ausfire Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Ausfire, when you make those rail spike openers, if I'm seeing this right, you flatten the end 1st, then punch and drift correct?Yes. Flatten the end to about 3/8 thickness. I punch a round 3/8 hole (others use a slot punch) and then drift it using a long tapered drift. My son, who is a fitter for a mining company, made me a really neat cone mandril and I use that when things get a bit thin, and it gives a perfect circle. The dimple is made with a modified small ball pein hammer with a wrapped handle.(This only works with the pan head spikes - those old wrought iron 'dog spikes' have a nice texture but I cannot get past punching the hole. Even sparky hot it still splits out.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Thanks. I hope to play some with the spike openers and some of the claw style openers this weekend if work doesn't interfere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I have a can of commercial carnuba paste wax called "Trewax."I have acquaintance who work jewelry who use carnuba beads but don't know how they'd use them as a finish on work. However, it's very brittle it's so hard and can be crushed so maybe a mortar and pestle then apply it to hot iron with a dry brush?The can of Trewax has no other wax ingredient and I haven't read the label remains in a long LONG time so I don't know what they use to soften it other than it is volatile or it wouldn't evaporate letting the wax harden.Frosty The Lucky.OK, so Trewax it is. Not available in Australia so I checked out Flea Bay and managed to get a 350g can of Trewax Clear Paste Wax from the U.S. Cost @25.76 to buy and $26.46 to mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Yep, my father was a mech engineer and worked as a plant engineer running factories for various heavy industries, and he researched waxes because they wanted a food-safe wax to use on bone gelatine handling equipment. He told me that carnauba wax is the hardest, toughest wax known. I also use it, specifically Butcher's Bowling Alley Paste Wax. Works great.Carnuba wax isn't food safe though, is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Carnuba wax isn't food safe though, is it?Yes it is. Ever take a pill with a shiny coating? That's carnuba in a pretty natural state. It's even "hypoallergenic" though don't quote me on that it's according to articles I read a while back and may have been marketing hype I didn't look farther.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 (edited) Carnuba is a specific kind of wax. In its natural state, it's REALLY hard; hence, for most applications, it's mixed with some kind of solvent to make it more pliable while it's being applied. Once the solvent evaporates, the wax remains.Paste waxes are mixtures of wax (usually some combination of carnuba and beeswax, sometimes synthetic waxes) and solvent (usually mineral spirits). Butcher's Wax is one name brand; Trewax is another. Minwax makes some good versions. Both carnuba and beeswax are food safe; the solvent isn't, but evaporates out.One little detail: most "clear" paste waxes are actually white or slightly pinkish. Not really a problem, unless you get some little flecks in the corners where it's hard to rub out. This is why I'd recommend the Dark Brown version of the Minwax Paste Finishing Wax; any excess won't stand out against the metal. (We used tons of the stuff on furniture in every wood shop I've ever worked in, as well as on metalwork in the art restoration studio.)With all of these, you wipe on as thin a coat as you can, let dry for a minute (fill the time with patter, if you're selling straight from the forge), then buff with a soft cloth (old t-shirt, for example). The second buffing smooths out the surface of the wax and brings up the shine.ADDENDUM: Beeswax is a lot softer than carnuba, so it's not quite as durable and doesn't have quite as hard a shine. However, it's much less expensive, so that's why it gets blended with carnuba in some of the less pricey paste waxes. Edited August 21, 2015 by JHCC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jbrown515 Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 First time forging was a couple weeks ago, i made this railroad spike bottle opener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 I think very course twists like that work well on rail spike openers. Some early ones I made I had the spike at yellow heat and the twist is more like a screw thread. Much more elegant to make a 'cool' twist at red heat.I'm not sure I understand how your bottle opener actually works. Perhaps I'm missing something in the photo. You tested it of course? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 By the way, there are good and clever uses for an empty paste wax can. This is one is clever, but not good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 That is neither clever nor good !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 That is neither clever nor good !!!Hey, at least they used something with a removable lid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Actually I think it was quite clever. If they folder the edges in to avoid a sharp edge against the wire as it comes into the can, I don't really see that it's any worse than a standard metal box. The wires are nailed right outside to prevent chafing. I've seen plenty of guys just punch out the knock outs and run wires into 4" boxes with no romex connector or clamp and no staples. This actually looks like it might be a safer connection than those. The old "get it done with what you have" farm mentality from way back when can come up with all sorts of interesting solutions. Shame today we can't continue with that mentality due to liability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momatt Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I copied this owl design from a youtube video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker's Forge Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Here is one I made for a friend out of a piece of rebar. Overall length was about 15 cm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 You did well to knock the raised ribs off the rebar! I don't know what they put in rebar but I find it hard to forge. A forged rebar snake takes me twice as long as a threaded rod snake. (Trouble is, most threaded rod scrap is galvanised.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 (edited) Here's my latest....sort of. Was working on a bottle opener on Friday and it suddenly got away from me, flipped out of the tongs, off the horn and landed on my forearm! Took this shot before I started treating it, for some reason the burn looks like the hole is really off center, not sure why because it wasn't, maybe the left side just had more heat when it landed? Anyway, 3 days of bacitracin and keeping it covered and it's doing quite well. Some day if I'm ever teaching someone how to make a bottle opener I will be able to say, "Well, at this point in your progress it should look like THIS" and raise my arm. No worries, it looks worse in this photo than it actually is, the red has reduced to just a thin, rather perfect outline of the top of a bottle opener. Doesn't take much, does it? A tiny combination of force and heat and something slips away and this is what you get. Edited August 31, 2015 by SpankySmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 The good news is, you have a template for checking future work. The bad news is, those checks are going to be kind of painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 (edited) Been very busy doing all kinds of projects, but was pulled back into bottle opener land and commissioned to do a fancy opener for another hockey fan. Polished the leaf area like a mirror, that's the sky showing through the trees in the reflection... :-) Don't ask me why the crazy Canadians spell leaves as "LEAFS", but they do. Edited August 31, 2015 by Black Frog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Frog, I just love your work, every time. Wish you were closer, I'd come sit at your feet and learn a thing or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redd1981 Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Does the carnauba wax darken the steel when applied? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 No. Even the dark brown paste waxes won't impart much color if they're rubbed out properly.If you're looking for a wax finish that will give some color to the steel, think black shoe polish. Remember, the color will be a microscopically thin film over the surface, not a change in the color of the metal itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker's Forge Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 AusFire - with this piece of rebar I squared it off with my 3-4# hammer and this gets rid of most of the ridges. I then use my small 1.5# ball pein to clean off any ridges I didnt get. Usually the squaring gets rid of all of the ridges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Here's my latest....sort of. Was working on a bottle opener on Friday and it suddenly got away from me, flipped out of the tongs, off the horn and landed on my forearm! Took this shot before I started treating it, for some reason the burn looks like the hole is really off center, not sure why because it wasn't, maybe the left side just had more heat when it landed? Anyway, 3 days of bacitracin and keeping it covered and it's doing quite well. Some day if I'm ever teaching someone how to make a bottle opener I will be able to say, "Well, at this point in your progress it should look like THIS" and raise my arm. No worries, it looks worse in this photo than it actually is, the red has reduced to just a thin, rather perfect outline of the top of a bottle opener. Doesn't take much, does it? A tiny combination of force and heat and something slips away and this is what you get. The burn looks off center because the opener didn't land straight down, it hit and slid a little before laying flat. It wasn't the result of you jerking your arm or the pattern would be a little different, more smudged and the tendency is to jerk straight away from HOT. Keep aloe vera jell in the shop or for serious burns Silvadine ointment.You really don't have to ask me how I know these things do you?Carnuba just makes the work look wet and a little shiny it's famous for not yellowing or darkening with age.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 BF, that Toronto bottle opener is magnificent. I admire your skill in getting the opener end so perfectly smooth and symmetrical.I believe, on the basis of this and his previous masterpieces, we should declare Black Frog the Guru of Bottle Openers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I second the motion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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