ThomasPowers Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 It was cloudy last night and so stayed lighter out after work and I went and got 3 buckets of tongs, a pile of top tools, half dozen mill balls, 3 large old adjustable wrenches and 3.5 smaller post vises, though one of those is robustus, all with springs and mounting plates save for the .5 which has a truncated leg as well. Unloaded with a flashlight bouncing some light off the underside of the roof in the shop. Bad weather moving in and I had a rough night due to insulin issues---but no ER time this go around! Friday I have to go to my next door neighbor's party; so I expect it will be Saturday for the next loads and then the sorting, cleaning, repairing, can get started. I forgot to mention the 3 treadle sandstone grinders including a pretty large one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Man, watch out for the treadle sandstone grinders...........they can get you down in the back pretty easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Treadle sandstone grinder ... man I remember when they sold them in the local hardware store ... the water tank was blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 I'd trade all of them for a good treadle hammer...much more useful in the shop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I have an old sandstone wet grinder converted to electric. It can't be beat for finishing cutting tools, knives especially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 Oldest grandaughter came over this AM with my Christmas presents. Just a few things she thought i could use. Miss my old pocket reference book so this will come inn handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 These welding clamps were on clearance at TSC for $15. Not the greatest quality, but an improvement over not having any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olfart Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I got lucky yesterday at our club's stuff-in-the-hat drawing, and I came away with this linear bearing. The cylindrical race is 2" diameter and 6" long. The whole thing weighs 6.5 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HojPoj Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Recently found a 100 lb. Hunk of steel at the scrapyard. Will be far more manageable than the other giant hunk o stuff I have. The are two shallow 1/2" threaded holes in it that should aid in manipulating it for use on-end or on its side for striking. Forgot to measure it, though... d'oh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Well all the stuff I got made it to my shop Saturday except for the 3 powerhammers. So 1 full sized cone mandrel, 6 postvises, (3x4", 2x5", 1x6.25") 4 hand crank/lineshaft drill presses, 4 treadle sandstone grinders, 2 hand crank blowers complete, 2 cast iron forges, 1 steel forge with firebrick and CI firepot and hood. A manual key way cutter, a complete gear box for a Champion #40---fan housing broken off, a bunch of tongs, top tools, swages, 3 electric blowers, a couple of hammers and a 248# PW, + some misc junk---and hopefully a motor for the 25# LG I'm getting. A friend of mine showed up Saturday morning with a large pickup pulling a trailer and a crew to move everything as I was still doing poorly after my insulin crash Thursday evening. As New Mexico is a tool poor place I'll be trying to pass on the extras to folks out here. I'm keeping the 25#LG, cone mandrel, 6.25" post vise, 2 forges and some of the tongs and swages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 That's mighty good of you to do that, Thomas. I've always tried to "pay it forward" because a lot of people have done that for me. Glad you are over your Thursday night scare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Forgot to add in a half dozen soldering coppers and a tin soldering furnace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 New Mexico is tool poor like Texas is. Or at least my part of the state. Makes me wonder if there are other treasure troves like that that have been hidden away just gathering rust and dust. It sure is nice you were blessed with the ability to be able to get more equipment to spread around in the shortage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Well, the previous owner collected it at various auctions over several decades; but never got around to using any of it. Annoying that there were 3 powerhammers located within 2 blocks of where I'm currently working at my day job just sitting out uncovered... Now that I have it, I've already started getting it to folks who will use it! (And I have already had hot steel on the anvil!) Unfortunately it will be around April before I can attend a NMABA meeting. I'd prefer to let folks I know look over it before C-Listing it. I expect that the 248# PW will end up there anyway as I hope it will help pay for the stuff I want to keep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Slow day at work today so i left early. Stopped by my steel supplier just to rummage through the drops. Found some 41L40 , that is the big sqaure chunk. 3 3/4" x 3" x 4". 14#. and a H-13 round 3 1/4" x 6". 6# Got both for .50 a pound, $10 bucks for 20# Looks like a new hammer or 2 and some tooling in my future. Now just to get my lazy behind out and make them. Still sitting on a chunk of S-7 and A-2 i aint done nothing with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Dear Billy, Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you have to make something just because you have the raw material. Only make things that you will use to make something that you cannot make now or will make the process easier. Otherwise, you are just spending time, the only resource that you have a limited and finite amount, on something that is not worth that investment of time. If you need it and it a valuable investment of time, great. But if you don't need a left handed fruzzle die don't spend the time. The steel will wait for a project whether it is next week or in 20 years. Just make sure you take a marker or grease pencil and mark the steel with its composition so that the future you will remember easier. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Steel stamps work best as marker tends to rub off. I found some inexpensive sledge hammer heads, and picked up a 1/2" capacity ROHM keyless drill chuck for $2 at a yard sale. They will be open again this weekend, and have a ton more tools. At another yard sale I got a 1.5 Ton chain come-along for $5 and some good sized chains tossed in with it for an additional $5. On the hand tool front I picked up some curiosities that turned out to be good finds. One is a Senco stapler that is used in upholstery work to affix the coil springs to the webbing. Paid a couple of bucks, and it is over $200 new. Another turned out to be a small hand operated nibbler, and the funky pliers that look new are used for crimping the bands on CV joint boots. The patent number is the same as the one Blue Point uses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasent Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I like to stamp both sides in case I cut a peace off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
671jungle Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Followed me home from the recycle. They wanted to charge me $4 for both but I only had my card. Their minimum limit for c.c. charges is $10. So they just gave it to me. Research shows they are around $150 a piece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Didn't know what they were, till I read the label. Definitely find a use for them though and can't beat free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
671jungle Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 3 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said: Definitely find a use for them though and can't beat free. Not sure what I'd use 'em for. But I knew they weren't cheap. If I could price them off on the local online it would help offset some of my expenses and maybe buy some known steel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 While it’s available online, I thought a hard copy would be good to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 The church next door to work is doing renovations, and I grabbed this big breaker box assembly out of their dumpster. The plan is to disassemble it to get at the copper buss bars, and then take everything to the scrap yard and turn it into cash. (I'd love to be able to forge the bars, but I'm not going to mess with the possibility of them being made from beryllium copper and thus hazardous to the health of myself, my family, my neighbors, and -- perhaps most importantly -- my dogs.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 The ones I usually see are nickel plated copper. I would sell the whole panel to someone rather than gut it for a couple of buss bars. Not really a good use for beryllium alloys due to cost for one ($23+ a pound). Second beryllium alloys like we machined were heat treated afterwards to harden them, and keep the contact fingers springy. They make conductive springs, tools, knives, and other items that need its mechanical advantage over plain copper alloys. The Be content is a maximum of 2%. Easy to harden in an oven that can hit 600F-750F. It doesn't forge hot - hot short. Rather you solution anneal it, and work cold. It really is a beautiful alloy if you can take advantage of its properties. I forged some spikes out of C173 and they look just like gold when polished up - we did a chem polishing on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CtG Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Was given some train car springs by one customer. Another let me have a length of steel pipe. Fairly thick wall no less! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.