fisher_norris

have you tried lajoies in norwalk? i saw some their a while back. talk to the train yards in your area they might have some scrap cable.

well newbladesmith we are in the same boat. clean up a metal shop to get 'drops' of steel. they will be a good size for you. i clean up truck and machince shops for springs and other drops. i work my shop on only the cost of elctricity, and in the summer coal (wood in the winter will keep you warm). have fun and get a hair dryer for an air supply. they work and are really quiet. i use an old tail pipe for an air supply. shove the hair dryer in one end and this will easily (with a forge) melt copper and i can burn (sometimes melt if i try) steel. search the '55 forge' in the blueprints section it works well (from what i hear). brake rotors and brake drums can be got from a car or truck shop that does brakes. they are good and cheap fire pots. the 55 forge explains this way better than i can.

yeah i think i may temper it back over time if it chips out, but i think it will not be a problem for light work. thanks for the ideas and help.

i will either try to make a new tool or make the previous project better. alot of the time i just try to forge weld. i have been trying for months but i keep burning everything or burning me with flux. i really don't every run out of projects as i always NEED some new tool or need to fix something.

that is what i am going to have to do. harden about 2inches of the end then wrapping a big bar around it to temper the end to pale straw. thanks for the idea as i think this is more feasable then quenching about an inch then letting the heat travel up to the face.

well im back after a while and i am working on a stump anvil made out of about 4ft of truck axle and i am wondering what to temper it back to. i hardened it to see what i could do with it, it hardened like 4140 so i think pale straw? anybody think differently?

brake rotors are ok (to me) but if you make a plate in the bottom they work way better. also if you can rig up a table and place the rotor like a fire pot it works better.

it seems that case hardening is very useful and but as all i have is 5160 and coil springs i wont be needing it soon! thank mechanics and nice repair shop owners and friends who are friends with the nice repair shop owners!

i have a 187 fisher norris anvil (it says 180 but it is closer to 190 so i call it that). i got it for $150 from a friend who got it from a guy who said it was worth $250. i am just interested in its actuall value. it has a very clean horn and slightly chipped edges on one side and almost pristine on the other. i will try to post pics of it.

well i tried making a seax yesterday. i finally got my coal to the temp i wanted. (i could explain my trick but seing as i am the newer one i won't) i melted, not burned melted the tang off. it was pretty cool i will try to find the melty puddle in my fire when it is finally cool. so note to self 2min in my fire is too long. but i did get a decent kitchen knife made that day. so i will try again to morrow or sunday. thanks for the explaination on hammons.

yeah that is the conclusion i came to. oh well even a weak hammon is better that none. :D

i got a complete champion forge with original blower for....FREE! but that was dumb luck. although i hope the anvil is nice. How is the rebound and horn?

Mr. powers i do not have the facilities or skills to plate a gear or sell it no less! i am just posting my thoughts and wanted to know the advatages of case hardening. true it is cheap but the idea of leaving flexibilty intact did no occur to me and the cost of a disposable tool did not either. but i guess if it works it works. but as the case is a few thousandths of an in thick would'nt it abrade away over time in the long term? but i am not saying case hardeing is bad i just would like to know what the advantages are and why people like it. as thomaspowers said (well at least the meaning) cheap beats expensive for short term tools.

wow this thread is awesome! good thing i don't need to do this as i don't have welding gear. did you mill in a hardy hole? that would be useful but not needed (i think).

i have not tried that as i am came to the same conclusion. but i am in the process of getting the cash for a decent work shop, if my parents let me! although if anyone knows about making hammons on 5160 the advice would be well apreceated!