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What did you do in the shop today?


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3 hours ago, Strike said:

what's the deal with boiled linseed oil spontaneously combusting in rags 

Linseed oil hardens not by drying, but by oxidizing. As it absorbs oxygen from the air, the chemical reaction gives off heat. If too much of that heat builds up (say, in a wadded-up rag), it can pass its ignition point and burst into flame. 

This is why allowing oily rags to dry flat (or hung over a wire or something) outside and away from other combustibles is a good idea. The heat doesn’t have a chance to build up. 

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Either that is a tiny anvil, or those shears are massive! What weight are they?!

 

 

I started a new project over the weekend, a little more ambitious than my usual attempts of beating metal into submission.

So far i've got 2.5 out of 14 pieces roughed out... the plan is to finish all the pieces, get the relevant ones reasonably matched/shaped, and finally clean it all up with final forging, filing, etc, and assemble.
Should have had 3 or 4 pieces roughed out by now, but one leg ended up in the river.... something something, don't get distracted and chat when steel is in the fire.

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Starting stock was 1" square bar, and right about now I really wish I had a power hammer.... this will be a good exercise in patience, taking my time, and working on consistency.
Considering I usually work with significantly thinner stock, this has been good hammer therapy following a particularly bad week.

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Well, I experimented with canister Damascus over the weekend. I want really thinking I would be all that successful. I did it to test out a)if my forge can get to good welding heats b) do I really need a press, how difficult by hand. The canister was 1.25x 5", 1084 powder, 52100 ball bearings. Liquid paper worked great, took me a minute to chisel it off. I took a quick grind on one surface and etched in vinegar to see how the pattern came out

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Aus, sorry the glitch in the matrix yesterday got me side tracked and I forgot to reply. That longer bolt is fine, just the angle and I got it a little thinner. I Did lose one tho. I was working two at a time and wasn't managing them well enough as they got thinner. 

As far as the flat spray can clear, I have been using Dupli-color engine paint and lately VHT exhaust paint. They both come in either a matt or flat clear. I like the durability, how nice they spray and quickness that it dries. A little more money but I like the results more. 

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2 hours ago, Daswulf said:

Whats this thingy? Looks like a ball stake made from a lifting weight? I dunno, looks stamped like a lifting weight. 

That’s exactly what it is: a 5lb. weight cut in half and welded to a hardy stem. 

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I clean up before I forge!

Longer answer in two parts: First, when I'm doing work that doesn't involve firing up the forge, I just make sure I have a clear area around where I need to stand. I do a fair amount of squeezing-in-bits-and-pieces-of-cold-work-when-I-can, so I tend not not waste time on cleanup; this means that junk tends to migrate around the shop area somewhat. (I will sometimes do a cleanup when things are really bad, as they're getting now.) When I'm actually going to be forging, everything gets cleaned up once the fire is lit and is coming up to forging temperature. Second, the area behind the anvil doesn't get cleaned up as much, because the treadle hammer is back there and I therefore don't forge on that side.

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John, in the fab, auto, machine shop, garage.. I have so much equipment that I have a certain path worked out based on my natural ryhtyum..  If 1 thing gets moved It completely leaves me tripping over everything till the object can be sorted over a time frame and it gets back to where it belongs.. 

I'd rather not work in there unless I have to.. 

Ochavoc well done..  Was it completely welded through the center?  What you gonna make? 

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Got some (4) massive elevator counter weights (2 1/3 in x 2 1/3 in x 31 1/2 in -45lbs) to use as counter weights for the kiln top-loader/bell configuration. It works fine now. Used also the new big melting furnace and 28lbs preheated crucible to cast another two bronze anvils as give away to the sponsors, and made some knuckle neckless hangers to increase Lisa’s pocket money. Almost every casting turns out nice now after degassing (charcoal powder) fluxing & dross remove (medical borax) and adding tin to replace the burn out content (Thanks Thomas).

Also (together with Lisa) busy with some ceramic stuff (Raku) to fill the kiln after the neighbourly mediation turns out to NOTHING. Even after affirmation from both sides (before the meeting to the mediator) to come to a constructive appointment, the mediation turns out to event for the neighbour to ventilate his frustration and ends up with his opinion that I have to leave with the shop to an industrial area:angry:.

However promised to take still more effort to insulate the shop, keep it silent at Sunday, and will see what’s happened after the next visit (7x) of the local sheriff.      

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1 hour ago, Hans Richter said:

However promised to take still more effort to insulate the shop, keep it silent at Sunday, and will see what’s happened after the next visit (7x) of the local sheriff.      

Hans, I hope the situation "quiets" down with your neighbor. We're very fortunate here, since we not only have some distance between us and the neighboring houses, but our neighbors are all very nice folks who are always interested in seeing the latest projects that I'm working on. Good luck with your neighbor!

I also wanted to say that I'm very impressed with your many clever shop innovations, your energy, and your degree of organization. Someday I hope to be organized.

28 minutes ago, Zrognak said:

Did this in the shop today, well not my shop but the schools workshop, had a piece of damascus i made more then 2 years ago with me so made a mjölnir pendant from it.

Zrognak, all of your work that I've seen so far has been great. Keep sending the photos.

2 hours ago, JHCC said:

I clean up before I forge!

1 hour ago, jlpservicesinc said:

I have so much equipment that I have a certain path worked out based on my natural ryhtyum..  If 1 thing gets moved It completely leaves me tripping over everything till the object can be sorted over a time frame and it gets back to where it belongs.

I find that my tool/equipment clutter-cleanup cycle waxes and wanes. I tend to do a massive cleanup, then things gradually get more cluttered until I start spending more time trying to find tools than working with them, at which time my frustration level triggers another massive cleanup. If I ever finish my "compact" metal shop area, I hope to maintain the "organized" state more consistently. By the way, Jennifer, your portable shop trailer always seems to show what to me is an impressive level of organization.

Al (Steamboat)

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Steamboat: I dislike having the blacksmithing shop disorganized so as each item is finished everything gets put away.. Certain things get put away once I am done with using them..

I find that it's (blacksmithing) one of the traits I picked up and kept over the years..    In the way back I was a neat freak boarder like OCD BAD..

If I could do it now.. I'd have a vacuum cleaner in the trailer to vacuum everything when I get done.  ;) 

The biggest problem is I have stuffed so many tools into the Garage that literally there is only enough room to sneak through..
 

Realtree:  I have used several models of the blacksmith hand shears..  I then discovered a model made by Viking manufacturing that has a compound leverage arrangement and it is amazing how much better it works..  It turns the shear into a one person tool and I can cut 3/16"  and up to 6" long..

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33 minutes ago, jlpservicesinc said:

I then discovered a model made by Viking manufacturing that has a compound leverage arrangement 

I think I saw one of those (in pieces and incomplete) at Quad-State. 

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it's all about the compound leverage.. 

 

They are a dropped forged amazing shear.. I saw it and was like "WHAT"..   I then proceeded to ask the lady at the flea market how much it is, she said I don't know make me an offer it's my boy friends and he just went to the bath room..  I offered 50.00 and she took it with a big smile..  that was in 1992.. 

 

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