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I Forge Iron

Identify potentially toxic elements used for sewing machine parts


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Attached are some photos of the parts I'm thinking about salvaging from a vintage Morse Super Dial sewing machine I picked up at a local thrift store for $5 :)

Info: http://stagecoachroadsewing.com/msd.html

You'll notice the parts are made by Toyota. Curious to know if anyone knows if these kinds of parts might have toxic elements in them (i.e. chromium, cadmium; they're obviously not galvanized, etc...) dangerous for forging. Thinking about using them to make some punches, perhaps a knife, etc. if they're any good.

Thanks!

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I don't have any idea though they LOOK like bronze. I do know I wouldn't be doing any forging I'd be thinking of steam punk mechanical critter like things. Right no I'm betting our junk art members are scrambling for old sewing machines. 

Frosty The Lucky.

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I have a few Frosty ;) 

MB, I can't tell what they are made of but I'd bet if that thing is working or serviceable that there are people out there that would pay a good bit more then $5 for it. It would be way easier and better to just get some coil spring to make punches or knives out of then mystery metal like that. 

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MB , in a past life I was a sewing machine mechanic .

The steel in that will be mostly mild steel , cast parts I wouldn't even bother with , centre shaft will be a chrome steel ( read stay away from ) .

The hook & base ( where the bobbin goes into ) is chrome steel as well .

Frankly other then as sewing machine parts in my opinion not worth the bother

Only thing i'd use out of the whole thing would be the motor & foot peddle & rig them up to a centrifugal fan of some sort as a blower for a forge

 

Dale Russell

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On June 18, 2017 at 8:17 PM, Dale Russell said:

Frankly other then as sewing machine parts in my opinion not worth the bother.

Only thing i'd use out of the whole thing would be the motor & foot peddle & rig them up to a centrifugal fan of some sort as a blower for a forge.

Thanks for this info. This is pretty much what I needed to know.

I did also part it out for the foot pedal which is why the thrift shop gave me whole unit for $5. I might toss the unit (with motor; no foot pedal) on Craigslist for a week to see if I can get anything for it before tossing it out completely (unless someone else here wants it).

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On June 18, 2017 at 10:26 PM, Frosty said:

So being a sewing machine mechanic has robbed you of the eye for the potential artisticness of sewing machine parts eh? Bummer.

Frosty  ,  ... as materials to forge stuff from yes , but for some 1 like Daswulf or Ausfire to make " critters " ect from no  .

Sadly looking at the parts to make items out of is not " my " strong suit , I just see a bunch of parts combined that are used to sew clothing  ect .

Dale Russell

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Yeah, that's pretty much what I meant. I see neat shapes, shafts, levers, springs cams, etc. and you see the power train connecting the needle, foot and Oh heck I can't remember the little gripper that comes up under the fabric to feed it nor the thing under the fabric that loops the thread as the needle pokes through.

I see neat shapes and you visualize the whole mechanism and how it works. It's not so much fun discovery and voyages of the imagination If you know it too well. Same thing with me, I can listen to a drill working and tell you what kind of rig it is, the type tools they're using, the material it's going through and given a little time what kind of samplers and general data they're generating. From the sound.

You might enjoy watching the finely choreographed operation of a good drill crew taking soil samples, for a while. I'd be seeing the same thing but watching a completely different play.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Frosty

16 hours ago, Frosty said:

Oh heck I can't remember the little gripper that comes up under the fabric to feed it

Feed dogs

 

16 hours ago, Frosty said:

the thing under the fabric that loops the thread as the needle pokes through

Hook & base ( which holds the bobbin case )

 

Yeah you soon get to know if a machine is running right just by the sound of it .

I did my first apprenticeship ( 2nd was an adult apprenticeship as Mechanical Engineer ) working on machines like this . 3 rows of needles 120 inches wide , each needle had to be timed to the shuttle underneath it .... Oh Joy , Oh Bliss ... Not !

 

Image result for multi needle quilting machine

Dale Russell

 

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Aus,

Lovely work. Take a bow.

Frosty,

The feed dog term is fine. But, I have also heard the phrase'presser foot' for sewing machines.

SLAG.

p.s.   The bird strongly reminds me of the birds depicted in the comic strip spy vs. spy. by Prohias, featured in Mad Magazine years ago.

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12 hours ago, SLAG said:

The feed dog term is fine. But, I have also heard the phrase'presser foot' for sewing machines.

Actually, Slag, they refer to two completely separate parts of the machine- "feed dogs" refer to the  reciprocating teeth underneath the needle the pulls the fabric through the machine, while "presser foot" refers to the clamp-like mechanism that surrounds the needle and presses the fabric against the feed dogs. Without the presser foot, the feed dogs would be useless. A common myth about using sewing machines is that you have to push the fabric through the machine, when in reality doing that only causes broken needles (as one of my pupils found out!:rolleyes:).

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Don't worry about it, Slag, everybody gets confused about the names of parts sometimes. Shoot, I've had debates with the guys at the sewing machine repair shop about the names of certain parts. I just happen to be somewhat familiar with the nasty buggers; sewing machines are always jamming and going wrong at the most inopportune times. Now, if we had been talking about power hammers or automobiles, you would be schooling me on the names of parts!:D 

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On 6/19/2017 at 0:31 AM, MBForge said:

 

I did also part it out for the foot pedal which is why the thrift shop gave me whole unit for $5. I might toss the unit (with motor; no foot pedal) on Craigslist for a week to see if I can get anything for it before tossing it out completely.

I plugged a Walmart pool inflator into a sewing machine foot pedal to power my forge.  Step on the pedal, motor blows to power the tuyere. Step off when hammering the hot steel.  Those little motors are handy too. Years ago I built a small lathe with two little pillow block bearings for turning cork fishing rod handles.  Worked great. Could also use one to build a makeshift forge fan.

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On 6/21/2017 at 11:22 PM, BIGGUNDOCTOR said:

Andrew, do you know of a source for a maintenance manual for an Adler patcher?

I have no clue, Biggun. I don't do much mechanical tinkering with sewing machines, especially not antique ones. Have you tried asking someone local in the repair business. Most repair guys I've met are helpful folk, and not too interested in making a buck off you.

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