BIGGUNDOCTOR

My first TIG, which I still have, is a Linde UCC 305. Picked it up at an auction for $250, added a new foot control for $160, and a new torch. It had a radiator, so I went with a water cooled torch. It works great, and it was what I learned on out at the local community college. I actually like the high frequency start on my Linde better than some of the Miller, and Lincoln welders I have used. I have seen a couple on Craigslist for about half of your budget. They are 1,000# so shipping would be steep unless it was close to you. Check around for local machinery auctions. The majority of my tools came from auctions, and I averaged .10 on the dollar for pricing--do your homework first. Remember, if you get out bid ,don't worry there are more out there.

My Dad was my smithing partner, and we had some fun times learning together. When my Dad was in the Air Force he made a pattern for a small bench anvil, and had it cast. When I was a little guy I would get the anvil off of Dad's workbench, and set it on the hearth of the fireplace. I would drag hot nails out of the fireplace, and hammer them flat, so you could say that I got hooked early. I am glad that my folks allowed me to "play" like that. It is sad that some kids never get a chance to try things like this

I have seen plenty that were not welded, so I do not think it is a requirement that they be. They were probably welded when used for display-lawyer proofing them.

I would use Acraglass, the same stuff used to bed rifle actions. It dries an amber color, and can be dyed. It is a 2 part epoxy, and it will give you ample time to work it in. You don't mention how wide of a crack it is. What we did with some gunstock repairs was to drill a hole from the backside , if possible, fill the hole with Acraglass then drive a dowel into the hole. The dowel pressure fed the Acraglass into the crack filling it completely. If it is a thin tight crack, about the only way I know of to get it glued up would be to do it in a vacuum chamber. Kind of like how they do windshield repairs. By evacuating the air the thin glue is allowed to seep into the cracks. If the wife is out you could put some Super Glue on the crack, and draw it down in a FoodSaver bag to get the air out :rolleyes:

Called a friend in Texas who picked up about a 10# chunk of it for us outside of Fort Hood, and sent it out to us. Looks like a Leaverite until you cut it up, then it is really nice gray flint inside. Dad messed around some with knapping arrowheads.

What was he asking on the bear trap next to the blacksmith stuff? The anvil vise is pretty cool.

To answer the question about the fire pot, and hearth. The main body of the forge (hearth) can be of a heavy gauge sheetmetal (16ga on up), such as the Buffalo forge I have. In that case there is a cast iron firepot to take the fire's abuse. In the case of my Champion forges the hearth is cast iron without a separate firepot. It sounds like you are thinking this works like a BBQ with a grate. The coals are built up directly around the air blast, and sometimes over the top to make an oven (for small parts, ends, etc) . There isn't a grate over the firepot to hold the coals up.The clinkers that form can be busted up with the clinker breaker in the firepot, and fall to the discharge chute at the bottom. With all of that being said, a lot will depend on your use of the forge. Will it be stationary, or mobile? Mobile-sheetmetal = lighter weight. Firepots can also be fabbed up out of plate steel, and lined with a refractory clay, or brick.

Looks like a good candidate for Blowing an Anvil next 4th of July. Polish up the surfaces, and mill more shapes into it for use as a customized anvil swage combo. Mill a dovetail onto the top to accept various dies. It isn't ready for the scrap heap yet by any means, a lot can be done with it. Of course being a machinist/fabricator, and having machine tools does make it more plausible to me.

Welcome aboard. You will be in good company here , as I see a lot of posts coming from Oz.

I had a small machine and fab shop back in my 20's. It didn't make it due to various reasons; some we caused-some out of our control. I will tell you though, that was the only time I was happy to go to work. I still have all of my shop equipment, as I paid cash at auctions for everything. No loans, no leases, ust paid as we went along. I am at a point where I am feeling the urge to make that leap of faith again. I know I have some good ideas for businesses, but it is hard to cut that weekly paycheck loose. This is also a great time of opportunity, just have to find the niche to fill. I am headed to an auction this Friday to hopefully get a bigger rough terrain forklift. My little hard tired Toyoya doesn't like the gravel much. My problem with auctions is that I end up buying more than I went for I have snagged some fantastic deals over the years. The auction I am going to happens to have a lathe, mill, and a shaper available. Don't need any of them , but if the price is right............ Entrepuners are risk takers. I love money, and hold on to it tight, but it kills my friends when I tell them about some of my purchases. I see it as a value based process in my purchases. If I buy item A how long will it last? Will my old one last a bit longer? Can I make money with it? Will owning it make me happy? Will it hold its value? All of these questions and more run through my head on a purchase. So I will stretch out these worn work boots a little longer, but may spend a few thousand on machines this Friday.

They are euthanizing the cars turned in with a silicate solution injected into the engines to seize them up. Seriously, the companies that make the solution are working double shifts to keep up. No parts are pulled, just straight to the shredder, and then off to China to be made into more ASOs. I love cars, especially old cars, and I relate this to the gun turn in programs. The person feels good for doing something "good" but it really doesn't accomplish anything. The economy is hurting, so lets run out and turn in our paid off car -excuse me "clunker" and get MORE debt for the next 3-5 years!?!??!? People would be better off turning in their new BMW's and getting a clunker. Take the BMW payments and bank them. Save money---what a concept......I am not sure where all of this ( Obama administration) is eventually going to get the country, but I don't think it will be a good place.

I use just enough to keep the welds clean, sometimes as low as 10 CFH . Hey Fe-Wood, heat? We got heat here. 3 months where every day is over 100, and usually a week where it is 110-115. Lows at night (3am) are 85, by 9am it is 100 already. I have been down on the Strip at midnight when it was still over 100. We do have single digit humidity (as low as 1%) except when the Monsoon season hits then it will get up to 40%-60%. Today's forecast in Utah where I am working was 103 and chance of showers. 101 here as I am writhing this. A swamp cooler works wonders when the humidity is low, and a lot less to run than an AC unit. Plus no rear heat. I had one at the house in Fairfield, down the road from you, for almost 40 years.

Hmmmm a wooden anvil sounds like a foundry pattern.

what size bolts are holding the bracket, do they extend past the nuts, or are they threaded into the plate? If they extend past the plate, and sufficient size you can square the end to hold with a wrench to keep from spinning, or slot and hold with a screwdriver. Use lots of Kroil first. BTW Kroil is the best penetrating oil I have ever used, amazing stuff. You can also TIG a setscrew to the end and hold with an Allen wrench. Cut nuts off by splitting instead of unscrewing. Clean threads, and replace with new ones. TIG can be used, but it will take multiple passes, and strength of weld may be an issue. MIG CO2 gives better penetration, but more splatter than a 75%-25% mix. Stick weld with a 7018 rod. Very little splatter, slag virtually falls off on its own, and very strong. If you have a chunk of copper laying around-I have also used brass and aluminum-you can use it for a backing strip to keep you from blowing through. You want to put some heat to this , so you do not get any cold shut. More pictures (closer) , or a drawing would help.

A lot will depend on what you plan on doing with it. I have a 1946 Monarch 18.5" x 54" as my home lathe. I also have a 18.5" x 78" Axelson that came out of my Dad's classroom that I need to get set up. The Monarch weighs 5,200#, and the Axelson is 7,000#. Weight has a lot to do with smooth cutting, as it dampens vibration. Heavier machine = heavier cuts = saving time. Both machines are in excellent condition, and in the case of the Monarch I can order any part NEW from the factory. With that being said look for things like hardened ways, hardened gears, and a headstock that is aligned on the ways themselves, not bolted to a flat area in front of the ways. Take the compound and see if you can turn it directly inline with the cross slide. a bunch of the newer lathes cannot do this as the handwheels hit each other. Can you still read the degree marks on the compound, some you cannot when it is turned certain ways. Feel out the placement of the controls. Are they easily found without looking for them? Are they awkward to use? A large wheel on the carriage really helps when hand feeding. Does the tailstock have a keyed taper for using Morse taper drills, or is it just a Morse taper? The key holds the flat on the drill tang and stops it from spinning in the tailstock if a heavy load is applied. A quick change gearbox for threads is far more useful than having to swap gears around. You will be surprised how many threads you will start cutting once you have a lathe. In general look for quality, smooth operation, minimal backlash, and an overall appearance of good craftsmanship. One decent import machinery manufacturer is JET. An option that you may want to explore is a good used industrial lathe. These can be found on Craigslist, auctions, and machinery dealers. I have run numerous 3 phase machines on single phase by use of a jack motor wired inline. A phase converter can also be purchased-go with a rotary-not a static converter. Hope this helps some,

My Dad's place was in a regular suburban neighborhood. When we got the fire going there was some greenish smoke when starting fresh. Just keep the air going to the fire, and it cleans up quickly. Like mentioned before, add coal to the outside, and work it into the center as the older coal burns up. We had a slack tub ,and a sprinkler made out of a punctured tin can on a stick, that we kept the coal damp with. The steam generated helps to turn your coal into coke, which burns cleaner. Maybe you can start with cleaner charcoal then add coal after it gets hot. Never had any complaints, although I have talked with people that the local Fire Dept shut them down :(

I was taught to do vertical MIG welds starting at the top and running down the joint, gun pointing up, little side to side movement. By dragging the weld bead you get deeper penetration. On thicker plate, say 1/2' and up you do multiple passes - 3 on up to however many it takes. You want a weld section equal or greater than the material section being welded, . The part will be as strong as the thinnest section, so more isn't better. Also don't move side to side as much, concentrate on the bead filling the vee. It doesn't have to be done in one pass. If your MIG is running right it will sound like bacon cooking, nice and smooth. As for MIG welding aluminum. If your unit has enough umph (arc density) try spray arcing it. Basically you ramp the voltage up, and cut the wire speed down until the wire never touches the part, but is transfered by the arc. I found it easiest to do with two people. Me welding and telling my partner how to adjust the controls as I was welding. MIGs you can adjust while welding, DO NOT adjust an ARC welder while welding, as you can smoke the rheostat. Vertical with a stick-mmmmmm love 7018. The slag just falls off leaving a beautiful weld.

sell the sink on Craigslist, and use the money to build a forge. Most of these homemade forges start with items that are too deep in my opinion. A brake rotor, or shallow brake drum set into a flat surface would work better IMHO. All of the commercial coal forges I have , 2 Champions, and a Buffalo, are relatively shallow allowing a long part to be heated in the middle. The Buffalo is heavy gauge sheetmetal with a cast iron firepot. I looked it over really good, and I didn't see any rust through. I got the last 2 forges in a deal I just made a couple of weeks ago from and estate. I see riveting forges ( and sandstone grinding wheels) fairly frequently, usually out in front of the house with flowers in them, but they are out there. A quick scour of Craigslist, and maybe your neighborhood, could turn up a factory forge. I am not trying to discourage you from building your own, just giving you some options. One thing about the sink is the enameling. It will have a tendency to chip off with impact, and rapid heat changes. The enamel is basically glass, and can cause eye injuries when it pops off. Get it hot enough and it will melt.

I just did a Google search for horseshoe crafts, and got a lot of ideas. Toilet paper / paper tower holders, napkin holders, door knockers, various racks / hooks. candle holders, wall sconces, boot jack,coffee mug trees, and a shoe and branding iron towel bar. The CD rack sound interesting.

Alrighty then, I had seen some trivits, and a chair, but you all have given me some other good ideas to get started. I have a picture of a horse that my Dad had taken on a trip to visit relatives. It did use a ton of shoes plus some other horse appropriate scrap. I picked out a couple bigger, and more interesting shoes to hang on my front gate to the house. One big shoe had a couple of large thumbscrew looking pieces attached to it. Don't know if they were possibly for winter traction up on Mt Charleston. Whatever it was for, it was a big horse. Thanks

I have an opportunity to get a TON of horseshoes from an estate, and you know how hard it is to turn material down I have one sculptural idea in mind, but would like some other ideas that you have seen, or make. I live in an area where horse property is common real estate terminology, so a horse related item should sell well.

My Dad , and brother were on a deep sea fishing trip a few years back, and the cook had everyone bring their pliers down to the kitchen. He dipped them into the collected bacon grease to keep them from rusting shut. My Dad did an experiment where he didn't do his, but my brother did. within a couple of days my Dad's were getting tight, and tough to operate while my brother's were fine, and were so the entire trip. Bacon-not just for breakfast Another thing to think of is that gun blue is just a controlled form of rusting. My pocketknife has a nice patina now. Each time a little rust got on the blade, all I did was just polish off the orange, not the darker stain. Over the years it has become a nice finish that resists rusting like it did before.

in his thread he mentions G10 for the scales (handle halves). G10 is a fiberglass composite like Phenolic/ Micarta. The difference being G10 is fiberglass based while Phenolic is canvas, or paper based layers. The layers are built up with a resin then compressed into a shape; sheet, flats, rounds, etc. G10 is very abrasive on tool bits, more so than phenolic is. I use carbide endmills, as high speed bits are eaten up within a few inches. You also do not want to breath the dust that comes off, and clean your machine very well when done to protect the ways. Since it eats endmills like it does do you want to breath it? Phenolics are used as jigs/fixtures, electrical insulators, and I have salvaged a lot of it over the years. Fairly expensive, and G10 more so. To get more info you can go to McMaster Carr's website since they sell both items.

If they are for decoration 1018 , if you actually want to use one camping etc you could go with a few different steels. One way to find out what works is to see what your favorite ax is made from-email the company, if they are still around. I have found a lot of companies are very willing to share information. I would think a material like 1095 which is used in leaf springs, and files, would be a good choice due to its flexibility offering less chance of fracturing/chipping. Obviously the edge would be harder than the body. Cost wise it would be less expensive (free) than new chrome moly. 4130,4140,4340 are all good steels and would certainly work, but do you need to use them? S7 shock resistant steel may be good for a Hawk too-look for old jack hammer bits. Again they are hard and tough. A good reference to have is the Machinery Handbook. Look for a used copy, if you feel a new copy is too expensive. They are a wealth of information for folks like us. Old copies actually had some blacksmithing info in them. Charlotte, I believe the ax you were referring to is True Temper a common brand. The difference that you saw was the difference in heat treating, The edge will be harder than the eye, and back as they take shock , and pounding tent stakes better when softer.

You can also do some practicing with a clay billet the same size as a spike. If you don't get it right, form it back into a spike shape and try again. Remember , you are essentially hitting it with two hammers-the one you are swinging and a stationary one, the anvil. Thin the blade down on the side first, then flip 90 and work it down some more till it is straight again. Keep doing this until you have the thickness that you want, and keeping the blade centered on the handle. Excess length can be trimmed off. Then start thinning the edge down into a taper. keep the spine cooler and it shouldn't move too much, but don't worry about the spine moving, as that can be reshaped later by filing, or grinding. I would go with a pointer tip, so that it could be used as a letter opener. Also before going at this too fast take some time and read, read, read. Go to the library, Google your fingers off, but read a lot. Then get to swinging.