What did you do in the shop today?

[Shainarue]

Nice scarf rack Jobtiel. Simple and efficient. I'm sure it will look grand with all her event scarves hanging.

Those are good lookin' knives Chimaera. One of these days I want to try doing one just to understand what goes into it. I have no interest in knives otherwise. Well, maybe throwing daggers - is that the same as knives?

[Chimaera]

Thanks shain. I think they’re very technically simple; probably why I make them ;). I still manage to screw them up though!

[Shainarue]

I dunno. I've made two letter openers so far and both times have been a struggle on the beveling. Second one was better than the first though. I've just finished sketching out a few ideas for the Winter Challenge and two of the three ideas require a lot of peening - which is another technique I need practice on. TBD on whether any of these sketches make it to the board!

[Glenn]

Shaina, take a 2x4 and reduce one end to form a handle.  If you do not have a draw knife, use a saw to form a handle of about the right size with a 45 degree transition from the handle to the parent stock.  A rasp or file or even sand paper will round off the corners of the handle and reduce it a bit more to fit your hand.  Look at a wooden wheel borrow handle as a pattern.  

It is not about what you do or so nor have.  It is take what you have and improvise, adapt, and overcome.  There is a way, you just have to work it out.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

For a wooden mallet, I use cut off baseball bats, that I find for around a dollar at yard sales.

[Frosty]

Wooden baseball bats are on my buy list for under $1, if I'm buying other stuff I often get them as part of the rest. A short piece from the handle end is my go to thwocker, it fits my tool bag better than the B'ball bat mallet. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[M.J.Lampert]

nothing in the shop today but completed an Occupational first-aid course at the local collage.

M.J.Lampert

[Shainarue]

I'm not averse to adapting and improvising. That's how I ended up using a section of copper pipe to thwack against a bit of brass coupling in the vice. And then for straightening out the warps, copper pipe against wood plank I had laying there. 

Yes, I can carve my own crude wooden mallet in short order. I just hadn't yet. Now that I've scavenged all those pallets for the framing that I'm no longer doing, I have plenty of wood to work with, lol - just didn't have anything small and at the ready when I wanted it. I also plan to build a crude wooden shelf of sorts that will saddle over the anvil when it's needed. I've used that in another shop and really liked it. 

I also like the idea of the ball bats! I can see those coming in handy for a vast array of handles. 

Nothing for me in the shop tonight. I finished popping nails from the pallet wood and got it all put away. Then watched a Dutch show with my Dutch study group. Planning to go out tomorrow after work and try one of my ideas for the winter challenge with rebar. 

[Glenn]

You may want to consider cutting some copper pipe the long way, flattening it out, and using it as soft jaws for your post vise.  

While you are making a wooden mallet, cover the working end with some of the flattened copper pipe.  Just make a U shape and loosely nail it horizontally to the side of the mallet.  The same mallet with copper on one side, wood on the other.

You could wrap the flattened copper pipe around the end of the wooden mallet and nail it to the wood.  No one said it had to be pretty, it just has to work.

[lary]

3 hours ago, Glenn said:

 consider cutting some copper pipe the long way, flattening it out, and using it as soft jaws for your post vise. 

I've done that, was surprised at how well it works. Copper pipe being so thin made me skeptical, but it does work. 

[Frosty]

I made my later B'ball bat mallet from the end so it has one flat face and one rounded. It works well for forming sheet metal. 

I use the bat handle end for the mallet handle. You want to grind the end that fits into the eye so it has a shoulder. Dry (shrink) the handle in the oven at 230f for an hour or so, so it'll swell slightly in the eye when it returns to ambient humidity and a simple wedge keeps it nicely.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

For years I used a croquet mallet that was thrown in with other stuff at a yard sale so it was free.

[Donal Harris]

Jobtiel, that scarf rack looks great, but I am more impressed with the screwdriver bit. 
 

I’ve done the copper pipe thing for my vise jaws. In addition to not marring the what I am working on, it seems to be hold better. I assume this is because it is so soft. I believe someone here told me about the trick maybe two or three years ago. 

[Shainarue]

Tonight I did a bunch of shop chores instead of forging. Got the leaves cleaned up and burned them with the rotted plywood I had pulled out of the shed last month.

While that was burning, I got the metal shed roof seams and a few rust pits sealed with silicone, and made a little progress on that old rusted shut farm post vice.

I was finally able to get the nut off from the mobile arm/jaw and got that removed. I now have better access to the screw box that's stuck. I was able to get the slot around the screw box cleaned out enough to see what's jamming it up. The notch that's supposed to line up with the notch hole is actually turned about 90 degrees. So no amount of downward whacking is gonna free it up. I heated and did some side whacking, I sprayed with penetrating fluid and did some more whacking. It is still not budging so now it's soaking in a bucket of vinegar. I chose that method because it's what I had on hand, lol. Time will tell if I end up needing to make a run for diesel fuel in a few weeks. 

[Chimaera]

Got a couple full tangs heat treated and handles glued and pinned. Started playing with stonewashing and I’m in love. The etching hides my bad grinds, then the tumbling hides my bad etching! I also love how subtle the forged flats look. There’s still contrast, but not so much as to make it feel discontinuous

I’ve also done copper jaws. In addition, I fabricated some out of scrap 1/8” Al and 3D printer a pair. Those are all very useful for different things. Could also do plywood.

[Frosty]

Shaina: 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF (Dexron, Automatic Transmission Fluid) is as good a penetrating oil and rust breaker as the better commercial products.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Shainarue]

That's what I had been using until I ran out. Then I switched back to what I had on hand. This has been a very stubborn vice! 

I guess I could buy more of each, enough to fill the bucket, and soak it in that! Lol

[bluerooster]

Got the cable billet done, now what to make of it. Also made a few wonky hooks for mounting and hanging keys. 

[natkova]

WEll i cant consider smithing today but i gathering knowledge by old blacksmith.

He is 85 years old, i didn't see him forging and i went to his home, asked how are you  chit chat, he invited me to his house, and we talked like 2 hours, old me won't go to him if  i don't saw him forging, but what a xxxx i gave it a try, and we talked a l lots' of topics, and i learned something more.
I didn't know how much older folks are grateful if you spend some time with them like 2hours,and man i don't feel sorry about that time spend  at his house.
Learned new stuff about life about blacksmithing, how to heat treat (he explained it theoretically )how to heat treat by his way, and he explained me how to make charcoal, which steel is good for tools, for example you can make good knife out off saw blade, you don't need to hit and forge too much that thickness.

 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

8 hours ago, Shainarue said:

and soak it in that! Lol

I had one like that that someone forced the screw box in 90 degrees off. I was able to use a good fitting (large) pair of channellock pliers and twisting it back & forth while pilling it out the back end and having the screw screwed in and tapping it. It finally loosened  enough to slide it out.

[Chimaera]

Blue rooster, that’s a clean cable billet. If it came from the same size as is next to it, I’m astounded. All mine have been dirty, rough things about half the thickness of my starting stock. Let me know how it goes to use it- I can’t for the life of me figure out how to etch mine. 

[Shainarue]

Irondragon, just to make sure I have this right:

Screw the screw back into the screw box. Grab the outside of the screw box with a big pair of channellock pliers. Attempt to twist the screw box using said pliers while also pulling on the back end at the same time. Right?

[bluerooster]

Chimaera, I kinda cheated on it.  It was a choker made of 7/8"  cable.  The loops were cable doubled back and a fitting swaged on to hold it.  This billet is that swaged part of the cable. It was still rather tedious getting it to welding temp through the whole piece.  Heat it slowly and allow it to soak for a while then bring temp up some more and soak a while, until it's finally up to welding temp.  It took many heats to insure that it's welded through.  I believe that once it's drawn, and shaped, I can grind through the outer layer to reveal the pattern.

[Chimaera]

Gotcha. I actually have a couple of those swaged portions myself and was unsure whether they would work. It sounds likt the answer is yes.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

22 hours ago, Shainarue said:

I have this right:

Yep that's how I was able to free it up and then get the screw box out of the frame.  Then make sure the tab on the box lines up with the slot in the frame when sliding it straight in.