What did you do in the shop today?

[Chimaera]

4 hours ago, BillyBones said:

hose iridescent sharks you can buy for your tank are called swai at the supermarket. 

Yes. Absolute beasts of fish. Quite unfortunate that people purchase them without knowledge (or resources) of how to raise them... Especially when you realize they're close relatives of the mekong catfish (largest catfish and one of largest bony, non sturgeon freshwater fish in the world) and the chao phraya AKA dog eating catfish, a 150 lb, aggressive, carnivorous beaut of a cat.

[JHCC]

The heavyweight contender in the perpetual battle between cats and dogs. 

[Chimaera]

Hmmm... I think that that would go to either the piraiba or the giant devil catfish (goonch). While not as big as the mekong, they are incredibly aggressive, as opposed to the mekong who is actually an herbivore.

The piraiba can probably grow to 600 lbs (mekong 800), has a mouth 2.5' wide, has a bulletproof skull 2+ inches thick, has been known to move through water only 1.5' thick, where their dorsal fins stick out like a shark's. Active predators that favor giant river otters, tapir, and especially capybaras, grabbing drinking mammals by the head and dragging them into the water while simultaneously snapping their necks. While not their preferences, they have been known to go after caimans, jaguars, and humans.

Goonches probably hit about 500 (the record is only 165, but it's not uncommon to see bigger ones in fish markets, and legends obviously paint monsters), have an even wider mouth, and are more of ambush predators and scavengers, burying themselves in the river bank mud and feasting on mahseer, crocodiles, and human remains from burning funeral pyres. One of the unique things about these guys is their huge, toothed mouth. That's right- toothed. These guys have rows of inch long, backwards facing teeth to keep prey from escaping. A bit like this, just 10 times bigger:

[pnut]

Wels catfish are pretty huge too. They're also ambush predators that feed along riverbanks. 

Pnut

[Chimaera]

Yes, Wels are also big boys. Not sure why I didn't include them...

[Paul TIKI]

So these different varieties of fish being huge ambush predators makes me really want to move back to the desert and never ever visit Louisiana again.  I don't care if they aren't there, just the though of them gives me the willies.

[ThomasPowers]

Back a long while ago my Grandfather ran a bait business in Fort Smith AR; every once in a while someone would bring in a cat or paddle fish or gar  that would fill a pickup bed and not a "recent" imported pickup either! Of course the ones that got away were MUCH larger!

He told me that some would get a large hand forged fish hook and inch thick rope and 1/4 of a goat and go fishing off the bridge over the Arkansas River.

[Chimaera]

Probably part of it is that wels are kinda just overgrown blue catfish with half their tails missing... They lack the raw, muscular strength of goonch and piraiba. You look at a wels, and it looks, well, squishy. And it is! A piraiba, though, you can see the individual muscles and sinews rippling under their skin. I own a few pictus cats, which are essentially mini piraiba, and even at 5" long, they're no joke. Wels are also ambush predators the way a pike is, while a goonch is a bit more like a great white shark.

TP, I can imagine. Those would probably be gator gars, which are not unheard of getting 8' nowadays, so back then... Big ole catfish and paddles too.  Now, in Arkansas there aren't many (or big, not like white) sturgeon... now those guys are somethin

[M.J.Lampert]

so i tries 0my first leaf yesterday and ended up with this

no ridge and looks like a cobra that was caught on the road the key chain is almost a square.

can anybody give me some pointers on how to improve this 

thanks a lot

[ThomasPowers]

What was your starting stock?

[M.J.Lampert]

3/8 square

 

this was attempt 2 #1 only got half done

[Chimaera]

So... this isn't preferable, but what if you rather than a ridge, did a groove? Like with a chisel. Would probably be a bit easier for ya.

[Paul TIKI]

I have been waiting for better weather to get back out to the forge, but in the meantime I watched some videos from Black Bear Forge.  He seemed to have the most clear example on how to get the leaf shape and the video shows the hammer blows and how he turns his wrist and stock so it makes sense to me.  I'm itching to try it but snow and an outdoor forge...

[ThomasPowers]

Now can you show us the hammer(s) you used?  BTW is that a cast iron ASO? (If so a block of plain steel might work better.)

I don't see much tapering towards the edges. I might suggest going around the edges with the ball part of a nicely rounded ball peen to taper them down and round them a bit.  Looks like drawing out the stem is going well; but you let it get flat rather than keeping it sq until time to round it. (Remember: Square-Octagonal-Round!

If you want a center ridge you will either need a bottom swage with a cut in it to work on or hammer control to work the top down without hitting the center ridge.  As you are starting out the practice would be helpful but it can be a long time to be able to work it down and not mess up the ridge.

[Paul TIKI]

As another newb here, the Square, Octagonal, Round method works very well and is easy.

[Cannon Cocker]

4 hours ago, M.J.Lampert said:

no ridge and looks like a cobra that was caught on the road the key chain is almost a square.

Practice the methods that John shows in the video. Practice makes permanent not perfect, so take your time and learn the blows. Also hang that sucker somewhere you'll see it all the time. It won't be long and you'll be doing beautiful things. So it's nice to be able to look back and see how far you've come!

Another way to get the ridge in the middle is to fold the leaf in half then open it back up. 

[M.J.Lampert]

23 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Now can you show us the hammer(s) you used?  BTW is that a cast iron ASO? (If so a block of plain steel might work better.)

this red handled cross peen was used in the first attempt 

yes it is a cast aso am looking for another my father has this rail ASO i am thinking about using but would prefer a larger work area. it would require a fair bit of cleanup but them my cast anvil should get the same if it is used more

i also did this one yesterday came out slightly better but i now see why they say make 100 they are a challenge to perfect but IMO this one came out slightly better

 

this one was done with a different hammer a 2 lb hammer that needs the handle re-done

[ThomasPowers]

For 3/8" stock leaves you might do better with a ballpeen after the basic breaking down the stock.

Remember that for 3000 years they have been using anvils that look like cubes of metal with no horn or heel; please review the "improvised anvils" thread for examples!

[M.J.Lampert]

thomas i understand but am having trouble finding a block of steel large enough to work

[ThomasPowers]

No forklifts or bulldozers in your part of the world?

[M.J.Lampert]

so i figure this isn't enough to post as its own thread and since it was done in the shop...

so this is a 4x72 1.5Hp belt sander that I adapted from 3 phase to single phase via a motor swap then to fit the wheel i  made a collar and larger key as the motor had a 5/8 shaft and the wheel was for a 7/8 then wired it into a 220V circuit with the help of my father so I don't kill my self or destroy the shop 

runs great have used a few times already

 

 

3 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

No forklifts or bulldozers

are you saying the front attachment of these (or for bulldozer a piece of)? 

[ThomasPowers]

Forklift tines make good improvised anvils when mounted vertically and bulldozers are basically built from improvised anvils.  The improvised anvil thread covers this...

 

[Chimaera]

TP- If you don't mind me asking, what makes a forklift tine better than railroad? Is it just the steel composition? Also, I've seen some railroad tracks mounted "sideways" where you are looking longways from the top. What's that about? Thanks.

[Frosty]

On 12/13/2020 at 11:45 AM, Chimaera said:

Frosty, I'm not sure I completely understand what you're saying...

I don't completely understand most of what I say myself. What part are you wondering about: fish names sounding like an ailment, or, that fish names offer lots of straight lines? 

I've always loved aquariums but I'm not responsible enough on the upkeep. My endocrinologist's office has a beautiful salt water aquarium that's mostly coral and reef fish, eels and I don't know whats. In the previous office it was in the waiting room where you could sit in comfy chairs and zone out on the tank. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[tjdaggett]

Chimaera, the mounting direction is about work surface (horizontal) v energy return (vertical). You get more work done per hammer blow when the track is vertical, but you have less space to work on. It also doesn't take up much space to mount a two foot long piece of track in a stump or stand.