What did you do in the shop today?

[Chimaera]

Ugh. Someone I met called those “Odin’s little blessings”. Not fun. 

Looking back on my previous pic, I noticed the light of 11:00 in the garage isn’t great, so here’s one where you might be able to actually tell what’s going on. Any thoughts for improvement?

[Paul TIKI]

Better those sorts of "Odin's Blessings" than that which Odin gave us that produces bad poetry 

I do like that clear color line between the blade and handle.  If it were me I might add some sort of clear coat provided it doesn't interfere with comfort or functionality.  Altogether it's very nice looking.

[Chimaera]

I was using cold blue to color it, so I taped off the bevel (being a utility knife it has just one bevel). I gave it a clear coat (again taped the bevel) so we’ll see what happens.

And thank you for your kind words and suggestions. I’m just in love with these little guys. So much function, even in an inch and a half of blade!

[ThomasPowers]

A couple of points: "Heat treat" does *NOT* mean harden!  Heat treating the handle could mean making it as soft as possible. With that in mind you should be able to draw temper on the handle enough to get it drillable.  Differential tempers are a handy thing to learn!

[BillyBones]

So i forgot these earlier. I worked on the axe, hence the burns, and a prototype drawer pull. I will make a couple more to get technique down as long as they are ok for the customer. Real PITA getting that hole punched the same direction as the flange part. First one i tried punching it then spreading it only to mash the hole closed so far i could not re-drift it. 

The axe, i have an order for 5. The first one i made was kind of a boarding axe with a spike. My customer loved it. So i moved on and got 3 more done. While talking to me later he told me he wanted to use them for throwing axe's. Long story short throwing axe's that he wants have to meet certain criteria and they are not allowed a back spike. 

Now on to today. Have the need for a hook to put in the rafter of my barn. More on that in a minute. Needs function over form so i aint concerned about pretty. My first welded eye hook. 

After i got done with my hook, i did a little clean up on the axe, no pic, and finished the handle for a knife that was supposed to be a Christmas present. Blood wood, brass pins and a coat of linseed. The steel is just an old piece of coil spring.

 

So about that hook. I have to put it on a barn rafter so i can attach a pulley to it. The pulley will be used to lift the bed of my truck off. Noticed a little more bounce than normal and seemed to be getting squirrely at times around corners. Upon inspecting the rear i found this. A few pieces of old pipe, some angle iron, and a welder should get him fixed up. Luckily tomorrow is supposed to be in the upper 50's. Oh and it is both that need fixed. That is the better one.

[Daswulf]

Better hose the bolts with penetrating oil now so they get a head start. 

[Chimaera]

TP, good point. Could I do a differential temper by putting the blade in a vise (acting as a heat shield) and heating the handle with a propane torch? If not, what are my options? I know that I could do a full temper in my oven (probably will next time, this stuff wanted to chip and was a beast to sharpen), but that's not what I want.

I know part of the temper is the time at heat, not just heat, so I'm not sure of anything I'm saying! I should just ask my question and then shut up...

[ThomasPowers]

Yes heating it in the vise will work. Another method is to suspend the blade in a container of water and use a torch on the spine.  If you want to drill I would go above blue; but NOT to glowing!!!!!

 I once had to drill a hole in a hardened blade where I could not draw temper.  I used a large drill press and a solid carbide bit.  Made a dam around the area with modeling clay and filled with cutting fluid.  (I only had the 1 solid carbide drill bit, I had found for US$1 at a fleamarket  and so was trying to "do it right" the first time.)

Today I worked on my usual pre-new year clean up and maintenance on my metalworking tools and then spent way too much time wire wheeling bandsaw blade and sewer snake to shiny for a billet for a new smith I will be working through his first pattern welding.

I was using the trick of placing a piece of slightly larger strap stock under the bandsaw blade pieces so the wire wheel couldn't grab it and fling it. 

[Chimaera]

I went out looking for a solid carbide bit and to no avail. I was able to find a cobalt bit for stainless steel, which I thought was better than a black oxide or TiN.

[M.J.Lampert]

i will usually drill before i quench a knife but that's just my personal preference

[Shabumi]

I actually managed to get the forge going before the new year. I'm out of practice, but my leather working friend asked me to make some hair pin samples for his leather hair holders. There are still others samples to be made, and he wasn't sure exactly what he wanted so I did/will do a couple different twists, lengths, handles and tip shapes so he can mix and match for the ballpark hes looking for. If he likes what he sees ill be getting $10 for each one someone orders, not bad for a 5"-6" piece of 1/4" round.  Also tried my hand at a leaf belt buckle. I like the leaf part, but making it by eye when I'm out of practice wasn't the best plan. While fiddling to get it "right" I ended up making the stem too short, the eye too small and the tip too sharp to be used on a belt. I will end up making it into a bottle opener. I think a jig will be in order if I want to make it cleanly. 

[Daswulf]

Being for hair you want them Light and especially Smooth. You can have twists and such but make sure it's all smooth by breaking sharp edges and heavily wire brushing.

[BillyBones]

You will provably have to order a carbide bit. They can also be quite expensive. I work in a machine shop and its nothing to see drills that cost $50 or more. HSS can cut hardened steel if done right, but a good cobalt set should get the job done. Just go slow and steady and dont over heat it. A good cutting oil is your friend. 

Das, my impact has 1200# of break away torque. If that dont get the bolt out the cutting torch will. 

[JHCC]

1 hour ago, Shabumi said:

Also tried my hand at a leaf belt buckle.

Wait a second... what’s my leaf buckle doing in your shop?

30 minutes ago, Daswulf said:

Being for hair you want them Light and especially Smooth.

Smooth, but not slippery. A clean forging (no scale marks) with good wire brushing is fine. 

[Chimaera]

So, I brushed off my clear coat and blue, tempered with a torch, and drilled. Boy oh boy, is that one beaut of a bit! Cut like it was nothin! Got some padauk slabs cut, and will probably finish her up tomorrow. Unfortunately while using the drill press, the clamp came off, and the incredibly sharp knife with no guard was spinning at high speed. Apparently human flesh does not deal well with spinning knives. That’s gonna take a while to heal, but at least I learned some lessons

[Shabumi]

38 minutes ago, Daswulf said:

Being for hair you want them Light and especially Smooth

That's what I was trying to go for, smooth. I was going to stay away from the step and cube twists. These still need a wire brushing, but there isn't anything that catches my shoulder length hair, the first time I've had hair this long since I started highschool 20 yeas ago.

I'll make a few of smaller stock as well in case 1/4" is too large. It's hard to know what he wants when he doesn't know what he wants. 

11 minutes ago, JHCC said:

Wait a second... what’s my leaf buckle doing in your shop?

Haha, it looks like we had the same problem with not having a long enough stem to wrap around itself after making the loop. Yours ended up with a better post than mine. The tip on mine just needs a quick lick on a belt sander and it could be considered a belt knife. Im just happy I got a fairly decent center ridge on my leaf after 6 months of downtime.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

1 hour ago, BillyBones said:

cutting torch

AKA Fire Wrench.

[Daswulf]

Got the kastolite 30 lining done last night. Unfortunately there was an elbow fitting cracked on one of the burners. Unfortunately I "tried"to braze it before I got pictures of it. ( I cant braze lol.)

I contacted Hell's forge about it. 

I was hoping I could get a new burner injector assembly (since they tapped inside the elbow for another part after.) 

After a little back and forth, my admitting I bought it second hand unused, they said they changed the burner design and just sent me to a link to buy the new double burner design for $50. After messing with it I think I can just get a new elbow and tap it for the rest. We'll see.  It does have a shutoff for the second burner so atleast for now I have a 1 burner gas forge. 

[BillyBones]

13 hours ago, Chimaera said:

Unfortunately while using the drill press, the clamp came off

Please go to a Rural King or maybe a TSC store and get a vice. You can get a fairly good one for about $25 at those places and your flesh will thank you very much. A vice for the drill press can be bolted down and hold the work in place nice and secure. That is why the slots are cut into the table. Can be a pain moving the vice but better keeping all your digits intact. A small peice of wood inside it will support the work and prevent you from drilling into the vice. A couple of our drill presses at work also have a foot switch so that if something like that happens you just have to step away and it shuts off. 

That Padauk is some really nice wood. Not to be confused with the city in KY Paducah. 

[Paul TIKI]

Well I hope your Drill Press adventure is the sort that only needs some neosporin and a few bandads rather than stitches or staples.

I got a chance to go to Harbor freight's website and get some more basic stuff with the gift card my boy gave me.  Since he is going to be moving out in a couple of weeks I needed to get some tools he'd be taking with him, like an angle grinder, some wire wheels, a 2 lb ball been hammer, and some other bits and bobs.  I ald=ready have some plans on what to do with it.

[ThomasPowers]

My Parents started giving me tools for Birthdays and Christmas when I got into High School; went I went off to college none of my Father's tools followed.  I was the only one in my dorm that brought a good tool set with me; they razzed me about it; but by the end of Freshman year they had *ALL* borrowed a tool or two!

[JHCC]

27 minutes ago, Paul TIKI said:

I got a chance to go to Harbor freight's website and get some more basic stuff [...] like an angle grinder,

If you get any machinery from Harbor Freight, it’s good to get the extended warranty. I got one of their better angle grinders some years back and traded it in for a new one about three times (renewing the warranty each time) until the last one went more than a year before it broke. 

[Paul TIKI]

Heck, the boy has a better tool set than I do at this point, except for woodwork type stuff.  His is mostly mechanics in nature.  The blacksmith stuff is kind of a hodge podge of his and mine, So I'm trying to duplicate that.  Who knows, except for the stuff he needs for his car, most of it might stay here unless he finds a place that has the room for him to set up for blacksithing.  He's moving to a town that is even more remote than where we live now.

JHCC, the angle grinder I ordered was $10.99 with the coupon, and I don't think I'll be using it so often as to be a problem, at least not for a while.  I could be wrong though.  My current model for stuff like this is buy cheap, use it til it dies al the while saving bit by bit for a better one.  It works for cars too, and probably anvils .  Since I have very rarely ever used an angle grinder up til now, I figure i'm gonna destroy it fairly quickly with rookie mistakes and would rather do that with a cheap HF one than an expensive milwaukee.

[Chimaera]

The cut took a few hours to stop bleeding, but I’ve never had stitches and I ain’t getting them now! Just as long as it doesn’t get infected I should be fine. A gauze pad and duck tape did well.

I recently got a friend of mine a HF angle grinder and dremel. I use my old man’s nice ones, as he rarely used them and can have em back whenever he wants. I haven’t broken them, but I don’t want to remember when I was a little kid and started using the dremel... dremel bits are not too robust, at least not in the hands of a 9 year old. Still hard to keep them from breaking...

[JHCC]

2 hours ago, Paul TIKI said:

I don't think I'll be using it so often as to be a problem, at least not for a while.

The really cheap ones have really wimpy motors that can burn out easily — that is, if the gears don’t strip first. Go light, remember that it’s underpowered, don’t try to do too much too fast, and you should be okay.