WillyP

Ok here's a few pics of my Trellis. The hard part for me is yet to come - making the Leaves & flowers!

Hi All Well not really MAJOR - but today marks the start of my biggest project to date. I've been working on a Trellis - Sort of shaped like a Cathedral Window with some Vines (and hopefully flowers ala BP0096. - Sort Of - My hammer work needs practice - It's kind of a FAB - FORGE Combo until I can learn to forge weld with consistancy. So far the frame pieces and vines are all tacked! I'm pretty proud of myself, :cool: considering other than some little Garden Stone Holders, and a couple firepit utensils... I'm unexperienced And at times, not very imaginative! I'll see if I can get a few pics to post of it while I take a break to eat. Willy

As for 'tank bells'? What about CO2 Fire Exsinguishers? Are they hollow? If so, I know where there are bins of them for a couple bucks each.... Probably less if a guy was going to buy a few at a time. Willy

CONGRATS!! I too am awaiting the triumph of the First Forge Weld I've begun trying at least a couple times each I've got the forge burning. In the past I have definately not had enough heat (not even close). Tonight though I was able to heat my steel a lot hotter than I ever was able before. I changed the burner (gas forge) a little and now I can get a lot more heat. Judging by the posts here, I think that I may have been a little to quick on the draw tonight. I heated the bars (1/2" rounds) till it looked as though they were "sweating" but alas; No Weld! I'm going to take that pointer of making a "pointed" rod as a check. Thanks for the Post... It's helped me for sure. Willy

Having a handicapped couple as neighbors and good friends of about 10yrs now, I've learned something; that once you have befriended them, they REALLY love you. I'm sure you have found this out too since you said you know some of them. And with their hearts they way they are; they may really appreicate Heart-shaped things: keytags or coathooks etc. Willy

Hi All, Hope the start of your week has been safe and productive!! I found an old Galv. Trash Can today beside my storage garage. It seems that it must have been left behind by the neighbor who recently died. It's going to make a nice looking slack tub - if it doesn't leak! It's got a decent bottom - rusted but not rotted - and a good lid, the sides are really good, but the seam on the one side looks 'stretched' - for lack of a better way to describe it. All the folds are still fully intact, and I plan to tap it back to flat and hope that it's still got a seal, and does not leak. If by chance it does not seal, has anyone tried sealing these seams with some sort of sealer with success? Maybe an epoxy or something? This bucket is much better than the one I am using because of the wider opening, and it has a lid - And I just plain like it more than the little steel pail I've got now! Thanks - And have a great day! Willy

On the McMaster-Carr web site they are listed as Cast Iron. Only the two little guys have a double horn. The 1 pounder says "Surface-hardened forged steel. And the 4- 1/2 pounder says "Cast steel." Have a look way at the bottom of this page. ----> McMaster-Carr Hope this saves a possible headache! Willy

The company is called TACO Communications. Address is 29 Sharp Rd, Brantford, On. Minutes from Oak Park Rd 403 exit. If you Google it, it's going to put the arrow in the wrong location... past the actual place... it's the place right on the sharp bend in the road. Some of the smaller machines could be transported with a 3/4 Ton --- I THINK ---- Physical size wise anyway. The largest of the bunch WILL require special treatment - either a larger truck or heavy trailer. The Boss there told me that it stood 8' or 10' tall. Some the other smaller machines are mounted on table top like frames. I believe a few are free standing just smaller. But really I only looked at these for a few minutes so if interested, it's best to call and ask for a peek. Willy

Like this? As soon as I read it this idea fell outta my ear so I had to draw it! The left side ring is for balance, the right side ring is for a cord. Willy

Ruben, Brian, et.al. To look at this from a slightly different perspective may help - I hope anyway. I work in a Stamping and Fabrication Plant. In the Fab Shop, the Brake Press Dept. in particular, if a drawing calls up a certain radius'd bend, the operator then has the choice between many different styles of Brake Dies which all have the same radius ground into the profile. So the actual die itself may be 4 feet long, 4 inches thick, and 6 inches tall, but the "point" if you will will be ground to the certain radius. Let's use 1/2" for an example: then the "point" or the "business end" will be 1" thick. The angles at which the sides of the dies are machined have no bearing on the radius. See the attached pic of a Goose-neck Die - I am not 100% sure of the actual rad on this die because I just swiped it off the net but if it has been ground to a 1/2" radius on the "business end" it don't matter what the rest is like. Well that's how it works in with Brake & Press Tooling, Blacksmithing may be different, and as I am learning, I am learning that some folks look at a thing one way, and others look at the same thing differently. Yet they are both the same. Hope I did not confuse things worse. Willy

Hi All, I am not sure if this is relevant info or not. I've been driving my Dad to work lately because his car retired, and when I got there the other day there was about 10 or so small presses/riviting machines (like 10 ton and under - I spoke to the manager who was there smoking and he said there was one more larger press inside that was either a 10 or 15 ton press) standing outside waiting to be sold. The manager told me that some fella was interested in buying the whole lot of 'em, but he hadn't heard back - the fella had until the 15th of May I do believe - and after that if he doesn't come through they will be stripped of any good parts and sold for scrap. These are just the old single rev trip clutch kick presses (I'm not sure if that's good technical jargon but that's what I know them as). I think the larger press may be a partial rev air or hydraulic clutch. If these are of any value to anyone, I could drive to Brantford and take some pictures. They told me they would allow me to. Willy

RE: The TSC Stores posts: The TSC here in Woodstock has gone through some pretty major facelifting.... To be honest, I liked it A LOT better before. The only thing that I go there for exclusively now is Oxygen, and SOME welding supplies because the Praxair Outlet Guy is real reasonable in his bottled gas pricing. You have to know what you're paying for though - SOME of the welding supplies can be had quite a bit cheaper at other places - I almost bought new a lens and cover there and then found the same one at an auto parts store at less than half the cost. The only other stuff I go there for is either sale stuff or stuff that I can't find elsewhere. The Woodstock TSC store seems to be trying to become another Can. Tire/Princess Auto mix..... Loads of Chinese junk in the tools dept. :-( Willy

Hi All, Can anyone give me a general idea of what type of steel they make things like tire irons etc out of? I've got a whack of these things kicking around - left over from old cars I've had. They seem pretty hard - I thought they might make good punches/chisels/hardy tools etc. I used a piece of one to make a chipping hammer eons ago and it's still got a decent edge even though i don't think I've ever touched it since. Thanks! Willy p.s. speaking of using old tools as a source of material - what about using old wrenches etc? I've got a bucket full of em' - I keep giving them away to ppl who need the odd one, and I was just keeping them for scrap wieght anyway....

Hehe.... 'Very cold' 15C huh? Winter is now past.... the nice weather is here!!! It's 9C - but on it's way to 15C this afternoon!!! T-shirt weather!!! Hehe.... Funny how we all climatize differently eh?

:cool: Move to Florida? That's the best advise I've ever got! Although I hadn't actually planned on Fla. But somewhere about halfway would be awesome!! Hopefully someday.... :cool:

Thanks everyone for the great input! Thanks Glenn for sterring me aright. I'de looked through a doz or so pages of posts but didn't realize the search yet. I'll read them links. Thanks again. Willy

First off - if there is a thread on this out there already that I have missed, just send me to it and I'll read it - I've been scanning through the pages of posts and reading through a ton of great stuff but just have not found the answer yet. How in the world do I keep my propane cylinder from freezing up? I'm sure you all know this story..... I run fine for a while and as soon as that puppy gets frosty..... no more pressure. My plan to solve this is to get my hands on a 100lb (min) tank. Will it work? Thanks in advance!! Willy

Ok! Thanks for the input Fella's! I'm going to give this a shot and see if I can fix something up that I can pump with a foot pedal. I wish I still had my Pake's (Grampa's) old hand bellows. it would be perfect for this operation. Here's another question: I've made the tuyere in similar fashion as the Lively Washbucket Forge. Tube wall is approx .100". How long can I expect this tube to last before it burns out. There is a small layer of refractory cement on top of the tube; I stuck golf tees in the holes to keep them open while the cement cured; but it's so thin that sooner or later I am sure it will break down and the steel of the tube will be exposed to heat.

Hi all, I've got a question on the air requirement for burning charcoal. I've built myself a small forge out of an old temporary spare 'dummy' rim. I've lined it and placed an air tube in the bottom by cutting a 1-1/8" hole through the rim. I left this tube long (like about a foot outside the rim) for now until I get an idea of what the thing is going to need at the finish. I tried this little guy for about 10 mins tonight with about a half a tomato juice can full of charcoal that I "made" by scooping a couple small scoops of hot coals out of my woodstove and putting them into the tomato juice can and covering them with a piece of sheet steel. I did that a couple weeks ago when it was still cold enough to burn a fire in my woodstove. I used a hairdryer for the air source - tried a bit on high and a bit on low - of course I need something in between... So the charcoal was not really the best but it did burn pretty hot, I stuck a piece of 1/2" mat'l (the straight end that used to be a tire iron) in the coals and in about 7 or 8 mins a section about 4" was dull orange - from dead cold - so I was kind of impressed. I had thought of using a small hand pumped bellows. The tube would be perfect for it, and it would give me pretty good control over the air. This is a small forge - the fire pot is only about 11' long and because the tuyere is a pipe with holes it's long and narrow - an inch or two wide. Here's the questions: 1. Will the charcoal die out if I get to working away from the fire too long without pumping air? 2. Since I just had a handfull of charcoal tonight the fire was long and skinny, but once I can get a better load of charcoal in there will the hot coals become much wider? I've never used solid fuel. 3. If using more charcoal makes the hot coal bed larger, will a hand pumped bellows be enough? That's the questions that are on my mind for now, any help or suggestions or critisisms (as long as they are constructive) are appreciated!

Thanks Frosty, I actually started with an .045" tip, and I had a different stle of flare - I was having some difficulty with the flame being stable, so I asked some questions and was advised to change down to a smaller tip ( I was told that an .025" may even work better ) - And at the same time, to change from an external flare to adding a piece just inside the burner tip. Well I did both. It worked. I was HAPPY! :D:D Just cause it worked! Anyways, I ended up trying both an .025" and the .035" and since the .035" worked as well as it did I stopped. I'll try the .045" today. Lesson learned: Only make one change at a time or you'll never know which change was the one that made the best difference.... I wish i had a nickel for every time I've had to relearn that one! Question 1: When I change tips, how - or - must I change fuel pressure accordingly? I've been running the .035" at roughly 12-15lbs propane. Question 2: Is Question 1 dependant upon my air choke? i.e. Can I run "any size" tip at "any pressure" simply by tuning it via the air choke?

Ok now that I went to the FAQ I can post a couple pics of my forge. I included one with the burner going - before I put the doors on :)

John B - In regard to my coment and your question. I'm just new at Blacksmithing. All the metal working experience I have comes from working in a Metal Stamping Facility for about 19 yrs. I am laid off now so I am taking the oppritunity to learn in a new area (Blacksmithing). In the factory, I Started off just a labourer, worked up to "Senior Press Opperator" and then moved into set-up, and then what they called QDC (Quick Die Change in case you're not familiar). Anyways, I've worked along side the Tool & Die Makers for 4 or 5 yrs, not along side like an apprentice, but being at the top end of the Press Shop, when there was trouble and the Tool Room had to be involdved, so did I. A good friend of mine is one of those Tool Makers and I've learned some things from him etc. etc. Now the reason I said what I said is simply because when we had to make a jig or fixture at work - or if something broke and had to be either repaired or remade (and hardened) it was generally made from tool steel. I've just always learned that once you've heat treated a part, you need to draw it back slightly to be sure that it does not shatter. I'm just learning more - or more details now. Kind of a lot of words to just say, "Ah, I really did not know, but thanks for pointing that out!" Jaret- I also use 2" kaowool with 3 half fire bricks on the floor of the forge (with kaowool underneath too). I measured my forge (now that it's cool) - My propane cylinder forge has a 6" opening (at each end - although I keep the back closed whenever possible) with an internal usable diameter of about 7" - 71/2" - The length is about 12" - and I can easy heat a length of 10" using one 1-1/4" burner using an .035" nozzle. I built my burner after the Mini-Mongo style. I still have to learn more about my flame though. I think I'm usually using an oxidizing flame. (That's too lean right? I'll need to lessen the airflow a little?) If I can figure out how to post a few pictures like you guys did I'll do it. Any help or suggestions can't hurt. Thanks Willy

Hi, just reading your post here, I thought of a suggestion. Please realize that I am by NO means an expert, I'm very new at Blackmithing, (like I've been at it 'maybe' 8 weeks). I've just been reading up as much as I can, asking questions where I can, and trying to build what I can! Here's my $.02 worth. Why not just cut round holes in each end about 7 or 8 inches in diameter. You can keep the circles that come from that and line them with your Kaowool and use them as "caps" for the ends. I did this to an old propane cylinder that I used for a forge body. I welded some round rod to the caps as hooks and hangers (on the forge body) out of the same rod, lined the plugs with kaowool by using a couple 2" dia X 1/4" slugs that I got from work. A bolt goes through the slug, the kaowool and outside of the end cap. I realize that eventually I am going to have to replace that 2" slug because they take A LOT of heat, and eventually it will deteriorate. I left lots of extra koawool on the back cap so it seals very well, and the front one I made to sort of fit inside the hole; it does not have to seal tight but it can; which is handy for keeping the heat inside after the burner is off; it's sort of perfect (or as perfect as my limited experience has seen) when you're annealing a piece that you've case hardened.