|
Tell your ladyfriend to  god dammit, we're not complete assholes here. She does great work!So about two weekends ago I was cleaning up more scrap wood with my normal thoroughness, and the high volume smelter blower was pointed right in the middle of the pile, this is towards the end. I had the coals so hot the nails and screws were melting together. The Fireplace brick was so hot (when it didn't crack) that it was actually molten, I made little lava balls from the concrete. That was a fun way to get rid of a bunch of pallets (I started up skilsawing them apart, but that took too long, so I ended up going full viking on that poo poo and just smashed them with a 5 foot crowbar, very cathartic). Fire was usually 6 feet high with the blower going full tilt.  Also my friend who I helped to make that hammer a few months back gave me a stump, his dad owns a nice woodlot. I used it as a paint bench a couple times, but I had to de-bark it before I wanted to use it, fortunately it came off no problem.  Much thicker and heavier (not to mention more stable) than my 9ish year old one. I re-did all the anvil foot staples and tool holders as well, but I neglected to grab a picture of that. Turned out great, much nicer to forge on this now. 
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2016 05:47
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 23:31 |
|
|
Now here's a welding table, 4" thick top and t-tracks
|
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2016 10:33
|
|
|
His Divine Shadow posted:Now here's a welding table, 4" thick top and t-tracks Unnff
|
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2016 12:23
|
|
|
Holy gently caress that's sexy.
|
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2016 15:29
|
|
|
So, been reading the thread for a while, just wanted to say I finally got off my rear end and went to a scrapyard to find some steel for an anvil and forge. Walked out tired, sore, dirty, and with a huge grin. 240 lbs of steel, including a brake drum and a 110 lb 4" x 6" x 2.5' chunk of structural barstock. Hoping to eventually turn that into an anvil. And finding out there's a blacksmith in Spokane, less than an hour away, offering weekend lessons, I think I've got a good start.  Now to find a place for welding classes. Wazzu's offerings are surprisingly meager.
|
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2016 15:49
|
|
|
I finally got around to filming some of my knifemaking work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18DpqQc6QsA I need a mic, and more practice filming, but looks good otherwise.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2016 03:15
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMrlyEreba8 I have just discovered This Old Tony. Fantastic videos, really funny, and he is really skilled. His fixed gantry router build is pretty impressive.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2016 04:18
|
|
|
Interesting, there have apparently been Kemppis in the US a while ago in the 90s. You might know them as Powcon. Maybe rings a bell with US welders. From what I've gathered PowCon licensed Kemppi tech and the pictures I've seen of their welders looked like straight rebranded kemppi welders, adapted for US voltage. At least the ones with sheet metal chassis anyway. Cool stuff.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2016 09:55
|
|
|
Brekelefuw posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMrlyEreba8 That was genuinely great. I know what I have to binge on now.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2016 14:32
|
|
|
I don't know if it's been posted in this thread before but I stumbled across Keith Fenner's channel on youtube. He does a stack of repaired machine jobs on things and I've spent the last 3 days basically binge watching his vids. Worth a look into if you are interested.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2016 07:21
|
|
|
Hmmm, I cut off the stump on my ground cable and attached the clamp to a fresh portion of copper, I'm wondering if these cables might have some coating on them that should be removed for optimum performance. If so, how? Torch?
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 06:59
|
|
|
That just oxidizes the surface, creating a high resistance connection.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 07:32
|
|
|
So, do nothing?
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 11:02
|
|
|
Milk it with sandpaper to scratch to fresh surface just before you clamp on the fitting.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 14:39
|
|
|
Jeeze, there shouldn't be any coating on braided copper cable inside the jacket. The whole point is to make it really redundant and have many available paths (and flexibility).
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 16:05
|
|
|
Thought so, just wanted to exhaust all options. Had issues with getting a good ground despite cutting off the stump of the cable and rewiring using fresh copper. Also ground fresh surfaces on the clamp. I was welding on very rusty junk though.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 17:31
|
|
|
His Divine Shadow posted:Thought so, just wanted to exhaust all options. Had issues with getting a good ground despite cutting off the stump of the cable and rewiring using fresh copper. Also ground fresh surfaces on the clamp. I was welding on very rusty junk though. Grind your ground point... You want fresh, clean metal where the clamp makes contact.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 20:20
|
|
|
I did grind the points where I put the clamp on but even so I had to put the thing close to where I was welding and I also had arc marks where the clamp had been afterwards which to me indicated it wasn't doing it's job that well still. I was looking at a solid brass type clamp, or perhaps even better a C-type clamp. Next time I'll try this trick: http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/mig-welding-ground.html
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2016 20:24
|
|
|
His Divine Shadow posted:I did grind the points where I put the clamp on but even so I had to put the thing close to where I was welding and I also had arc marks where the clamp had been afterwards which to me indicated it wasn't doing it's job that well still. I was looking at a solid brass type clamp, or perhaps even better a C-type clamp. Next time I'll try this trick: If you have arc marks where the clamp was (supposed to be) touching the metal, then the problem is the clamping surface. There's no coating on the copper wire itself beyond the insulation (and if there was, you would see scorch marks there and not on the clamp). Also make sure the part you're welding is clean. Those are really the only two parts of the connection that are going to vary. Distance from the weld site isn't going to make much of a difference, the risk there is the current going through bolts etc and welding them together. Also, and this is probably obvious, but if you're joining two separate pieces of metal, then make sure you're starting your weld on the piece that's actually grounded.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2016 05:33
|
|
|
Must've been the connection surfaces then. It's a sheet metal clamp, pretty beefy, but with brass connections and a braided metal strap between the two, which is looking pretty worn out. I've been thinking of replacing the whole clamp with one of those 98% copper dealies. Or a C-style / screw clamp, I understand you get a real good ground that way.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2016 06:04
|
|
|
Yeah, if clamping to copper wire isn't working right, the problem isn't in the wire. Make sure the connection of the clamp to the welder is nice and tight, and hit the clamping faces and connection to the workpiece with a steel wire brush/sandpaper. And/or boop the connection spot on the workpiece with the grinder -- FCAW and SMAW can burn through a good bit of rust on the hot end, but the ground has to be solid.
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2016 06:54
|
|
Bad Angus! Bad!
|
Rust is a surprisingly good insulator- I alway use a flap paddle wheel on my grinder to take it off to bare steel and dont generally have a problem with earths after that. Flappy paddle wheels are also brilliant at removing galv off stuff before you weld it without touching the underlying metal too much.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 13:22
|
|
|
I upped the current last night as I was attaching some of the cross braces to the legs, 1/8" 7018 rod I dunno 160 amps if the knob indicator is to be trusted (display is busted). Burned though rust and paint and it smoked like gently caress. I think the 1/8 rods are in lovely shape and need a re-bake too, but my oven can't even get them to the required temp.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 13:39
|
|
|
the last 15 seconds of "wh-wheres DIY and hobbies WHERE IS IT gently caress oh wait" was an emotional rollercoaster. hello, friends, i'm glad this subforum is movin on up and not gone
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 13:57
|
|
|
Ambrose Burnside posted:the last 15 seconds of "wh-wheres DIY and hobbies WHERE IS IT gently caress oh wait" was an emotional rollercoaster. hello, friends, i'm glad this subforum is movin on up and not gone gently caress yeah, finally getting some recognition. Get ready for a hundred forged in fire fans.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 16:17
|
|
|
I think Ilya is cool and good. Also, like, a gigantic weeb, but that's acceptable with his skill set.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 21:56
|
|
|
Geirskogul posted:I think Ilya is cool and good. Is that one of the cut test guys? Yeah I have no problem with the experts or anything, is just that whole drama played up for the camera thing really turns me off of a show. It irritates the gently caress out of me, I guess I'm a huge dumb sperg who hates things everyone loves  Christ, what is it about fall that makes it so busy? Literally fifteen minutes ago someone asked me to make them a steak brand for their relative's wedding. Me: yeah I can probably help, when's the wedding? Then: next Saturday. Me: 
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 23:15
|
|
|
I haven't seen the show. I just watch Man at Arms on YouTube.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 23:34
|
|
|
Why did they switch judges on forged in fire? I miss the other guys know it all smirk.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2016 23:51
|
|
|
Slung Blade posted:Is that one of the cut test guys? Yeah I have no problem with the experts or anything, is just that whole drama played up for the camera thing really turns me off of a show. It irritates the gently caress out of me, I guess I'm a huge dumb sperg who hates things everyone loves Ilya is the long haired russian guy who's also on the Man At Arms YouTube channel. He came across as insufferably cocky in the first half of his episode of Forged in Fire. He (or the editors, let's be honest) toned it down in the 2nd half. He's also a very skilled smith. The Kuromukuro Sword build is almost 100% traditional japanese sword smithing, so perhaps his arrogance is well justified. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q598DP27tGA I would love to see an episode where the judges have to each make a knife. There's always at least one Master bladesmith up there, and that's not an easy title to achieve. Let's see what they can do! It always blows my mind when someone decides to try a completely new technique on the show. I don't remember which episode; it had the fat guy who just calmly went about his work for 6 hours... He made it to the finals by sticking with something he knew he could do without any fuss. Meanwhile some other idiot is having a stroke because he decided now would be a good time to try making cable damascus and has spent 2 hours making basic mistakes.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2016 01:10
|
|
|
Could be that they lack the facilities to do X at home and saw being on a TV show as a chance to play with toys they wouldn't otherwise get to. I have no idea how to use a CNC router but if one showed up next to me I'd probably come up with a reason to play with it.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2016 01:18
|
|
|
Pagan: ah, ok thanks.Slung Blade posted:Christ, what is it about fall that makes it so busy? Literally fifteen minutes ago someone asked me to make them a steak brand for their relative's wedding. Well, I got it finished at least. Took about 2.5 hours, this new workshop is a huge boost to my productivity, if for no other reason than just having access to my better welders. I still need a lot of tig practice.  It's always little stuff people want. Sigh.  I did put a subtle little twist in the handle, but it's hard to see. (mostly because I didn't get a good picture of it)   The brand wall grows...  Whoever suggested these little tig electrode sharpeners: thank you. They work fantastically well.  
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2016 05:08
|
|
|
I copied what I saw Jody doing on youtube and am using my belt grinder. I wonder if 60 grit is too coarse though.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2016 05:24
|
|
|
Pagan, why are you watering your anvil? Hot anvils are usually a good thing. And drat, that's a lot of hand hammering. I will have to slowly share everything I have learned this year. I am working for an architectural bronzesmith, spent 10 days in Argentina with a bunch of other blacksmiths and have been swamped with work. I learned a lot from a class with Brian and Ed Brazeal. They do things pretty differently. I really liked their efficiency. They put a heavy emphasis on keeping the metal hot. Because of that they prefer round stock and often lift the metal off the anvil. I think a lot about heat transfer and concentration of force, but they really are obsessed with the efficiency of both those things. They taper on the edge of the anvil because it works as an aggressive fuller. (I still prefer a round hammer on the horn.) I will post more later. I have to get some dental work done so I will have lots of time to write.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2016 07:36
|
|
|
Kind of surprised how easy it is to keep a hole within a .0002" window with a honer. Those things are cool.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2016 13:50
|
|
|
Man loving 6013. I decided to try and use some of the 10 pack that I bought a year ago, welded on some bottom tabs for my welding table which is made of angle iron, so I'd have a place to put the castors. loving thing welded easily and nice but y'know, it came off when I hammered away the slag. Back to 7018, good ole 3/32nds And TIG welding, still motherfucking hard, hating the kemppi style handle a bit more every day. Yesterday it turned out weird, I turned down the amps and tried going slower, but all I was left with was a row of metal blobs on a steel plate.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2016 14:03
|
|
|
6013 was a rod developed by a masochist with the express purpose of making weldor's experience using it a living hell. TIG welding: I can almost guarantee you your arc length is too long. If you are an inexperienced TIG'er and you aren't dipping your puddle and constantly regrinding your tungsten, your arc length is too long.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2016 14:36
|
|
|
Now that I'm making chips at school I'm honestly kind of surprised how good the ol' mk 1 eyeball is. like, if I zero and center-drill and then jog the machine around and line the drill back up by eye without the DRO, I can consistently land within about +/- 5 thou. That's the kind of precision I got cranky about not always meeting when doing repousse stuff. Guess I overestimated how small a unit a thousandth actually is.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2016 15:22
|
|
|
Get good with a quality micrometer and you'll feel dips and bulges on a shaft in the .00005 range. It'll be beyond what your mic can read, but you'll feel the tight spots-loose spots. Then to verify stick it into a laser mic, and whammo, there it is.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2016 15:37
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 23:31 |
|
|
gently caress 6013 forever.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2016 16:55
|
|