ThomasPowers Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 I wouldn't know; I had my hearing protectors on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caotropheus Posted March 10, 2020 Share Posted March 10, 2020 10 hours ago, CrazyGoatLady said: I was driving to town one day and I happened to notice what looked like an anvil sitting out by someone's shop. I drove back by, and sure enough it's an anvil on a stand. It looks like it's up against the wall and doesn't get used unless they move it. And there are no other immediate signs of a smithy. But it's always in the same spot. I can't tell from the distance but it looks to be a decent size. I've been contemplating seeing if it might follow me home. I've been thinking about seeing if it may be for sale. Should I just go up to the door and ask? Maybe take something I've made as a token of good will? I don't need one, but I see no harm in acquiring another one if the price is right! What is better than an anvil? Two or more...Go ahead and ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted March 10, 2020 Share Posted March 10, 2020 Thanks for all the votes of definitely ask about the anvil guys. My husband has been telling me the same thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twigg Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 Not as exciting as a lot of the hauls on this thread, but this was my first major score. It's been driving me nuts because there's tons of construction on campus near me, but there's a $1000 fine for dumpster diving. For the last year I've been looking out the window where I work, drooling at enormous piles of scrap. Today I finally got lucky: a restaurant off campus redid their bathroom stalls and I swiped 32' of 1.5x1.5 square tubing. There's also a bed frame I picked up from a moving-out sale for $30, making 22' of 1x1 angle iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 I used to prowl the off campus housing areas when I lived in Columbus Ohio right at Semester end and could fill my pickup with tossed bed frames. I was generally looking for the nice wood waterbed frames to build work benches from but picked up a lot of bed rails as well. As for Dumpster Diving, I'd try the Doughnut trick with the folks filling the dumpsters and see if you can get "pre dumpster" contributions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olfart Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 I used to go to SMU at the end of the spring semester and cart off the 8' 2 X 12 lumber and cinder blocks that were used as dorm bookshelves. The dorm supervisor was thrilled to get rid of them. I've built furniture, goat sheds, barn stalls and lots of other stuff with them. Still have quite a few in the barn loft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twigg Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 Rumor has it that the fine was put in place because folks would pester students moving out for pre-dumpster contributions. They must've forgotten to bring donuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 In Arkansas law, once an item is put into a dumpster, it becomes the property of the trash hauler/ Recycling company that owns the dumpster. Usually it is not enforced unless a complaint has been filed and does have a fine attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 3 hours ago, twigg said: There's also a bed frame I picked up Check out the Bolt Tongs from Bed Frames thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twigg Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 (edited) That's awesome. I have a use in mind for these already, but if I have any leftovers now I know what to do with them. My plan for these is to make a storage shelf over my computer desk and use the bedframe for a homemade server rack. I've been accumulating computers over the years and I feel like it's time they paid rent! I figure I have about 12 cores across several CPUs that could be put to work doing numerical simulation of forge/burner designs. They just need a home and some TLC. It's surprisingly easy to find high end hardware in my neighborhood because of all the folks who dump money into bitcoin mining machines only to end up losing money on electricity (no one ever considers the cost of running the AC to offset a the heat generated by a machine that eats as many watts as a space heater). Now I'm just in the market for some rebar to complete the shelf. Found some on the ol' craigslist. Possible updates tomorrow. Edited March 12, 2020 by Mod34 Excessive quoting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 Construction dumpsters may belong to the contractor. Of course the local building remodel going on the dumpsters I'd be interested in are owned by my local scrapyard and I'm willing to wait and pay 20 US cents a pound...(Unfortunately all the motors so far have been 3 phase and 3 phase to my smithy would cost more than the entire smithy has!---Several times more!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 Sale Saturday at the industrial surplus warehouse: a big box of 2600F ceramic wool for $10 and a six-pack of anti-spatter spray for $15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Nice score John. Have I told you how glad I am I don't live anywhere near there, recently? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Not since the last time I scored something there! I also got something for work: a $600 stand/sit computer bracket for the desk in my office: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojo Pedro Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 I got a stand up desk about a year ago and love it. Some times I forget to sit and spend most if my time standing. Good move Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Now set up in the dining room at home, in anticipation of campus being closed down because of the coronavirus. I believe my great-grandfather approves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 twigg, one thing to keep in mind when using bed frames is that they are mostly made from recycled railroad rails, and high carbon. They can develop cracks when welded, and not annealed afterwards. They do make nice wood chisels, and knives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazz Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 And they can be tough to drill through. I've made lots of things from them (I'm talking bed rails here) and found that blowing bolt holes in them with the cutting torch was more reliable than getting a twist drill through. I never tried a sharpened carbide tip masonry drill though. And I've never had problems with them cracking after welding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Had a quiet weekend as a friend wasn't able to make it by; so I went to the scrapyard by myself, 88 pounds out at US 20 cents a pound. Mostly scrap to be reforged; but I did find this: Stamped 55 or 53 pounds and missing everything else. I did pick up a scaffold leveling screw that I might make an improvised screw and screw box from. The leg was bent quite a bit so I had it crosswise in front of my gasser, (between the front door bricks and the chamber) and let it heat a long while while working on other things. Used hammer and anvil to get it to small undulations, reheated and to the large screwpress to get the leg nice and straight---as shown. Just read that they are cancelling the April New Mexico Artist Blacksmith Assoc. meeting. I guess I have more time to clean stuff up to sell at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les L Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 Nice find, I'm surprised you don't have some parts in your recent purchase to complete it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 Nope; all the postvises in the hoard were in using condition and are being sold off save for the 6.5" one that mysteriously migrated to *my* pile... I've thought of transferring some pieces over as it's a nice vise; If I could put a PW screw/screwbox on it and an Indian Chief mounting plate and stamp a 6 pointed star on the leg.....give someone somewhere something to ask about come some cold winter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twigg Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 To all those who warned me about bed frames being high carbon, I wish I read your replies sooner hahaha. May those drill bits rest in peace. Had to use my only carbide bit to finish the job. Luckily it didn't break. I was amazed by the sparks I was seeing on the grinder. If it's recycled railroad track, then that explains that. Anyhow, this is where some of that bed frame ended up: a 20U 19" server rack for some of my hobby computer projects (building myself a little cluster out of the computers people list on craigslist for throwaway money around here, looking at 12 cores, at somewhere around 3.6 GHz). In other news, I found an old drawer heater at the pizza restaurant next door. The grease oozed into the rockwool insulation, so I had a fun time cleaning that out. But now I have 30" of what looks like 10ga nichrome and plenty of sheet stainless. On 3/16/2020 at 3:45 PM, BIGGUNDOCTOR said: twigg, one thing to keep in mind when using bed frames is that they are mostly made from recycled railroad rails, and high carbon. They can develop cracks when welded, and not annealed afterwards. They do make nice wood chisels, and knives. I was hoping to 3ft section of rebar between the bedframe rails (cut to 5ft length) like a ladder to make an overhead shelf. No way I can anneal that whole thing. Any recommendations? Should I braze it instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Williams Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 (edited) Preheat and slow cool. There isn't much thermal mass in a bed frame section, so it will cool quickly and likely have untempered Martensite if you just weld it at ambient and let it cool. If you've already welded it, and it hasn't cracked, then I strongly recommend that you temper the welds. In fact, temper the welds after slow cooling anyways, as you don't know how much carbon is in them and likely aren't controlling the cooling rate precisely. Edited March 19, 2020 by Chris Williams Additional information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twigg Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 Chris, you were 120% right. I couldn't preheat because my "welding table" is a piece of sheet metal on a wooden workbench, and preheating would've done some damage. I had a crack near one of my welds while trying to force the assembly square after it had bent out of shape. I'd like to temper the joints now, but I know if I did the assembly would bend all over the place. Oh well. Lesson learned that mild steel is my friend for furniture projects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven NY Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 Hello All, I picked up this leg vise yesterday, I believe it is a true Indian Chief from what I have read. Light chamfer on the legs, drop forging marks. (I know everyone asks, but anyone have any idea of the date from the look of the vise?) It appears to be in really good shape but I will know more once it is cleaned up and ready to put into service. It is stamped either 100 or 110 pounds. I Think I have developed a bit of a problem, this is my fourth leg vise, I think I am addicted to them. I had originally picked this up to pass on to friend that has been looking for one, but now that I have it in my shop ... . The threads on the screw are nice and square but I have never seen the necked down area before. Any thoughts? In other news I missed a 311 pound Peter Wright anvil that looked to be in good really good shape that was sold for 600 dollars, what a difference 12 hours would have made. Have a great day, W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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