What did you do in the shop today?

[twigg]

Got it. Thanks all!! Sounds like I really dodged a bullet. Steam explosion inside the concrete... phew

 

[671jungle]

made a lil cold working jewelry anvil for work while sitting down comfortably in a chair or stool. It will be hard faced.

[Chris C]

Nice.

[Frosty]

Oops, should've read the rest of the thread before beating the dead horse. I'll hide the whip now.  Be more careful Twigg. 

Nice job Jungle. Can we have a look at the die you're using? I'm not clear about how it works.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mark Ling]

Jennifer, as you already know, love the hatchets and axe. Is there any threads on here over the forging of them?

[Frazer]

Mark, I went through her channel and here is a list of everything I recognized, although i don't think any of the listed items are what you're looking for specifically.. still, in case it is of use to you, or to anyone else, ill post it. (Also thank you Jennifer for sharing some of your work, it is really quite impressive. Across the board.) 

boot dagger (second from bottom [excluding axe])
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb3ek0r1_fU

Carving chisel (third from bottom [excluding axe])
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYSP_hfP93Y

Colonial Style knife (bottom)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZU_Sl8oTew

Colonial Style Wrapped Eye Tomahawk - looks like there has been a handle improvement, or its not the same axe. Not sure. (far left)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ftp5kJ-K8Q

Knife hiding directly below the... Katana? 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GPFMQuMTBk

Knife with hooked tang, center of pile on the bottom (i think)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcOGzeCUE1I
 

[671jungle]

4 hours ago, Frosty said:

Can we have a look at the die you're using?

Thanks Frosty! I think it’s for a trailer hitch.

The solid part “anvil face” is 2”x2” and about 6 1/2” long is slid into a sleeve and welded. I cut the wood to slide into the other side of the sleeve. I’m assuming it is mild steel and hard facing will be “needed”. I also plan on strapping both the bottom and top of the wood base to avoid splitting in the future.

[671jungle]

39 minutes ago, 671jungle said:

the wood base

Also, the stain on the wood is from being used as a grinder table the last several months. The metal fines have sat on the wood in the weather and oxidized to create a nice stain. Similar to what JHCC mentioned earlier. I did it unintentionally kindaz. 

[Frosty]

Okay, it all becomes clear to me now. buwahahaha! <cue eery music>

Sorry, couldn't help myself. It looked like something different when I asked, I was seeing a closed die like a coining die. Now I see what I'm looking at from a different perspective or something. I don't know why it looked so different while looking exactly like this pic. 

Okay it's called "Hitch receiver tubing" and is used for changeable trailer hitches. It's nice to be able to pull your hitch so the tweakers ones don't steal it. 

Is it denting up now? If not I wouldn't worry about hard facing it, the stuff is darn hard to grind and polish. It's abrasion resistant and darned good at it, even the build up rod is hard grinding. 

I used the build up rod rather than hard facing rod when I rebuilt the couple anvils I have and it doesn't dent under hard blacksmitherly hammering, even missed blows. 

You'll need to talk to a regular welding supply, big boxes and hardware employees won't know enough to help. What you're looking for is "build up rod" or "hard face underlayment rod". Terminology has changed since I did this stuff. hard facing rod is brittle so if the blade has worn enough you need to bring it back before hard facing to  meet spec. the build up beads have to be very resistant to being dented.

Were you to use 7018 and hard face over it the hardface would chip off when the 7018 under it dented. Make sense? Put a Hershey bar in the freezer, then lay it on a table and press on it. Nothing, it just lays there till it gets warm and you can lick it off your fingers. Right? Now take another and lay it on a folded towel and press on it. When the towel compresses the Hershey bar will snap.

When you talk to the WELDING SUPPLY counter guy tell him you need build up   underlayment rod, he'll understand one of them, if not use my previous description. Tell him you need build up rod intended for STEEL ON STONE.  as used to build up crusher drums. The stuff doesn't dent but it isn't brittle. 

The sucky thing about it is it's expensive, any hard facing rod is expensive and build up rods are no different. See if they'll sell you a pound or two, the local Weldaire has it broken down into small packages. 

If I just confused you let me know I'll try to cut it down to usefulness.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

[George N. M.]

Yesterday and today my son and I mounted my Caneday-Otto #2 post drill and installed a chimney for my forge.  I let my son do all the work on the roof on the theory that he is nimbler than I and heals faster.  Also, I got him to lift the drill press while I put the lag bolts in.  It was really nice to have him here from the Univ. of N. Dakota for a few days for both the company and the help he could give me.  there are just some things you can't do by yourself.

Tomorrow we are supposed to be hit with a good, old fashioned Wyoming spring blizzard.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand"

 

[jlpservicesinc]

LBS, I don't have any videos produced on the making of stylized  hatchets..  I do a wrapped eye on them though and the carving hatchets have the eyes offset to one side.  I think there are photos on here. 

 The carving hatchets are made the same way a larger hewing ax is made so all the preforms are done and then short scarfed one side.   regular hatchets are easier from the welding aspect and I love to forge hatchets and axes.. I love the way the forging of them takes place.. Not a punched eye person on hatchets or axes, but it's just preference.  

I have no clue as to what people in youtube land want to watch..  So, make videos I think offer a skills set that will help others along.  Up to this point I've stayed away from content that takes more skills over base line..  As all the people have skills that have grown I can now look at making items that have also increases in skill sets. 

There are numerious photos on in the photo albums showing both axes and hatchets in process..  :    https://goo.gl/photos/jNR8MRdz5TSU3Nm47

 I have got 5 video ideas in cue now but did't consider a Hatchet as one of them. Maybe it will make it onto the list. 

Frazer, thanks..  ( the handle did get changed).. There is enough variation in the handles that I found one I liked the fit better on..  Just had to dig deeper in the box. 

Jungle, I love the little anvil.  That could be used for so many things.. I like something like that for knife making..   I like the stand too. 

George congrats.   Fantastic.. I love the hand operated drill presses. I'm always amazed how well they work and the capacity they offer.  Forge looks great too.. I used a hood design much like that on my first portable forge worked wonderfully.  It's great things are coming along.  Not much longer right. 

[GolFisHunt]

IF&C,

Sorry I didn't get back here in time to resize the picture. After posting, I set my phone down to cook dinner and didn't pick it back up until this morning.

The knife was heat treated properly and seems to be about right for hardness. A file doesn't do anything and it sharpens well on stones.

[Les L]

22 hours ago, 671jungle said:

 I think it’s for a trailer hitch.

It's an extension for a receiver hitch

[ThomasPowers]

Jewelry making is where you generally want to mirror polish your hammers and stakes and anvils.

Snow on the mountains; but we got a good solid rain down here in the valley.  Fired the woodstove back up too.

I'm still at work and as the Uni is going "online" for the rest of the Semester and I'm working in IT I probably continue to work on Campus.

[alexandr]

Summer's soon. The whole workshop is littered with flower supports.

As usual, several projects at the same time.

[Mark Ling]

Some chain links, the start of a cupping tool, 1lb claw hammer, and a tomahawk drift. 

[Chris C]

NICE WORK!!!!!

 

(and I was happy for finishing my hammer and tong rack!)

[jlpservicesinc]

Mark, try to leave the extra metal at the ends of the links. My 2 videos on it, Mark Aspery's video on chain are good. that little scarf is there to control the compression/elongation at that part of the chain link.. If there is no scarf area, any scarf that is blended that is in shear will break the link at the end.  

If you want to see how good your chain is, test it like in the video..  It will show you the weld failure points, it then becomes clear.. 

The photo of the link was hammered on top of the welded link while cold to the shape shown.. You can see its still together.  One other neat factor is, I've seen links fail in the middle with this type of test but the links did not fail completely and was still together..  In the really old version I push the links to flat.. 

Not sure that video is listed anymore as I made it for a group I belong to..  found it.   

 

[Old Crew]

Mark

They look good to me but I have limited experience. On the claw hammer you don't have your ML touch mark.   Holly ?  Do you have a new apprentice or a new interest ?

Either way can be good!

PS    Have you solved your rail cutting problem ?

David

[Mark Ling]

Thank you for the help and videos, it is much appreciated!

old crew....if only....lol... this was made for my brothers fiancé, she had been bugging me about making her a hammer. Now that it seems I’m just doing charity work since the current state we are in no one wants to buy anything, figured now would be a good time to make it. My ML touchmark is there though, just difficult to see in the picture. Just got it handled. 

[Chris C]

Waiting on my ribbon burner to completely dry so I can finish my forge and start bangin' hot steel like the rest of you.  (though I highly doubt I'll bang things into as nice a shape as most of you!

Anyway, I spent the day making a new hammer and tong rack with my "new to me" Tombstone welder.  Thought it turned out pretty nice...........at least for my first project.  It'll hold 3 rows of hammers and more tongs than I'll ever own.  Or at least that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

 

 

[Virusds]

Finally finished this knife for my cousin. I spent about 4 hours in all working on it. I quenched it in canola oil (not the be as t but ig was what i can afford) then tempered it in the oven at 425° for 2 hours. It is made of an old leaf spring and has a bing cherry handle. The pommel is made of an old faucet jandle that we had to remove from our house cuz it was leaking. The gaurd is just a peice of mild steel. The curations are not rhe prettiest but they ard the first ones that i have ever done. It is pretty sharp and can chop wood pretty good. Overall im pretty proud of this one. I will probably go back and file the end of the handle down till it is flush with the base of the pommel. 

[Frazer]

Alexandr, I couldn't even imagine having so much work laying around the shop as you so often do. Incredible as always sir.

I tried my first pineapple twist for a little shovel my Ma wanted for planting seeds in the garden, when the time comes. Ill probably end up making several of varying sizes and widths.

 

 

I also made my first split cross for my great grandma, shes 93. (for those concerned, it will be sent in the mail..)

 

I also repaired one (and destroyed one) basket twist. The one I fixed had thicker round stock and i broke out the welder to reattach a couple strands.  I have been having a lot of trouble with the second weld when the mandrel isn't keeping everything in place...  Any suggestions? It seems they just don't wan't to stick like the first bundle which always seems to go well. 

 

[Frazer]

Should have refreshed the page.

Chris, nice rack! I'm quite jealous! All my hammers and tongs go in a 5 gal bucket, which is filling up too fast.... as I imagine your 3 rows will as well.

Virusds, that's a cool design, very unique. How did you do the castle-like pattern on the pommel? And do you mean to file the blade fit up to the guard? Or the pommel to fit up with the handle? Also 425F is a lot higher than I tend to temper my coil springs for a knife (300-400F depending on what the edge will be doing [even higher for top tools]) . Have you done any edge retention/toughness testing at lower temperatures? I've never made a knife like that so maybe having a less brittle edge will be helpful for a harder use knife like that. I'm not saying that my way is right, I'm just curious. Also, for your serrations, those are usually done like a chisel grind, only sharpened one side. A chainsaw file can be used on hardened & tempered spring steel (usually). Even if the file teeth don't survive as long, chainsaw files are usually harder than others.   

This is the only dagger I've ever made,  back in September for my dad's birthday. It took a month and a half to finish with what I had at the time (both in tools and experience haha). Tempered for an hour  two times, first at 350 then 325. 

 

 

 

[Virusds]

Thanks for all the advise Frazer. I have already done some abusive testing on that knife and it seems that the edge has held up quite nicely. The higher temperature was mostly an experiment to see if it would stay sharper longer and it seems to but i might have just done a better quench this time. You may have missed it but i said that the pommel was made of an old faucet handle. I simply cut and ground the outside part off and then removed all of the paint. When i said i was mabye  going to file the handle down i ment that i was going to file down thw wood of the handle (with a rasp) to fit the base of rhe pommel so that there is no overhang.  i dont have alot of experience either but i have made alot of knives. That doesn't mean i have more experience though.... as for your dager i really love that one. The stand u made is also real creative. I have made 3 dagers, two of which wear traditional Scottish daggers that look a bit more like knives. The nicest one ive done was made with only stock removal techniques and was sold for $80. Ill give a picture of that one.