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What did you do in the shop today?


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JHCC,

A stray thought from the  SLAG.

Perhaps you can engrave some extra longitudinal striations in the handle,  make them 'black' in order to turn the flaw into one component of a larger design.

For example, J-B Weld 24 hour epoxy resin can be wiped into the depressions.  (it is conveniently black).

Just sayyyin,

SLAG.

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Nice paw print, Das. I’m thinking of making something similar (if larger and with more rounded toes) to make some stuff for the folks at my son’s high school: their mascot is the Panther. 

Thanks for the suggestion, SLAG, but I think I’m going to leave it as-is. 

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A larger starting stock for the paw print touchmark will help absorb some of the heat from being used, and be easier to hold.during use.

 

13 hours ago, JHCC said:

Sulfur fumes from burning coal mix with water (even the moisture in the air) to make sulfuric acid. 

(2H2O + SO2 = H2SO4)

Should that not be H20 + S02 = H2S04 ?

The sulfur as well as other things in the exhaust and ash from burning solid fuels (wood, coal, coke, charcoal etc) will draw moisture from the air and form many compounds including acids, which can eat metal. A fire on a regular basis (daily) will keep the metal warm and discourage moisture build up. Keeping the hood and chimney clean of ash will help. You can not get rid of the corrosion only slow it down a bit.

 

Hans: Another solution for padding the vise jaws is to split a piece of copper pipe, flatten it out, and place it over the vise jaws. If you are doing a project that is very soft or easily marked, split a section of auto radiator hose so you have a rubber pad for the vise jaw. 

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John, thank you for the correction and accounting for the extra hydrogen.

I was more interested in the process than the exact formulation. It has been a while since my inorganic chemistry classes.  My equation should have been written Sulfur fumes + water (moisture) makes H2S04, which is what JHCC already said using words.

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Das, your touchmark looks fine. I would recommend shortening it to about 4" long for stability. Make a handle by welding a rod to it, making a wrapped, twisted rod handle, or just hold it with small tongs with a tong clip. I just use tongs. If you weld on a handle, take care to keep the paw print cool so as to not remove any heat treatment.

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Right; should have been 2H2O + SO2 = H2SO4 + H2.  My bad. 

Ditto on the handle for the touchmark. One major advantage is that it makes it really easy to orient; you always know which side is “up”.

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It also makes it easier to give it a confident thwack when your hand isn’t in the way of a possible mis-hit. 

Another thing I did yesterday was finally realize where the belt tracking mechanism is on my grinder. Of course, I realized this after I finished grinding the Bowie knife.

BFB8D436-2E8F-4BB4-BCF9-B0ECFF3EC0EB.jpeg

(The top and bottom screws adjust the angle of the bracket that holds the top wheel; the middle screw locks everything in place.)

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On 11/12/2018 at 9:42 PM, Ranchmanben said:

A few weeks ago I posted a batch of hammer heads with one that wasn’t quite like the others. I’d teased that I had plans for it. It’s finally done. 2lbs with bois d’arc handle wedged with hickory. I had my dad do the engraving. Cold blue finish. 

Ben: That hammer looks more like jewelry than a tool! 

Beautiful doesn't quite do it.

Frosty The Lucky.

On 11/17/2018 at 6:34 PM, Daswulf said:

Yup. Big difference using gas over flux core. The extra cost for mig gas is well worth it. 

NOT having to chip slag more than makes up for it. I hate flux core but sometimes that's all there is. <sigh>

Frosty The Lucky.

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JHCC if you don't like the finish on it than why wouldn't you fix it? personally I would fix it so I would be pleased but that's just cause I find if I don't like something I made  I either fix it or get rid of it. Only other recommendation is to bring that grid back a bit for a thinner edge.

                                                                                                                                     Littleblacksmith

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Aus, Cincinnatus, nise stuff. I really need more time in the shop. Tonigh I was talking with another local scrap artist and we might be trading different skill knowledge. 

Other than that I knocked out a few snowmen for some quick last minute gifts. Still need to work on other ideas from the last but these will be in safe hands and I'm on a time crunch. 

20181119_223710.jpg

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On 11/18/2018 at 11:21 AM, Daswulf said:

Never stopped me from hitting my hand before.  Now you know for the next one.

week back when i was finishing the hardware/backgroup for the Deerfield latch set.. I was punching a 1/4" hole through 3/16 hitting with the 2.5lbs hammer as hard as I could and missed the punch but hit my hand between the pointer nuckel and the thumb knuckle..  My hand makes a funny noise now opening and closing it but no broken bones.. But my elbow and shoulder were sore for 4 days..  :)   

I always look at the tip of the punch when hitting but forgot to keep looking at the whole picture..  LOL..   Well that and I'm out of practice.. :( 

Ausfire nice work..  I betcha you have no problem clearing off the selling table.. 

Das, say deal..  

Nice work  all.. 

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10 hours ago, littleblacksmith said:

JHCC if you don't like the finish on it than why wouldn't you fix it?

Sorry not to get back to this question sooner, Mark. The short answer is, because I've had so many frustrations and setbacks with this knife that I just want done with it. The longer answer is that it is (in a number of respects) just straddling the boundary between "good enough" and "not quite good enough". With the tools and materials I have to hand, it would take a lot of time and effort to get it perfect, and I've got other projects I want to move on to. (Some things, like the crack in the bone and the fit between the guard and the tang, couldn't be fixed without completely scrapping that component and making a new one.) That's the problem with being a hobbyist with comparatively little available time for smithing: you have to make a lot of imperfect choices on how to use your shop time, and this knife has taken a lot more than I wanted already. 

In the end, knowing myself, I may very well go back to it if I find those imperfections to be naggingly unsettling. I've got some belts on order for the grinder that would take care of the blade issues in fairly short order, so chances are good that I'll be coming back to it sooner rather than later.

10 hours ago, littleblacksmith said:

Only other recommendation is to bring that grid back a bit for a thinner edge

I might grind the bevel back a bit more, but since the blade is already a bit thinner than is ideal, I'm not sure if reducing the cross-sectional area is advisable. Something to think about; there may be a good middle ground. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

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JHCC- I caught a video on YouTube a while ago about how they "fix" neck bridges on guitars. The material is made of either bone or ivory, and after much use the guitar strings will cut through the bridge making the instrument difficult to tune or even play if the damage is severe enough. They file new material of bone or ivory into dust and combine that with super glue to make a paste. They fill in the damaged area, allow to set and cure, then file it back to it's proper shape. In the end, the repair is hardly noticeable. That may be a possible solution to fix your cracked handle. Might be worth a try and possibly easier than replacement of the whole handle. Sort of like bone Bondo.

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