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What did you do in the shop today?


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Yeah, I'm gonna try and find a pipe that's a snug fit with thick walls and cut it to where it just about touches the ring. I used a piece of the post after I welded the first brace and clamped everything up tight before I welded the second one. I had to beat the post down into place so it's super sturdy. 

Also, I forgot to mention I put water in my quench tank I welded. I tiny bit leaked out but I think maybe rust plugged it up or something because it hasn't leaked in two days

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I haven't posted on this thread before, but I will give it a go:

Tonight I unboxed a new mini-forge from Gene Henrikson, and gave it a test run. It is also known as the 'one brick forge'.

I requested a slight modification, to have tool rests on both sides. So far, it is working great! I have been experimenting with rr spikes lately, marked HC. Rr spikes seem to be a good medium for trying out various twists. I am by no means the expert.

Anvil Collector Fred Moore stopped by as well, and we talked Anvils for a while. It was a good evening.

I need to finish off the blade shape, and bevel the edges. I think I will just make it a drop point hunter style blade.

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So, I've realized after I got everything all welded up and my vise completely mounted, the steel plate I mounted everything on flexes when using the vise. I guess I should have just used the half inch plate I had but it wasn't near as big as the 3/16" I used so I figured bigger base is better. 

Im going to see if I'm allowed to bolt it down to the concrete slab I've been working on by if not anyone have some good suggestions? I was thinking get a 1/2 or 3/4 piece of the nice plywood or something and bolt it to the bottom. Other than that I can only think to weld some half inch around the outside as supports. 

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35 minutes ago, Pr3ssure said:

anyone have some good suggestions?

I'm not the expert but I will throw a few things out at this late hour, to try to help. If you bolt it to the floor, it looses the portability inherent in the design. Without portability, you could just bolt the vise to a heavy shop table instead, and be done with it. I dont think half inch wood will work, it will still bend. Maybe a welded frame of heavy square tubing instead? Or cut up an old dolly and weld it on as the frame, if you have one laying around the yard like I do.

It looks like a hard design to get perfect. 

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It doesn't need to be mobile. I forge outside and I wanted the ability to move the whole thing. So if I blot it to the concrete I could just undo the bolts. I don't know, maybe I can just get a 1" thick board the same size and bolt it to the bottom. But I'm not sure they sell anything like that. It's 15" wide. I've only ever seems 12" wide boards before other than plywood. I guess I could eventually cut the welds and redo it on half inch plate. 

Also, that forge you got cedar is cool, small as can be but cool. I bet it gets real hot. Be nice for a knife maker. How big is the front port to stick stuff in? About 2x2?

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Thanks. Hot , yes, but not designed for forge welding.  The forge opening is about 1.4 inches wide and about 2 1/4 inches tall, just enough for a rr spike to fit in and out nicely. It is a beginner forge, good for demos. I have 2 other larger gas forges , but they need repair and or redesign. I am hoping to learn some repair techniques on this site.

I dont think going heavier on plate or plywood will work well for your vise, it will still bend when you least expect it to. It is just a design flaw in step-on style vice stands,  from what I have read. The bend will be between where you standing, and the vise. Maybe 2 2x6s underneath will work, I dont know. I would wait for the experts to come back online. I wouldn't reweld, your weld looks great and you would not gain much.

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They use glue and screws to put two or more boards together to make larger boards all the time. A 2 x X with a piece of angle iron around the parameter will hold the platform together and give it additional strength.

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Finished welding the feet for my scrap crocodile yesterday and they are now attached to the body and crocky is just about done. Pics posted in Metal sculpture forum. Here are the feet. Toes finished in the forge.

 

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I just cruised the pics in Sculptures. Stanley is just so VERY COOL!  I didn't notice he has coil spring suspension. I'm not surprised mind you I just missed it earlier. 

Again Stanley's another Ausome sculpture.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Yes, interesting things crocodile toes. I didn't realise until I checked the anatomy that there are five toes up front and only four on the back.  Not that you would want to get too close to the real thing.

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For the past several years the top die in our Star power hammer would work loose and the keys had to be driven back in to continue working. Today I decided to remedy that little aggravation. I reground the dove tail to better fit the hammer then forged better keys front & back to hold the die securely. (sorry no picture)

Then because the trade item for our BOA meeting this month is a trivet, I decided to make one from RR spikes. The power hammer worked like a champ drawing out the spikes and I didn't have to fiddle with the die..yay.

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Not much shop time today but i managed a couple latch hooks for my swinging barn doors that had just some wire twisted up holding them closed.

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here is another in place.

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And the swinging doors i have just to show what i mean. Sliders in the middle then swinging doors on the sides. Both ends have the same set up.

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The door handles i made about a month ago. Next is handles for the swinging doors. 

 

 

 

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I finished forging a garden had trowel for my wife as a mother's day present yesterday. I made it out of a leaf spring and wanted it all one piece. But in forging the scoop I flexed the handle to much at low temps and had lots of stress fractures where it meet the scoop. So I cut it off and made a new handle that got riveted on. I'll heat treat it today and get the handle slabs put on it tonight.

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Not me but my wife.

Debi finished a project she has been working on. She found a sapling when fly fishing that the beavers had cut down and stripped all the bark from it. She wanted to make a walking staff for hiking. She decided on what is called a Stang for the top. Started with a piece of 3/8 X 1 inch about 10 inches long flat stock. She split one end and drew out the limbs then formed the socket (her first one) to go on the staff. Then she welded in a small cup to hold a crystal and shaped the limbs. Quite a few firsts for her and I think it came out nice. She also did the forging in our coal forge and learned to start and maintain the fire. She also used the power hammer to draw the socket out.

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28 minutes ago, Cannon Cocker said:

The handle is spring steel so it should hold up fine.

I was thinking more in terms of comfort in the hand than strength of the metal, but I'm sure it will be fine.

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31 minutes ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

She decided on what is called a Stang for the top.

New one on me, I'll have to look it up. Tell Debi Frosty says "Nice job, well done."

Frosty The Lucky.

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