the handy rail spike

[Frosty]

To you maybe. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mothman_c3w]

Oh I've got a pile of springs out back of various styles and shapes. A few years ago I made a visit to my local off-road shop and they hooked me up. Now I work at an industrial aluminum recycling and casting facility, and there is occasionally opportunity to take home used springs off vibratory pans and the like. Gotta watch for cracks though.

I've never tried super quench, but I've read about it. I'll give it a shot at some point.

[Frosty]

Don't super quench spring steel!

Frosty The Lucky.

[pre6422hornet]

Here are few bottle openers I made a couple weeks ago.  I purchased my first new hammer ( rounding) and was trying it out for the first time.  First one on the left, last one on the right.  Definitely had a learning curve with the hammer.  Man does it move metal.  

Here they are.  If you ever need to open a cold one, then break a window, hammer in a nail, etc.. this may work HAHA.

[ThomasPowers]

Looks like they need holsters!

[George N. M.]

Mothman, super quench is great for mild/low carbon steel but is too aggressive for higher carbon steel.  If you use it for high C metal you risk cracking and breaking when you quench.  What happens is that some of the steel, usually the thinner parts, cools and is brittle while the thicker parts are still hot and contracting.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Mothman_c3w]

George, Frosty, I'm aware that spring steel has a different recommended quench medium, but I appreciate y'all looking out for me.

[Frosty]

 It's becoming habit to warn one person because there are 60,000 other members of which many don't know better. That's not to diminish our concern for your safety it's just a big world and we like to do the most good we can. 

Frosty The Lucky.

 

[Mothman_c3w]

I hear ya man, I understand and definitely appreciate it. I may know it, but someone else reading this thread may not have known.

I like to research for a period of time before trying a new process. I figure if I spend a few hours reading and learning about techniques, common failure points, etc., I will save myself many hours of stumbling through on my own and greatly reduce the chance of failure (or at least I'll be safer if/when I fail).

 

[Frosty]

I'm with you, I like reading then trying stuff. Unfortunately we're seeing a generation that believes blog post level reading and Youtube videos is research. Most Youtube how to videos are worthless some outright dangerous. It makes us really cautious about providing good info and debunking what we can. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mothman_c3w]

Well I am sure I speak for many besides myself when I say that the advice, input, and experience from you and many others on this forum is much appreciated.

That said, I think confusing watching a few videos with real research is not necessarily limited to the new generation; I've met some confused Gen X'ers, boomers, and old-timers too haha. It's too bad YouTube and other sites do not bother to vet how-to videos. I'm sure that would be expensive though.

[ThomasPowers]

Well us pre-internet folk remember what we used to call "one book wonders".  People who had read one book on a subject and then were an *expert*.  Just like YT they couldn't judge how good the book they read was either.

[Frosty]

My Grandfather used to talk about "educated idiots." 

Ahh, we're all challenged on one path or another.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Daswulf]

Cant even count how many "how-to" videos are just people filming themselves doing something for the first time that they don't know much about. 

I can't count how many useful videos there are on there too. 

There Is Something to be learned in anything. 

[ThomasPowers]

My favorite of the first type started out by the guy saying "I've never done this before; but this is how you do it!"

Why folks want to show off their ignorance I've never understood---it's like those people posting videos of them committing felonies.

[Frosty]

They want attention even if it makes them look bad.

Frosty The Lucky.

[JHCC]

14 hours ago, Daswulf said:

There Is Something to be learned in anything. 

If only what NOT to do!

[Jobtiel1]

The "research" from only videos is difficult to quantify in my opinion. You see a lot of people saying they "researched" a topic by watching two ten minute videos about something and claim to know the best answer. However, the power of videos to teach must not be underestimated.

For example, just recently there is a channel I think is called UK bladesmith supply posting videos about metallurgy which are presented by a very knowledgeable fellow. And in my opinion a good way to gain a basic understanding of the subject.

I think, like said before in this thread, that videos can be research if multiple sources are weighed up against each other to determine the true answer. Something that unfortunately doesn't happen when most people speak about "research" they've done.

Don't even start about Reddit threads where a bunch of people knowing nothing about a subject chip in with completely wrong information claiming they know what they're talking about. I'm happy posts here are peer reviewed by field experts and most of the information can be trusted.

~Jobtiel

[M.J.Lampert]

On 7/13/2022 at 3:05 PM, Mothman_c3w said:

It's too bad YouTube and other sites do not bother to vet how-to videos. I'm sure that would be expensive though.

the problems began when they quit showing the down votes so you could see if the video was decent or not

[Frosty]

Unfortunately popularity is often everybody's favorite mistake. Votes are something though.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Shainarue]

On 5/30/2022 at 9:22 PM, HojPoj said:

Did my first attempt at sculpture with a mini spike

Those little people sculptures are xxxxxxxx adorable! Something else to add to my growing list of stuff I want to try

[JHCC]

Not anything of mine, but nice anyway: a door handle at a railroad-themed restaurant. 

[lary]

I'm assuming they have all sorts of rail road paraphernalia hanging from the walls.

Mothman when I look at those BBQ tongs I see a jumbo set of tweezers for those xxx large splinters.

[Fire plus Bird]

I need hooks to hang up my jackets and aprons in the hall outside my woodshop. After I finish these off I'll need to find some nice wood and build a little shelf to mount them onto.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Here is how I have made hooks out of old wrought iron RR spikes. The pictured is for a gun rack but if I put a twist in the head they can be mounted vertical. The head makes for a good place to hang most anything.