Found this vice at a garage sale, that's a silver dollar in the jaws. Don't know anything about it, wondering if it had a special purpose?

Two wagon tires the thick one is 2 inchs wide, 5 eights thick, and 4 foot dia., I assume these would be wrought iron?

Nice wrought iron hook on the pulley, the grain doesn't show too well in the pic.

Welcome any opinions or info on the vice.

its a combination vise, pipe vise, pipe jaws are missing, the two pins are what held them in.

Now I want the jaws, or pic., maybe I could make some.

These followed me home. Not sure what to do with them but the Blueprints section of IForgeIron would suggest BP0462 Wheel Forge or maybe BP0226 Tool Stand. They may even made a good start on a BP0166 Hammer Stand.

Was walking by a crew crossing a road with a new drainage pipe. They were cutting through some old trolley tracks buried under the pavement. now I have two 3' pieces....

Also asked what they did with their old concrete saw blades. Guy said they have at least 3' of them in the shop. He's going to ask the boss.....

NEVER hurts to ask!

MarkB, the wagon tyres may be wrought iron or may be mild steel---it depends on what the smith had at the time. In my experience I have found maybe 80% to be wrought of the ones I found in AR and OH.

Don't assume *test*! Either the spark test or the notch and break test will work dandy on these.

My flange-cone is looking a lot better after a week soaking in vinegar and some wire brushing under the hose.

Thanks Thomas
I read BP 20 on spark testing and went out and compared, a piece of angle iron, and a tire.

The spark stream on the tire seemed to be a little longer and stronger all the way to the end.
A few sprigs on the angle, none on the tire.
Is this enough info to ID? I searched for the notch and break test but couldn't find anything. Help

Is the flange -cone the plumbing part you are using for a cone mandrel? Is it wrought iron or just rusted up?

Mark,
Cut part way through the piece with an abrasive disc on an angle grinder or the like then bend it in half. You should see fiberous layers. Or you can polish an edge and etch with ferric chloride or even vinegar. It should show layering if it is wrought.

Here's what I have:
Smaller tire wrought Iron.
Large tire? hit that guy HARD, a # of times, bent 10 degrees then snapped, not like mild steel.

high carbon tires ?

I'm currently writing a report on steel in the preindustrial era. Turns out a lot of the 'wrought iron' artifacts actually had about 50 points carbon. Wonder how old the tyre is though; it matters a lot.

I got to helium #15 tanks today at school! Going to make a camp site grill
I got them for help cleaning they was throwing them out so I had a family freind / teacher put them in his truck

I picked up 2 10" diameter 10' long spiral seamed galvanized pipes on Wed from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, cast me $4 a piece and will be the chimneys for my coal forges.

Thomas, that is what I have coming outta my coal forge hood. Stuck one o them turbine deals on top. Pulls very well.

A couple of weeks ago I went to a moving sale and got the big vice, and these 2x6's for frameing a new shop, then yesterday found this roofing on craigs list and today the big wheel at a garage sale. I didn't think I would be able to build a shop because of cost but I'll have a roof by winter at least. Walls later or tarps.

well mark ya got a good start . Its like Johnny Cash`s song One piece at a time . LOL
Thanks,Chris

Beauty score Mark.. If you get all the holes dug, etc.. I bet i could get a few hands your way to do an old fashioned shop raisin' day.. You'd come out slightly ahead of paid labor if you supply beer and ribs...

If you do the beer thing I would suggest that you wait til the end to bring it out. We lived in a log house from '86-'96 that was built like that. Neighbor said it was a keg party every weekend until the house was finished. Nothing was straight, plumb, or level in that house! The inspector that checked it out before we bought it was supprised but said it was structully sound, "just looked like a bunch of drunks built the darned thing" Little did he know he was right!

Looks like you scored good on these items!

Hey Chris ,I think I've heard that song, he brings home parts from all different types of cars and makes an Oldsmochevybuicklac,

Mike, that sounds great, might take me a while to get the 6x6 PT poles and I haven't finalized a plan yet but it's for sure going to happen before winter. I've got your calipers in the truck waiting on Bob W.

Thomas, sounds like living in that house wouldn't feel quite right 'til after 5 oclock. LOL

you tube One piece at a time - Johnny Cash
Lyrics

Picked these up at a garage sale today. These make the fourth and fifth jack shaft type grinder/buffers I've found around here.

The large one is a Lortone lapidary wheel. The Lap and the other little jackshaft buffer/grinder/? were $5. The water pans are on backwards in the pic, I just slipped them under the wheels to show the set up and still see the pully.

Last summer I found a Lortone tumbler, I don't recall the capacity (40lb?) but do recall they were going for $5-600 new. Got the tumbler, a dozen charges of polish and maybe 15lbs of rough garnets for $20.

If this keeps up I'm going to have to take up stone polishing.

Frosty

Edited May 12, 200818 yr by Frosty

Frosty, you could use those tumblers for smaller pieces of work to get all the scale off and make them all nice and shiny. Throw in a bunch of ballbearings, other small cut off ends of stock. I've seen a built one that will hold items up to 6' or so. I've tried using the little 3lb model that I bought for the kids but even with a smallish piece (maybe 1lb.) it flopped around to much and knocked the cover off, spilling everything to the floor. Oh well back to the drawing board.

Frosty, replace the wheels on the lapping machine with these, and two different grits of belts.

SCOTT MURRAY EXPANDING SANDING DRUM at Brownells

SANDING BELTS at Brownells

Went to the dump (waste disposal station) this morning and a local electrical suppy truck pulls up with a truck load of wooden reels and this 500' of 1-1/2" sch. 40 PVC and 80' of 2" sch 80.
I didn't think he was going to dump the conduit 'till I saw him un strap it. That was my Q, i asked him if I could have it and he helped me load it.

No salvaging at the site so it couldn't hit the ground , but OK to go from truck to truck.

The 1-1/2" is going for irrigation piping, from a pump in the back about 300' up to the house. This will cut down on the time I spend irrigating when I should be in the shop. I'm stoked.

Frosty, replace the wheels on the lapping machine with these, and two different grits of belts.

SCOTT MURRAY EXPANDING SANDING DRUM at Brownells

SANDING BELTS at Brownells

The lap already has expanding wheels on it but I was wondering where to find belts or whether I should convert it to something like a square wheel.

However, these belts seem to be pretty reasonably priced. Now if the wheel's dimensions match up I'm set. I expect they will, it is a Lortone, a pretty main stream piece of equipment.

Thank you mucho.

Frosty