BillyBones Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Not much on the schedule right now so i got some play time in the shop. Decided to play with hex bar. I got this piece from work that was about 2' or a bit better long. 7/8" wide. So i made a diamond doodad on the end, pointed the other and a half twist. Then made it into a door handle for the barn. Not the prettiest but working the facets down was a bit of a challenge and quite fun. For the first time really working hex i am pleased with the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I love working with hex bar's. I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s. Semper Paratus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 All my attempts to work with hex bar have been cursed…. So, a few bits and pieces. 1. Cut, bent, and rewelded the Hand Lever for the Hossfeld, to give it the appropriate 20° bend: 2. Made a bridge tool from a piece of squared-off tubing and a really hefty chunk of C-channel: (Need to do some more grinding on the underside, but that’s on the to-do list.) 3. Welded feet onto the bench vise stand: 4. Made an auxiliary support bar for the Hossfeld, to help keep pipe from dropping off the tooling while I’m setting up a bend: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryFahnoe Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 John, that auxiliary support bar is a very clever idea! I find the phase of getting set up for the bend is often a challenge & this would help. A combination of an adjustable stock stand and a magnetic level has been helpful on this end; the level to help spot and correct drooping stock... --Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 WORK and Hex bar go together so well at the anvil. It's more temperature critical but not as bad as tool steel and is excellent for medium high carbon tools. I never turn down a piece though the 2" hex I salvaged is some serious work. I like your stock rest John, keeping things level was always an issue for me. I was never any good on a Hossfeld and haven't used one since highschool. Well, without loud protest that is. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Frosty, work is right and i had a blast forging this. Wish i would have got a better pic of the diamond doodad, i am pretty proud of it. I managed to get the facets all equal and the "line" in the middle is straight with nice sharp corners. I am not sure what you mean by temp critical. This was a piece of 1018. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davor Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Made the handle, now it's complete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 In my experience hex bar is almost never simple steel medium to medium high carbon usually with alloying metals according to use. Think crow bars and chisel / punch sets. Our solid flight auger had 2" hex couplers and we ran into situations the drill bit would get into something "grabby" and stall the drill engine repeatedly until we could kick the obstruction aside. The extension bar was always in the string between the drive head on the draw works and the top flight of auger. The hex NEVER broke, sometimes a weld between the female hex and auger or tool failed but never the hexes. Our first choice extension was in play stopping the final drive or stalling a 4/53 Detroit diesel running in the power band must be thousands of times. I've never run across mild steel hex bar. I have run across a couple examples I couldn't anneal or perhaps the alloy was intended to be skate a file hard. By temp critical I mean treating it as if it's more than 40pts. C and don't overheat or leave it hot without refining for too long. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 48 minutes ago, Frosty said: I've never run across mild steel hex bar. I have; in fact, I’ve got a good bit of it out in the shop that I got at HGR. There was a bin of it labeled “Shafting” which I purchased in the hope of using it for tooling, but it turned out to be unhardenable and sparks like mild steel. Here’s a chunk that I twisted as a test piece (for a project that later went in a different direction): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewoon ik Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 I'm in camp frosty as well. Never seen a "normal" steel in hex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Where i work they consider 1030 to be high carbon, at least for the machinery i run. I can get hex in just about any material from the 1018 to aluminum, brass, and even nylon. Although nylon i would guess does not forge very well and i hate machining it. We used to use almost exclusively 12L14 when we would run steel unless of course it was SS, then it is 303. Many of our customers are transitioning away from the 12L14 becuase of the lead so we are starting to see a whole lot more of the 1018 and 1030 coming into the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savlaka Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 I have 1117 in hex bar, and some 1215... along with some 1141/44. I have seen 1018, 1045, 4140, not including the Lead bearing steels (like 12L14) from one of the places I get metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 On the road again, so spent some downtime in the hotel polishing up some chasing tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_c Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Since my "shop" is packed up in my shed until the weather improves, I have been on YouTube University rewatching videos and trying to not go crazy. I hope that all is well with everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Shop is a clean as it’s going to get and tables/chair setup: Ready for the hammer-in in the morning! If any of you are local to south central Indiana, drop on by. Fun starts at 9am. Keep it fun, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Ok, that is crazy David.. Wow.. It's like a stage for a play or movie rehearsal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Shops only 20’x20’ and I try to make the best of it. For these we move the vehicles to the neighbor’s and setup for food and relaxation there. I guess the picture does give it a stage like feel though . Feels pretty spacious right now, but it probably won’t tomorrow… Keep it fun, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave51B Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Crank the heat up.........Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Gas furnace in there. Not a problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Nice shop. Speaking of heat my torpedo died today. So i had to go get a new heat source. Propane radiant heater. Seems to do the job and is much easier on the propane usage than the torpedo but does not heat the shop up as fast. Any way also got my benches cleaned off and tools put away, did some general cleaning. Got a bit of forge time in and got the business end of a cabin latch done. Needs a bit of file work and the bales i will make tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 The hammer-in seemed to go really well: I hammered a test piece out for my cleaver project. I’m going to need a lot more material than I calculated. I tried to make it work, but in the end the edge was just too thin. It warped really bad, even while trying to normalize it. Hardened it anyway and it’s tempering now. I should be able the re-profile it to a small chef’s knife( if I really want to go through all that grinding…) At least all the heat treatment was after everyone left. All it all it was a good time! Keep it fun, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Yeah, if those kind of things are going to happen it'll be at a demonstration. That's how I usually do it. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julianb Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Hello! As it is currently around 0°C in my unheated shop and the fire alone doesn't warm up the machinery and tools enough to forge, I thought I'd tackle the cleanup of multiple anvils, that need derusting and oiling up... I started with a stake and finished with a smaller anvil by H.P. Winterhoff: Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave51B Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 David, glad the meeting went well. Not the best weather, but life is good....... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Too cold to work in the shop (although it did get up to a balmy 7°F this afternoon), so stayed inside and did some design work. The dogs were unimpressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.