BIGGUNDOCTOR

Square threads are not that hard to make, and I usually see buttress threads in two applications; quick acting vises, and toothpaste tube caps. For this application, square, buttress, or acme threads would work fine.

The big thing is keeping your eyes open, and asking around. A friend located Dad's big Fisher in the CA foothills for us. My big Sodefors came from a machine shop auction, the small no name was a school shop sale, my HB, and JHM were Craigslist finds within a month of each other, and I still need to ask about the one that has been sitting on the ground outside of a nearby shop where I live. I spotted a 390# Trenton across a field while attending a yard sale-not for sale, and he uses it for a decoration. I am going to work on him some about that They are out there, but in the mean time get to scrounging up a good hunk of scrap steel, and MAKE one so you can get working :D

This is just a W.A.G. on my part. but I am thinking it may have been part of a power hammer, or used in the making of chain, hence the tail.

Phos-copper/copper-phos = phosphorous copper solder is used for refrigeration lines, and has a copper color which would work good for your application.

The problem is not the thread shape, but the lead. It is hard to even call it a thread as it is actually a multiple lead helix. As a thread the pitch would be .166 thread per inch = 6" travel in 1 rotation. My Dad's old Monarch lathe will only get as low as 1.5 threads per inch. It is more of a helical milling operation to make a fly press screw.

You're still going to the auction-----right?

He may not accept it now, but if no one else offers anything you may still get it for what you offered.

Hey now, just because you don't have power tools doesn't mean you can't make them pretty. That is when you learn how to use files, stones, and sandpaper Nice blades. I like the shape of kitchen knife.

Dad made one from the scrap pile at the community college. It has a 24" diameter 2" thick plate for the base, and a piece of 8" pipe topped with a 3/4" plate to fit the vise mount. The pipe can be filled if more weight is needed. As it is it probably weighs 300#+.

Frosty,yes, I know about BeCu hazards. Actually it should be called CuBe as the copper is the major element in the alloy. I talked with a rep of one of our suppliers of that material who said that the actual percentage of Be is max 2%. Enough to allow hardening, but not enough to be really worried about. He dropped off some MSDS info on it, so I have some reading to do later this week. I would like to make a BeCu knife, not for everyday use, but just to see how it turns out. From looking at other MSDS sheets it appears that standard metalworking safety is needed, as the lead,cobalt,copper,and other elements in the alloy are also somewhat hazardous to breath. I have also contacted them specifically in regards to hot forging the alloy we use in the shop. Safety first.

Welcome MG-42. Hmmm starting to feel like I am on my gun forums lately with some of the new names There is some good info here on building a belt sander/grinder. There are a couple of guys down your way, and I am sure they will chime in soon enough.

Well this past year has had quite a few items follow me home. Some were free, some were purchased. Most everything was found on Craigslist. Blacksmithing stuff from an estate sale; 170# HB($175), 2 forges(Buffalo, Champion), bucket of tongs($3 ea),bucket of hardies($3 ea), bucket of fullers/hammers ($5 ea), 1/4 barrel of coal, and some extras(dutch ovens, Hobart buffalo chopper,etc) $850 total. 125# JHM Journeyman anvil w/cams, single burner gas forge, folding anvil stand with spring vise, tool box of horseshoe blanks,tool box of hoof repair epoxy, and a tool box of farrier tools for $250. Anyone need hoof stuff? Stuff given to me when the shop I work for relocated; 2 110V refrigerated air driers.Speed Air/Hakinson Habegger cam shaper w/stack of blanks which get really hard with heat treating. Sixis 101 milling machine. Small automatic bead blaster with dust collector. Stock rack made of 3" channel. Pile of aluminum 3" channel, 3" angle iron, flat bar, pipe,plate, stainless sheet/plate, and a bunch of misc.material. Couple of workbenches. 40+ 55 gallon drums. piles of air hoses with disconnects. A pallet of 3 phase S/O cords - paid $100 Misc shop stuff, pumps, tanks,tools,and MUCH more. Woodworking stuff; 18"-20" DeWalt radial arm saw w/new 18" blade $250. 24" Powermatic planer 37" Sandmax dual head oscillating wide belt sander $1200 w/planer tossed in. I will end up selling the sander, as I only wanted the planer. Kitchen equipment (because it is industrial ARR ARR ARRR more power!) 14" Hobart buffalo chopper with SS rolling cart, and meat grinder attachment $100 A-120 12qt Hobart mixer $295 Hobart VS12 shredder attachment with 2 meat grinders, power unit, and overdrive speed attachment for $350. Barely used Kenmore Elite 30" dual convection oven $100 Material handling; Champ 8,000# cap all terrain forklift with 25'-30' reach for $3,500. I have a 5K Toyota diesel hard tire lift (another CL find from a couple of years ago) for sale now. Short mast with 79" lift made for container, semi trailer loading. My ground just isn't packed enough to run it out here. Misc CL finds since I moved here; 5 Job Boxes of various larger sizes $50-$150 ea. Leatherworking supplies, and tools. Jet 20" 2HP disc sander w/reverse. 2-28" semi trailers for storage $750 ea. Cress 23 series kiln $100 Material; 451# of assorted carbide round stock purchased from work. We grind our form drills from solid carbide. They still make great tools for a shop. This is for sale by the pound. Diameters run from 3/32"-1/2" and up to 1.5" long. Eventually they just get too short for the company to use. There are also some carbide slitting saws in the mix. Brass, copper, Beryllium copper,aluminum and stainless bar ends purchased from work .0625'-1.00" diameters, and average 7" long. Scrounged some 1" angle from a company that tosses the steel skids. Well that is a fairly complete list of what has followed me home lately :P

Hey Clinton, if the press is complete you could probably get a good price for it up around the Napa, Sonoma, Healdsburg area. I have seen some fixed up for displays. Either that, or use it for squeezing some grapes, apples, etc..I have seen ads by people looking for a press to use from time to time.

I have my Dad's 260# Fisher, and it is a great anvil. Quieter than my other anvils. Njanvilman runs the Fisher-Norris museum, and can give you some history on this brand. Also search Fisher in the anvil forum, you will get a bunch of posts. As for price. Dad paid $250 for his, and I have paid right around $1 a pound for all of mine. Having said that, it is worth what YOU are willing to pay. If you can afford $2-$3-$4 a pound, and you want it, then get it. If you are happy with the purchase, than it really doesn't matter how much it costs. It is a good quality anvil, and it will outlast you if you take care of it.

One year my Dad checked into the vent system for their house, and discovered that it had been directed under the house to the foundation We spent a good bit of time crawling around down there to remove the very flammable lint mountain that had been formed over the years. My dryer vents into a canister in the laundry room that is easily removed, and cleaned out.

At the Exploratorium in San Francisco they had one exhibit that used mercury. The display had a tub that was about 24" IIRC that was filled with mercury. The tub had a motor to spin it, and as you turned up the rheostat it slung the mercury out by centrifugal force. What that did was change the shape of the mirrored surface of the mercury, and the image of you as you looked into it. Must have been at least 100# in that display. You can check the spot metal prices for value. It is usually listed for a 76# flask. I have a few pounds that I have salvaged out of switches, etc over the years.

You can try it, but I would probably just reshape what is left.

Yep, what Bob said. Purge both sides of thin stainless, or thicker joints with a deep weld prep. It can be as simple as taping something to the back side that will contain the argon, and hold a tube from the bottle. I did a lot of thin stainless at the Jelly Belly Candy Co., and sometimes it was function over fashion when a packaging line was down = weld it, polish the goobers off, and put it back on ASAP. On a fryer the concern about sterility isn't too high due to the temperatures, but in cooler, or liquid systems they need to be porosity free, so that bacteria cannot get a place to grow. The only way to be sure of that is purging the backside too. Check your local community college courses out.

If it was me I would just pop a piece of good steel into the mill, or shaper, and knock one out B)

I understand that the pump pressure can be varied, but that usually changes the flow rates too, unless all you are doing is adjusting the pop off valve. Some pumps vary the pressure/volume by varying the stroke of the pump. Either way, some math will tell you exactly what you will get out of it with different cylinders in terms of speed, and tonnage.

Yep, what Phil said. The caution is for the initial cutting of the tank.

I stand corrected, hey it had been awhile since I heard the story. Loki helped recover Thor's hammer from Thrym king of the giants.

You need to do some math to figure out what size cylinder you need for your intended purpose. The flow that you mentioned is at what pressure? Usually the higher the pressure the lower the flow. Figure out what pressure/flow that you want to run at, then size the cylinder by figuring out the CID of the cylinder. A 4" diameter cylinder will move slower than a 1" diameter cylinder due to the larger displacement. On the other hand the 4" cylinder will deliver more pressure than the 1" one will at the same input pressure due to the larger surface area of the piston. It all gets down to surface area, and displacement in order to figure out what speed you can run at.

At the last Ren Faire I went to there was a traveling smith. He did something different with his demos. His wife would tell a story that related to smithing while he was making items in the shop behind her. He made 4 of the same item, and it was timed so that he finished when the story ended. He used a Freightliner FL70 with a castle built on the back as his living quarters/shop/stage. Hay bales were arranged for seating, and everyone got a free ticket as they sat down. When the story was over, 20 minutes, they held a drawing for the items that he had just made. The two shows I attended he made kilt pins, and unicorn shoes. The stories were entertaining, and had some ancient roots. One story was Loki having his hammer stolen, and how he got it back from the giants.

You don't have to repost, just search anvil repairs in the forums, and you will find lots of info. To me it looks good enough to use. It doesn't have to be pretty, just use it. Most of my anvils have some dinging,chipping, etc, and it doesn't affect the usefulness of them at all. Here is what you do. Get anvil. Heat steel yellow hot. Place hot steel on anvil. Hit hot metal till it is a different shape. Have fun :D