26 minutes ago, Frosty said:

They're typically forged with a tungsten carbide insert silver soldered in place, just like a carbide lathe cutter.

That doesn't augur well.

Looks like all the conduit is run for the 110 part of the electrical work.  Still awaiting the 220 boxes.

They finally came out and spotted the buried lines out by the street.  Red & Orange.  Hopefully they can do the trench today.  It would be really nice to have power in my shop for the weekend. Of course then it's time to do a massive re-arrange to reflect being able to run powered equipment!

Tapering a 2.5" or so pipe for a to make a tree trunk out of.  Making a towel "tree" for an outdoor hot tub. left lumpy on purpose. 

I decided it would look better if the baseplate was not a boring square shape. Planning to forge a bevel on the edges of it. 

Incise some tree roots on it?

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

Once you remove the carbide and remaining silver solder you might be able to forge things from them.

Sounds like more trouble than it’s worth. I can’t imagine that the carbide insert is going to be easy to remove

You mean: heat in forge and strike smartly over the anvil to throw the insert on the floor is too much trouble?  Are you sure blacksmithing is for you? 

I've used trashed wood augers to make ocotillo sculptures by forging them out and have an odd carbide tipped hammer drill one to use as a flower spike.

I didn’t think it would be that easy. I was imagining having to try and drill it out or something similar. 

The carbide teeth make really nasty slingshot ammo, too.

It is interesting to note that the carbide "knobbies" that are used in the machines that chew up asphalt streets prior to repaving will fit in my cannon with a simple sabot.

The silver braze melts at a medium+ red heat and you can tip the carbides off. The round bits with the inserted carbide buttons are only soldered in a depression heat them up and dump the carbide out. 

Wire brush the silver braze off when it's molten and clean the rest with a file before forging. Don't grind silver solder or braze it loads up grinding wheels and belts like crazy. 

Carbide buttons would make excellent sling shot ammo, heavier than lead and harder than anything you're going to shoot. Maybe I should've saved all the ones I replaced. 

Keep us in the loop with the project Tristan. I'm with Thomas, the base needs some roots and maybe a rock or two. 

Square plates aren't boring! <sniff>

Frosty The Lucky.

Hmm, what about a gnarled dead tree sticking out of the swamp---you can make cattails very easily to spot around the base.

12 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

in my cannon

You own a cannon? 

It's a small 2" smoothbore Falconet; wikipedia has a decent entry on them but I only use a handful of single F blackpowder as I've never had a range long enough to go full out.  Most of the time it's just fired with a well tamped wad and not for "effect".  

Next you will be telling me you don't have a wheellock or a rapier! 

I do own a flintlock (works) and roughly a dozen swords (all of which are just wall hangers). I do have one "battle" axe that could probably take an arm off though. You can bet it is very, very firmly fastened to the wall. If that thing moves, a large chunk of wall is coming with it.

Flintlocks are so *modern*!   Buried on this site somewhere(s) is my tale about living in inner Columbus OH and having a "Home Defense Spear"....

19 minutes ago, SinDoc said:

You own a cannon? 

You don't? 

Hmmm. I don't drink energy drinks but a RedBull can looks pretty close to 2" dia. Filled with frozen water pop cans make excellent shot. My last sort of serious oxy acet cannon fired soda cans a few hundred yards. My black powder cannon will put a marble right through a 1950 something car. 

Frosty The Lucky.

I made a trebuchet back in my college physics class. Launched a 12lb bowling ball probably 200 or so yards. Was quite a fun project. 

Thomas, other than the flintlock, I don't own any guns. The wife always says if someone breaks in, they will be met with the battle axe.

48 minutes ago, Frosty said:

I'm with Thomas, the base needs some roots and maybe a rock or two.  Frosty The Lucky.

I can't go overboard with details since it is for a customer, but I was thinking some base detail may "accidentally" happen. 

Icicles would be funny Thomas, but they will probably just have to grow their own.. 

 

Finishing work. Didn't find a suitable phrase in English. In Russian "довести до ума".

1 hour ago, SinDoc said:

they will be met with the battle axe.

And a large chunk of wall?

I couldn’t resist...

David

How about weld bead roots, Tristan? 

A couple motion following eyeballs would be fun next to the hot tub. 

Frosty The Lucky.

I was working out how to use a mini woodstove to make the branches towel warmers...

The best I've come up with is to put places to hang things: gloves, towels, boots, etc. close to the stove and use a heat powered stove top fan to blow warm air at them.

I'd like to make a heat collector that fit behind the stove and drew air through convection up through the "limbs." I've seen a couple home made heat collector boot warmers that worked really well. Unfortunately the JOTUL wood stove I love so much has an integral heat shield on the back that draws air off the floor and directs it up along the back. No way to do much for drying/warming racks. Keeps the wall behind it cool and safe though so O K A Y.

Frosty The Lucky.

On 5/19/2021 at 7:23 PM, Frosty said:

Ah, the timeless grader, dozer, plow edge question. We should have a sticky with the answer at the top of every page. The only reasonable thing to do

I have about 300 pounds of them that the city replaced on the graders. A cutting torch or plasma cutter will cut them. The best use I found was when I built my coal forge, split them length wise and cut to the right length for the forge legs.

5 hours ago, Goods said:

And a large chunk of wall?

I couldn’t resist...

David

If taken off in a hurry it would double as a slashing AND bludgeoning weapon! Gotta make sure you bypass whatever damage resistance they might have.