

    ^ these guys have covered quite a bit already, so I'm just going to say- keep reading here. There's alot to learn, and you'll want to.

    Couple quick suggestions I'll make if I may?

    Quit making knives from your files. Use your files to make the knives!! Lol... its a bit more work, but that file in your picture could have really cleaned up that blade, and given you some great hand worked bevels with patience. The blade in my picture below has hand filed bevels and plunge lines. Took a few hours.

    Secondly- and I'm very guilty of this... i just spent two days cleaning up my forging area and organizing. Keep the area where you're working with steel- free from flammables and debri. Just grinding sparks can be enough to start a good fire.

    I like an idiot- had cut some handle material on the table saw, and left it under on the floor. Moved onto grinding some on the belt sander... yup.... smokey mess. That prompted my cleanup.

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  9. I for one have always been a quiet introverted person. Til my wife and time in the army forced a change... lol. One of my favorite sayings- "normal people worry me."

    Now- something you asked, and I didn't see totally touched on- your burner positioning in the actual forge body- other than the depth. Is there any reason why you put them so close together, and so close to the front of the shell?

    My thoughts would be that it would probably be more advantageous to spread them out more, and away from the door. Its not so much the actual flame heating the steel directly that you want. Its the overall internal heat of the forge that you're looking for.

    In short- the burner heats the forge, the forge heats the steel. It gives you even heat in the whole piece, vs a bright hot spot in one area, and colder steel around it.

    By moving the burners back into the body, you also stop some heat loss- being closer to the door, more heat will exhaust out, vs being retained in the forge.

    Am I thinking right folks?

  10. ^ frosty just imparted some... scary, but very, very important information.

    I spent a year or so working in an aluminum foundry in Michigan when younger. We made fuel and air intake manifolds, brackets, etc... for the automotive industry. We melted aluminum in 1,000 lb gas fired crucible pots and hand poured it in steel, clay lined ladles. 

    In that year, I went to the hospital three times with third degree burns. From minor incidents. One of my friends that worked there- forgot to tie his work boot one day. That simple lapse... cost him his life. He tripped carrying a full ladle, and burned 75% of his upper body. He succumbed to his injuries after weeks of suffering.

    Be very sure in what you're doing. This is not a field to experiment in lightly.

    I watched a 1,000 lb of aluminum explode, because the guy feeding them dropped a cold, wet, 20lb ingot in the wrong pot. One wrong move is all it takes.

    Having said all that- I'm curently planning my process of/in melting some brass to pour small slabs for knife fittings. It's been a month, and I'm still just planning and researching. Even with my experience around it.

  11. When I deployed to Iraq the first tour, there was little to nothing in the way of amenities... we made our own outhouses, beds, chairs, etc... out of anything we could find.

    We made bench press weights with a couple of old, smaller iraq truck inner axles welded in the middle, with the rims and tires bolted on. Cut a hole in the tires, filled with rocks and sand... taped hole back shut.

    Worked out for us. (Ugh... puns)

  12. I'm not sure of the terminology I'm going for... but what about a box style side draft hood(?) Over the forge inside, going to a pipe out of the wall higher up.

    I've seen a few versions in pictures, cant recall where. But it would reduce the needed amount of double walled pipe, be less of a concern with heating combustibles and not have to go through the roof.

  13. Man... be safe out there. I drive an hour or so one way every day to work. Just dealing with that in itself is enough of a headache.

    ^ Dealing with the rest of that scenario... i don't envy you there at all.

    good luck for you, & all of your family thomas!

  14. Im far from an expert... but from my meager research, & understanding of the concept-

    With a venturi style burner- the air is more or less regulated/dictated by the flow of the gas through it. It can be, and is adjusted a bit more more by a choke plate. But, the air is pulled in and dependant on fuel flow.

    I run a forced air burner setup. My build thread is here- 

    With a forced air setup- your fuel and air are separately introduced, and regulated. You control airflow by either controlling the blower speed, or by physically blocking/redirecting the air. The fuel pressure is only controlled by a regulator. Flow can then be metered or shut off by a valve.

    A venturi burner mixes the fuel and air together right at the tube and burner. It requires higher gas pressure/flow to pull the air. From what I've read, 10-20 psi can be normal.

    With a farb- you're more remotely dumping gas into a pipe, and the airflow mixes it and moves it to the burner "chamber". You wind up running at lower fuel pressure requirements than a vent. burner. My burner seems to like 4-5 psi on my gauge.

    These are the reasons I went forced air over venturi burner. It was more complicated build than a farb, as a former plumber I had some things on hand, and I learned ALOT from folks here in the process.

    Either way, a fuel pressure regulator is a very necessary component. I use one, and a ball shut off valve at my forge just for safety. A needle valve is not as necessary, just a much nicer means of additional fuel control at the forge with forced air.

  15. Hondo...

    I read this post when you first put it up, and its been in the back of my mind for awhile now as I tried to figure out what to say to you about it.

    I'm a 48yr old iraq war vet. From my time in combat- I have cervical vertabrea damage in my neck which causes my arms to go numb and lose motor control, ptsd, lost all my teeth due to grinding and breaking them in my sleep. I have bad bouts of insomnia, and loss of motivation and drive often. I tell you of this- not for sympathy... but for... back story, understanding.

    If i make it to your age sir... and were to survive not one... but SEVEN strokes!... and were able to still use my hands and my mind to create and fashion something useful- I would die a happy man indeed.

    Please, don't take any of this as condescending in any way... but, as I truly mean it.

    You sir, will never beat the 14yr old you. But you have sure xxxxxxxx have given him one heck of a run for his money, and don't you ever stop trying.

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