roy_tate

Thanks for posting the picture. I have his book, and I have been reading it, but I really need to take some time and light a fire.

Roy Tate

If you Google "multimachine" or go to this link: Open Source Machine. There is also a Yahoo group (link on the Open Source Machine site) with files and lots of interesting things. They are focused on lathes, mills and drills, but there are lots of goodies here.

Regards,

Roy Tate

I made a cutter for round stock out of two pieces of leaf spring. I have them mounted so they swing past each other. I drilled holes the sizes of the stock I want to cut through both plates. Just insert the stock and pull on the handle to shear small rounds.

The blades are about 3"x 4" rectangles with a pivot hole in one corner The pivot is a 1/2" grade 5 bolt. There is a piece of angle iron welded to one blade so that it can be held upright in the vice and a handle welded to the other (moving) blade. Simple as can be and I can cut 1/4" hot rolled steel with it. Drill the shearing holes as close to the pivot as possible for maximum leverage.

For those having problems, go to this page first:

http://www.saltforkcraftsmen.org/Newsletter.htm

Now click on the July 2010 newsletter and flip to page 10.

Regards,

Roy Tate

This is a picture of the forge that Rob Gunter and sons used at the 2009 SaltFork Conference last october. http://picasaweb.google.com/Roy.L.Tate/SaltforkConference2009#5395250849539729714

Check the Saltfork web site for our 2010 conference! http://www.saltforkcraftsmen.org/). Click next to see more photos of the forge, or "view all" to view more coverage of the conference.

Roy Tate

H. Is that the Sandia recuperative style forge. ...

Got any pictures/ info?

Arftist, I'm basing it on the previous owner's advise. The flywheel says 250 RPM, so I'll find out soon. You guys might not believe it, but I don't have any electricity in my shop yet, so I haven't been able to play with it.

I'm trying to be patient. :mad:

Welcome to IForgeIron, and I hope to see you at a Saltfork meeting! I usually go to the "North East" meetings, but we will have other meetings closer to you.

Check Saltfork Craftsmen for meetings. You should call if you want to go to a November meeting, as there may be some changes.

I'll post some photos here when the gallery is fixed, but for now, here is an album from Picassa ... Picasa Album - Roy Tate - Kerrihard Power Hammer.

Someone at the 2009 Saltfork Conference suggested that the welds would break soon enough if I just used the hammer hard enough. I will be sure to inspect and lubricate the hammer before each working session.

Thanks for everyone's input on the Kerrihard. I'll try to post some useful information in this thread as I learn.

I just bought a working Kerrihard mechanical hammer. It looks like an older 30 lb model. It needs a slightly smaller pulley on the motor shaft, and perhaps a few older bolts replaced. The guy painted it red before tail-gating it, and the upper die is welded in. It has an expanded metal safety cage for the spring mechanism.

Has anyone found any resources on the web for this model? Someone at the 2009 Saltfork Conference recommended that I ask Sid Suedmeier. I figured I would ask here, and educate myself some.

Does anyone have any pictures that you could post on IForgeIron? I guess I'm most interested in a picture of the upper and lower dies, and particularly some measurements of original die sizes. I tried searching the Galleries to no avail.

I will add a few photos to my gallery and add a comment with links soon.

I will second Glenn's cautionary tale. I had an S hook ripped out of my hand and it hit my finger as it went by, breaking a small blood vessel, but thankfully nothing else. It hurt, and scared me. I thought I was treating the wire wheel with great respect, too.

I was wearing gloves, an apron, a long sleeved close-fitting shirt, and a full face shield. I was also standing slightly to the side - out of the direct "throwing path" of the wire wheel.

I've thought recently that I will avoid putting a wire wheel on a full speed bench grinder. Perhaps the "router speed control" will help.

As several have already said, it is very important that you think about the dangers to yourself and others as you work. Don't be afraid to stop working and think about better / safer ways to do something, or wait until a child has left the area.

Hathi Trust - Multi-College version of Google Books!
Look in various college catalogs for lots of books. Some are full PDFs, others give you 10 or so PDF pages at a time.
Access to HathiTrust | www.hathitrust.org (some books are not complete at the moment)

Gauge, Jig, etc. (seems incomplete?)
http://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89071905731

Forging and Welding
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015006062122

Basic Machines - Navy Training
Basic Machines - Intro to machines and motion theories

P N Hasluck - Metalworking: Tools, Materials & Processes
Metalworking: Tools, Materials & Processes

I enjoyed the conference again this year. It was difficult to decide whether to watch Bob or Alison. I watched a little of each of them.

I picked up a Guillotine "Smithing Magician" tool based on the Winter 2000 "Hammer's Blow".

I promised someone at the conference that I would post photos of Bob Alexander's Iris. I only have photos from Sunday.

Picasa Web Albums - Roy Tate - SaltFork Conf...

Roy

I looked this up in Google, and found a handy PDF discussing problems that can occur with this type of burner. Yes, the guy sells burners, but he has a very detailed installation, safety systems and a troubleshooting section as well.

http://www.joppaglass.com/homepg/joppa%20cat%202008_v_web.pdf

Also ...
Pop-back or Pre-ignition Condition

Roy

Notice that several reply so far mentions raking out coals and dropping them in water, and not dumping cold water on your hot fire pot. This would crack the pot sooner or later.

Here is some information from the web site.

Enco - Guaranteed Lowest Prices on Machinery, Tools and Shop Supplies
Diameter (Inch): 5/16
Tempering Medium: W-1 Water Hardening
Length (Inch): 36

--------

I hope this helps those who are experienced with tool steel and will be giving advise.

Here's some pics of the first burning of coal in the new forge. I'm a little worried that i made my fire pot a little too deep. When working on long pieces i'll have to build up a pretty big pile of coal to get the sweet spot of the fire up to the top of the firepot. I'm still pretty in-experienced with that. I think i may have to modify my firepot, cut a couple inches off around the top making it less deep, which will also make it smaller in size unfortunately. ...

I would find a local club (again ... look on the ABANA web site for clubs in your state) and attend their next meeting. When you get there, introduce yourself to the host, and let them know that you are new to the craft. In our club, Jim Carothers or another senior member will usually take some time after the demonstrations to work through a beginner demo with you. That's how I made my first "J hook".

Made of copper with wood handle,Hint blue pen and keyboard isnt the answer.

That looks like a Saltfork Swage Block (SCABA). It should have a few letters on it ... If not, I think one of the other blacksmith clubs made a block from the same pattern.

Zinc plating (galvanizing) ... A white vinegar bath will remove it in a few hours to over night and there are no toxic / hazmat consequences.

... Perhaps if I'd subbed to the list and posted the plans a couple months ago you might've given a "T" jet a shot, maybe not. No matter.
...
Frosty

Am I dumb? I dont see any pictures:confused:

My dad used to drive a propane truck, going to houses and filling their tanks. I told him once that I could use a propane tank, and he mentioned a 275 gallon tank on a trailer. That seemed a bit large to me, but then he remembered a smaller tank that came off of a tractor or a truck. It is a 43 gallon (358 pound) tank, with valves for liquid, vapor, bleed off, vapor return, etc. And of course, a pop-off valve just in case someone fills it too full. This tank is heavy! I could lift one end, but we used a tractor's front end loader to load it into my truck.

I still need to get the gaskets inspected, get a cap for one of the return lines, paint it, and get it filled. So, expect to see some questions about propane forges and burners soon. (I know there are several blueprints, and a million articles on the internet.)



A larger image is in my gallery

I'm only able to work in my little shop at most once a week, and my day job is desk work. I usually work for 2 to 4 hours before I start feeling unsteady in my aim. This depends on whether I use the 1.8, 2 or 4 pound hammer most. I am sort-of ambidextrous, so I switch hands every 30 minutes or so, but I still wear out. Whenever I start feeling the "wobbles", I straighten out the piece I'm working on and throw it on the dirt floor, or switch to the light hammer and carefully finish up.

Recently, I had the chance to work as a striker with a more experienced smith, and the 16 pound sledge tired me out quickly! I would beat for a few minutes, and I was happy when the metal needed more heat. :)

I did this very thing today! A friend and I just straightened 2 chunks of 3/4 inch car spring (possibly 4140) by heating in a large gas forge, and unrolling it using heavy tongs to hold it in position, a pair of bending forks on a 4x4 inch post, and a piece of 1 inch or larger square tubing. The tubing acted as the lever to straighten, the tongs braced and helped pull. We did final straightening on the anvil, using the step area to work more extreme kinks out, and the top plate for final tweaking.
We straightened two springs, and it seemed easier to heat 2 or 3 loops of the spring, straighten and let it cool, then straighten another section. When we tried heating the whole spring at once, it came uncoiled in a big mess, and was harder to handle.

I ... was thinking to cut it in sections first with a hack saw or similar.

Ocmulgee Blacksmith Guild
Ocmulgee Blacksmith Guild Homepage

Has a link to ..

Basic Blacksmithing
http://ftpforge.chez-alice.fr/Blacksmithing.pdf

This is a PDF version of the book.