NoGoodWithUsernames

54C and 145TC are different frame sizes, 145 size is usually used on 1.5HP-2HP motors and 56 would be a size down from that. (Though Baldor does some motors that are the "wrong" frame size sometimes)

It looks like the C-Face bolt pattern between the two is the same, but you would need a shaft adapter to make that fit, and if you are using the mounting feet at all that bolt pattern is different as well.

nema_chart_04.pdf

Could you possibly use some shim stock or foil and shim the bushings OD? Since it is tapered that would effectively push it inward toward the fan and give a tighter fit, could at least get you up and running until you are able to make some new ones. 

Thomas, I actually stamped a copper plate (made from some copper tubing scrap) and tacked it inside the lid just under the latch. I'm not going to put up a photo though since it has a some personal information on it.

And a belated thank you to all others who gave commendations!

Could always do a historically themed miniature sword letter opener. Don't need to accept any of my ideas, but brainstorming is entertaining so I'll keep throwing out ideas as I think of them.

I saw a video just the other day of a miniature desktop cannon, could be kinda cool. Should be able to forge it to shape then drill the breech and primer hole and put it on a small wooden stand? 

I just have a cheapo harbor freight respirator, though it actually works reasonably well, but I keep it in a ziplock bag when not in use. One thing having a spider crawling around on your foot or leg, on your face is a big fat NO from me. 

Had a black widow end up on my shoulder somehow while edging the lawn, must've been hiding in the string trimmer somewhere. Saw that sucker outta the corner of my eye and I was dancing quite the merry little jig... String trimmer flying one way, me another, arms flailing every which way, yelling for my wife to come look at me and make sure I got it off... 

As promised here are photos of my completed chest, built as a hope chest for our daughter born last October. 

It is all made from on hand/found materials. The wood came from some bookshelves from a used book store that closed down at the end of our street. They were poorly made bookshelves but built out of some nice quality oak baseboards. The steel stock was stuff I already had or drops from previous projects. 

It is certainly not perfect, I had a couple of nails give me some small splits even with pre-drilled holes, and some other issues with my "fine" woodworking skills. Over all I am very happy with it though. It took probably about 4 months all told, working on and off as time permitted. I did re-do the finish on the entire box as I was not happy with the stain I used, and the BLO glossy finish looked to much like a cheap commercial clear coat. Paint stripper pulled up the oil and the stain pretty well and I ended up just using beeswax on the raw wood, and I am very pleased with how it looks now. Just enough gloss and luster to pop without looking like a layer of clear coat. The inside has a coat of BLO rather than beeswax. 

Enough rambling, here's photos. 

John McLellan has a couple pieces in his shop where he has various stages of construction attached to a piece of metal. I have some photos if you would like to see them. They are good for showing students the steps of making a certain item, but could also be cool to say have a piece of stock and then a half made bottle opener and then a completed bottle opener all attached to a board for people to see the work that goes into each item.

Obviously some time put into it as you have to start multiple of the same thing just for a show piece, but when you have more time it could be a cool alternative to the photos on a storyboard. 

Can't say I've ever seen a folding machete before, but it looks fantastic. Would be proud to own and use a knife like that. 

It should stretch no problem, the main issue I see is how you are going to do the stretching? I don't think you'll be able to just yank on it with one end held in a vise. I think you'll need more force than that, maybe one end in the vise and a come-along on the other end?

That first photo makes me think of Narnia. Looks lovely from here in sunny California!

GhostTownForge: Have you seen Clickspring on YouTube? He does some hobby level casting as part of what he does, check out some of his stuff. If for nothing else it is a cool channel.

Chuck92: Welcome to the forum. Pics would be great!

Just a heads up on the quote function, due to worldwide viewers and potential limited bandwidth the mods like to keep quotes to a minimum. So generally just do something like this post where you call out the name of whoever you respond to. Or if a post you are responding to is a ways back, use the quote but trim the content to match just what you are responding to. 

I ran into that a few times when I was new to the forum, every forum has it's own quirks to learn so don't be put off if a mod trims your post up.

Are you still planning on the temper cycle? Would probably be a good idea so it is not brittle. Though I have some cheap harbor freight punches that are made of junk-o-nesium and I occasionally just water quench them and leave them as is they are so low in carbon. 

On 3/4/2023 at 3:59 PM, Vinito said:

I thought I'd whip up an accessory hanger thing as a little gift for my brother. He lives in a house that has a long history with horses and such, so anything blacksmith he's kind of a fan, so even though this is a little rough, he'll like it a lot. (well OK, some of the "rough" is because I textured the strap some, but that's not what I'm talking about)

I like that, how did the get the mass for the ball ends? I tried doing a ball finial on the end of a piece of 3/8" round, but couldn't upset it enough to get a very large ball. Maybe I should have done a couple more heats of upsetting. I ended up tapering the end of the bar somewhat to give the appearance of a larger ball. 

Welcome to the fun. If you are able, see if there is a state or regional blacksmith association near you that has people hosting classes or events nearby. In person learning can be a great asset, and is usually not terribly expensive.

No problem starting out inexpensively, you can always change out the handle if you find you don't care for it or when it wears out eventually. Around here the only place that carries hammer handles anymore is ACE Hardware and they're about $15 a pop, but they are better quality than those I've ordered online for less. 

I don't know if you've been on YouTube for blacksmithing, if so use caution and common sense, but Mark Aspery has a channel and has done quite a few videos that you may find helpful in addition to the books. I'm jealous you got all the books though, they look quite nice. 

Good luck with the search. I've got a post vice with some markings and a logo on it but have had no luck tracking down any info. Have only found one other photo of the same logo and it was unsolved as to who it was. You might be able to find some info by going through old catalogs and looking at the shapes of the screw box and such. 

It looks like yours is in reasonable condition from the photos, get it mounted and put it back to work. 

Practically, I think that you could get setup with a forge and anvil shaped object much less expensively than you could if you wanted to fabricate this type of thing. With a JABOD forge (search this site for more details) and makeshift anvil you can be tapering and making scrolls, with the largest expense being your time to learn the techniques and methods.

The addition of a cheap wire welder to attach these many small pieces together into larger pieces would be nice, but as mentioned can be done the old fashioned way with rivets (or bolts) and hot collars. Almost any size/shape piece can fit over an open coal forge if you can support it somehow, I would personally not recommend a propane forge for work like that. 

Learned the hard way that hinges, especially the un-welded type, are not to be hot riveted... 

I almost had a small heart attack, I thought you welded the anvil straight to the base. I had to zoom in to see the brackets you made, very nicely done!

I would guess from a manufacturing standpoint that would be a two part die forging. Top and bottom that you put your chunk of steel in and smash the two together with a hydraulic press or similar. 

Just sent up a prayer for quick recovery. That does not sound like fun, though I hope to see a photo of him propped up on crutches beating on hot metal! 

You definitely can build your own anvil stand, lots of ideas on this site. Can be anything from a stump, to a welded steel "stool". Mine is 2"x6" pieces screwed together into a block and then a metal strap around near the top and bottom. Works great and cost me almost nothing with what I had laying around.

You can also build a JABOD (again just search the site, there's a whole big thread for this "Box of dirt" style) in the meantime until you build or buy a proper forge. A good way to get a fire going pretty quickly and start having some fun. 

Nice!

Did you do the ways yourself or send it out? At some point I need to send mine out to have the ways scraped, but for a hobbyist it's a bit hard to justify on a little Atlas 618 bench top lathe.

Curly oak with that pattern steel look great, feels very organic and every aspect looks intentional and well thought out.

I am NOT jealous, but looking forward to seeing the results.