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What did you do in the shop today?


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2 hours ago, BillyBones said:

Was there something lost in translation though? I ask becuase a coffee table is usually in a living room

HI Billy !

Translation problem. :rolleyes:

We say a table for magazines. Журнальный столик.

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John didn't you make him sweep the floor?  Always the threat for my forge buddies.  (For new folks---I have a dirt floor in the "dirty shop".

Didn't do any smithing today as after I got back from the Flea Market and scrapyard; my wife said she wanted a variation on a flax break out of wood to break up the weed stems before she composted them.  (She originally asked if I could build her a chipper!)  After finding that she couldn't specify length, width depth, height, etc; I requested that she come out to the shop and help choose the pieces. and assemble it.   Prototype was painful but cheap as it was all out of scrap lumber and metal from the scrapyard.  It was painful too as she didn't figure out on her own how to hold things while I worked on them and we had to discuss which way was I applying force while drilling through the 6 pieces of 2xX and needed someone keeping them from slipping off the sawhorses.  Anyway; it's out in the front yard. I told her that the next one will be built after I get the drill press working!

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6 hours ago, Buzzkill said:

At least you have an excuse, Jerry.  Some of us can lose an item we had in our hands 30 seconds earlier without moving 3 paces - and have nothing reasonable to blame it on.

I put that stuff where I wouldn't lose it long before the accident. I gave up on framing hammers and bought a nail gun, it's large enough it's hard to lose especially if I don't unhook the air hose.

What's REALLY embarrassing is searching for a tool in the presence of others, asking if anybody can see it and they say, "Its in your hand."

Frosty The Lucky. 

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It was need a tool, make a tool day. Need some tongs to do stuff like hold hinges from the eye end or over finials. I was thinking the forked end would make them useful for different widths and hold nice and tight, and they do hold nice and tight on stuff. Made from 1 1/4" x 1/2" flat bar with 1/2" re-bar reigns welded on. I am finding that i do not like working with re-bar. 

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13 hours ago, Frosty said:

What's REALLY embarrassing is searching for a tool in the presence of others, asking if anybody can see it and they say, "Its in your hand."

Lol, Or safety glasses an sunglasses more then once I’ve looked for them an had them flipped up on my hat just to have a customer say I already have them 

9 hours ago, JHCC said:

Some bowl work:

JHCC, what’s that thing the third bowl is setting on? 

BillyBones, those look really handy, I saw a pair of similar tongs for holding flat bar awhile back

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One of my bowl swages. This one is made from the top end of a scuba tank and is designed to fit in the hardy hole of my striking anvil. 

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I’m working on some others at the moment, from the ends of a couple of different sizes of welding tank. 

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Unlike with the first one, I’m going to leave the valve holes of these unplugged, as I’ve discovered that closing the hole leads to scale building up inside over time. 

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Some scraps of 3/4” round, forged to shape, welded on, and ground smooth. On the next one, I’m going to try heating the edge in sections with the torch and rolling them over like a large bead. I don’t really need the mass on the edge, but I didn’t have the torch when I made this one. 

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I got an email the other day from welding inspector in town for some refinery work, looking for a place to forge during a week off.  (My email is listed on the smithing group website as a board member)  He wasn't able to connect with some of the local pros, but came over and be the first guest in my new shop space. 

Nice guy, has a tiny smithy back in Louisiana and is connected to Gulf Coast Blacksmith Association.  We did some pass through punching and drifting and wasted some 1/2 inch bar playing around in the gas forge.  Shared a brew and some conversation before I steered him off to a big, monthly flea market this weekend.  He's been tool hunting the  local fleas that are open and Sunday's  is the biggest.  I know of at 3 big post vises pulled out of there. 

It was also very helpful to have 2 people working in the 8x16 foot space. Wasn't sure I'd be able to have visitors in a shop this narrow, but it works.

 

 

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Today was the first forging session with my new power hammer. What better than to start tooling up?

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Started with a hack from a piece of railroad clip. Hack was used to cut a section of 2” dia med carbon rod to make a flatter (not show, annealing overnight). Finally moved to a fuller. Good day in the forge and I’m getting a good feel for the hammer.

keep it fun,

David

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5 hours ago, JHCC said:

It occurs to me that if “escargot“ were Hebrew, it would be the plural of “escargah”.

Good thing Ted made four of them! 

Nice snails Ted, I thinking a darned marketable product. Do you sell many?

David: How long do you think before the  ache your GRIN caused will take to fade? I'm feeling the power hammer envy stirring.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Frosty, it might be a while… I’ve used several different hammers a lot, but this is a game changer for me. It transitions from light to hard hits smoothly, doesn’t require constant adjustments, can switch stock sizes without worrying about double hitting. I need to get better at feathering the “throttle,” but I really need to adjust to the hammers speed. It’s fast enough that I’m having trouble rotating stock back/forth and making those quick repositions between strike.

I’m rambling… guess the smile will last for a while.

David:D

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Thanks Frosty. A couple of those will go to the grandkids, the others I'll sprinkle around the house. 

I've only sold one thing I made because it was a request from my boss. Even then, I only charged him because I didn't like his attitude. Otherwise. I much prefer giving stuff away. 

 

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I’m jealous, David. The chances of my getting such a hammer into my shop are pretty minimal, but I’m glad you’re getting the full benefit of it!

 In my own shop, I roughed forged a few more bowls; I’ll do the finishing later. Probably would have gone a lot faster if the handle on my dishing hammer hadn’t snapped…. 

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Also welded the stems into a couple more welding tank tops, for a couple more sizes of dishing form. 

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John, are you sure that there isn't a power hammer or two hiding in your shop already?  Today I did part of the Demo for NMABA  affiliate.  As a demo for new smiths I demonstrated an incised twist and twisting and untwisting a 4 election sign rod basket---with extras for others to try it out.  Did 16 forge welds the other day to get ready for the Demo.

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She should smooth out as she breaks in, the throttle will be smooth as a gravy sandwich before you know it. She should get a little stronger too. BPM is what the motor and reduction turn cycles the primary piston, I don't think that'll change.

I just calls em like I sees em Ted. Those are really attractive and should sell well at almost any scale.

I'm not trying to talk you into anything but one of the highest forms of praise for one's work is people willing to give you money for it.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

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