Jon Lewman Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Hi, I'm Jon (goofy wave thingy here)From South East Kansas, son of a mechanic, and I am a machine shop foreman. I have watched 4,782 hours of you tube on black smithing. I can prove it by the $280 worth of extra data fees last month. Built myself a brake drum forge, and charcoal retort and been playing around for a few weeks. Which equates to about a good weekends forging with my schedule. I bent some stuff, looped some rod, twisted a mess, decided I needed to make something so I got some suckered rod and fashioned out a set of tongs. They looked great, was rather proud, very symmetrical for a first try. Only took an hour. So now I need a hinge hole but I do not have a drift. I have a center punch, that'll work! So that jaw I sent flying, would that be because a center punch spreads the steel and breaks it in two pieces, or did I do something else wrong??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Without pictures of the pieces it's a little difficult to tell what happened. But I have seen videos of Brian Brazeal I think using a domed or conical punch to hot punch holes. wild a guess would be punching when the stock is to cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Good Morning, JonGo to the ABANA web-site, find out which Blacksmith Association is near you. Contact them and go to their get-togethers, you will learn more than any McU-Tube. Machine Shop Foreman, where did Heat Treating come from? Where did machine fitting come from? Where did Tools come from? Who decided on what clearance to use? Originally from the Blacksmith!! The world thinks it is so far ahead with CNC equipment, but it's not. If you don't make a few mistakes, you don't learn. That's the fun part of being a Humain Beeing!! (yes I know I spelled it rong).Welcome to our part of your Business. The lessons will begin, they will never end, until you hear the lawnmower going over top of you. We tease each other, beat each other up verbally, sit down and have a wobbly pop together, that's Friend-ship (with or without the Boat, everyone knows there is an oar out of the water!!).There are an awful lot of folks who are not afraid of passing on information. Polite questions will receive polite answers, Very Simple. I'm sure you have a lot of knowledge between your ears. it is a two-way street!!Enjoy the journey, none of us gets out alive.Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lewman Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Thanks NeilAlways loved metal work, actually studied black smithing for years. Knowing how things "used" to get done actually helps me figure out how to do things in a machine shop! ! And the Salt Fork guys are local ABANA. My job has me pretty busy right now, but hoping to connect with them soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Saltfork are good guys and gals, sucker rod is akin to spring, so working it cold will get you. Orange is the ticket (as Tomas Powers is fond of pointing out that prior to the being cherry and food dy that was cherry red) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 If I don't have the appropriate punch I tend to drill holes---just like they did 140+ years ago... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 For a set of tongs, first you forge a hot cut chisel, then a punch, then a drift, then a rivet header....then a set if tongs, lol. Good thing about this modern world, prep the broken boss, preheat and weld it up with your faberit 7xx rod. Re forge Dang it TP, now you will have him forging his own drills and mills! Take it easy on the kid, he is just a "machinest" lol. Tho being a mechanics son is a pluss...Jon, you have to keep the rocket scientists in line! Imagine what "the compleat modern blacksmith" will do to his pea brain... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Good Morning, JonSorry I didn't answer your question about making a hole in your Tongs. A hole punch is like a long center punch, except the tip is not sharp. The tip will have about 1/8" flat and tapered back to your size of material. I use Tie-rod, coil spring, sway bar or whatever is near me to draw out for a punch. I have a few old McPherson Strut shanks that I have machined to a gentle taper, marked with a little nick at 1/8"diameter intervals, so if your punch isn't perfectly round you can bring the hole out to your finished size plus a little bit (punched hole when hot will shrink). The reason to punch a hole is the tip edge of your punch will shear the material going through, you will be left with a 1/8" diameter thin button for scrap, all the other material gets pushed outside of the hole. Yes it is possible to put a 3/4" hole in a 3/4" Bar, larger hole is possible too just use a slitting chisel (think a dull wood chisel. It works the same except the slit can be opened up and made round or square or whatever).Sorry, I have to get back to work.Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Practical Blacksmithing, Richardson, 1889,1890,1891; has a thread on building your own drilling set up. (sort of like Moxon, 1703, considered the tap plate to be an important tool for the blacksmith's shop.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 SW, I like BB's bluntly pointed profile for punches and pritchels. Like a center punch but much more blunt. Still pushes hot steel and shears a plug where the steel has cooled between the anvil and punch, but i find it a bit cleaner and les likely to mushroom and stick in the hole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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