|
Wow, I didn't even realize this thread existed until a few weeks ago. I just finished up my first quarter of machining awhile ago and am onto the second and so far it's been pretty interesting. Our final project for was a hammer which came out well. The whole thing has been a learning experience, I didn't have any mechanical skills prior but so far it hasn't been too difficult. I must say things were easier when I was ignorant of thousandths but it feels good to complete something and know you did it well.  Anyway, I've always been interested in knifemaking and was wondering what resources are available for something like that. I've picked up the Hrisoulas book as well as a few by Goddard and have at least a vague understanding of the basics but any additional information would be appreciated.
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2012 22:53
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 23, 2024 08:35 |
|
|
That's a beautiful hammer. In other news, I went and bought my MT #1 reamer, and also got a MT#0 reamer as well. I think the MT#1 reamer is a little too large for what I need though. I guess I will find out when I use it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2012 23:55
|
|
|
iForge posted:The others that posted have all the info you need. No pressure, but please let me know your choice soon so I know whether to keep looking for a buyer or not. You can PM me or post here.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2012 01:54
|
|
|
Alrighty guys, MY RICH WIFE    is awesome and has agreed to buy me an anvil for christmas! I can finally stop forging on my vise bolted to a workbench. She said I can budget ~$900, which means I can get a nice one. There are two that I'm looking at (while also scanning for used anvils), but I figure I might as well as you guys where and what I should buy. There is a Nimba Titan, which is 120lbs with a 5" wide face and a 1" hardie There is also the TFS 150lbs, with the slightly smaller face (4"), but I get the extra 30lbs. Face width is just how much area I have to hammer on, correct? Should I go for the heavier anvil? Is there a brand I should trust? Also, (sort-of) unrelated, right now I just cover my forge set-up with a tarp if there is going to be rain. How do you guys protect your anvil from the elements? Should I erect a more permanent covering? Texas gets some pretty torrential rainstorms sometimes, but I really don't want to put up something complicated since I'll probably be moving in about a year.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2012 06:04
|
|
|
areyoucontagious posted:Alrighty guys, MY RICH WIFE I've used a Nimba titan for 4 years now and I've been very happy with it. Correct, face width is just how wide the anvil is across from side to side. 4" vs 5" face width surface is pretty immaterial, you won't need a 5" wide face for much, if anything. On the other hand, 30 pounds isn't a whole lot relative to the rest of it. Well, percentage wise it is, but for the home hobbyist like us, you won't notice much of a difference between the two using 2-6 pound hammers. I suggest you take whichever pattern you like better. Nimba's don't have chiseling blocks, for an example of their differences, but it's pretty easy to just use a sheath or a little block of mild steel on top of the face for that if you really need it. When I was at my folk's place, I built a lovely little lumber box to cover the anvil, but a tarp works ok. Tarps do have a problem of trapping water UNDER them as well, due to humidity or condensation, so keep that in mind. An inexpensive roofed pavilion would probably serve you well, and provide much needed shade in the summer. Simply made out of some basic lumber and sheet steel roofing, it wouldn't cost a whole lot. A workshed is best though. Don't worry about a little rust, your anvil would have to rust continuously for 20-30 years to have any impact at all on its ability to perform. More important to keep your forge dry rather than the anvil, refractory doesn't like water. Keep in mind the cost of shipping when you place your order, these are heavy and kind of awkward. If I remember correctly, Nimba's based in Seattle which is a fair distance from you. No idea where TFS is, so check with them for the cost.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2012 10:02
|
|
|
areyoucontagious posted:Texas gets some pretty torrential rainstorms sometimes, but I really don't want to put up something complicated since I'll probably be moving in about a year. Where in texas are you? I imagine you've been checking your local craigslist's already, but I've had very good luck looking on my CL. Man 900$ is a ton of money, with (really nice) anvils going used for 3-500 around here I'd almost hate to see you spend that much.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2012 15:33
|
|
|
Uncle Enzo posted:Where in texas are you? I imagine you've been checking your local craigslist's already, but I've had very good luck looking on my CL. Man 900$ is a ton of money, with (really nice) anvils going used for 3-500 around here I'd almost hate to see you spend that much. There is a dearth of used anvils in Austin. I've looked for about 6 months now, and nothing.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2012 16:38
|
|
|
That sucks that there are no anvils to be found in Texas. If you lived in the Philadelphia area, I know 2 people that have a combined 15+ for sale. Everything from sub 100 pounds to 400+.... Any goons in the area that need one, PM me and I'll get you phone numbers for them.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2012 17:23
|
|
|
areyoucontagious posted:Alrighty guys, MY RICH WIFE Slung Blade convinced me to get the Nimba Titan, it's a good anvil. Shipping cost a bunch though, they are in Seattle and I'm in Arizona, I don't want to know how much it would cost to ship farther than that. It was fun to see how the guy ships them though. He duct tapes around all the points and edges of the anvil, loops rope through the hardy and punch holes, slaps a shipping label on it and off it goes.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2012 23:19
|
|
|
areyoucontagious posted:There is a dearth of used anvils in Austin. I've looked for about 6 months now, and nothing. http://austin.craigslist.org/atq/3450425352.html That's a 90lb Fisher, which is supposed to be a very reputable brand. 300$ http://austin.craigslist.org/tls/3381683603.html This is an unknown name, but they've dropped their price from $600 to $300 in less than 2 weeks. Worth a look, plus if they've halved their price that fast they might full well go lower. http://austin.craigslist.org/tls/3458350057.html An estate sale LOADED with blacksmithing stuff. http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/tls/3460856508.html 3 hours away, might be too far, but here's an entire blacksmith shop for sale. Maybe you could meet them halfway? Also, have you checked any estate sales, farm sales, machine shop auctions, flea markets, etc? Not to make it sound like a ton of work, you could get a pretty good idea of availability of anvils in the area in a week or two. You might consider looking at the Craigslists for nearby cities as well. Might be worth driving an hour or two to save $500. It's just that $900 could easily buy a lot of way nicer stuff than just a single anvil. I got started with an anvil, forge, postvise, and some hammers and tongs for less than half that much. You might not be quite so lucky, but surely there are plenty of anvils out there. EDIT:  Centaur Forge has a location in New Braunfels, TX, which google maps tells me is less than 50 miles from Austin. They're open on monday. They've got the TFS 150lb anvil for $773, and you'd save shipping. Edit edit: Ok, I just saw that was the site you linked to already. Never mind me. Uncle Enzo fucked around with this message at 23:59 on Dec 15, 2012 |
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2012 23:31
|
|
|
Those Nimbas are plenty utilitarian, but they lack that... stately grace a really nice traditionally-shaped anvil has. You know, the lines, the silhouette, the real sense of direction in its design. Imo. Imo.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2012 00:30
|
|
|
Ambrose Burnside posted:Those Nimbas are plenty utilitarian, but they lack that... stately grace a really nice traditionally-shaped anvil has. You know, the lines, the silhouette, the real sense of direction in its design. Imo. Imo. We're blacksmiths. Not poets. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2012 04:57
|
|
|
I dunno dude, I've got a mini Austrian and  my anvil has buttresses and church windows 
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2012 07:30
|
|
|
unzealous posted:Anyway, I've always been interested in knifemaking and was wondering what resources are available for something like that. I've picked up the Hrisoulas book as well as a few by Goddard and have at least a vague understanding of the basics but any additional information would be appreciated. unzealous and I have been chatting about knifemaking over PMs, and I encouraged him to post. I'm really not an expert on this... I've had a class, done some reading, and made three or four knives (which I didn't finish). But I'm starting to get the idea we don't have a knifemaker expert in here. How is that possible? SA has an expert on everything.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2012 20:09
|
|
|
I'm finally getting my gas tanks in the next coupla days, although I'm kind of undecided as to whether to get one of the wee small tank sets w/ the little caddy you just carry around, or the next-biggest size of tanks which go on a dolly. I'll probably use it mostly with a jeweller's torch which draws a -lot- less gas than a full-sized welding/cutting torch, which kind of ameliorates the "you can only draw 1/10t or 1/8th or whatever the tank's volume in an hour" bit, although I -also- have a proper torch that I expect to use occasionally as well. I don't drive, so refilling the caddy tanks would be a billion times easier, even if it'd have to be more often. e: I made a Medallion of Sport for a secret santa thing on another forum. Oregon Ducks logo raised in copper. Really not super-happy with it, way too many toolmarks and irregularities and I didn't do the brass twisted-wire filigree border like I wanted, but WELP ran out of time. 
Ambrose Burnside fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Dec 18, 2012 |
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2012 20:33
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:unzealous and I have been chatting about knifemaking over PMs, and I encouraged him to post. I'm really not an expert on this... I've had a class, done some reading, and made three or four knives (which I didn't finish). I think there might be one or two over in TFR. But those guys are fuckin weird. Ambrose, that looks pimp as hell man, be proud.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2012 05:25
|
|
|
I fall victim to "big macro pictures show off every single little goddamn defect and imperfection" really easily, yeah.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2012 06:43
|
|
|
Those imperfections are what makes it feel handmade and unique. If it were perfect, it'd look like something someone paid $20 for at a store. As it is, it looks like an awesome handmade art object with lots of character.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2012 09:46
|
|
|
I went to the welding place and came home empty-handed because the baby tanks in the caddy would cost like $600 to buy and fill. Ergh.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2012 23:36
|
|
|
Hey Ambrose, any idea how the prices at McKinnon are vs Metal Supermarket? I need to make a trip to one of those place this week, and I have to make a large (for me) order. 36 inches of .5 inch cold roll, 12 inches of 1 inch cold roll, 12 inches of .5 inch brass, .5 inch thick aluminium plate for making a small lathe dog. I also need a few feet of "heavy wall" brass tubing, which Metal Supermarket doesn't carry, but that isn't something I need immediately.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2012 01:33
|
|
|
I don't, sorry. If you know the per-pound prices for the different metals from Metals Supermarket I can post the McKinnon equivalents off of one of their order forms, if you want- but I've only bought from the first once and the receipt's long gone and it was only aluminium anyways which wouldn't help you much 'cause you only need an offcut of it. e: McKinnon's a smaller chain so the odds of them having better pricing aren't great, but again who knows.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2012 18:21
|
|
|
I went to Metal supermarket today. I thought my order would be $50+, but it was only $16.95 I did forget to get some 3/8 square steel though. Maybe I have something lying around work that will substitute. I am so excited about finally getting to make some tools this weekend. I booked my holiday at work so I can go in to work and do on my own projects.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2012 22:55
|
|
|
I need to pick up some different gauges of copper/brass sheet soon, right now I've got all 20-gauge stuff but I want some light (~24-26 gauge) stuff, for faster and easier metal-moving where strength isn't a huge deal, alongside some 14-16 gauge heavier stuff, for doing chased stuff on just a single face (I really wanna try doing some buttons and belt-buckles and the like). I ought to ask how much it would cost to source German silver for me  maybe they could even do me one better than the jeweller's supply price of $30-50 per half square foot, although I bet I'd have to buy a lot. I hope I can 'order' less than a full sheet of copper/brass that isn't in stock, now that I think of it, 'cause most sizes are huuuuge and way more than I need or can afford (i.e. the huge sheets for roofing and the like)
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2012 01:54
|
|
|
You could try onlinemetals.com I got several smaller sheets of copper and brass from them (2'x3'), and they go as small as a square foot, and if that's not small enough, they have various gauge sample packs that you can get for like $10
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2012 02:44
|
|
|
Shipping raw materials cross-border blows, especially something as easy to damage as thin sheet. Although I know they carry a limited stock of German silver, so I might have to put an order in sooner or later. I just want a silver-like metal that isn't a lovely plating job or stupid flimsy-feeling real-awkward-to-weld-or-solder-or-braze aluminium or as expensive as pewter 
Ambrose Burnside fucked around with this message at 04:03 on Dec 20, 2012 |
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2012 04:00
|
|
|
Ambrose Burnside posted:Shipping raw materials cross-border blows, especially something as easy to damage as thin sheet. Although I know they carry a limited stock of German silver, so I might have to put an order in sooner or later. I just want a silver-like metal that isn't a lovely plating job or stupid flimsy-feeling real-awkward-to-weld-or-solder-or-braze aluminium or as expensive as pewter Register at CBI shipping, have your order sent there, pick up by hand. Its really the only way to go if you are going to cross border ship more then say 10lbs of basically anything.
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2012 01:16
|
|
|
Bleedin' shame I don't drive or own a car or live less than 2 hours away from the border, though.
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2012 02:25
|
|
|
I have a sheet of .020 or .024 brass that I don't need if you want. I think that is 24/25 gauge. Also, hobby shops carry 4x8inch sheets of brass and copper that is overpriced, but comes in a few thicknesses.
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2012 12:20
|
|
|
Off from work for the year. Needed to do some stuff outside, but I wasn't really relishing the thought because it's loving -18 C here today. Breezy too. Friend of mine needed two pokers for family, so I did them up.  Didn't get a chance to snap a picture of the finished product before he got here, but you know what they look like. I finally have a good adjustable stand to support some poo poo on. I should have made/bought one of these years ago. This one was all of 25 bucks, and it has a roller, ball bearings, or a solid bar topper. The balls are good to keep round stock from rolling around. Working on a triangle made out of O1 tool steel here.  Got my order of good zircon sanding belts. Holy gently caress the grit on some of them are aggressive, they eat steel like a fat kid eats donuts. They're awesome though, so much better than those aluminia oxide shitbelts, never buying them again.  And... Oh my. Hello beautiful :bigtran:  It was pretty interesting putting that together in the cold, yeesh. Going to wait until it warms up to rub the cosmoline or whatever they coated it in off all the exposed surfaces. Any solvent I have right now is partially gelled. Got some good cobalt bits from Fastenal to go with the new drill press.  What the gently caress is this for?  
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2012 00:00
|
|
|
Slung Blade posted:What the gently caress is this for? Not to disappoint you but I have that same "device" and my penis isn't any larger than it was six months ago. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2012 00:27
|
|
|
Do any of you know what the difference between keystock and normal cold roll is? I didn't want to make two stops today after work, so I bought a stick of square zinc coated keystock steel to use, instead of going to a second store and getting square cold roll. The Zinc coating will come off in the acid I have at work, no problem. I just don't want to bust my drill/tap on something that is way harder than my HSS tools will cut. The guy at Fastenal had no idea about the differences.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2012 01:58
|
|
|
Brekelefuw posted:Do any of you know what the difference between keystock and normal cold roll is? Unless there's a material designation on the bill, it could be any one of a number of grades of keystock. Some is 1018, some 1040, and less is 1095. If you're really worried, you could anneal it once you get rid of the zinc coating. Plus there's always a spark test. Munki: I am sad 
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2012 02:11
|
|
|
Brekelefuw posted:Do any of you know what the difference between keystock and normal cold roll is? Keystock is hardened. It's literally for making little keys for keyslots on a mating shaft-collar pair.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2012 07:07
|
|
|
Random Number posted:Keystock is hardened. It's literally for making little keys for keyslots on a mating shaft-collar pair. Not true for all keystock. For large machines the shaft and collars are hardened while the keystock is just mild steel so if something goes wrong the very replaceable key gets damaged/sheared instead of damaging expensive couplers or irreplaceable shafts. Brekelefuw posted:I just don't want to bust my drill/tap on something that is way harder than my HSS tools will cut. Take a center punch and give it a good whack. If the steel dents and the center punch stays nice and sharp, then hss will cut it. If your center punch blunts and there's no/tiny dent, then you've got a nice block of hardened steel. Somewhere between those two means it's somewhere between those two.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2012 17:00
|
|
|
If it's thin enough, 5/16" or less usually, just flexing it alongside a mild steel bar is usually enough to tell- and you can usually guess at the temper, too (although keystock wouldn't have anything unexpected like a springy temper or whatever). Course, this doesn't work with anything you can't easily bend in hand.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2012 17:23
|
|
|
That gas forge looks very tidy, is it something you bought or made Slung Blade?
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2012 00:33
|
|
|
It is 3/8ths. I ended up taking the zinc coating off of the keystock with phosphoric acid at work, and then annealing it and letting it air cool. I took it up to a dull cherry colour that some website said I should heat it to. I didn't actually use it though because I found a piece of 3/8th mild steel that I used to practice grinding lathe bits with, so I used that instead.  This is the Mild steel after I tapped it for 1/4-20. Beside it are my socket head cap screw, and a skateboard bearing to be used to make my lathe alignment tool that I posted about a few days ago.  There was a gap between the size of the screw and the bearing, so I cut a bushing out of delrin on the lathe. I got the delrin from a hammer that snapped at work. It cuts like butter. I was taking 1/4 inch cuts on it no problem. I the fit between the screw, the bushing and the bearing was perfect. So tight that I had to tap the bushing in to the bearing with a mallet.  This is the tool assembled. On the front face of the steel I scribed a line that shows me the middle of the tool so I can line it up with the live center in the tailstock of the lathe.  Final tool. The back is my practice 60 degree threading tip from last semester of school.  I also built a lathe dog out of aluminium and some set screws. The hole is 3/4 inch. Tomorrow I think I might drill and tap some brass stock and put it over the set screw that holds the workpiece so the screw doesn't mar the thing I am cutting.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2012 00:48
|
|
|
I have a question. Could somebody please enlighten me to where I can buy some copper plate in Australia? Doesn't need to be much. I just want a chunk that I can use as backing for some sheet metal welding jobs like panelwork.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2012 04:27
|
|
|
Brekelefuw posted:I ended up taking the zinc coating off of the keystock with phosphoric acid at work, and then annealing it and letting it air cool. I took it up to a dull cherry colour that some website said I should heat it to. I'm not sure this is an effective anneal. Generally after heating, the piece should be cooled very slowly. The way we used to do it in the classes I took was to drop the piece into a box full of vermiculite (an insulator) so that it would cool over the span of an hour or so. In fact some alloys are "air-hardening" meaning that they effectively are "quenched" in air, leaving the piece glass-hard and brittle if you just let it cool in the air. All that said, depending on the alloy you've got (and I've got no idea what alloy "keystock" might be) you might be OK. But if you check the hardness later and find it's really hard, consider re-annealing using an insulated cooling method to bring it down really slowly.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2012 04:53
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 23, 2024 08:35 |
|
|
Whatever site I found when I googled annealing said a proper anneal to really soften the steel would be to cool it in an oven over time, but if I wanted to 'normalize' it (their term,) I could bring it to a dull cherry and let it air cool. I know almost nothing about working with steel. Brass is what I do at work.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2012 05:20
|
|