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I Forge Iron

Steeler

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Posts posted by Steeler

  1. What other uses have you found?


    Application of apple cider vinegar for burns is an old folk remedy. When my son was three years old he pulled a pot of boiling hot sweet and sour sauce off the stove and it splashed onto his bare shoulder and ran down his bare back. My wife immediately grabbed the gallon jug of said vinegar out of the cupboard and poured it out on the affected area. The skin was cooled so quickly that there was no skin damage whatsoever. The kitchen floor was a sight to behold but that was of very minor cosequence. We have used it to sooth sunburn as well. Ever burn yourself at the forge?


  2. You can use copper patina on tin/lead solder.
    Like this. http://www.amazon.com/Super-Brite-Copper-Patina-Solder/dp/B000N64PDE
    I've used it on stained glass work. It leaves a thin copper plating on the solder.




    I have seen this on stained glass work that my mother-in-law did and the results were impressive.
  3. Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I delivered the bell this afternoon and received an enthusiastic response complete with an enormous smile. The bell got hung on a hook on the porch and tested and tested and tested some more. I made it out of common hot rolled mild steel. It turned out to have a good clear ring and Frosty, I think mostly by accident. I did quench the corners after bending each one, but only with the thought that I could then hand hold the piece while finishing up. It's a good day for me when I learn something new and I thank everyone that contributes to these forums.

  4. I have a long time friend that supplies me with good pieces of steel now and then and I reciprocate when I can with labour or building materials that I have on hand. We don't keep a tally of who gave what or anything like that. He's a horse ranch kind of man and I think he's going to like this. (The six feet of half inch round that this project took came from him).

    post-9588-024097900 1275063777_thumb.jpg

  5. I can relate to your aproach. I started beating stuff out of any steel that came easily to hand and it was fun and satisfying. Some things were too soft for my intended purpose, some too brittle and some shattered in the slack tub. These lesons are burned into my memory, so much good came from my rooky antics. Now I sort my scroungings
    into mild steel, higher carbon or spring steel. My results are more predictable now, but I just know that many more lessons are waiting for me. I have also learned to respect the wisdom and experience of the smiths that have been at it for long time. I appreciate the encouragement and advice of those in these forums greatly. Thanks for sharing so freely with us beginners.
    Keep on forging!

  6. Thanks for posting Bryan. Looks like you and Frosty had a good weekend. Nice roomy shop Frosty and great tooling.
    Here in central BC it's just getting warm enough to work outside where my forge and anvil are and where they have to stay for the time being.
    I'm a relative beginner and by day's end my thoughts turn to power hammers and presses. All in it's own time I guess. Oww my arm!

  7. I've been able to turn tapers on my ancient flat belt drive lathe by offsetting the tailstock and using a faceplate and lathe dog to drive the workpiece.
    For cones with a sharper angle, I have turned the cross slide with the tool post at an angle to the workpiece held in the lathe chuck..Hope this helps. :)

  8. Outstanding design and execution David! Thanks for sharing. The photos really stir my imagination and expand the limits of my preconceived ideas of possibilities in metal. Also, I can see that I will need a layout/assembly table like the one in your photos. Thanks again!


  9. Does anyone have suggestions on books teaching about drafting for ornamental ironwork?

    I am mostly interested in the complex design's that involve pieces that seem to be using pieces that must be calculated or geometrically constructed in some way or perfectly drawn with trial and error



    I know there must be some methods to the process.

    I am likely missing them

    I have managed to copy the work of some of the drawings but it is very very time consuming and I just just cant reproduce it like I should be able to with most things

    Not that I would like to copy the work of others in metal but to understand how and why may eventually help me



    Bryce, thanks for asking this question! As a relative beginner, the answers that address your question directly are very helpful for me. I don't intend to copy other people's work, but I may study it if I see elements that appeal to me. I find that I need a starting point for my design and the formulas for spirals and involutes adds to my options. I won't leave it there though. I can't seem to ever let things alone. I will change and modify the plan until I am happy with it and only then go to the forge.

  10. There are tools designed specifically to extract broken taps. This site has one example:

    http://www.waltontools.com/products/extractr.htm

    Seems to me... using the proper tool would be much safer.

    Thanks Dave. I didn't know that such a thing existed. I've been able to remove them so far by fiddling, picking and proding for long periods of time. I think with careful use of a broken tap extractor, a lot of lost time and frustration can be avoided.
    It's a good day when I learn something new. Steeler. :)
  11. Hey Jake, Thanks for the tips and photos about punching. It makes perfect sense to me and now I gotta try it out. I am a learner and punched my first hole yesterday instead of taking it to the drill press. That may not seem significant to those of you with lots of experience, but this 60 year old felt like a kid again with a new toy .
    Thirsty for knowledge,Steeler. :)

  12. Pellethuntr, charcoal has been used for forging iron for centuries. I have been using soft wood charcoal that I have gathered or made myself and I can get welding temperature with it. Your results may be different according to your forge and air supply. Some brands of BBQ charcoal work well and maybe somebody that uses the product can give the specifics.
    I started the first fire in my home made forge in a ceremonious fashion. I started with an invocation to the spirits of fire and the patron saint of blacksmiths. Then I struck sparks with my home made steel striker on a piece of chert to get my charcloth and tinder lit. I progressed to a small wood fire and then pushed the charcoal up agaist and around it to get it going. This may be more info than you need, but it was so much fun, I just had to tell it.
    The way I look at it, my charcoal comes from my own labour, and small bits of wood to start the fire are plentiful everywhere, so being the independent and thrifty kind of person that I am, this is how I do it and my cash outlay for charcoal and starter is zip.
    Resourcefullness is an admirable quality.
    Steeler.

  13. I live in the Cariboo Region of BC and have so far had no success in finding a reasonable source of blacksmithing coal here. Home Hardware can order in coal from Ontario that originates in West Virginia, but the shipping is $25 per 50lb bag! I have watched several long BC coal trains headed overseas (and hoped for a lengthy stop on a siding or a spill) but no dice. The feed and ranch supply stores here don't have a clue. If anyone reading this can help steer me in the right direction I would be very appreciative. Steeler.

  14. I would like some ideas about how to make the best use of these two massive iron lumps.
    The 11.25” diameter round slug is flame cut out of 2.75” thick steel plate of unknown type.
    The rectangular piece is 4” X 8” X 48”. It is made up of 5/8” steel plate filled with cast iron. I can just barely lift one end of it. I have been toying with the idea of making a hardy hole in the slug to keep my anvil clear. What would you do? All suggestions would be appreciated. Serious, humorous, whacky or weird are OK. Steeler

    post-9588-12660356718362_thumb.jpg

    post-9588-1266035787726_thumb.jpg

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