Frosty

Welcome aboard Hibernicus.

You bring interesting questions, thank you.

Matt87. Pictures please.

Frosty

About the safest method I've seen was making the chuck key the drill presses starter key. The key was hung on a chain and there was a clear plastic cover over the ON button with a hole just large enough for the key handle. It took a deliberate act to turn the press on with the key in the chuck which was grounds for immediate dismissal.

The off button was uncovered and easy to hit for obvious safety reasons.

Frosty

Ya I want to be President, just trying to win over the blacksmith delegates.

Take it from me, you can be president even if you don't particularly want to be.

All I had to do was not say NO loudly nor quickly enough and the guys made me the club's coordinator. Coordinator is about as close to a president as AK smiths were willing to have.

Heck, last meeting I excused myself to hit the can and I think I got reelected!

Be careful what you wish for you might get it.

Frosty

A hibachi works as will a cast iron fry pan or shallow pot.

A large cast iron plumbing cap though you're unlikely to find one large enough to make a satisfying fire pot. Maybe they make caps for cast iron sewer pipe that'd work.

There are steel weld caps that'd work.

That's about all I can think of off the top right now but anything that'll take the heat (depending on how long you need it for of course) should do it.

Frosty

I know a lot of guys who can do the work but not that many with a good patter. Doing a good interview isn't as easy as it may look. You can't buy publicity like that.

It won't be long and I'll be telling my envious friends I knew Dan back when. . .

Super job Dan.

Frosty

Two things come to mind.

First is to drill and broach rather than drift. A broach is a cutter that is driven through the hole. While broaching is usually found under machineshop operations it's a fine old blacksmith's technique and can even be done hot if you really want to.

Milling: Operations - Broaching

The other is to dig a ground forge and attempt to heat and drift. I'd bring lunch though.

Frosty

Anywhere but in the chuck where it can get flung in your face when the drill is turned on.

Preferably in the same place every time so it's easier to find. Generally I hang mine in one of the unused holes or slots in the drill table or on the head of the lathe right next to the drill press. I also have a magnet stuck to the wall of the Connex behind the drill press but it's inconvenient. My pocket works too.

Once the new shop is in operation I'll hang the lazy susan with the key holder.

Frosty

Depends on what I'm doing.

If it's layout, general fab, machine shop stuff, etc. the more light the better up to direct sunlight levels.

If I'm smithing I like it dimmer but not dark. Over the years I've gotten pretty good at judging heats in whatever light I had. As I get older I need more light to see so I'm forging in bright and brighter light.

If judging temps is critical I either turn the lights down or use a shadow box.

My shop'll have a combination of flourescents for general lighting and halogen worklights.

Something else you can't have too many of in a shop are outlets, 110v and 220v or whatever your nation uses.

Frosty

Good morning Frederico:

If your dimensions are really in mm then you won't need more than a butane soldering torch for general forging and a MAPP gas torch will get it to welding heat. Bernzomatic is the American brand name I'd recommend. They can be used with MAPP gas as well.

Bernzomatic Torch

If however you meant cm instead then a 3/4" sidearm burner is about twice as much burner as you'll need to reach welding heat. This is a good safe number if not as efficient as it could be, being a lot of overkill.

However, I find using an oversized burner a serious time saver, especially heating thick or numerous pieces.

I don't know if there are plans for a 1/2" sideam burner which is closer to the right size for a forge (assuming cm measurements) as you describe. Modifying the design isn't too difficult though it'll take some experimentation to get it tuned properly.

Frosty

I had someone who needed a laptop connected to a projector today, tell me; "I need something connected to something." ?????????????? HEL-LO! could you be more specific!

Reminds me of the engineers I used to work with. They'd ask me to build something and when I started taking measurements and making drawings would ask if I, "couldn't just get some steel and weld it together."

Bridge engineers at that!

Negative space indeed. They were best represented by the gaping hole they left in reality any time they stepped away from their desks.

Frosty

I'd add something but I like my mother in law.

So, I guess much to my dismay I'll actually contribute to the thread in an on topic manner. The following URL is to a friend's site, specifically his Palm Desert sculpture. Heath is getting better and better all the time. check out some of his Denver Zoo sculptures, not negative space but cool.

Heath Satow Sculpture

Frosty

The rule of thumb for how much to have sticking out to make the head is 1 1/2 the diameter. For instance a 1/4" rivet needs 3/8" sticking out for the head.

Frosty

I believe it's because your mid-nineteenth century blacksmith could sound it out and spell it reasonably well.

Frosty

If you can't find 10" you can put two pieces of 5" together.

Frosty

Gday Ratel10mm,


Regards
Rusty_iron,
Brisbane, Oz.

Its hot in most parts of Oz in the summer, but thats what the beach is for

I thought that's what beer is for.

You Aussies are just full of surprises.

Frosty

Welcome aboard trattoclip.

Don't apologize, your english is far and away better than my italian.

I like your first attempts at wrought iron. Outstanding for first attempts in fact. I especially like the little four limbed thingy.

What kinds of wood are you carving? How long do the plates take?

Frosty

It's to bad they didn't make a breech block for it. I'd love to see it in action.

There are pics and videos of live fires of similar cannon on the same site. I was wondering about the rate of fire till I saw the breech blocks in the pic gallery. I was pleasantly surprised to see they were breech loaders.

Frosty

The big secret is working the tong handles after you're peined the rivet to loosen the hinge.

The other secret is using a chisel to put a small keyway in the hole on the side that gets peined. This keeps the rivet from turning in both halves of the tongs and keeps everything nice and snug longer.

Frosty

I checked out griffen.eu and lo and behold there's this picture.

Picasa Webalbum - Griffen - Koggmuseet Ma... - DSC05210.JPG

Frosty

Frosty ... I have a copula book I scanned that you may find useful. It is an old book so I hope that this is not a copyright infringment.

It was such a large download I thought something was wrong but I have it saved. I haven't looked through it yet but you're probably safe on the copy right part, it's from 1939. I could be wrong of course but seeing as you and I aren't selling it. . .

Thanks.

Frosty

Interesting designs Ice Czar. Please keep us posted on your progress.

The fuel in the lower section is the charcoal that has fallen from the upper section.

The injector/ejector provides a vacuum that draws air for both the downdraft and updraft section.

Absolutely, CO is nothing to take lightly.

Frosty

I just retired with 30 years from the state highways maintenence section. Spent 10 years taking care of roads, before that I spent 19 years as an exploration driller for bridges, foundations and the like, geotech stuff. Sent some time in the soils lab before that.

Prior to the state I was a roustabout kid doing whatever.

I trained as a welder fabricator but ended up operating equipment and doing a lot of field repairs, especially as a driller.

September 12, 06 around 7:30 am. I forgot to heed one of Father's favorite sayings and fell off a tilt deck trailer at work shattering my left arm. Two weeks ago last tuesday I had my 4th surgery on it to encourage a non-union fracture to go union.

Once I get my arm straightened out (literally right now) I intend to supplement my retirement by operating someone elses equipment while I build my shop up. Eventually I'd like to have a small wrought iron shop with an attitude. Friendly attitude but not hungry enough to let folk take advantage as so often happens.

Pam:

Hope workers comp is treating you as well as they're treating me. Best of luck.

Frosty

Not yet, I'll build a cupola if I decide to go ahead on this scheme. One of our local club members is hosting an iron pour this June so I'll get some hands on experience with theirs. I already have my alumanized fire suit.

I should've been more specific, I won't be using LOX, it'll pass through a gassifier on it's way to the air belt. Lox, gassifiers, manifolds, etc. are all available at the local welding supplier.

I was talking about the idea with Mike Porter a while ago and he gave me a few names of people who have used oxy enrichment in melters. There's a point of diminishing returns as high levels of oxy will decarburize the iron and my goal isn't pure iron or even mild steel.

My goal is a proper base and anvil base for a home made power hammer. Casting one is only one option I'm keeping open. I'd much rather find some solid steel the right size or even a forklift counter weight instead.

Still, the thought of playing with a ton or more of melted iron is tempting in the extreme just because.

Frosty

There are industrial oxy generators designed for shop use. A friend of mine has one for supplying his torches. It doesn't supply high psi, over about 80-90psi and it's only around 90-95% pure. It does however give him a virtually unlimited supply of torch grade oxy for the price of compressed air and a 110v electric connection.

I've used oxy off my torch to enrich fires before to good effect. As long as you're not trying for a high oxy atmosphere before you light the fire you're generally safe enough.

Whether it's cost effective or not depends a lot on your situation my buddy paid for his ($2,400 some 8-9 years ago) in about 8 mos over refilling bottles but he uses lots of oxy.

I've kicked around the idea of using lox to enrich a charcoal fired cupola melter for a large iron pour. Lox is available for reasonable a few miles from me and I'd be melting at least a metric ton of iron if I went through with my crazy scheme. The trick will be keeping the iron in the mold hot enough between taps so each pour welds solidly. If I can make the turn around time between taps short enough it becomes pretty simple to make it work.

Frosty

5160 leaf spring is a good choice as well. It's very forgiving and takes impact well.

H13 being probably one of the best but it's harder to work and expensive by comparison.

I wouldn't use mild but I wouldn't go for expensive specialty alloys either.

For decent field expedients think; splitting maul, jack hammer bit, large hot chisel, etc. For salvaged material think, leaf spring, rail clips, coil spring, (more work) axel, (lots more work) and so on.

Frosty