NEW MEMBER INTRO FROM CORNWALL,UK

[shocker]

Hi,doing the intro thing.....good to be here,lots of great info and discussion on a broad front.

I live on a farm on Bodmin Moor in cornwall,near england and have messing around with metals for a fair while.My dad was a boiler welder and then a truck engineer.....built bodies on lorries and deigned and built trailers of all sorts so I grew up holding the wet cloths and the watering can as he gas cut and fabricated.Ive been welding as needed for some years but never regularly enough to improve.Dabbled with some forge work.Lots of vehicle stuff and farm repairs and maintainance.Now I build a few tattoo machines - mainly with steel frames that I braze or silver solder with propane or MAPP.Ive been annealling a lot of mild steel to change the magnetic properties for the coil cores and armature bars that I need.That and some oil blacking of parts,sometimes going for low temp then oil quench to achieve different colour finishes.

Equipment wise I have a little hobby MIG,a medium size arc machine,various propane and MAPP burners and a lot of oxy/acet kit that Im not using due to the cost and contracts involved with the gases.That may change soon as a local firm has offered a good deal on oxygen,they cant suppy acetylene but since I will only be cutting and brazing propane should be enough.We have an OLD mechanical hacksaw that is none too accurate,a 12 tonne press,sheet metal hand bender (or is that in the wrong order?),bench pillar drill press,bench grinders and linishers,and a combo lathe/mill that at present sits on the floor until I can find a way to lift it onto its stand.

Well thats more than anyone wanted to know,Im sure,but there it is.Please excuse my ignorance of correct terminology as I potter around the pages.

Thanks everyone,be seeing you around the forum

shocks

[chyancarrek]

Welcome Shocks!

Sounds like you'll fit in around here just fine! This is a great site with lots of super folk - don't hesitate to chime in on the discussions!

Bodwin Moor? Is that up by Liskard (sp?) - If so, I think I was in your neck of the woods many, many years ago - I've got relatives in Newlyn, Penzance and Mousehole. One of my cousin's had friends in Liskard that we'd go visit.

[John B]

Hi Shocks and welcome to the site, check out our website www.blacksmithsguild.com and see if we can be useful for you,

If you go to the bottom of the forums page (groups forum) you can click on there and check out some of our past events and what we do

Good luck with expanding your journey into the world of forging hot metal

[jmeineke]

Hello & Welcome to IFI!

[Dave Budd]

welcome Shocks sounds like you've got plenty of toys already (more thank I do for sure), what sort of things do you make/plan to make?

The Wessex guild/JohnB put on regular IFI meets at Westpoint near Exeter, if you can you should come along.

I like your description of where Cornwall is: 'near England' :lol:

[beth]

hi shocks - thats a proper cornish 'tude! im in glos so hello and welcome to the site - what are you looking to be making? art stuff, tools, blades? nice to have another 'islander' on here - ive been on one of johns courses and intend to go on some more - thats the blacksmiths guild above - you should def try to get along to something theyre running - john is a very knowledgable and approachable teacher! :)

[SteveW]

Hi Shocks!

Sorry I’ve only just seen this. I’m over Lanson way, near Warbstow I’m in the process of setting up a workshop at the moment and sorting my life out, so hello, and maybe we’ll meet up at the IFI day at Westpoint.

Steve.