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I Forge Iron

improvised tools


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Let me stasrt by appologizing if this post belongs somewhere else or if it's already postd somewhere.

now...what are some of the things that have been cobbled together, safe or not, I'm just curious what kind of, and how many McGuyvers we have in here. Have you had a need to do something and had to find a way to make it work withpout the "proper" tool or part? how did you do it? what was the craziest thing you've had to do?

I know all home made forges and presses CAN be considered cobbled together, go for it, list them too.

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Most recent, I used JB weld to glue a bolt, 2 washers and a nut into a pin hole in a compressor tank, I drilled the hole out to 1/2 inch, opened the inspection plugs, cleaned out the tank, epoxy and in. I had to use an aircraft clamp and a piece of 1x1/4 stock to reach the hole with a wrench. I used a magnet to keep the bolt and washer on the wrench.

The JB weld was the second try, the RTV didn't cure in the threads and made bubbles.

This is a temporary-permanent repair. I hope to get 2 years of light use out of this compressor, then I should be able to afford to replace it. I have a good pancake compressor that satisfies most of my needs.

The alternative is to weld, but I do not yet trust my welding skills.

Phil

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-no blacksmithing content- I did a lot of housebuilding work before I reclused to my metal shop. I was working on a big house, and the siding was to be the natural basalt that was on the property. We found a nice dike of 3 inch thick chunks that would work perfect, but it was 80 yards down a 30 degree slope. Four of us worked carrying armloads of rock up the slope for an hour, then I clocked out to try and think up a better way to move tons of rock up the hill without footprints. The next day, I came back with a spool of 5/8 inch cable, some clamps, a long hank of rope, and a 4 foot square heavy wooden box. I rigged the cable high up a tree at the top and bottom of the hill, used a warn winch snatchblock pulley on the cable that was rigged to the wooden box. I tied the long rope to the box. I took the front wheel off my old F150 4x4 and used the hub as a windlass. We had 2 guys bringing rocks to the landing and loading the box, once it was full, I did a wrap on the wheel-less front hub ( I blocked the rear axle off the ground), and had the kid put the Ford in gear. It brought the box with hundreds of pounds of rock up the slope in seconds! We mined the dike in a day or two, can't remember. Nobody ever gave me attitude for sitting in the corner, drawing on the floor with a piece of soapstone after that.

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I don't know if this counts as "improvised" or as "recycled," but here goes...

My coal forge is made from 1/4" x 4" x 4" angle. This was gas-cut from the 4" x 8" U-channel of the flatbed truck my sister-in-law's ex-husband drove into the ditch of my wife's folks' property. Legs are adjustable because they're made from old damaged house-jacks cut down to size.

As for pure imporvisation, Padawan and I have used a big splitting wedge as an anvil. We thought we might have to change out "stumps" a few times, but the hot workpiece made a good shock-absorber.

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As for pure imporvisation, Padawan and I have used a big splitting wedge as an anvil. We thought we might have to change out "stumps" a few times, but the hot workpiece made a good shock-absorber.


Did you reshape the wedge any before using it?
I'd love to see a picture too.
Phil
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I made a couple of stake anvils from odd Sledge Hammer heads, (one was a RR spike driver and the other had a long head but rectangular in cross sections---fat and thin).

I forged out some 2.5" stock for the shafts with a stout tenon on one end and a spike on the other to make them about 3' long and then hot fitted the tenons to the sledge eyes and riveted them together. I may hardface the "flat" for a mini anvil face if it looks like it needs it.

They currently are packed for a 5 day campout as part of my Y1K forge set up.

Built a bellows once from a discarded old line printer case (furniture grade plywood, oak veneered!), a discarded awning (rubberized cloth), discarded hinges, some pallet strapping and some nails I bought at the fleamarket. Oh yes the nozzle is a tapered tubular kitchen table leg that was discarded too, trimmed both ends to get the shape I wanted.

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Did you reshape the wedge any before using it?
I'd love to see a picture too.
Phil

No reshaping done. It was a big wedge which had recently been dressed. Top was maybe three inches across & just a bit domed. Sorry, but nobody had a camera that day.
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