Frosty Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 Boy, that took me embarrassingly long to figure out. Coral and choral both make spell check happy and I don't write either often enough to remember the fiddly bits. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted July 30, 2020 Author Share Posted July 30, 2020 That sounds like some great fossil sites Frosty. Didn't even know fossils could be formed by pyrite. That's amazing! I'd love to get my hands on some opalised fossils, but that's just another pipedream I guess. I'd imagine not knowing the trilobite location is a bummer. Trilobites are certainly among my favourite fossils. How's this for a project by the way? Bike chain and rasp tomahawk. Or my Mad (M)axe if you will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 Take a gander. This is the 3rd hit on "Pyrite fossil images". Seems ammonites are really popular so I grabbed this one instead. I'd post a link but they're crazy long, it's an easy search. Frosty The Lucky. This one's off the Fossil Forum, I was hoping for a fern but this is a nice pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 Without going into the geochemistry, under certain conditions the fossils can be replaced by iron sulfide (Fe2S)(iron pyrite) aka "fool's gold." The name comes from the Greek "pyr meaning fire because pyrite can be used to create sparks to kindle a fire. Wheel lock fire arms often used pyrite held against a rotating steel wheel to ignite the propellant charge. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted August 5, 2020 Author Share Posted August 5, 2020 Now now. I don't mind learning a bit of geochemistry. Pyrite isn't deposited by water like other silicate based minerals is it? That's gotta be some of coolest fossils I've ever seen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 Pyrite is a weirdy found in igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. In sedimentary it's often associated with organics, their decay using up Oxygen and providing the Sulfur to combine with Iron to form pyrite, FeS2, and replace the original items. In nonsedimentary rocks it can be hydrothermal. Pre-Roasted to drive off the sulfur it could be smelted for iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted August 13, 2020 Author Share Posted August 13, 2020 That is odd, but at the same time it makes sense. Different approaches for the same result. I didn't expect that in geology though. Just finished up my bike chain axe. Here is the final result: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted August 19, 2020 Author Share Posted August 19, 2020 Picked up some coil spring from the scrapyard. These two, plus their respective twins. Any suggestions to what I can make of them? Also did some more work on the patang. Approaching finished now. Really not a fan of working with big blades I've figured out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 Dad's pyrites: iron or chalcopyrite were (of course) really large and nearly perfect. He said the nice ones were found in semi filled fissures, the fissures that were filled solid were just ore. He had some nice galena too but only because they were nice crystals, not for any interest in them. When I see springs that long they make me think bar stools for folks who over imbibe. A person would probably have to weigh over 500lbs. to compress those enough to be sproingy though. Good tool stock. Being painted is excellent, it'll help you spot micro fractures as paint isn't flexible and will peal over cracks even very small ones. Rubbing it hard with a clean hand will cause even small pieces to come off if they're pealing. No, it's not a perfect indicator but it's helpful and cheaper than magnafluxing. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted August 30, 2020 Author Share Posted August 30, 2020 And now I've just learnt that there are more than one sort of pyrite. And to think that geology was my strongest subject at uni... My brain must've been working in the background on what galena is, as I just got a mental notification telling me galena is lead ore. Sure is pretty though. Not a bad idea on the bar stools. My brain mainly goes towards catapults. I thought I could make a pogo stick, but seems you have to be about 500 pounds for that to work too, and at that weight I don't think having both feet off the ground simultaneously is recommended. The yellow springs were new one box, and I think the red ones were also new but without the box, so I think I was pretty lucky. Mainly punches and chisels for coil springs then? I could do with some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Galena is lead sulfide. PbS. It is major mineral ore that is mined and converted into lead. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 5 hours ago, Bonnskij said: I thought I could make a pogo stick, but seems you have to be about 500 pounds for that to work You could start from the 4th floor and maintain your boyish figure. I always thought it'd be fun to build a trebuchet, maybe compete in Punkin chunkin. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted September 1, 2020 Author Share Posted September 1, 2020 After a jump from the 4th floor I doubt my boyish figure would still be maintained. I'd venture I'd be as compressed as the spring. And all that compressed mass would have to go somewhere. I built an onager for the traditional water fight between year 10 and year 13 students once. Not quite the scale of a trebuchet, but fun nonetheless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 2, 2020 Share Posted September 2, 2020 Ahh, put a tractor seat on it and a belt, you'll have a grand time boinking around once you learn to steer. You DO know a spring is to prolong the deceleration of impact by compressing or stretching. Yes? I haven't built a catapult or similar since I was a kid and none very successful then. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 2, 2020 Share Posted September 2, 2020 Back in single digits I got a set of tinker toys one Christmas and quickly found out that by using rubber bands I could make a catapult that would throw marbles hard enough to dent the sheet rock ceiling in the den... The dents are probably still there 5-6 decades later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted September 15, 2020 Author Share Posted September 15, 2020 Nevertheless. I fear such force is still too much for my frame to bear. Perhaps I'll consider the other suggestion once my other mode of transport bites the dust. Aah, to be a child again and be able to make medieval weaponry without (too many) side-wards glances. Speaking of which. The patang is finally finished. To be honest, it is much too heavy and balanced too far towards the front for my tastes, but my colleague loves it. He says it makes him feel like home, and I don't think I can get a better compliment than that. That really warmed my heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 Brush blades are generally weight forward: Machetes, Bolos, etc, it enhances their "choppiness". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted September 23, 2020 Author Share Posted September 23, 2020 I suppose so, but this one is a bit much forward in my opinion. Pretty sure my wrist would get tired well quickly but then again, my brush blade of choice is a leuku, and that is certainly on the light side for those kinds of blades. When I showed my colleague the initial dimensions of the knife I got the impression that he thought it a bit too small, so I made it both slightly wider and longer. And hey! He loves it, so what do I know? As long as he's happy that's all that really matters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 Yes; I had a commission back in the early 1980's to make a large STOUT set of Kama for a martial arts instructor. I thought they were way too large & heavy; forged from a truck leaf spring with a continuous tang going to the far end of the grip. He loved them, used to cut down oak saplings with them for practice. Ended up taking them to Okinawa with him when he got an instructor job with the service... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 Those leaf spring sure makes for heavy blades! But as long as the recipient is happy, I guess that's all that really matters. Also not to mention they seem rather opposed to being shaped, so there's so much hammering involved. I guess I might be lazy, but I think I'll step away from leaf spring for blade purposes for the most part. Any savings in cost I make up for in expenditure on gas! As for work as of late; A friend of mine have just given me a whole tank ammo crate worth of tools, including ten hammers! I've been testing them out and marred my soft stump anvil with a four pound hammer, and in return the anvil marred my most recent knife blank. Yesterday I modified the hammer to a rounding hammer and today I cleaned up the anvil with the angle grinder. I'd like to make myself a kitchen knife. I'm also going to make a paring knife for my friend out of one of the files he gave me, so I've been doing some research and testing on ruined old files, not to mention studying up on basic hammering techniques... Here's the kitchen knife so far after about an hour of forging. I think the blade is about 23 cm. Going for something along the lines of a K tip gyuto. Any critique would be much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted September 26, 2020 Author Share Posted September 26, 2020 Here's a couple of failures I'm currently having. And I'm frankly not sure where I'm going wrong. First up I seem entirely incapable of making the part of this wrought iron chisel thicker on the part directly before the tang. I can kinda stretch it, or it'll sort of fold over, but I haven't even been able to upsett it, and that's a bit upsetting. My nutcracker is crook as, and no matter where I try to twist and hammer, it comes out equally crook every time, and now it's starting to get a bit too thin for my liking... I am working on a couple of knives too, but so far I at least feel like they're going fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 For wrought iron they often welded on more stock rather than upset it. I assume you are working it at welding temps? How are you holding it and hitting it to upset it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted September 28, 2020 Author Share Posted September 28, 2020 That sounds like a grat idea. Yes I'm working at welding temps. I was trying to follow along with Jennifer on this sites video of forging a wrought iron chisel, so I'm cooling parts of it in water and clamping it in the vise before hammering it from the top. (I only have a bench vise, but my old joplin is actually made of steel rather than cast iron, so it can handle a lot of abuse). I seem to be missing something though. Probably skill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted October 6, 2020 Author Share Posted October 6, 2020 Bit of progress on my kitchen knife. The heel is a tiny bit out of alignment so I'm going to put it back in the fire and correct that before I do anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnskij Posted October 12, 2020 Author Share Posted October 12, 2020 I won some money and thought I'd buy myself a welder. Should have saved the money and bought some wood glue. That'd make for better metal bonding as well as my welds stick together... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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