keithh999

anyone know what steel they make the rigid threading dies for bolts out of??? im guessing its some pretty good steel cuz they seem to last fer-ever..

well since you mentioned it Bob i think ill have to make one of those tool posts...ive got to make a new angle plate for the milling attachment i just bought locally for $75....i have to bridgeport milling machines at work so that shouldnt be a problem. and then ill be able to use any or all of the oversized tooling we have at the shop. guess ill have to put a pic or two under "it followed me home" LOL

I have a couple questions on lathe tooling....is it more economical (long term) to purchase carbide insert style bits or try and stick with HSS tooling that can be ground inhouse?? My 9" southbend rocker holder has a 1/4-5/16" capacity for tooling...can this be upgraded to a larger size holder (since i have tons of larger sized tooling..up to 1/2") If the consensus is to stick with HSS tooling what kind of grinder stone should i get and where and at what RPM should they be ground at??? If the consensus goes to carbide tooling what should i get?...MSC has thousands of numbers that mean about zero to me and have no way of deciphering the gobbledygook in the catalog and i dont really know any machinists to ask...as i stated above i am limited to 5/16" tooling and trying to figure out the carbides and holders is making me gaga...LOL any help with these questions would be greatly appreciated!!!! thanks in advance guys

a more economical way would be to find a piece of pipe small enuf that you could create the eye by doubling it up and then smacking the pipe...crimping the eye ....or a second way would be an eye splice and then melt flux coated brazing rods on the spliced ends....should be able to do either with what you have available

i did have to swap the threaded head out from an OPD style to a spare forklift type head but so far its been working fine...i try to swap a full bottle for a half empty one from the forklifts so my gas pocket issue isnt an issue

ordinarily i would say that you cant adapt a forklift tank to use for a forge or any other propane appliance but i have figured out the method (shhhhhh dont want OSHA to hear this!!!!) the outlet supplies liquid propane thru a draw tube that is bent down at the bottom...simply turn the bottle so the mounting hole is directly up and lift the base of the tank about 3-4 inches so its tilted down towards the head...attach your fitting and lite it up....now the gas pocket is at the draw tube and usable...this is the method i heat my shop at work since we have propane powered forklifts and its cheaper for us to get those bottles filled than standard propane bottles. dont use too much pressure for the first hour or so because the regulator will freeze up due to to small gas pocket....the larger the gas pocket at top the better.

course it would be nice to be able to find the accessories for the shop lathe so it becomes more than just a big heavy red paperweight that goes round n round..

heres the 1939 southbend 415C i got for free from craigs list.....before i did a complete teardown and refurbish and paint job....and afterwards.....its sure purty:D

heres 2 of my 3 hoods....all are set up for attaching to a hardhat...i dont need to worry about the hardhat stuff anymore but old habits are hard to break. the 2nd pic is my toolbox that goes to every job and is loaded with everything i might need to build just about anything

these are 2 of my 4 welders...the 110v mig gun i keep in my camper for emergency repairs.....and i have an old lincoln 225 ac buzzbox in storage

so basically this lathe cant do anything without a ton of accessories that probably dont exist anymore...LOL thats just the way my bosses buy things for some odd reason

actually the one we have isnt quite that old and it doesnt have change gears or even any way to thread. (pics attached)

anyone have any ideas as to what steel forklift forks are made of....im guessing its better than 1045 due to its toughness and springiness....would love to know as i have some spare ones sitting at the shop just begging me to do something with them:)

started out in submarines in the US Navy way back in 80-84...graduated to commercial electromechanical technician in south dakota and started smithing and rendezvousing out there...went to welding school in 92 and since then have been playing with heavy iron as an ironworker/welder/supervisor/jack of all trades....now am just banging iron and working at a fab shop in Richmond....smithing doesnt quite pay the bills yet but am working in that direction as fast as i can afford..LOL

anyone know anything at all about a Hardinge 9X36 Model S lathe??? its obviously quite old as the nameplate added by the US Navy says it was at naval torpedo station number 143...so im guessing WWII era or before?? any info would be appreciated...thanks in advance

Peyton...Ill be bringing a guest to this months meeting in addition to my other hooligans:). hes a newbie but interested in the hardening/tempering aspect of smithing since hes a gunsmith....just thought you should know to add to the attendees. thanks Keith