Glenn Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Show me what YOU found in your area. Many times we find things that are a bit out of the ordinary, strange, weird, or you just look at and shake your head. We want to see it so we can look and shake out heads also. I will start with a couple of things I stumbled upon or across as the case may be. The first is a chain that was brought to the fellows shop to be repaired. The white thing on the chain is a sheet of paper folded in half for size reference. The links are about 4 inches in diameter. When I got up to leave I noticed the calipers he had behind the bench seat. The largest in the first box is a 12 inch micrometer. I would say he had a full set as some were being used. We need to stop looking and see what is out there. Show us what you found while you were out and about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petere76 Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Glen, The "calipers " might actually be a set of micrometers. Big sets like that would have been found in machine shops that did marine work or other large industrial repairs. If you come across a complete set of brown or starett mics in their original wooden case they are worth a few bucks. Happy hunting. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 We see anchor chain every once and a while out here as it's used to clean out overgrown pasture---just drag a length between two dozers and it will uproot a lot of brush and small trees. What I found that was "unusual" is a mooring cleat out here in the desert. Close to 200# and no water deep enough to float that size a boat for about 100 miles and that a resevoir. Found it at the local scrapyard got it as an armouring anvil. Now the oddest re-purposing as a blacksmithing item I have seen has to be the missile nose cones sold as cone mandrels at Quad-State a bunch of years ago now. Followed by the pharmaceutical punches---used to compress medicine into pills. They were made from S-1 and a fellow brought a 5 gallon bucket or two of broken ones to sell at Q-S one year. The slitting chisel for my screw press is made from one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel S Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 They used to draw drinking water from the river in town. A caisson is sti ll there. It's about 20' across. I was a little scared walking out to it. It's only visible when the water is really low, a cookout is planned for its next appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share Posted October 9, 2013 This sort of jumped out at me today. I ask and was told 1933 and not for sale, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThorsHammer82 Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 when I picked up my coal from the supplier their truck scale was an old school manual balance scale. I took a picture at the time but must have deleted it. I was pretty impress. The guy said they get it certified every 6 month's or so. and usually doesn't need any adjustment to get it accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel S Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 The same day as the picture of the caisson was taken, we found an old axe head in the rocks while walking around an island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Daniel, I'm just curious if that ax was on the rocks or in them. Sometimes metal detector guys out treasure hunting will find things like that and set them on stumps and rocks so it won't trigger another dig. To them it's junk to us it is treasure. I've got a nice collection of cast offs (several axes) a friend who does it saved for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel S Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 It was laying partially under them. It was covered in algae. The area would normally be under water, but we had a significant drought. The eye was packed with the same rocks. Some of the outer layers have flaked off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 No pics, but on a visit to Made Island naval shipyard with my Dad I saw some 72" capacity micrometers. Hmmm, wish I had pics of some of the things I've seen. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share Posted October 10, 2013 The repair on those big chain links is done by preheating to 400* F and holding that temp while welding. The weld is done with hard facing welding wire, .046 or 5/64 inches. It then post heated and held at 400* F for the proper length of time. Some of the cuts or grooves were 2 inches deep. That is a lot of weld! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Do they just an Oxy/acet torch to heat it, or an oven of some sort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 11, 2013 Author Share Posted October 11, 2013 Did not ask. I did not see a forge, but did see rosebuds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capnroo Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 No pics, but I saw a guy hauling a boat down the road that had a tree growing through it... about 3"diameter tree! Lol. I was thinking ... what the world ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Picked these up at a couple of yard sales this morning. I don't have $10 in it all. There are a couple of Black Diamonds in the files. The old blow torch is a steel one not brass. :( I'll clean it up and put it on my desk at work unless I can figure out how to rebuild the pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 The pump seal on a lot of those is just a leather washer. That is why they have the oil hole , to keep the washer lubed, as well as expanded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 The pump seal on a lot of those is just a leather washer. That is why they have the oil hole , to keep the washer lubed, as well as expanded. Thanks, I'd love to get it back burning again. I hate to see old tools die. -_- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcostello Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 I have one of those gasoline lamps in all brass. I have used it a couple of times and it works, but the worry factor is kinda high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothBore Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 My Dad used to use one of those, to light our Coal Furnace. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I have one of those gasoline lamps in all brass. I have used it a couple of times and it works, but the worry factor is kinda high. I have my grandfathers. Makes a nice shop ornament; which is all they (steel, brass or otherwise) should be used for. They were dangerous when new which is why we have the gas torches we use today. Can you say "Molotov Cocktail" ? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I found this in the scrap hopper where I used to operate a CNC flame shape cutter. It was from a base plate for a power transmission pole. Engineering was experimenting on new bolt holes and the cutting operation there of. One of perhaps 6 or 8 IIRC. The experiment must have flopped as we never cut another one but the slugs sure were. They disappeared from the scrap hopper so fast my head was still spinning when I took this one to my truck :D Been trying to figue out a project for it but currently, another shop ornament.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 talk to some armourers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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