What did you do in the shop today?

[MacLeod]

On 3/21/2021 at 1:48 PM, Jonnytait said:

I do most of the drawing out under a power hammer. 

Good to know you’re human 

 

[ThomasPowers]

The bloomery takes ore and makes iron/steel from it. A bloomery can output anything from zero % carbon up to cast iron.  The Japanese Tatara  furnace is a type of bloomery producing various levels of carbon throughout the metal produced.

The surface carburization is Case Hardening or making blister steel a totally different set of processes!

Patterning can be seen from differing carbon levels; however carbon migrates very fast in hot steel and it has been shown that it equalizes out in forge welded metals quite quickly.  Other alloying elements migrate very slowly and they are the ones that generally are responsible for the pattern. Nowadays we tend to use nickel alloys to make clear patterns.  In earlier times it was often phosphorous;  found in metal smelted from bog iron ores in Northern Europe and now considered a bad constituent in steel. It did produce a harder metal than just plain iron.

[Steve Sells]

28 minutes ago, Will-I-am said:

... The final forge welded helix would be twists of high carbon and low carbon and rust at different rates?

there will be little if any differences in carbon content between layers, due to carbon migration, which happens much faster than most smiths think

[ThomasPowers]

As I remember Daryl Meier of the Damascus Research Group: 4 times to welding temps in moderately thin layers was enough to equalize carbon content.  Good research that surprised a LOT of people back then!  Helped me to reconsider my use of carbon donors in billets.

[Arthur210]

7 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Arthur, was the 40 stamped on the moving jar right around the ski jump?  Vises were sold by weight and so marked usually in that area.

Yes, it was. 

I already like that little vise a lot. It will be great for my travelling kit.

Now to mount it on something that will be at once stable, portable and easy to pack, using materials that I have in the shop. 

[Steve Sells]

6 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

4 times to welding temps in moderately thin layers was enough to equalize carbon content.

My books University reference Thomas Nizolek said about using 1/4 inch thick sectrions

When we forge weld steels together, the carbon content in any layer of steel will equalize with that of the surrounding layers of steel very quickly. In Pennsylvanian, February 2009, Laboratory testing was made on a forge welded billet made from 4 alternating bars of W2 and 203E. This examination was done with an electron microscope. In the four layer sample it is evident, based on the pearlite gradient between the layers, that extensive carbon diffusion occurred after the first weld course. Drawn out and folded, the eight-layer sample showed that the pearlite concentration has almost equalized, however ferrite still decorates the prior-austenitic grain boundaries in the 203E layer. By the time the material has reached 16 layers, the carbon content of the sample appears to be uniform.

[ThomasPowers]

When I do a bandsaw blade and pallet strapping I figure if it's double welded or folded once that it's probably evened out. I don't know if the nickel content of the BSB slows carbon migration down appreciably; (as pure nickel would block it.)  I have a supply of 1.2% C plain steel for juicing up billets; or for use in san mai blades.  One of the pluses of san mai is being able to use "decorative" outer layers and still have a good edge steel for the blade.

[BillyBones]

Well started out the day burying the wife's cat. Cancer claimed her. 

After that went out to the shop and got some more work done to my doors. Sanded down and a coat of stain and a coat of BLO. Will need 2 or 3 more coats of BLO but coming along nice. Also finished my flatter. The body is made form a piece of sway bar the flat part is made from a piece of A-2 3" x 3" 3/8" thick. Handle made from a piece of 5/4 hickory.

Got some new welding rods, for just general welding i usually use a 6011, when i was in the store i picked up another 5# not long ago and these are 6034 ( i think 34, to lazy to go look right now but i am pretty sure) The flux is a different color, off brown instead of white, and they do not seem to want to blow the slag out of the weld so i had to stop a lot, chip and brush out the trash to get the weld. Think i just need to learn to use them. Anyway feel free to make fun of my ugly blobbed weld job, but it works and is for me so function over form for this one. 

[Owen Hinsman]

Sorry to hear about the cat. It's never easy to lose a pet.

As long as the weld holds up, it's sufficient :). I'm not sure if you're aware, but BLO has heavy metals, including lead, in it. You can buy raw linseed oil, which has none of the additives. I personally use danish oil to finish all of my handles and other wood products.

[SLAG]

Mr. B. B.,

You, and your wife have our sympathies.

It is very hard to lose a family member. 

Hang in there.

SLAG,  &  Marg.

[Frosty]

My condolences for the loss of your cat Billy, it's always hard. 

Thee doors are looking good. Read the contents on the can of BLO, the driers  often contain heavy metals.

Frosty The Lucky.

[BillyBones]

Thanks for the sympathy ya'll. 

I had no idea about the BLO and heavy metals. It is on now though so no going back. I could switch up with the next coats though. Kind of amazed that in this day and age they would still make wood finishes that have heavy metals in them. 

I was thinking maybe a lite polyurethane coat. Just enough so that it is shiny in spots but dull in others so it kind of looks worn. The wife wants the rustic paint peeling worn look to them.  That pic was taken not long after i applied the BLO and you can still see some wet spots, that is what i am kind of going after. 

Figured out my welding problem also i think. Amperage too low. I was running at the lower side of advised amps so i turned it up towards the higher and the welds are much better. 

[JHCC]

The heavy metals in BLO (and other finishes) aren't a problem unless they get out of the finish and into your system, such as by inhaling sanding dust. The main health concern that arises in the usual finishing methods is inhaling the volatile organic compounds in the solvent.

[rustyanchor]

Billy B,

Sorry for your loss. It is lousy losing a fuzzy buddy, lost 2 dogs and a cat last year.

I had my 2 cats advising me on changing the fluids and filters on my tractor. The dogs stayed in the yard and are not allowed to help with projects.                                                 Be smart and don't take a cats advice on which plugs to pull, you end up draining brand new fluid into the waste oil bucket. I am blaming the cats, not me, for not paying attention to the manual.

I like the look of the doors.

Edited March 23, 2021 by rustyanchor
added text.

[Donal Harris]

I like the look of the doors as well. 
 

Still a little sad about the weld on one face failing on my hammer build attempt. Decided to start on the drift I will need for it at some point. Mystery steel. Know only that it was some sort of wrench for very large lug nuts. Learned 3 things: avoiding fish lipping is harder on larger stock, the steel cracks if I try to forge it when not almost yellow, and hot rasping is quite calming. 
 

I had never done hot rasping before. I have one of my great granddad’s rasps. Finally decided to pull it out and give it a try. The sensation is quite unlike what I expected. It was quiet and the steel was soft. It actually made me not nearly as upset about the cracks as I had first been. Very relaxing. 

[Steamboat]

I've been incredibly busy this past year and haven't done much in the way of blacksmithing, but I have done a few welding projects. Here's a little gadget I just finished up to make my TIG welding a bit more convenient.

I borrowed a few ideas from torch holders I’ve seen online. My variation on the ones I’ve seen was to make two sets of cutouts, one for a larger TIG torch and one for a smaller TIG torch, which could be rotated to select the size. I don’t think that’s a new idea, as there are almost certainly people who are smarter, faster, and better looking than I am who thought of it first, but here it is.

 

Two opposed pairs of Belleville disc springs provide adjustable clamping force to maintain the selected position with enough resistance to keep it from rotating when in use, but still allow it to be rotated by hand. The multiple Belleville disc springs provide a wider, less-sensitive adjustment range than a single Belleville spring.

 

The switchable magnet makes it easy to reposition, and it can drop any beard of ferrous debris that it might grow. The magnet can also serve double-duty as a setup magnet. As with other magnetic bases, it’s much more strongly attracted to a thick steel bench top than a thin one. If the steel top is too thin, the magnet might not hold adequately.

My usual disclaimer: I do not guarantee the safety, efficacy, or applicability of the devices, designs, or ideas I have described here. Any use of these devices, designs, or ideas is entirely at your own risk.

[pnut]

6 hours ago, DHarris said:

The sensation is quite unlike what I expected.

Hot rasping is the only type of filing I actually enjoy. I'm too impatient when it comes to hand filing. I believe I'd benefit from making a sen or other cutting device that's a bit more aggressive than most filing. 

Pnut

[Donal Harris]

I used the other side, which is more of a coarse, double cut file. 

[ThomasPowers]

I use Farrier's rasps and put a golf ball on the tang for a handle and then hang them near the postvise using a garden rake head for the holder.  When I can pick up used rasps I check how much life is in them.  The good ones get used for wood, slightly duller for hot rasping and dull rasps are used for hawks and rasptlesnakes.

[Jobtiel1]

Today I finished forging tongs for 4140 hex bar. Going to use the hex bar to make an eye drift as well as top tools, and maybe a claw hammer after some practice.

I also went an pickup up a used drill press, was looking for one for some time and this one popped up for 25 Euros, now I can see of I really need a good quality one.

[alexandr]

The clock is almost ready. It remains to paint the rose, so that it would be like a real one.

[Donal Harris]

What will you use for the clock’s internal workings?

[Leather Bill]

15 hours ago, Jobtiel1 said:

I also went an pickup up a used drill press, was looking for one for some time and this one popped up for 25 Euros, now I can see of I really need a good quality one.

After a couple of holes you will wonder how you made it this far without one.   Set it to lowest speed and keep a 1/2 oz cup of cutting oil or trans fluid handy.  

[BillyBones]

Alexandr, you are a true artist in your craft. That lamp is  just... wow. I like that a lot. That clock does however get some ideas floating around in my head that i may be tempted to try.

[alexandr]

10 minutes ago, BillyBones said:

That clock does however get some ideas floating around in my head that i may be tempted to try.

I will share my ideas. Maybe you can find something for yourself.