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Brekelefuw posted:Screw the chair. Tell me about copper ore. gently caress copper ore. Pictures of the 3k degrees hole in the backyard, please!
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Aug 22, 2009 17:04
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Brekelefuw posted:Screw the chair. Tell me about copper ore. Well, the first step is finding copper ore. That in itself can be a challenge, I'm not much of a geologist, so my ability to find copper ore is questionable at best. Here's the quick list of what you will need to get this done. Also I've not done this, I saw it at a demonstration so it's a bit shaky. Also I highly suggest reading the wiki article on it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_extraction_techniques Iron oxide (i.e. rust, handy stuff to have on hand oddly enough. You can get it in bulk from pottery supply places). Wood or charcoal Sandstone or limestone slabs (you can use cinder-block or a mix of 30%clay and 70%wood ash if you don't want to buy stuff). leaf blower or other air source. Copper ore. You can buy this online, but I think it's better to try to find it locally and dig it out of the ground. Also look up http://www.unr.edu/sb204/geology/smelt.html Good bit at the bottom for the stupid simple process, which is what was done at the demo. Anywho, dig you a hole in the ground. About 2-3 feet. Dig a trench leading to it, stick a pipe in it and hook that up to your air source. Line the inside of your hole with something (sandstone, limestone, fire brick, etc) Loosely pack the first 1' of the hole with charcoal. Then pack about 1-2" of your copper ore. Dust the top of your ore with the iron oxide, two good handfuls should do it. Add some more charcoal on top of your ore. You want the blower pointing at the copper ore. You are going to get lots of scale and oxidation, but this isn't industrial manufacturing so deal with the loss. Fire it up. Let it burn out. Leave it for 12-24 hrs. dig through to find if you had any success. keep in mind you're looking at stuff that has about oh, 10-30% cu in it. So you're not really getting a lot out of it. These folks screwed it up and didn't use enough ore to produce a good blister ingot. http://www.cyphertext.net/~gfish/smelting.html Got most of the other stuff right though. I've seen some iron smelting demos too if you want me to tell you about them.
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Aug 22, 2009 18:08
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also look up http://tin.er.usgs.gov/mrds/ for copper deposits and old mines in your area.
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Aug 22, 2009 18:21
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Blaster of Justice posted:gently caress copper ore. Pictures of the 3k degrees hole in the backyard, please! I'll see what I can do, I've got a camera again so I'll be able to post the details. I'll try to put one together tomorrow between building my table and working at the pottery studio. I'm not promising anything, but I might be able to put something together and post it for your amusement. I do not have a pyrometer, I judge temps by what it will burn. I can get it hot enough to burn steel so the 3k is a guestimate. Close enough for me to be happy. Anywho, any other questions on how to do stuff? Let me know and I'll try to get around to em. Also if anyone decides they want to smelt their own copper, please be aware you can add tin or zinc to get bronze or brass. Just remeber, do this stuff enough and you will eventually get burned, it happens. If you get a minor burn (site blisters up) don't puncture the blister if you can help it, run some cold water over it (not ice) apply some antibiotic, wrap it loosely. Anything where it smells like bacon cooking, go to the drat ER.
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Aug 22, 2009 23:55
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Blaster of Justice posted:gently caress copper ore. Pictures of the 3k degrees hole in the backyard, please! In 3-4 weeks I plan to re-start the construction of my iron melting crucible furnace, so that should be some fun. In the mean time, I leave you with this classic: 
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Aug 23, 2009 13:33
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Delivery McGee posted:I got a little butane torch at Harbor Freight yesterday, and have been having fun ineffectually melting solder onto things and heating cartridge brass to crush with a tackhammer, but it's not really hot enough to do much of anything properly. Bonus: Here's a tutorial I wrote on soldering: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2905844&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=2#post346573623 Delivery McGee posted:I noticed that Home Depot has the standard propane BernzOmatic for $17. Would that be enough for light-duty brazing and hobbyist melting of metals, or is it only good for plumbing? Should I instead save my pennies and get an oxyacetylene rig? As far as melting metals go, you don't use a torch for that purpose... you'll need a crucible furnace which is a whole new ballgame. (For more ideas of how to maim yourself, see the 2nd post on the 1st page of this thread.) Delivery McGee posted:I think my grandmother still has a couple of torch heads of grandpa's that I could Delivery McGee posted:I don't even know what I'd do with a proper torch. I just like fire. Fortunately the wife is even more of a pyromaniac than I am, so this is one tool purchase I won't have to justify. Blacksmith posted:You want to play with fire? Blacksmith posted:That reminds me, anyone want me to give a couple of recipes for things to hold hot stuff. (molds for lost wax casting, other refractory materials on the cheap, and the like). I've experimented with a variety of refractory materials for building crucible furnaces, and have found that the better results and less time involved really makes the extra $20-60 you'll spend on commercial supplies worth it.
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Aug 23, 2009 14:00
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I can't seem to find it at the moment, but about a month ago I read a great article about a guy who embarked on what amounts to an art installation project to build a toaster. From scratch. He ran into problems early on trying to smelt iron. Forced air induction with a leafblower didn't get it hot enough, but he refused to "cheat". I think he came up with a way to get it working but I can't remember what it was.
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Aug 24, 2009 13:20
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dv6speed posted:
I completely agree with you, most of the commercial stuff you can get is miles beyond what my backyard refractory bricks can do, but they are free. And I'm a cheap bastard, if I can get away with making it myself for free, or pay 30-60 bucks to buy it, I'm gonna make it first. Later on after I've blown a few days tinkering and getting the whole idea I *might* buy proper materials and rebuild. Home made stuff just has the benefit of being free, you can afford to screw up with it.
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Aug 24, 2009 16:19
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Powdered Toast Man posted:I can't seem to find it at the moment, but about a month ago I read a great article about a guy who embarked on what amounts to an art installation project to build a toaster. What did he make the heating coils out of?
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Aug 24, 2009 17:59
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http://www.thomasthwaites.com/thomas/toaster/page2.htm I think this is the guy building the toaster.
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Aug 24, 2009 19:37
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A microwave backyard smelter? 
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Aug 24, 2009 20:40
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Blacksmith posted:I completely agree with you, most of the commercial stuff you can get is miles beyond what my backyard refractory bricks can do, but they are free. And I'm a cheap bastard, if I can get away with making it myself for free, or pay 30-60 bucks to buy it, I'm gonna make it first. Later on after I've blown a few days tinkering and getting the whole idea I *might* buy proper materials and rebuild. I'm also getting at the point in my life (27) that I've realized I am actually a mortal being and I only have X amount of time left. I'd rather spend the time melting metal, making patterns, or pounding on hot steel then experimenting with cheap refractories. To quote a not so famous, but wise internet poster: "I used to spend my time to save money, but now I spend my money to save time." Tho, I must admit, I do have my limits, like buying a $125 engine driven welding machine that I can fix up cheap instead of buying a $2000 one brand new.
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Aug 25, 2009 04:00
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Fair enough, I suppose its a difference of opinion. I like being able to make my materials from start to finish, makes me feel all warm and happy, but like you said, that's not for everyone. Now then, anyone have any other topics to shift to?
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Aug 25, 2009 12:51
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Blacksmith posted:Now then, anyone have any other topics to shift to? Yeah I have one. I need to build a 3 point hitch and attach it to  MY TRACTOR Anyone have any ideas on, first, fabricating the thing, and second, attaching it to the rear end while leaving the existing drawbar intact? If I have to I'll replace the c-shaped bar bolted directly to the bottom of the transaxle with a heavy duty wide bar that I can weld the brackets to, but I'd like to avoid that if possible. (it would probably leak gear oil like crazy if I loosened that cover)
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Aug 25, 2009 17:13
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Slung Blade posted:Anyone have any ideas on, first, fabricating the thing, and second, attaching it to the rear end while leaving the existing drawbar intact? You should be able to keep all lower parts if you make something like this:  or this: 
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Aug 25, 2009 19:03
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Ok, how about this: I'd like to replace that vertical U shaped part that is bolted horizontal C shaped part with a square. Roughly the same dimensions as the U, but as tall as the differential, and secured to the top of the case using the threaded hole visible on the side, top left of the axle bellhousing, in this old picture:  Then, bolt, or maybe weld, a large bar to the bottom of this new rectangular piece (under the existing drawbar) to mount the lower arms. Sound reasonable?
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Aug 25, 2009 19:34
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Slung Blade posted:Sound reasonable? Yeah, that would probably work.
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Aug 25, 2009 20:28
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So I found out how much my house is going to cost (way too loving much) and I think I may have to get an extra job, or start selling some of the stuff I can make. Do you guys think my roses are good enough to sell online? They still seem pretty amateurish to me, but I've been told by some people I'm too hard on myself 
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Sep 1, 2009 03:17
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Slung Blade posted:So I found out how much my house is going to cost (way too loving much) and I think I may have to get an extra job, or start selling some of the stuff I can make. I think your roses look great, but I also think you would fare better in the online market if you applied your creativity to other designs. With pre-cut kits out there for making roses, it's very possible you wouldn't make much money off them. Having worked with interior decorators in high end residential remodeling jobs, I can tell you that they go absolutely batshit loving loco for wrought iron curtain hardware and...wait for it...lighting fixtures. You wouldn't believe what you can charge for a decent-sized wall sconce. I've seen people put up a sconce that cost nearly two grand and it was honestly made-in-China junk when I looked at it closely. Just something to think about. 
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Sep 1, 2009 13:06
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Slung Blade posted:Do you guys think my roses are good enough to sell online? I think that being hard on yourself is part of the trade as well... at least it has been for me. I think your roses look great too, but I've found that people are willing to pay more for bigger things. I gave that one rose to my Mom and then two of my brothers are willing to pay for a gate each. Not even a super fancy one, so most of the work will just be tack welding. I agree with Powdered Toast Man, wrought iron work along the lines of gates, window bars, or lighting fixtures are where the money is at.
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Sep 1, 2009 15:12
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Hmm, excellent points. I guess I'll start making some items for a portfolio of sorts before I make an sa-mart thread or join those etsy guys or something. I need to make towel racks and toilet paper holders for my house anyway. So at least I won't lose anything if no one wants to buy them.
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Sep 1, 2009 15:41
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Slung Blade posted:So I found out how much my house is going to cost (way too loving much) and I think I may have to get an extra job, or start selling some of the stuff I can make. My only thoughts are that I've been very unsuccessful when carrying inventory of any kind, but extremely successful with custom orders. People seem to be willing to spend a ton of money when they can get something that they feel they helped design or inspire, whereas every time I've set up shop in a trade-show and showed off what I thought were some of my best works, I barely got any attention. At least, not enough to justify the time spent sitting behind a booth to hock my wares. When it comes to my smaller pieces, people are very quick to throw $20 to $50 at commissioned art, but I think that it's rare to see people willing to spend that kind of money on some small welded metal thing sitting on a shelf, you know? Also, I agree that big things (by virtue of their size) are where the price sort of normalizes between commissioned work and inventory. I'm considering welding up a 20" Millenium Falcon (huge) for somebody, and I quoted out $450 to do it. They might balk at the price, but I'm pretty sure that if I decided to make it anyway and displayed it somewhere, somebody would probably still be willing to throw that kind of money at me for it. Likewise, larger pieces like light fixtures and wall-hangings likely reach that price-normalization as well - someone looking for a light fixture or wall-hanging already expects to pay big bucks for it. jovial_cynic fucked around with this message at 17:05 on Sep 1, 2009 |
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Sep 1, 2009 16:14
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Gentlemen, I submit for your consideration, this fascinating website: http://opensourcemachine.org/ The website describes methods of taking retired engine blocks, some other assorted parts, and assembling accurate, functional, machine shop equipment, at little cost. This is great for developing countries or cheap bastards alike. I have not had a chance to read the instructions in detail, but from what I've seen so far, I'm quite impressed. Edit: http://opensourcemachine.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/how_to_build_a_multimachine1.pdf AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Sep 10, 2009 |
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Sep 10, 2009 02:46
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... wow That's pretty impressive. I'm going to keep reading this booklet and I might have to make one of these. My neighbour has a bunch of old engine blocks laying around, he might be willing to let a couple go. Thanks for that link man, this is great.
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Sep 10, 2009 04:01
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Slung Blade posted:I'm going to keep reading this booklet and I might have to make one of these. If you actually plan to build one (as do I one day) then it seems like looking at the "support" forums for the project may be a good idea: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/multimachine/
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Sep 10, 2009 11:26
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Signed up for my annual welding class. This time it's TIG  You guys been working on anything lately?
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Sep 21, 2009 20:28
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Slung Blade posted:
My next 'non-work' project was going to be a christmas present for my little brother. I was going to turn him a nice shifter knob for his Miata, but it turns out he just bought one. Now I have to find something else to do.
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Sep 22, 2009 00:01
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I've been working on another rose for my sister's birthday!  Her birthday was a month ago! 
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Sep 22, 2009 06:03
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Slung Blade posted:Signed up for my annual welding class. This time it's TIG
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Sep 23, 2009 02:28
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Greetings, fellow metalheads! I figure it can't be a coincidence that the day I get my pictures back from the photographer is the very same day I discover the metalworking thread, so please enjoy.  This is the most recent all-metal piece I've done. All the forming was done cold on a Di-Acro and slip-roller. Welding is TIG and the finish is powdercoated. Gotta say though, reading about all your awesome home setups is starting to make me really sad that I graduated on time and suddenly don't have access to a metal shop anymore.
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Oct 6, 2009 08:38
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Wow, that's really cool looking. What were you taking in school? Welding?
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Oct 6, 2009 16:39
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This thread is too god to die. While doing some planning for a home theater install I came across the new Samsung LCD TV hanging kit that allows you to hang your TV like a picture. Well, I'm a cheap bastard and I'm not willing to pay Best Buy $250 for some turned 6061 and some aircraft cable. The cone shaped parts are what will mount to the wall. They are attached with the same hollow wall anchors Samsung supplies and IIRC they are rated for 150 lbs each. There will be two just in case and the whole thing should only have a gap of about 3/4" to the wall.  Here I've mounted all the other crap onto the back of the TV.  We'll see how it works and hopefully I won't be reporting back with a hosed up TV and wall.
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Oct 26, 2009 02:15
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Beautiful work. Where did you make them?
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Oct 26, 2009 05:08
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I made all the parts on a Sherline mill and lathe.
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Oct 26, 2009 23:11
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Day one of my TIG course. First fumbling attempts. Some turned out ok, couple of them melted and bubbled down underneath, but not bad for a first day.
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Oct 27, 2009 06:00
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Audiot posted:I made all the parts on a Sherline mill and lathe. I am thinking of trying to get a line of credit or loan from the bank for tools so I can start doing some work on the side, and I REALLY want a sherline cnc mill and lathe. Is yours CNC?
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Oct 28, 2009 02:06
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I don't have CNC, but it seems that's the way all the sherline guys are going anymore. I can't decide on a retrofit from sherline or throwing together my own. I need to just buy the stuff since it's not getting any cheaper. Maybe the next time they run the retrofit as one of their monthly specials...
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Oct 28, 2009 03:49
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TIG, day 2. Horizontal, first try.  Verticals: varying degrees of lovely.  Slightly better.  Best ones of the night. One dip style, one continuous. These were both horizontal. 
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Oct 29, 2009 06:24
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Slung Blade posted:Best ones of the night. One dip style, one continuous. These were both horizontal. Very nice! Looks like a row of dimes to me. I can't wait to do some tig welding. I just haven't found a need that would justify the cost yet. Right now, my figurines work out just fine with the oxy/aceytlene setup, and anything bigger welds up reasonably well with my arc welder. I'm trying to see what I could get into that would require a tig welder, but I just haven't found it yet -- I can't squeeze it in throught the cost/benefit analysis filter yet.
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Oct 29, 2009 16:21
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Just wanted to say I read this thread with constant jealousy over the past few weeks. But today I got a surprise - I'll be going to the John C Campbell Folk School to take a class over the weekend called  SMASHING IRON I've been wanting to try my hand at metalworking for a long time so hopefully it leads to an interesting new hobby! After this I'm looking around locally for some welding courses as that is pretty relevant to my project car as I have a few rust spots that need to be cut. Anyone know of any in the Atlanta area?
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Oct 29, 2009 22:25
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