It followed me home

[JHCC]

Some good finds at the ReStore (R) and an estate sale (L), about 11 bucks total. 

(This is my first sandpaper block since drafting class in high school.)

[Frosty]

Boy, it's been a long time. You  had me looking for the sandpaper block and wondering what that had to do with Drafting. I kept looking at the pencil sharpener and looking on. 

Head slapping moment of the day, thank you. It's good to slap your head now and then. In my defense we only used wood/graphite pencils through maybe drafting 2 then we started using mechanical pencils and had the stick it in and turn it around sharpeners. 

I wonder if I still have some of that stuff in the basement. Hmmm.

Good memories.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

OK, Now you got me looking for the sand paper block and pencil sharpener.

I see a drill hammer, 2 ball peens, 2 chisel's, 2 spring clamps, nice bolt cutter, nice tin snips, a wire brush for a drill, and something that looks like a paint stirrer with something stapled to it (unless that's the pencil sharpener). I never had drafting in school.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sails. ~ Semper Paratus

 

 

 

[JHCC]

Yes, that’s the sandpaper block/pencil sharpener. In old-school drafting, you’d use a knife or mechanical sharpener to get a basic point, and then you’d touch it up with the sandpaper. 

[Donal Harris]

I think the paint stirrer is the sand paper block?

Went to LA’s Recycling Center with my Dad in OKC today. Primarily just to see what they had. It is sort of hard to walk around the place and get to things you want to look at. I several times had to remind myself that I am no longer young and the paths I was picking as we wove our way through the junk to find the treasure were probably a little to sketchy for me to go down, and if a bit too sketchy for me at 60, would certainly be too much for my Dad at 74. 
 

I will go back later with a trailer. Today was just for scouting, but I did leave with a couple of things. Some sort of cable and a worn out bearing? or something like that. The welder was one my Dad brought me from his shop. I had taken his much larger MIG to a repair shop in the City a few months ago, so he no longer needed the little one. 

[Donal Harris]

Why the bolt cutters?

[JHCC]

In case I need to cut a bolt. 

(And it was only a buck.)

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I use my bolt cutters a lot to cut small round stock and expanded metal.

[Donal Harris]

Me too, I was just surprised you didn’t already have a pair. Not that having 3 or 4 or the same tool is a bad thing. 

[JHCC]

When you’re on a tight budget, tool acquisition is somewhat dependent on the vagaries of estate sale availability!

4 minutes ago, Donal Harris said:

Not that having 3 or 4 or the same tool is a bad thing. 

Someone gave me two five-gallon buckets of screwdrivers and Allen wrenches a few years back, so I can attest that having MORE than 3 or 4 of the same tool isn’t necessarily a good thing. 

[Frosty]

I have a selection of store bought and garage sale bolt cutters, the large ones can cut 3/8" sq., I have to bounce on the handle but it's faster than putting it in the band saw or taking a hack saw to it. The hack saw is faster than the band saw when you figure measuring and clamping.

Frosty The Lucky. 

[Will Brouwers]

A farmer let me take this from their scrap pile. It is the first bit of wrought iron that I will attempt to forge. I know to get it hot and keep it hot, but now I am trying to think of what to make! Nails?

[Frosty]

Nahhh, make something decorative that will show off the grainy texture. Hmmm, maybe forge the two ring bolts into wall screw plates with the loop like piece will rest on without hanging. It might make a nice plate holder. That's just first glance brainstorming bugs and all. 

I'd just hate to see the wrought texture buried. That's just me of course.

Frosty The Lucky.

[anvil]

I'd keep one of the forge welded eyes as a fine example of blacksmith work from the long ago and hang it on the wall.

[JHCC]

I’d made an online purchase at the industrial surplus place for a bin full of FCAW wire, but by the time I went to pick it up, two of the four 10lb. spools had grown legs. However, they did give me a refund of more than half the purchase price, so I ended up paying $30 for the two remaining. I do love good customer service  

(Three boxes shown, but one is empty.)

[Daswulf]

Went to a thrift sort of store (owner goes to auctions and they sell the stuff in a store). Hadn't been there in a while. They ended up having these rock drill rods. Longer two were $5. Each and shorter one was $3. They are 1" hex and the longest is 52". Looked like good stock to me. Perfect for hardy and other tools.  They had two of the copper rod mining dynamite poking sticks at $10 ea. Listed as fire pokers. I left them for now but did inform them on what they really are. I have one and the tamper but haven't found a use or desire to mess with them other than wall hanging antiques. 

[JHCC]

Nice find. Those copper rods might be fun forging stock. 

[Daswulf]

Yeah they might. I was kind of put off at the price while I was there but thinking as to what copper costs lately, I might go snag them and a pry bar they had if they are still there. 

[Gazz]

I don't know what a dynamite poking stick is but as you know, even as scrap, copper is worth something and it can be forged hot.  Forges nicely cold too.

[Daswulf]

My google foo is weak today but I found some images on worthpoint. Also called a blast needle? Basically a long tapering copper rod with typically an oval shaped handle on the end. Copper being used as to prevent any sparks which would be bad thing around blasting powder. 

Here is an explanation of its use.

"The mining needle was used when a miner had to blast a coal vein to break the coal from the vein. A hole is drilled into the vein of coal. Blasting powder is rolled in a piece of newspaper sort of like a roll of coins that you take to the bank. This roll of powder is pushed into the hole in the coal using the wooden tamping tool. Then the metal needle is pushed into the hole and penerates the blasting powder roll. The miner mixes some dirt and water together to make a hand full of mud. The hole in the coal is filled with the mud using the wooden tamping tool to push the mud in to the hole until the hole is filled. The metal needle is now pulled from the hole leaving a small hole all the way to the blasting powder. A "squib" is placed in the hole and lit. The miner now has about 5 minutes to get to safety before the blast occurs"

 

[George N. M.]

Dynamite replaced black blasting powder in most mines in the late 19th century.  Some small mines may have continued using blasting powder because it was cheaper.  Dynamite was tamped and stemmed (the placing of mud or clay in the shot hole on top of the charge so that the force would shatter roack rather than just blowing out of the hole like a big shotgun.  If electric blasting caps were used they were placed in the last stick of dynamite and the wires were led out of the hole before the stemming was placed into the hole.  Tamping sticks were still wood or other non sparking material.

Nowadys, mosgtly in open pit mines or quariries ANFO (ammonium nitrate) is used but is often ignited with one stick of dynamite to get the necessary heat and shock to set off the ANFO.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Tim695]

On 5/28/2023 at 9:46 AM, JHCC said:

Someone gave me two five-gallon buckets of screwdrivers and Allen wrenches a few years back, so I can attest that having MORE than 3 or 4 of the same tool isn’t necessarily a good thing. 

The only tool I think you cant have enough of is tape measures. As soon as you put one down, it goes into chameleon mode and blends in to everything else in the shop and you wont find it again for at least 3 weeks.

[JHCC]

I think I know where three of mine are right now, but I’ve got no clue about the rest. 

[Daswulf]

3 hours ago, George N. M. said:

Some small mines may have continued using blasting powder because it was cheaper.

My area of southwestern PA had plenty of smaller coal mines. Supposedly my past relations worked in some locally and there are still some picks and shovels from them in the shop attic. 

I remember going out to a strip mine not far from my house and finding fossils in the shale.

 

[George N. M.]

Actully, tape measures,  along with socks, translate themselves to a higher astral plane and then randomly return through rifts in the space/time continuum.  The time, as percieved here, of the round trip journey is random as is the locus of where they return.  It could be moments or it could be years.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."