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- Jan 2, 2014
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I used a mini blacksmith guillotine tool to make them.
I'd love to see photos of that too!
-brino
I used a mini blacksmith guillotine tool to make them.
I learned to pull my Levis over my boots when cutting with an O/A torch. Previously, I wore them tuckled into my boots to keep them from getting full of mud. Dropping some molten slag into my boot was a turning point. To this day, some forty years later, I never tuck my Levis into my boots.Ha, ha. No steel toes. Also these crocs melt pretty easily, but they are great for just puttering around. I wear work boots when I'm forging. Interestingly enough, shoes like clogs and crocs are safer than boots if you don't make sure to pull your pants legs over the open tops of the boots, especially when working on small fiddly bits. Dropping a hot bit into your shoe can be a life changing experience, especially if you have diabetes.
I am making a simple steady rest. It was forged from a 3/4" pipe nipple. There was something I learned about forging pipe. Of course, never quench it. If making a square cross section, do not go all the way to square until the scrolling is nearly complete, else the sides will collapse and cannot be fixed.
An interesting choice of starting materials. Why pipe rather than bar stock?
I am fortunate to have a good supply of heavy iron and probably would have elected to cut the piece from 3/4" or 1" plate.
I'd love to see photos of that too!
-brino
To prevent co;;apse when using pipe or tubing with transverse mounting holes. I will weld in a bushing. In the case of my trailer hitch, a bushing machined to fit inside the square tube and tack welded to secure in place. I can torque a 5/8" grade 8 bolt to over 300 lb-ft with no fear. I used the same approach on the transome on my boat when I rebuilt it. In that case, the wood compresses over time and water seeps in causing rot. I machined stainless steel bushings for the motor mount and aluminum bushings for all the other through holes. No concerns about the fasteners loosening.After my experience, as well as consultation with experts (Megan Crowley demoing at the California Blacksmith Association spring conference), solid would have been a better choice. I thought that it would have saved material, since this pipe has pretty good strength, but the problem is that the pipe always wants to collapse. It is essentially impossible to keep it open, and Megan told me that it is even harder hot. A better choice would have been beefy flat bar, bent the hard way. Or, if you want to economize, a fabricated square tube made from rings and semi circular bands of flat bar. Full coverage welding would be unnecessary.
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Regarding alternative starting materials. 1/2"x1" flat stock shouldn't be too bad to work. It is essentially the material used to make draft horse shoes and the geometry isn't to much different. The leg vise and bending fork would be my weapons of choice with corrections for twist at the anvil. Once the basic shape was roughed out, some tweaking on the anvil horn or cone should get you close to a finished form.
I'd love to see photos of that too!
-brino