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Slung Blade posted:How hard was it to get ahold of him? It was nice he took time to talk to you, that kind of thing doesn't seem to happen very often. Oh by the way, I forgot to mention his products are also used by almost all the major steel producers. http://anvilfire.com/sales/ has more information about his products. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 16:49 on Jul 29, 2008 |
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Jul 29, 2008 16:46
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TantricPenguin posted:I do jewelry work This reminds me, I know a guy who makes gold and silver teeth for dentists with investment casting... I need to pay him a visit and get a demonstration. The amounts of metal he has to melt are so small he just uses an O/A torch and doesn't even need a furnace.
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Jul 30, 2008 11:11
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Brekelefuw posted:I would love to hear about techniques for working with brass and copper. I want to make some fancy things for the trumpets I customize, and right now it is limited to my dremel ability and my (not so hot) lathe ability. Some of the best techniques for sheet metal work are very old and not used much these days in times of mechanized mass production, I would start looking at some nice old books. Check out your library and Lindsay publications: http://www.lindsaybks.com/ I haven't looked for many websites on the topic yet, if you come across any do post some links 
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Jul 31, 2008 03:34
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EigenKet posted:So if I wanted to solder a piece of aluminum to a piece of stainless I'm S.O.L.? Oh well, I guess that's why we have pop-rivets. I would recommend brazing over soldering in your case. Unless you take your project to a professional, which isn't a bad idea in this case, it will require a bit of research into the techniques and materials needed. You'll also want to do some practice joints first. Also, preheating is almost certainly going to be required. If you do this, please make a post telling us how! I spent about 15 minutes looking on google for useful information but my attention span ran out before I found anything worthwhile. Edit: I will ask how to do this at some welding forums I belong to and see if I get anything useful. Edit2: Keep an eye on this thread for useful info: http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/showthread.php?p=332337#post332337 TantricPenguin posted:We need more chicks that know their way around a shop... AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 12:05 on Aug 2, 2008 |
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Aug 2, 2008 11:50
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Give that thread about a week. There are lots of real professionals there, including people who work in the aerospace industry. While googling, I did find some techniques that involved adding brazing alloy to the separate pieces (Kind of like tinning with soldering) without titanium. However, not enough info to tell you what to buy and how to do it. When NASA brazes a joint, they have to know the exact properties so it doesn't fail when they go up in space. When you make a joint for most of the projects you encounter, that's not the case, and there may very well be simpler methods to braze the joint, that will work for your application. That being said, if you can rework your choice of metals to be all aluminum, or all steel, that would be a much better idea. Drilling and tapping threads and using hardware may be another option too. Edit: That NASA paper listed in the other thread is a fantastic example of the indirect benefits the space program has had to industry. Even though you don't go up in space, NASA has effected all of our lives in a positive way. Edit2: I bought some 6013 electrodes today. I've used only 6011 so far and wanted some electrodes around that have less penetration. I'll try them out in a day or 2. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Aug 2, 2008 |
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Aug 2, 2008 20:14
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I tried out the 6013 electrodes today. I like them... alot more slag, alot less spatter, and a little less penetration then 6011. I'll lay down some more practice beads a little bit later I think. My mother had a cheap metal kitchen stool with 3 welds that broke that she asked me to fix. The thinness of the metal meant that my arc welder doesn't have a fine enough current control. The fact that 3/32" is the smallest electrode I have doesn't help either. So of course I brought out the oxy-acetylene rig and had those 3 joints welded up in no time. I'm finally starting to get good with using the separate heat source and filler metal. I can't wait to apply those concepts to TIG welding. Oh, and stay tuned within in the next week or 2 for info and pics on mixing up molding sand, making molds, and some pictures of some castings.
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Aug 5, 2008 16:38
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In an earlier post, I said that "building up a plate" is the best way to practice running solid, pretty beads. This goes for any welding process your are working with. Basically you just keep running beads right next to each other. Make sure to chip/clean off all slag before making subsequent passes. One piece of plate will get you very far... as you can see in the second picture, after you fill up the plate, you just turn it 90 degrees and keep on going. In these pictures, I was using 3/32" 6013 electrodes with an AC stick welder set at 90 amps. I did this for about an hour today, and made some good improvements. Unfortunately the last picture I took didn't come out very well, and of course, that was the pic with the best looking beads.  
AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 02:39 on Aug 6, 2008 |
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Aug 5, 2008 23:13
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Brekelefuw posted:I think doing some very fancy solder tinning where I tin a design on the brass, but I don't know how to control the solder so it doesn't just flow everywhere. Maybe it is too crazy an idea... That being said, I always thought plating was done by liquid chemicals, and electricity, I don't think that's too complicated of a machine to make. Got some pics of the types of parts you are trying to figure out how to make? I'm not very familiar with trumpets.
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Aug 6, 2008 01:10
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Brekelefuw posted:I thought of using tape, but I also thought that once it set on fire it might not block the solder from flowing a bit. Update on brazing aluminum to stainless steel New info came into that thread I linked to earlier. It is in fact possible to do this without a NASA laboratory. Heres what you need: 1. Silver brazing alloy 2. Silver brazing flux 3. Aluminum-silicon brazing alloy with 5% silicon 4. Aluminum brazing flux 5. Oxy-acetylene torch. If the work pieces are small enough air-acetylene or air-MAPP might work. First, as in any soldering or brazing operation, cleanliness and proper fluxing is of the utmost importance. In fact, an acid pickle solution isn't a bad idea to use before fluxing. Don't forget the acid pickle won't work if the metal is greasy/oily. Step 1: Clean the stainless steel Step 2. Use the silver brazing alloy/flux to "tin" the surface of the stainless steel. Step 3: Clean the silver brazed stainless steel, and the aluminum Step 4: Use the aluminum-silicon alloy/flux to braze the aluminum to the stainless steel that has been tinned with silver brazing alloy. Step 5. Clean up the acids/fluxes and profit. This works because the aluminum-silicon alloy has a lower melting temp then the silver brazing alloy. However, they aren't that far apart, so you have to work fast and carefully.
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Aug 6, 2008 02:34
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Slung Blade posted:I made a monkey tool tonight. That's a nice hole for not having a drill press!
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Aug 7, 2008 12:32
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jovial_cynic, If all you plan to work with is standard mild steel, then you really don't need the TIG, your O/A rig and your AC/DC stick welder will do the job fine. If you want to do any special welding, such as really thin material, or odd metals like aluminum, then TIG is a good idea. The real question is, how well will that TIG kit and High Frequency attachment actually do on aluminum? That being said, if you like O/A welding, you will love TIG welding. They are very similar, in fact O/A welding is often suggested as practice before you start TIG. I can't speak to the cost of consumables as I have never purchased any for TIG. TIG uses the same filler metal as O/A. I don't see the argon being a large expense. The TIG process should be cheaper then the fuel/oxygen costs of the O/A process. In fact, if that stick welder and TIG kit of yours let you do small enough current settings and fine adjustments, you could weld your figurines with it, and probably have more control over the weld then with O/A. Edit: Out of curiosity, I will call my LWS (Local Welding Shop) tomorrow and get a price quote on an argon cylinder and how much it costs to be exchanged. BTW my LWS doesn't do filling, only exchanges. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 07:54 on Aug 8, 2008 |
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Aug 8, 2008 07:48
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Yesterday was a fun metalworking day. In the afternoon, I went up to Trevose, PA to Harbison Walker Refractories. I now have 50 square feet of 8lb density 1" thick INSWOOL ceramic blanket, and 55lbs of VERSAFLOW 60 castable sitting in my garage now. That is plenty of material to make a crucible furnace and a forge with plenty left over. Now I just need to finalize the measurements on how big of a furnace to make with it. I'm thinking 9" ID. A buddy of mine stopped by my place in the evening with his coal forge and 160lb anvil of his, and made a throwing knife out of a railroad spike. This was my first live blacksmithing demonstration. I had a chance to beat a piece of red hot rebar to see what it's like, which was fun. The forced air for the forge was being supplied by a small shop vac. The hose was about 1.5 feet away from the pipe you see in the picture. The forge is actually an old ex-charcoal grill.  
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Aug 9, 2008 17:10
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Slung Blade posted:Looks good man, but does he always use briquettes? There's sulphur and all kinds of impurities and filler that they introduce to the steel. Blacksmithing is awesome, I've always wanted to do it, and will surely do it. I'm particularly interested in bladesmithing. In fact, even though I don't have an anvil yet, since the refractories I have are applicable to both a crucible furnace and a forge, there is a chance I will make both at the same time, since it'll be easier to work with the castable all at once.
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Aug 9, 2008 18:07
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I have 2 knife making books laying around somewhere what I need to look for, I believe by Wayne Goddard, if I remember right. I still want a full sized anvil however, as I'd like to be able to smith larger things too. The buddy who came over with the forge and anvil happens to be a goon as well. Perhaps he'll come out of the woodwork.
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Aug 9, 2008 19:03
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I purchased an anvil today. Last night a gentleman responded to a WANTED ad on craiglist that I posted. It is made by the "Trenton" company. The weight is still unknown as I haven't weighed it yet and can't find any markings, but it's estimated to be between 120-150 lbs. I got it for $50. I made a coat hanger out of a railroad spike today, but we will have to wait a few days to get a picture of it cuz I'm having some camera issues. 
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Aug 11, 2008 00:36
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It has good rebound, and the ring test showed there were no cracks. I'm going to clean it up with a wire wheel. Don't know about painting it tho. I may just keep a thin coating of oil on it (except the face) to prevent rust. I think I can see the words "solid wrought" which means this would be forged wrought iron. This is the second time I place an anvil wanted ad on craigslist. This time around, I got the email about this anvil the same day as posting the ad! It came from a truck driver who runs a small auto shop on the weekend. It used to be his dad's, who used to work at a scrap yard. So that probably means someone sold this anvil for scrap at one time, and it was saved by the guy's dad. Which reminds me... my buddy got a no-name import 160 lb anvil from the scrap yard. It's worth going to your local scrap yard and giving them your phone number in case they see any anvils come through there. The first ad I placed, some woman wanted $450 for an old lovely cast iron anvil... yeah right! She tried to sell that anvil to buddy too. Both of us told her it is only worth it's scrap value. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 12:45 on Aug 11, 2008 |
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Aug 11, 2008 12:31
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Slung Blade posted:So what are your plans for a forge? It will have 2" worth of Inswool, something like a 1/2" layer or so of Versaflow 60, and a coating of ITC100. The exact same refractory combination my crucible furnace will be getting.
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Aug 11, 2008 17:18
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Slung Blade posted:Do you guys think really strong millscale needs to be removed before I paint?
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Aug 16, 2008 10:16
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How much disposable income do you have? Go take a drive around some industrial areas. People and businesses will own buildings back there and often have some space they will be happy to rent out to you cheap. For example, I know a guy who rents a huge shop for $100 a month to build his boat. As far as the welder goes, most 110v welders here in the US are more of a "toy" then a welding machine. I see the 100v Japanese unit being the same. You're not going to weld anything thicker then 1/8" with a 110v MIG machine. If 110 is all you have access to, that's one thing, but you want to do everything you can to get a circuit in the 200 range.
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Aug 16, 2008 10:49
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That shop he is renting is in Chester, PA. Not the best area to be in... but it works fine for what he needs. If you never plan to weld anything thicker then 1/8" the 110v MIG will be OK for you. If you are welding bicycle frames, you may want to strongly consider a TIG machine. But, I still recommend trying to get a 220 circuit and welder as you will probably find you might want to weld some other larger things someday. It's one of those things that even tho you plan on making bicycles, once you have the metalworking equipment, other doors will open for you that you didn't see before. Good, large amounts of electricity is the most important welding/shop tool you can ever have.
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Aug 16, 2008 14:59
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I just ordered this crucible. I already have my refractory materials for my new furnace. I'm going to wait till I get the physical crucible in hand, then make some lifting and pouring tongs for it. Once I have that all set, I can take measurements and finalize the size of the furnace. Soon, I will have an iron melting machine! In the mean time, I'm going to start chopping up an old freon tank for use as mini-forge shell.
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Aug 16, 2008 19:19
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Nice work!
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Aug 18, 2008 10:52
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I would say brazing bicycles is a bad idea. http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/wirefeed/handler140/ <-- That will do the job if you are going MIG. You will also need a shielding gas cylinder and pressure regulator, your safety gear, measuring and marking tools, cutting tools, and grinding tools. You are looking at $1.5-2k for all the stuff you need for just the cutting, grinding, and welding. I don't know what else is involved in building bikes, you'll probably need some assorted hand tools. I have to be honest, I don't know if it's worth it to get all your stuff just to abandon it in December. By the time you just get everything together and learn how to use it, it'll be time to go. Edit: Note about using O/A welding for bicycles, I know for a fact that bicycle's require fillet welds. This is the one type of weld that O/A has some difficulty doing well. A good O/A fillet weld can be done, but requires great operator skill. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 07:06 on Aug 19, 2008 |
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Aug 19, 2008 06:52
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kapalama posted:I will in all likelihood never be in one place long enough with a garage to even do this again. Building a whole bicycle by December with no prior metalworking experience is a very ambitious goal. I don't want to discourage you, however. Spending that time experimenting and learning new metalworking techniques won't be a waste of your time.
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Aug 19, 2008 12:54
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kapalama, Well, if you insist, go buy a MIG welder and start learning how to lay down some beads. I don't recommend a stick welder for bicycles. If you want to make these in Japan, you'll want to find out what you gotta do in order to buy compressed gas cylinders. Dongsmith, Welcome to the thread. You got some nice work there. I like the tomahawk especially! How do you make the ring portion that goes around the handle? You blacksmith guys need to start writing up some tutorials for the people like me who have a forge and an anvil but other then beating red hot metal, don't know what they are doing! I'm especially interested in making damascus knives. But to start out with, I'd be happy with making my own tongs. SmokeyXIII, Those are some kick rear end welds! I hope I can be like you when I grow up! (I start welding school on Monday, YAY!) I did a sand mold casting of my new semi-classified project for the first time yesterday. Unfortunately I wasn't' able to take pics due to camera issues. What did I learn yesterday? Lots! 1. Need to mull the greensand better. 2. Need to ram the sand in the mold better. 3. Need to use better parting compound. 4. Need to re-work the pattern so it can be more easily withdrawn from the sand. 5. Don't forget to vent the mold! (There is a dimple in the casting created by un-vented steam) 6. Foundries are totally awesome! Don't worry, once I get my camera issues solved, and start making better molds, I'll take some pictures and do a write up on mixing greensand and making sand molds. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 14:58 on Aug 21, 2008 |
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Aug 21, 2008 13:35
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SmokeyXIII posted:It's so true! I love saying "well this piece is 72 tonnes, and this piece is 72 tonnes... I bet I could make 1 piece thats 144 tonnes!" and then going and doing it. Well I've only done it once but that was one HELL of a weld.
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Aug 22, 2008 04:02
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Just did a casting with the new pattern. I used baby powder this time as parting compound which worked MUCH better. I also remembered to vent the mold this time. The sand had just a tad too much water in it, so there is a very minor steam defect on the casting that no amount of venting would have fixed. Overall I'm pleased. Time to go re-mull the sand and try again! I'm saving the defective castings until I have a chance to take a picture of them.
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Aug 22, 2008 17:28
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Well did the 3rd casting. It came out PERFECT... except for yet another steam defect. I vented both the cope and drag in this casting and the last one. I think my sand may just have a little too much moisture. I'm considering the idea of making another mold today and letting it sit out for a day or 2. (Note you shouldn't HAVE to let your mold sit out to dry.)
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Aug 22, 2008 20:42
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I did a 3rd casting tonight (4th casting total.) It came out great, best yet, but it has a tiny steam defect that prevents it from being usable. We are talking a very small defect. We'll try again tomorrow.Punzilupo posted:Are you sure it's not shrinkage? I'm positive it's not shrinkage... If I had pictures you'd see what I mean. The sand just has a tad too much water. Each successive casting today came out better and better from the sand drying out and being re-mulled. Greensand is very very picky about it's moisture content. It is supposed to have enough moisture to hold together, but dry enough that metal can be poured into it right away. Slung Blade posted:Would it help if you used a hair dryer for a few minutes before pouring? I currently have a good portion of sand drying out on a tarp in my garage, so I can re-mull it to the correct moisture content tomorrow morning. Edit: All this mulling reminds me... I need to build a motorized sand muller! I need one anyway if I want to use petrobond. Petrobond sand MUST be mulled my machine. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 05:32 on Aug 23, 2008 |
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Aug 23, 2008 05:29
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Nice find with that railroad track anvil! Good luck smithin'! Today was a good foundry day. I've finally been able to mull good sand! Between good sand and good venting, the steam defect issue is solved. Now that I have the steam issue solved, I now can finally see real signs of shrinkage. I will make bigger sprues, risers, and gates tomorrow. Everything is finally falling in place now. I think I should have some really nice castings tomorrow. The goal right now is to produce a metal casting that can be cleaned up and used as a pattern itself.
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Aug 24, 2008 04:21
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Great news! I have a perfect casting! I'll have some pictures soon. In other good news, I start welding school tomorrow morning!
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Aug 25, 2008 03:04
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SmokeyXIII posted:Tell us all about it!! Well, I will now disclose that the casting is a grenade shaped paperweight. I'll have pictures of it soon. It may eventually be for sale on SA mart, but I would have to improve/perfect/speed up the casting and finishing process, and then sit down and figure out what my time and materials are worth. It looked as tho it'd be a simple casting project... well it's not. The sand space between the body and handle is a challenge to keep together, but possible. Using the proper moisture content in the sand fixed the steam defect issue. There was also a shrinkage issue, but wasn't evident until the steam problem was resolved. That was fixed with larger a sprue, riser, and gates. Welding school went well today. The instructors are nice and knowledgeable gentlemen. This welding program (among other various trades) is provided to me free of charge, and is paid for by my state's department of labor. This costs them about $5k a head. The school and instructors help the students who complete the course secure good jobs. One interesting fact is that if I don't get a welding job within 90 days of completion, the school does NOT get paid! In any event, most of today was dealing with bureaucracy, paperwork, and other formalities. We started to touch on safety. The first 1.5 weeks or so is spent in the classroom dealing with safety and theory. In other news, UPS showed up at my door right on time with my new clay-graphite crucible. It looks pretty good, the outside measurements are 5"x7.5". So I'm thinking about a 9"x12" ID furnace. Considering my refractory will be 2.5" thick, I need a shell of 14"x14.5" ID. Edit: Furnaces for oil burners should have more air space between the wall and crucible then with propane furnaces. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Aug 26, 2008 |
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Aug 26, 2008 00:23
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Here is what the completed casting looks like out of the sand, with the sprue and riser cut off. I've done some hacksawing and filing, but haven't finished it yet. It's about 3/4" thick, and weighs just over 13 oz. RealKyleH posted:You know that pretty much every army navy store sells actual grenade paperweights right?
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Aug 26, 2008 03:19
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Third Murderer posted:I just finished a five-day class on Japanese-style temperlines - taught by Don Fogg. I hear Don Fogg is the man.
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Aug 27, 2008 01:05
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SmokeyXIII posted:I'm sorry if they look the same as the last picture but gosh I am sure proud of these ones.
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Aug 27, 2008 11:16
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jovial_cynic posted:Maybe cutting it up and welding together Cast iron is prone to cracking, and usually needs preheating before welding. If it is cast iron, and you still want to use it, I would suggest braze welding. (I mean braze welding as opposed to just brazing.) Preheating for braze welding is also a good idea to minimize stress cracks. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 20:56 on Aug 29, 2008 |
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Aug 29, 2008 20:53
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SmokeyXIII posted:If you need any advice with any of your manipulations, procedures, theory, how-to's of the trade just lemme know.
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Aug 31, 2008 13:35
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Gimpalimpa, Casting precious metals is a WHOLE different ballgame. What I do know about it is that it requires specialized crucibles to keep contamination and losses to a minimum. I don't know if the clay-graphite that lmine.com sells will do the job or not. I don't know if the gold you have is salvageable or not. If it can be salvaged, I guarantee you'll loose some in the dross and as oxides. I'm willing to bet you have some iron and carbon from the steel in the gold right now. That may or may not be impossible to separate. Before you proceed further, you need to do some serious research on the right equipment and techniques. Perhaps Tantric Penguin can give you some advice, she's done jewelry investment casting if I remember correctly. Slung Blade, Good luck, and have fun!
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Aug 31, 2008 21:07
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Slung Blade posted:What's wrong? It's too bad you don't have an AC welding machine, that would eliminate the arc blow. Without an AC machine there are 3 things you can do to combat arc blow: 1. Change ground clamp position 2. Shorten arc length 3. Change the angle of the electrode Just for kicks, try taking a compass to the steel and see if it deflects the needle. You could try demagnetizing the steel by wrapping some wire around it to make an electromagnet, and hook it up to a step down transformer and run some AC through it. Another thing you could try, is get some 6013 or something, and try using DCEN polarity. That might deflect the arc in the opposite direction getting fusion to the smaller piece. DCEN wont work with 6011.
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Sep 1, 2008 11:56
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I made a stick electrode and stub holder today. The base is the bottom of an old 20# propane tank that was left over from another project years ago. All I did was weld a piece of pipe to it.  I was planning on doing some whipped stringer bead practice with 6011 today, but that didn't happen, cuz a buddy stopped by just as I finished making the above holder. We stopped by a gentleman's house where he bought some blacksmith tongs. This dude had a fuckton of all types of equipment in his basement... needless to say I got his card. He wants to come over the next time I do some casting. We also drove thru an industrial park to do some dumpster diving and found a couple old propane tanks, and I also got the perfect sized log to make an anvil stand out of! We took a walk along the railroad tracks, picked up some more railroad spikes. We also got a bunch of tie plates, and I even found a couple pieces of larger plate steel. One of the plates will make a great mini welding table. The other one is likely to be the base for my new crucible furnace. Man, I am tired as all hell from lugging those plates around. I haven't done that much physical labor in a LONG time.
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Sep 1, 2008 22:23
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