BIGGUNDOCTOR

As for high frequency interference I know my TIG will make radios static, and a TIG will fry a computer / CNC if not shielded properly. A friend with a shop had a guy using some space who had a CNC. He asked him if it was shielded, and he said yes. When he fired up the TIG it crashed the CNC. I have no problem recommending a used welder, or an old welder for that matter. I have used new welders, and I prefer my old Linde for TIG. I feel I have better control of the HF start, and arc with the points type HF generator. It is a very smooooooooth welder. The best part is I have less than $600 into a 350 amp TIG welder. If possible, try out a few different welders, and see what YOU like best.

Try McMaster Carr for copper sheet. How thick is copper roof flashing? Copper sheet should,t be that hard to find. What is the application that this is for?

I used 3 annealing units at work that are induction heaters, and I worked at a foundry that had an induction furnace. Generally speaking big parts lower frequencies (HZ), smaller parts higher frequencies (up to MGHZ). Fitting the coils as close to the part increases the coupling between the part, and the magnetic fields generated which makes it more efficient. The coils themselves can be insulated , so you don't make contact, since the magnetic fields are not affected by the insulation. Lay a magnet in some grinding dust to see the magnetic fields. That is the zone that you want to stay in. It takes more power to project the fields out farther, so you can actually heat faster with less power, if your coil is closer to the part size. Coil spacing, diameter, etc. all play a part in coil efficiency. I went to an Ameritherm training session, and it was very informative about all phases of induction heating. At the foundry it was fun watching 25 kilos of white hot chrome cobalt (3,250 degrees) floating , and spinning in the crucible then drop when the power was cut.

I would pass unless it was inexpensive - like less than a buck a pound, as it will need some work, and in my opinion they are not very useful for blacksmithing due to not having a horn. In other words, you may have a hard time reselling it. An anvil of that type can be fabbed up at scrap prices with scrap steel plate.

Frosty, it is a London pattern (standard looking anvil). I will look closer for a name. There is a shield/crest next to Soderfors (thanks, couldn't make out the whole name). Under the weight, and date is a large stamped number 4. Being aways from anvils, and other blacksmithing equipment sounds like a good excuse for a road trip to me I seem to be finding them fairly often lately. I missed a 25# for $30 on Craigslist the other day, and there is one near my house that I have seen sitting outside for the past 4 years that I want to go ask about. My H-B , and the JHM were within a month of each other. The 25# is pretty small, but I just dug out a small bench top? forge that I forgot I had, and thought it would go nice with that. Speaking of things I forgot I had, I also dug out a couple more forge blowers. I need to get all of this stuff in one area, so I can figure out what I want to keep, and what can go to someone else.

Look for a new or used copy of the Machinery Handbook IE; the machinist's Bible. It covers everything you will want to know. In general you want the steel chips to remain silver, and not change color with your setup. Aluminum works good with kerosene. Do Not use 1,1,1, Trichlor products on aluminum! I have seen guys "weld" a 1/2" tap into aluminum after using this stuff. It reacted with the chips, formed a purple smoke, and fused the two together - aboutthatfast. 1,1,1, works fantastic on steel items, as do some brake/carb cleaners. Use in a well ventilated area. The trick with drilling brass is to put a small flat on the cutting edge. That way the drill bit scrapes the brass, and won't grab and pull itself into the part. With any drilling let the bit do the work. Put just enough pressure on it to keep a chip formed. With stainless you do not want to rub the surface, or use a dull bit. SS workhardens extremely fast, and you won't be able to drill it if it does, unless you get a carbide drill, or possibly by reshaping the bit angle.

I have used a MAPP gas torch at work for some small O1 parts. You do not have to get the entire knife hot as the tang can stay soft. You can use a small toaster oven for the tempering. You may want to put some brazing flux on the blade to keep it from oxidizing too bad. Do not grind to size, as when you polish after heat treating you will be removing more material.

Excellent shape w/clean edges, found on Craigslist.org. A20753, 1920, $175, 170# a guess as the middle number is missing, and I do not have a scale handy. The other anvil the seller was keeping looked to be a match, and it is marked 170. Haven't used it yet. I still have the anvil Dad , and I started on , a 260# Fisher Eagle dated 1907 which a friend located for him. Also have a 1928 306# Swedish Soder****? (machine shop auction), 1997 JHM Journeyman Farrier's model w/turning cams (Craigslist), and another anvil (school district auction) no name found yet, just 15 cast onto the front base,150#? Somewhat triangular when viewed from the side with a short stocky horn. I believe Dad got the Fisher for $250-$260, the unknown was $50, Swedish was $200-$250 IIRC, and the JHM came as a package with a single burner forge, folding stand with spring vise, shoe material, tongs, hammers, etc for $250.

Since you just got done using some other 7018, I would say it is the welder that is the problem. 7018 runs best in DC/reverse polarity. Check ALL of your connections, for corrosion, looseness, check the ground connections, check for bad leads, etc.... Sounds like you have an intermittent connection going on somewhere.

Graingers sells Dayton brand equipment, they have outlets all across the U.S. It is single phase, since it is 110V-220V Remove the plug, and you may find that only 3 of the plug pins may have a wire connected to them, seen this before IE; 3 phase plugs used on single phase circuits. Have also seen 3 phase SO cords used on single phase machines with one wire clipped off at each end. Most folks just use a dryer plug, and outlet. I have used a bit of "old rod". If it isn't too bad it can be dried out, or I have even just upped the amps a little to warm the rod as I welded. The last 4 inches usually gets red by the end of a longer bead, so you just toss that. Not for great welds, but OK in a pinch, or tacking items. I would look for an AC/DC welder myself since they have more capabilities.

I think the point there is learn more than just machining. I have worked in varied industries, and my skill base includes welding, machining, casting, plumbing, concrete, electrical, and a few more. This has enabled me to be employed ,where as if all I knew was machining there would have been some dry spells.

My Dad was a master machinist who started just before WWII, and retired for the second time (Air force first in 1967) after 20 years of civil service in 1987. During WWII my Mom was running a Cincincinati Hydrotel at the converted Graham Paige plant in Detroit making master rods for aircraft engines. I guess you could say it was in my blood to do machining. As it turned out I started machining in 85 after a couple of years taking the machine tool program at my local JC. Worked at a couple of shops before starting my own job shop. That lasted 6 years, before we had to close due to circumstances that were out of our control. Since then I have worked in a foundry, hydraulics shop, candy factory, for a machine gun dealer, and now another machine shop as the tool maker. The shop I started tool making for was the largest Deco Swiss turning facility in N.America with 60+ machines. I say was because it went bankrupt this year. Sales of our biggest account were 30% of what they were last year, with much of the production going overseas. The parts the shop made are on the Space Shuttle, and International Space Station,as well as medical applications, electrical, fiber optic, etc.. It reorganized, downsized, and relocated, but I still have a job. Not much call for machinists in this area of the country, and lower wages than some areas. Some shops are offering $15 per hr for a fully qualified journeyman machinist. I was making $24+ spinning wrenches at the candy company. A huge part of our manufacturing base has moved off shore where the cheap labor is. The injection mold shop a friend worked at closed due to foreign competition after 25 years in business. Some shops do not even have operators now, just a programmer. Robotics handle the pick and place of the parts---so learn programming. There will always be a need for the pure machinist, but in a greatly reduced capacity. Kind of like how CAD put a lot of old school draftsmen on the streets. I went to tons of machine shop auctions when I was in N.CA, and a lot of the old machines being sold were headed to Mexico, and other countries. There were months where there were 8 auctions in one month for just one auction company. As stated before, CNC machines do speed up the production of many parts due to their flexibility. No rotary tables to set up, no dividing heads to calculate ratios on, just type and go. With the ease of programming compared to the older CNC's the old manual machines are being pushed aside in a lot of shops in favor of newer CNC's. Don't count on any one industry, as any of them could fold in today's economy / world market. Look at the auto makers, and the trickle down when they stumble. Same thing happened in Silicon Valley. A shop would get tied in tight with a computer manufacturer, and everything was great. That is until the computer company faltered, and they would take a number of shops down with them. The San Jose phone book machine shop listings look like residential listings there are so many. I have walked past 6 shops to get to the one that was being auctioned off. All I am saying is machining can be a very rewarding profession, especially if you have a creative mind-which most of us do-but the role of the pure machinist is changing. One field to look into might be tool and die making. A number of years ago it was reported then that the average age of a tool and die maker in the U.S. was 55.

I have heard recently that copper is better for applications such as water pipes due to the fact that it kills microbes naturally. What about all of the copper used for water lines ,cooking pots, stock pots, etc.? The candy company I worked at had large copper vats that were used in the kitchen. Coors beer has the largest copper kettles in the industry, and many distilleries use copper stills. You would think if copper was bad that the FDA would be shutting places down that use it. As for the goblet, you can have it plated. They can even do a selective plating for you.

I stopped using Ebay when they got all wigged out about certain gun parts. Nothing illegal, just certain "evil" parts, mostly anything machine gun related. Guys were having ads for tripods removed, just because it was for an MG. A website I use was asked by PayPal to give them a list off all of their customers who used their service to buy gun parts. Gary told them to go F themselves. Nothing illegal was sold, they were legal parts sets (chopped up MGs) with the BATF's stamp of approval. Ebay owns PayPal, so I don't use them either. Ebay has also caused a lot of affordable items / tools to be elevated to "collector status" $$$$$. I still find tongs for $5 at car swap meets, and garage sales. I won't pay $20 for "antique collector tongs". Etsy would be a good start, and do not overlook Craigslist.org which gets more visits than Ebay. It is also localized, so if you only want to deal without shipping that may work for you. What I would do first is make sure I have unique items to sell, that are made with quality. Quality items will sell themselves. Find a niche, and fill it.

I just bought one of a pair of 170# HBs a guy had here for $175. It is in really nice shape , and made in 1920. We had guessed the weight at 175 because the weight wasn't readable, and settled on a price of $1 a pound. I later looked at the other anvil on another trip during the day, and it was marked 170. Seems every region has different pricing, look at the long thread concerning prices of anvils here on the forums. I would hash a price out before driving 4 hours, as time and fuel are not cheap now. Either that or plan on doing something else while you are that way in case you don't gt it.

Run it DC reverse. For vertical welds you go UP with 7018, not down. I love 7018 due to how smooth it runs. When doing a vert weld stay on the sides, and fast through the middle, and keep the arc length short. In other words, strike the arc and hold it on one side till you see the metal flow out, then move to the other side and repeat. Each side to side you move up a little. The flux is nonconductive, so let the flux touch the sides of the vee, and keep the arc length short. The main thing is don't rush it, don't move till you see the metal flow to the side that you are holding on. When you are done the slag should practically fall off on its own. You'll know if the rod is burning right by looking at the tip when you finish a bead. The tip should form a cup that is flush with the rod end.

If the sink is in good condition, sell it on Craigslist.org and use the money to get a different forge body. Brake drums/rotors are usually free and offer a shallower bowl with attachment points,and holes in them already. The sink could also be handy to have outside for a slack tub, washing up before heading in , etc. In my opinion most sinks are far too deep, and the enamel will cause problems. Do not grind it off, as that will take forever, and the dust is nasty stuff-it is basically glass fused onto the surface of the sink. Look around there are tons of free better forges around, you just have to open your eyes. Freon tanks, BBQ's, brake drums/rotors, satellite dishes, etc.. Do a search here for home made forges, and look at what others have cobbled together.

This is what we did at camp for wasps. Get a pot and fill it with soapy water, make a tripod and hang a piece of raw bacon over the water , have the end about 1/4" off of the water's surface. Wallah --your are done. Check on it later and you will have a pot full of wasps. We used to have the pots out because we would catch so many. The wasps eat the meat, and get all greasy. When they fall into the soapy water the low surface tension doesn't allow them to float, and they drown.

This may work better for you. Drill a series of holes where the edges are touching each other, or very close to each other to remove the bulk of the material, then punch it. You can also chisel out the slot.

To help in finishing work on your hammer technique. The less dings you put in the blade the less that you have to clean up later. A flatter will help give a better surface also. The Harbor Freight grinders are OK, but don't expect a lot from them. They are what they are. I have picked up good quality grinders at flea markets, automotive swap meets, auctions, and garage sales. Check your local Craigslist under tools. In the last month I have bought numerous blacksmithing tools including anvils, tongs, forges, hardies, fullers, etc... With the down turn in the economy there are a lot of used tools for sale. Might also check the local pawn shops.

Looks like the addiction is taking hold Always get the best tools that you can afford. Good tools make work easier, and save a lot of frustration. Now you have the tools to make more tools, and the cycle begins.

Here is my suggestion. Over the many years I have haggled ,and wheeled and dealed some pretty good buys, First tell them that you are an aspiring blacksmith, and that you are on a budget. Politely ask them what their bottom dollar would be on it (they did say OBO correct?) If they come back with $225 go look at it again really good running your hands over it checking for cracks,dings, bad stuff-you are making an important decision with your hard earned money, and for Pete's sake don't grin and look all giddy when you do! Then you can try saying that you had set a budget of $200 for an anvil, which they may accept seeing how you are an aspiring blacksmith, and not a dreaded collector of anvils, or if they have not had many people inquire about it. Whatever transpires have the cash with you. Do they have any other equipment that they could toss in, or make a package deal with? I recently purchased a 170# Hay Budden for $175 we had guessed 175# and $1 a pound. I went for the anvil, and ended up with an anvil, 2 forges with blowers (Buffalo/Champion), a couple barrels of coal , 20+ tongs, 20+hamers/fullers/etc, and a mess of hardies. By making a package deal I got great average prices of $3 hardies, $5 tongs. I also recently bought out a farrier and got a JHM Journeyman anvil, a gas forge, folding anvil stand with spring vise, and hand tools for $250 by making a package deal. It never hurts to ask for a lower price, all they can say is no. If it is out of your budget do not be afraid to walk away. But you are making an informed decision by coming here and asking. Good luck

Here is my suggestion. If someone wants to buy something, but only has a card they have a couple of options. Find an ATM- a lot of places have portable ATM's now for this reason, find a local bank branch, or cut you a check, and have you ship when the check clears.USPS flat rate boxes are pretty economical for up to 70# if it will fit, and the price is known ahead of time. Depending on the price of the item it may be less than the CC fees. No reason to lose a sale due to not accepting CC's. It may sound primitive to not accept CC's, but you are in a primitive business- right? It's a little thing called customer service that a lot of businesses have forgotten about.

Hey Frosty, there are two things that I hate more than the heat, being cold, and wet. I moved here in 2005, and haven't regretted it. We average 4"-4.5" of rain, and it does snow in Vegas, and out in the Boonies where I live every so often. There is even a ski lodge on Mt Charleston -elevation 11,918' We average 350 sunny days, so we have plenty of outdoors stuff that we can do year round. As for the heat, the bad part is from June - August where it hits 100 everyday with lows in the upper 70's to mid 80's. The lows are reached around 3AM ,and you are back to 100 by 9AM. Usually a week with highs around 112-115. Humidity is in the single digits (as low as 1%) and getting up to 50% or so during our summer Monsoon season. We will still be pushing 80's around Thanksgiving, and during the winter it will drop into the 20's. Clothes dry faster outside than in the dryer. You learn to adapt. Kalifornia wanted to make me a felon for owning guns I bought there 15-20 years ago, but have what they consider "evil features" now. Here I can walk to the end of the street, and go shooting. If I want to rock and roll I can shoot some of my friends machine guns, mortars, or cannons. The only things I miss about Kalifornia are the trees, and fresh produce. I would like to get up your way someday. My Dad was stationed at Eielson AFB in the 50's, and had some neat stories. Oh yea one other thing, I have yet to see one mosquito since I have moved here.

What is this stuff you call rain, and snow? I am looking to put some sort of a smithy up just to stop the wind, and shade from the sun. 109 and breezy today.