What did you do in the shop today?

[JHCC]

It's all so CLEAN!!

[wirerabbit]

Now, that's a nice space, Buffalo.

I could never keep my space that organized, though I try.

4th set of tongs finished. I do realize now that my sucker rod punches are not any better than my HF punches, but I got the two halves punched. I still don't have stock to make my own rivets, so ended up using another bolt (zinc removed) for a rivet (5/16").

These are made from two pieces of approx. 8 inches of 3/4 sucker rod. Several things I still don't like about these tongs: The boss is still too different between halves and at times the section is not fully parallel, especially when it moves into the bit. The boss is still a bit longer than high, on other words, not roughly a square. I'm finding it difficult to "square off the rhombus" as it were. The transition from bits to boss are also very different resulting in one side of tongs having lots of clearance (see picture below) and the other side being too snug, requiring a bit of filing.

These flat bits have the v notch for holding square and round bar. My chisel marks were not accurate and thus the finished jaws are a bit out of wack but they will do until I make new ones. I tried to make a smart transition where the rains move from rectangular to round in cross section, but set downs were not the way to do it, and I couldn't really hammer them out. BTW, no more eyeballing, I'm marking up cold after measuring! These are set for 3/8 inch bar.

 

[jlpservicesinc]

Nice space..  

Be sure and get those tanks chained up.  

[Savlaka]

M3F- looks like a great workshop you've got going there.

Wirerabbit- those Tongs look good to me, they'll hold the size they are supposed to and that's what really matters.

 

I've been Doing more tooling and some odds and ends. today was the first cold day we've had this year (58 degrees - yeah it's SW Florida) so I spent most of the day out there working on stuff...

made a punch holder that I mounted to the side of my anvil stands. just scrap wood I had in the wood shop.

then I made a few punches and such, two for me - a square face center punch from reclaimed car spring, and a slitting / drift tool for 1/8-1/4"x 9/16" wide slots from 1060.  the other two for are for a friend of mine, two center punches one med (1060 and a 90 degree point) one small (4140 and an 82 degree point).

last I made a 1.5lb ball peen style hammer. it's 4130 and the flat face is Octagon and the ball was made more spherical than the commercial ones I have, as I think this will work better for my uses... 

all five of these are still waiting on their heat treating, I'll probably do them and anything else I might get done towards the end of the week.

[M3F]

Jlp will do thanks it never crossed my mind. 

[jlpservicesinc]

M3F.. You bet.. Was one of the rules taught in shop class..  There were a whole bunch of warnings and safety things.. 

Another one is important and not mentioned often is never lay down your acetylene and then stand it up and try to attach a regulator.    

It will come out as a liquid..  Its diffuses into a cellular structure that is filled with acetone..  

So make sure and let it rest for hours standing upright before attaching a regulator and trying to light it off. 

[Frosty]

I really like that hammer Jennifer, it reminds me of a small version of a plate hammer I have in the shop. I've never straightened plate with it but it's a real go-devil for drawing down heavy stock. 

BIG ditto regarding safety where welding tanks are concerned. The acetone in an acetylene tank stabilizes the acetylene. The liquid blowing out of the tank is acetone that smells like acetylene because it's carrying the odorant mercaptan oil. Without a stabilizing agent acetylene, (C2 H2) can decompose into pure carbon and pure hydrogen gases and release a LOT of heat. The results are usually VERY energetic. Explosive.

Un-stabilized acetylene  can decompose with a mechanical shock, say drop the hose, step on it, etc. A static spark from the hose to a ground can do it. Getting it hot can do it like say 200f. Sometimes it just decomposes.

What should REALLY give you pause is the easiest way to make un-stabilized acetylene decompose, subject it to much more than about 15psig. Notice the red line on the acet. gage? Sure you might get away with it up to maybe 20psig. but it gets more unstable till it lets go. Meaning at 15psig it only takes a LITTLE shock, at 20 maybe just flexing the hose. 

The porous media in acetylene tanks prevents acetone and liquid acetylene from separating in the tank. Separated the acetylene is un-stabilized at a tank pressure of 200lbs/sq/in.

When I had to learn all this the tanks were filled with porous concrete, made with crushed ice which was melted and drained after the concrete was set. I don't know what's used today but it's there.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Goods]

All the forging, heat treating and sharpening is done:

(Tomahawk at the bottom has a little bit of delamination that showed up at the quench , but it’s not too bad. It may end up as my target hawk…)

Now on to leather work… 3 days till the festival!

Keep it fun,

David

[GhostTownForge]

jlp, I love that punch organizer, I might have to steal that one. 

[JHCC]

As ThomasPowers used to say, acetylene doesn’t want to be on the same planet as us. 

[jlpservicesinc]

9 hours ago, Frosty said:

I really like that hammer Jennifer, it reminds me of a small version of a plate hammer I have in the shop. 

 

Frosty The Lucky.

 

8 hours ago, GhostTownForge said:

jlp, I love that punch organizer, I might have to steal that one. 

Not my hammer or punch rack people.. 

Savlaka's  items..  

I built a version of your punch stand 40 years ago using angle iron for the 4 corners.. 

I used this holder in my demo trailer and it worked well enough. 

In my shop I used a 6X6 piece of timber frame out of pine..  Drilled holes in the top straight up and down  and in the front I went in about 45D..   

The hollow punch rack lasted about 10 years being out in the weather but the timber frame one is still going strong and lives in the demo trailer. 

it's 40 years old..   Funny how certain things just keep on going. 

[Chad J.]

Goods, great consistency on your blade designs!  My tendancy is too make everything slightly different, though my spike tomahawk heads are a set design now.  

M3F welcome back,  how do you find anything with your shop so clean?

Anyway,  I have a couple door handles I made for a customer,  and the UMBA fall conference is at Centaur Forge on Saturday,  the trade item is an ice cream scoop.  First time I've had the chance to make a trade item for one of the conferences.   I'm kinda happy with it.   I have a little filling to do for touch up and get the finish on but I'm happy with it. 

 

 

[jlpservicesinc]

Goods (David) nice work..  Very clean..   are you starting to keep track of how long things take you to make?  Journal perhaps? 

I got in the habit and it was a great habit to have..  It's fun looking thru the old ones and seeing how much faster I was back then.   

Spring lock 3hrs start to finish.. Now it would be a 6hr project.. 

[Goods]

JLP, no I haven’t started a journal, but I need to. I’ve got one in the shop for that purpose, particularly for keeping track of steps/sequences and dimensions that work out good for me. I just get rolling and don’t take the time to write things down. It comes back to bite me when I try to make the same item a year later… (I would be a little scared to see how much time I have in some of these items.)

 

 

Chad, I like your scoop!

Doing these in batches makes consistency a little easier. The side profile is pretty close on these, but the top profile, eye transition and blade thickness/taper, varies considerably. Most of that was me trying to get the process down for the eye transition I want. Still not quite there yet. (Another reason I should be using that journal!)

The knives I pretty much have the process down, but I also work these through step by step in batches. (Cut all the blanks the same, marked the set down at one time, drew all the handles out… they’re small, so not really wasting residual heat between steps. I’m not sure I would have the same efficiency on something larger like hatchets.)

Keep it fun,

David

[Frosty]

Wellll O K A Y then.

I LOVE your hammer Savlaka, I bet it's great for hollow forming.

Frosty The Lucky.

[GhostTownForge]

My bad. savlaka, love that punch holder

[wirerabbit]

Have combustibles will forge! Taking my new tongs for 3/8" bar for a spin! Ignore those HF needle-nose pliers, please.

[M3F]

I'm a neat freak lol. 

[Chad J.]

Another ice cream scoop but I went for a rubics twist for the first time.   I think it turned it well. 

I used my portaband, I don't have the patience to use a hacksaw. 

I also coughed up the cash to have a bunch of debris removed from the barn so now I have a supply storage area to house metal and wood. 

[Savlaka]

Goods - that's a nice pile of cutting tools, they are very consistent in finished size and style.  I especially like how that middle tomahawk's handle came out.

 

JLP- Thanks - though honestly it was starting to get funny when the second person was replying to you about the post, I was wondering how far it'd go . I looked at doing a solid one, but since I was planning on putting it down below my anvils I figured it'd just get filled with scale flakes eventually. for longevity the two plates I drilled are both hardwoods. the only pine is the plywood on the bottom and the standoff's that should help it last a bit... but it was just scraps anyway.

 

Chad- those are some great scoops!

[wirerabbit]

I'm diggin' the ice cream scoops, Chad. Of course these days I'm an ice cream sammich fiend, but one of these days...

I'm just now starting to practice twists. Man, you have to pay attention as just a quarter turn makes such a difference! 

Savlaka, my punches, chisel, etc. are nowhere as refined as yours, but I will have to make more soon. I used sucker rod and they are just not tough enough. So much to learn, so little charcoal. 

[Chad J.]

Thanks Wire, yeah I have snapped a couple off in the past.   That rubics went easier than I expected really.   The cheap little Porta band I got made a big difference

[bluerooster]

I've not been on here in a while, but it looks like everyone is doing OK and making nice things.

I've not been at the forge since late spring when the weather started to heat up. Weather is cooling now, and time to fire up the forge.  But first I need to replace the barrel hood. It's rusted out, and drops flakes of rust into the fire.  (can we say clinker from ....)  Anyway, today I went to the local scrapyard to find some steel plate to make a "super sucker" for the forge.  They told me that no one is allowed in, and they will no longer sell to the public.  They will still buy from you though, just once you cross the scales, you are not allowed out of your vehicle.  They will unload you.   This was my go to place for all manner of good stuff.  Not any more.   I guess someone stumped their toe, and sued. Thus ruining it for the rest of us. 

Oh, here's what I've been working on for the past several months.

[M3F]

Looks like a heck of a project you got there!  That stinks about the scrap yard though. I love the super sucker hood. I can't remember where I found the plans but it works perfectly. 

[bluerooster]

There's a diagram on here somewhere, But I need to source the flat steel first.   I may just fabricate one out of sheet metal so I can get back to the forge.  I've got an old hood from the Pontiac, that would provide all the sheet needed.  But being thin, I suspect it won't last much longer than the barrel did.

Yep, that's a project for sure. But it's come a long way since I started.  But a long way to go yet.