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Brekelefuw posted:Just get a mod to change the title. I've done it before. Totally ok with this. Ambrose Burnside posted:I'm down with letting the thread keep on keepin' on, 'cause yeah, it's useful to be able to rifle through old posts without risking them getting locked away in the forums archives. But an expanded OP would be useful- we've got blacksmithing and casting covered, but we talk about a lot more than just that in here. You guys write me up some effort text and I will include it in a re-do of the op.
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Feb 28, 2014 04:54
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Ambrose Burnside posted:I've definitely posted the sex toys I've made and sold. And once I get a working forge I'm jumping straight into spreader bars, and, well, there's pretty much no way to pretend those aren't something freaky, so *pulls burlap cover off thread title, it has been surreptitiously changed to "Welcome To The Fuckforge"* Did you make enough money on them for it to be worth it? There's a local boutique sex shop that opened a little while ago, I should ask them if there's anything I could make for them. That or open the kinkiest craft stall at the Farmer's Market.
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Feb 28, 2014 10:41
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ReelBigLizard posted:That or open the kinkiest craft stall at the Farmer's Market. Definitely do that.
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Feb 28, 2014 14:32
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I developed a couple models of forged aluminium cockrings specifically to be easily 'mass'-produced, but in practice that didn't really matter because I had to hand-finish them with files and sandpaper on account of not having a way to grind the inside edges of 2" aluminium rings at the time. Also, sex stuff commands a premium but if you're wholesaling that doesn't matter so much because the industry has a 300-500% markup. I wouldn't try wholesaling stuff again if I didn't have a seriously streamlined production setup, but it's definitely viable to sell stuff independently, if you can get sales anyways.
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Feb 28, 2014 16:23
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Ambrose Burnside posted:I developed a couple models of forged aluminium cockrings specifically to be easily 'mass'-produced, but in practice that didn't really matter because I had to hand-finish them with files and sandpaper on account of not having a way to grind the inside edges of 2" aluminium rings at the time. Also, sex stuff commands a premium but if you're wholesaling that doesn't matter so much because the industry has a 300-500% markup. I wouldn't try wholesaling stuff again if I didn't have a seriously streamlined production setup, but it's definitely viable to sell stuff independently, if you can get sales anyways. What about using a sanding attachment on a die grinder?
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Feb 28, 2014 19:02
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Leave the burrs on. 
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Feb 28, 2014 19:13
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ArtistCeleste posted:What about using a sanding attachment on a die grinder? Oh yeah, that's the ticket, I was just unemployed at the time and had about $45 for materials and tools for the whole venture, almost all of which went on the heavy-wall aluminium tubing i sawed up for the blanks. So I did make money on em, it just wasn't 'worth it' in the sense of I made a pittance per hour averaged out between manufacture, shopping 'em around looking for a store to bite, and delivery. Nowadays the math'd be a lot better, especially if I picked up a bandsaw and some big-rear end burrs for the die grinder to speed up the finishing.  This was a first-run ring, once I wasn't hand-filing everything I rounded off the inner edges way better on the second run. Like, eeeeesh, look at those big nicks. Not fantastic work, but that was, what, two and a half years ago? Ambrose Burnside fucked around with this message at 23:05 on Feb 28, 2014 |
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Feb 28, 2014 22:59
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You know I've noticed most of the manacles & such used in BDSM-type porn tend to be pretty crude-looking, either chrome-finished or left matte, and just rounded straps- no detail or scrolls or imprints or filigree or anything. I've gotta imagine there would be some demand for higher-end, more artistic bondage stuff- pattern-welded manacles, gilded collars, restraint posts more fancy than a 6x6 with a welded base, that sort of thing. I think a hand-forged bondage set might go for some good change- like a restraint post that was like a curving vine with hinged cuffs in it, or maybe a spreader bar with some nice twists in it.
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Mar 1, 2014 01:16
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Put some loving dragons on it and you'll sell out Day 1. e: Or even faster if the loving dragons are actually, you know, loving.
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Mar 1, 2014 01:21
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So it turns out steel buckles are hard to find, and most everything is nickel plated brass. Which leads to two questions. First, is there a way to blacken that? And two, I'm going to be using these with latex, which reacts poorly to contact with brass. So how impervious is nickel plating?
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Mar 1, 2014 03:01
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FISHMANPET posted:So it turns out steel buckles are hard to find, and most everything is nickel plated brass. Which leads to two questions. First, is there a way to blacken that? And two, I'm going to be using these with latex, which reacts poorly to contact with brass. So how impervious is nickel plating? Pretty sure you could just use Liver of Sulfur to blacken it. Haven't tried it on brass, but it works on most non-ferrous metals.
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Mar 1, 2014 03:15
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ArtistCeleste posted:Pretty sure you could just use Liver of Sulfur to blacken it. Haven't tried it on brass, but it works on most non-ferrous metals. Yup. Liver of Sulfur works on brass.
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Mar 1, 2014 04:24
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Any brass I would be using would be nickel plated, so something that colors brass wouldn't work. In fact if brass blackener worked it would discolor the latex so I'd have to avoid it.
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Mar 1, 2014 04:34
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You could always have them powder-coated, I guess? You have to make allowances for the process with any critical dimensions but it sure is a tough coating at the end.
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Mar 1, 2014 04:50
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Nickel plating is pretty sturdy. You can get black nickel plating for appearance, but from what I understand it's lousy for corrosion resistance. A couple tenths of underplate would take care of that.
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Mar 1, 2014 05:46
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I know it was a couple of pages back but has anyone done much lost wax style casting? Do you still use sand or a more solid mold like a plaster of some sort? I have
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Mar 1, 2014 08:15
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For lost-wax casting (officially called "investment casting") you use more of a refractory plaster that is also called investment. Generally you make a positive in something consumable (wax, polystyrene, etc), cover it with fine investment by slowly dripping it on, let that harden, place the covered part into a metal flask, fill it the rest of the way with more investment, let that harden, put the whole thing in a kiln upside down, burn or melt out the positive, pour metal into the newly open mold, then once it's all cooled break the mold open and take out the piece. You can see why it's called "investment."
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Mar 1, 2014 08:41
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Visited my Dad this week, he bestowed upon me a forge + blower he found at an auction. Check out this bad boy!    Blower needs some work, it doesn't spin very well at the moment. Not really sure what I'm going to do to clean up the forge. Wire brush on the angle grinder and some high temp paint on the outside is what I am thinking at the moment. Any other suggestions? Just need to get an anvil now and I'm all set (yeah right).
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Mar 1, 2014 11:32
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Sagebrush posted:For lost-wax casting (officially called "investment casting") you use more of a refractory plaster that is also called investment. I use a mix of one part USG no. 1 pottery plaster and one part silica flour for the coat that's actually in contact with the surface of the positive. For the outer investment I use a 1-1-1 mix of plaster, sand, and perlite (the air in the perlite is a great insulator). Use a flask because the alternative is slowly building up layer after layer of the outer investment, wrapping the whole thing in chicken wire to prevent cracking, and then covering the chicken wire in yet more investment. Also, whatever you're casting needs to be relatively two dimensional or, if three dimensional and thicker than a 1/2" or so, hollow. You then make core pins out of whatever metal you're casting (you can cut up welding rods or use nails if you can find the appropriate metal) and stick them through your positive so once it has burned out they will bridge the gap and support the core. e: Wear a goddamn dust mask or respirator with particulate filters when working with silica. Or even sand, if it's in an enclosed space. The sculptor I learned casting from had a mentor who was forced to retire at 45 due to silicosis. door Door door fucked around with this message at 15:09 on Mar 1, 2014 |
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Mar 1, 2014 14:11
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I've just started a welding class, and I've been looking for an auto-darkening helmet, both for the class and when I eventually get my own welder. (the course price included a basic always-dark helmet, but I like being able to see what I'm doing while I'm starting the arc). I have some questions about finding the right one: I noticed that some of the low-end helmets claim a 1/10,000 second response time, and others 1/25,000 (the course instructor mentioned helmets which offer 1/50,000 second response, but I haven't seen any). How important is this for actually keeping your eyes protected if you're not spending 40 hours a week welding? My main interest is TIG welding, and I noticed that some of the mid-range helmets have a specific TIG rating, apparently having to do with being able to reliably sense low-current arcs. Would I need this if I'd be doing a fair amount of light duty aluminum work? Are there any particular brands I should look at or avoid?
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Mar 1, 2014 15:16
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Fishpetman, I dunno what kind of buckles you are looking for, but could this guy help you out?
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Mar 1, 2014 15:55
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I've never trusted auto-darkening helmets. I'd much rather stick with one that's always dark (e: or has a manual knob). It's too easy to forget to turn the auto-darkening back on after it times out. The little extra hassle doesn't mean much to someone who, like you, isn't welding 40 hours a week.
Eugene V. Dubstep fucked around with this message at 16:59 on Mar 1, 2014 |
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Mar 1, 2014 16:53
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For me the response time isn't a big deal. What I have found is the super cheap auto darkening hood I was using didn't give me as much visibility as a slightly better helmet without auto darkening. I would love get a good speedglas helmet, but can't justify that expense. If it's a choice between low end auto-dark and a better always dark, I would go with the latter, because it is better to see well while you are welding than to worry about a messy initial strike.
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Mar 1, 2014 19:19
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The important thing to remember about auto-darkening helmets is that they will always protect you from flash even if they aren't darkened. The green glass filters out 100% of the UV whether it's light or dark, so you aren't going to get arc eye if you keep the shield down no matter what happens. The darkening, of course, is required so that you can actually see what you're doing while you stare at the weld, and if the helmet doesn't switch fast enough you may get a brief glare as the arc is initiated. That is annoying and causes eyestrain over time, so if you're welding regularly it's worth getting one with a really fast response time. But the speed of the switching is not a safety issue. Me, I bought a Rhino helmet on Amazon for a hundred bucks, figuring that if it turned out to be trash, it was no big loss, and if it worked then it worked. I actually really like it -- the plastic is a little chintzy as you'd expect for something that costs $100, but the lens works great and it's solar powered (battery backup) so there's no on/off switch and the variable shade on the outside is also really handy when you're dialing in the power for a TIG weld or something. I am not a professional welder but it's worked great for my hacking around. http://www.amazon.com/RHINO-LARGE-Darkening-Welding-Helmet/dp/B0085T1LDS/ mine is just plain black but i can't seem to find that model any more. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 20:16 on Mar 1, 2014 |
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Mar 1, 2014 20:13
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I use an auto darkening helmet over an always dark one. It was some cheap $75 special from a local welding supply store. It's solar powered so on/off isn't an issue. Works between shade 9 through 15 and has as grinding setting (which works like a regular face shield with out autodarkening the glass.). The shade is covered with a small square of thin plexiglass so its cheap to replace. I wanna say the name was arcmaster or something like it. I've had it for 4 years now with about 200 hours of weld time on it.
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Mar 2, 2014 07:10
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The cheap auto darkening helmets do not play well with tig welding. It is very slow to react to the initial high frequency starting current and tends to pulse between on and off while welding even if you do not block the sensor while welding, but ESPECIALLY if you block it while welding In contrast, a $300 Miller Elite helmet or similar will darken before you even hear or see the high frequency start and will not pulse on/off no matter what position you are in. That said, I wouldn't drop more than $50 bucks on a helmet unless I planned on using it at home. The cheaper helmets are fine for mig welding, and higher amerage tig, as long as you don't mind being blinded occasionally when it switches off in the middle of a weld because you tilted your head too much or your hand got in the way of the puddle. Chauncey fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Mar 3, 2014 |
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Mar 2, 2014 23:57
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Rapulum_Dei posted:I know it was a couple of pages back but has anyone done much lost wax style casting? Do you still use sand or a more solid mold like a plaster of some sort? How big are the parts going to be? I do this all the time for jewellery, using this stuff http://www.riogrande.com/Product/Kerr-Satin-Cast-20-Investment-2kg/7020992KG?Pos=12 Any jewellery supplier will have a few different types of investment to choose from that all have different casting properties. EDIT: Just noticed what was said about updating the OP, i'd be happy to do a bit of a jewellery write up for it if you guys need someone to. Claes Oldenburger fucked around with this message at 02:21 on Mar 3, 2014 |
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Mar 3, 2014 02:15
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Claes Oldenburger posted:EDIT: Just noticed what was said about updating the OP, i'd be happy to do a bit of a jewellery write up for it if you guys need someone to. Please do, I've not had many volunteers to help out yet.
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Mar 3, 2014 02:44
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Welp, I finished my motor mounts and drilled/tapped all the holes. The turning diameters are fine, but the drilled holes are nowhere near where they should have been. Oh well. At least the parts are still functional. Still, I ended up shelling out for a G0704 mill and the relevant CNC kit pieces to convert it. 
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Mar 4, 2014 09:38
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 Tiny cannon by limeyrock, on Flickr I love taking bits of scrap an seeing where inspiration takes me sometimes. Yes, it should work. I have some 4mm ball bearings on the way already.
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Mar 4, 2014 09:59
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Originally I asked this in the The "stupid little questions that don't deserve their own thread" thread but this seems like a more likely venue. The goons at Robinson Laser cut me guitar picks out of .097" high strength steel but I need to bevel the edges before they're usable. What's the most inexpensive way to do this?
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Mar 4, 2014 16:27
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Manky posted:Originally I asked this in the The "stupid little questions that don't deserve their own thread" thread but this seems like a more likely venue. The goons at Robinson Laser cut me guitar picks out of .097" high strength steel but I need to bevel the edges before they're usable. What's the most inexpensive way to do this? .99 cent piece of sand paper and some elbow grease. Or a small steel file. Edit: a rock from your yard would probably work too.
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Mar 4, 2014 18:14
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HSS will gently caress up a file. Paper will work, I'd find someone with a bench grinder.
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Mar 4, 2014 21:17
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Thanks for the advice, I hadn't thought sandpaper would be worth a try but I'll get some. I'll also continue trying to find a buddy with a working bench grinder. e: vvvvvv Haha, yeah, I did think of that when I was looking at a vintage (broken) grinding wheel in someone's basement. Manky fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Mar 4, 2014 |
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Mar 4, 2014 21:58
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To save you the embarrassment; do remember to use something to hold the pick while you offer it up to the grinding wheel. It will get very hot very quickly.
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Mar 4, 2014 22:42
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So, I was doing some arc welding practice the other day, just passes on a plate, & it was so hot in the garage in summer that I did most of it wearing just a singlet on top. Never. Again. My left arm now has a bad case of Arc-Induced Skin Leprosy... 
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Mar 4, 2014 23:48
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The "welder's tan" is everything pasty except for one little sunburnt triangle at your shirt collar. God does that suck.oxbrain posted:HSS will gently caress up a file. Paper will work, I'd find someone with a bench grinder. I have a little carbide file meant for sharpening chainsaw blades and it's just wonderful for this sort of thing. I recommend everyone pick one up.
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Mar 5, 2014 00:17
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Sagebrush posted:The "welder's tan" is everything pasty except for one little sunburnt triangle at your shirt collar. God does that suck. I constantly have a well quote:I have a little carbide file meant for sharpening chainsaw blades and it's just wonderful for this sort of thing. I recommend everyone pick one up. I bought a set of needle and flat files that were carbide since most of the hand filing I do is on tool steel. On the subject of files, can I use ferric chloride to recondition a file in lieu of sulfuric acid? I have a ton of the former and none of the latter.
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Mar 5, 2014 03:44
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Google says ferric chloride'll work, although I'll also say I successfully sharpened some of my finer files with double-strength cleaning vinegar last week. Just about any acid will work, if you're willing to wait.
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Mar 5, 2014 05:26
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I've never heard of carbide being used for a file. It's way too brittle. Abrasives are the thing for tool steel. Silicon carbide for roughing, aluminum oxide for finishing. Stones are cheap as poo poo and won't dull like a file or wear out like paper.
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Mar 5, 2014 06:01
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