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Babies first silversmithing: I'm so proud of my meager pendant.
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Mar 11, 2015 20:09
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Slung Blade posted:Alright, cool. The plasma cutter scarring made it look like welding voids I guess. It looked like a good deal, but once Uncle Enzo pointed out the weight premium, it became a REALLY good deal. Now I just need time to forge.
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Mar 11, 2015 22:24
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 Drawer handle/pull. The inner, larger scrolls are kinda gnarly 'cause I did stuff in the wrong order but whatevs. I'd do some chiselley linework for the flat face but it's an assignment and i gotta move on
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Mar 12, 2015 00:16
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I'd buy the poo poo out of those if the face were embellished, but this way also leaves it open for a label or engraving so I guess that's also handy. 
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Mar 12, 2015 00:20
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I'd buy the poo poo out of it if I had a drawer to put it on. Looks pretty good to me! edit: a drawer worthy of it being placed on that is, not mdf garbagey kitchen cabinets
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Mar 12, 2015 00:48
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forgot about this mortise/tenon sample and an old fashioned nut/bolt pair with forge-welded bolt head
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Mar 12, 2015 01:49
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I fuckin' love mortise and tenon joints. I use them wherever I can.
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Mar 12, 2015 06:39
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Ambrose Burnside posted:
I've heard from a few people that one of the only ways to make money as a blacksmith these days, is do custom hardware for rich people's houses; whether it's repairing wrought iron fencing or forging custom door knobs. Looks like you're on the right track.
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Mar 12, 2015 12:19
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Spurred on by the Reddit r/blacksmith March contest, I decided to create a sign hanger. Because I wanted some practice with my plasma cutter I also made an anvil sign to hang as well. I wanted to practice my fish tail ends and put them in the scrolls also.   I didn't think far enough ahead to leave myself room for rivets to hold the support in place and ended up having to weld it. I would definitely change that if I did it again. Possibly make things a little larger so the scrolls are a little more open to allow for riveting. Edit: Also got to finally use my new anvil after mounting it, etc. and it is loving awesome. 
halonx fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Mar 12, 2015 |
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Mar 12, 2015 22:29
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After 10 years of redneck blacksmithing, I finally made my first set of tongs, and also a butcher style hardy hot cut thingamabob. I've just been using channel locks and a hatchet until now.   The tongs are for 1/2" round rod. I might modify the handle shape, they're just a smidge too close together when grabbing metal. The hardy cutter was made from a jackhammer bit by me and two other guys, both of whom know far more about smithing than me, and it's tempered properly too, which is something I don't know nearly enough about. Those guys are giving me free training, and they intend to give me a paid position at their forge once I know enough and can be precise and accurate enough. 
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Mar 12, 2015 22:49
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halonx posted:Spurred on by the Reddit r/blacksmith March contest I didn't think to look at Reddit for smithing, but makes sense. I've gotten so used to SA's easy to read layout that reddit seems archaic. Any tips on using reddit without feeling like it's a BBS from 1987? Also, that anvil makes me jealous. And I just bought a pretty pimp anvil. blunt for century posted:After 10 years of redneck blacksmithing, I finally made my first set of tongs, and also a butcher style hardy hot cut thingamabob. I've just been using channel locks and a hatchet until now. I have tried once or twice to make tongs, but no luck yet. Even though those might not be perfect, they're still pretty good. Tempering and heat treating is surprisingly easy once you learn how to watch the colors. My first successful project was a knife from a lawnmower blade, and heat treating it was not the hardest part at all.
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Mar 12, 2015 23:52
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Pagan posted:I didn't think to look at Reddit for smithing, but makes sense. I've gotten so used to SA's easy to read layout that reddit seems archaic. Any tips on using reddit without feeling like it's a BBS from 1987? My main problem with heat treating is knowing what metal I'm starting with.
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Mar 13, 2015 00:09
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Pagan posted:I didn't think to look at Reddit for smithing, but makes sense. I've gotten so used to SA's easy to read layout that reddit seems archaic. Any tips on using reddit without feeling like it's a BBS from 1987? I've found with Reddit that you have to subscribe to what you want and ditch the crap you don't care about. The anvil is really nice. Edges are still too sharp and I'll need to dress them, but wow it really seemed to help move the metal faster.
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Mar 13, 2015 02:56
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halonx posted:I've found with Reddit that you have to subscribe to what you want and ditch the crap you don't care about. The bulk of the vocal reddit haters don't get this. It's not all a cesspool, but all of the "default" stuff has turned into that as it has gained popularity, like every other site before it with no barrier to entry.
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Mar 13, 2015 03:49
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This is why I stick around SA,  keeps the riff raff out.
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Mar 13, 2015 03:52
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blunt for century posted:My main problem with heat treating is knowing what metal I'm starting with. In not on my desk top or I'd link document, but if you Google "junk yard steel guide" you can find a chart of what most things you'd find in a scrap yard are. It's not 100% accurate since it's a few years old, but in general the heat treatment for a given class of steel is consistent with a few of the chrome-moly air hardening steels being an odd man out. I didn't know much about heat treating when I started out either, but judicious googling before obtaining a copy of both Jorgenson's Steel Guide and Machinery's Handbook and I now give a lecture twice a semester on heat treating tool steels to the industry programs at my school. The last one did was on case hardening mild steel.
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Mar 13, 2015 04:34
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And to be honest, most of what you find can be quenched in oil and heated using a iron-carbon tempering chart. Get it past magnetic, quench heat to straw on blades to blue on most other tools. Obviously that is very general but it's what I end up doing with 90% of the tools I make. Ambrose that drawer pull looks amazing. About what Pagan was saying, custom ornamental work will get you jobs. In my experience, small things like drawer pulls are a harder sell. There's tons of options out there and most of them are under $5 a piece. Obviously you have to charge much more to make it worth your time. Though there are some people who will still pay it. I am working on a handrail right now with upset square angled tenons. And lots of upsetting. It's a small job but it takes some fairly tricky technique. It's great to see everyone's skills progressing. There's been some great work posted lately. I finished my bathroom hardware. I hate the drawer pulls. I need to sell the rest. 
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Mar 13, 2015 05:18
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That's lovely, how did you join the risers to the wall-attachment plates?
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Mar 13, 2015 16:09
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I drilled a hole and then ran a tenon through the hole. They are just countersunk and TIG welded on the back. I am not above using modern technology along with my blacksmithing.
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Mar 13, 2015 17:51
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Welding is just sci-fi Smithing. Instead of a 2500 degree forge you've got 50,000 volts of current in your hand.  Edit: I have a forty year old motorcycle engine that's largely junk, worth scavenging the guts for forging or is it better off just selling it for the scrap weight? Rime fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Mar 13, 2015 |
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Mar 13, 2015 18:36
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blunt for century posted:My main problem with heat treating is knowing what metal I'm starting with. You're overthinking it. It's probably some sort of high carbon steel. Take a scrap piece and heat treat it exactly like steel, and see how it reacts. I'm willing to bet it's pretty close. If not, the way it responds will give you a hint as to what to do differently. The red hard steel I was complaining about earlier is "mystery ferrous metal." I have no idea what it is, got it from a scrapyard. It's AMAZING. It hardens like glass but once tempered is nigh unbreakable. It will, however, chip and crack the second you try to forge it below a red heat. No idea what it is, but I treated it like normal steel and that seemed to work well. The tools I made are still sharp, even after some punishing use. Here's my approach to learning a new skill : You can either pay for a real instructor, or you can burn through materials as you practice. I prefer the latter, so go for it.
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Mar 13, 2015 21:51
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Pagan posted:You're overthinking it. It's probably some sort of high carbon steel. Take a scrap piece and heat treat it exactly like steel, and see how it reacts. I'm willing to bet it's pretty close. If not, the way it responds will give you a hint as to what to do differently. I'm doing both! I got some crazy steel a while back. I'm pretty sure it's AR-600, armor plate. Some crazy fuckers I know went dumpster diving at an armor plate facility in Alabama and brought me a bunch of 14"x2"x.3" strips of this stuff. I've made several knives out of it, but it's pretty terrible at holding an edge. I might try making tools out of what I have left, however e. I have tried shooting it, it will withstand .308 steel core, quite easily. blunt for century fucked around with this message at 22:03 on Mar 13, 2015 |
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Mar 13, 2015 22:00
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blunt for century posted:I'm doing both! If it's not hardening, try a harsher quench. Water is pretty harsh, but there are some metals that call for a sub zero quench. One of my books describes filling a metal tub with dry ice and pouring gallons of acetone in, then quenching your glowing hot steel in that. Seems safe, right?
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Mar 13, 2015 22:12
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Pagan posted:If it's not hardening, try a harsher quench. Water is pretty harsh, but there are some metals that call for a sub zero quench. One of my books describes filling a metal tub with dry ice and pouring gallons of acetone in, then quenching your glowing hot steel in that. Seems safe, right?  Yeah, perfectly safe The problem isn't it hardening, the problem is, it's too hard. I need to anneal the gently caress out of it to get it to hold an edge
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Mar 13, 2015 22:13
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A faster quench than water is a very salty brine, and an even faster quench than brine is aqueous lye. which has been phased out of use, for some bizarre reason
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Mar 13, 2015 22:17
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blunt for century posted:
Do you mean, take an edge? Because the harder it is, the better it should hold an edge (although it will chip more and more easily as it gets harder, until at 'glass hard' it can shatter completely). If you put an edge on it and the edge wears off quickly with light work, that's what most people call "won't hold an edge" and it tends to mean your metal is too soft.
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Mar 13, 2015 23:54
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Pagan posted:The red hard steel I was complaining about earlier is "mystery ferrous metal." I have no idea what it is, got it from a scrapyard. It's AMAZING. It hardens like glass but once tempered is nigh unbreakable. It will, however, chip and crack the second you try to forge it below a red heat. No idea what it is, but I treated it like normal steel and that seemed to work well. The tools I made are still sharp, even after some punishing use. HY-80? Are you 100% it is steel? Maybe like Inconel?
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Mar 14, 2015 00:48
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Leperflesh posted:Do you mean, take an edge? Because the harder it is, the better it should hold an edge (although it will chip more and more easily as it gets harder, until at 'glass hard' it can shatter completely). Either/or It's very tough to get it to even get it sharp at all with hand tools or power tools. It's Abrasion Resistant. Once you get it sharp, it' gets dull really quickly, I assume due to the hard metal extreme edge chipping and flaking off with any use.
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Mar 14, 2015 01:08
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Might you be ending up with a wire edge?
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Mar 14, 2015 01:51
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TerminalSaint posted:Might you be ending up with a wire edge? It's possible, but I think it would be unlikely. I've been sharpening stuff for so long, I'm pretty sure I know how to do it, unless it's somehow different for ar-600
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Mar 14, 2015 01:54
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Ambrose Burnside posted:A faster quench than water is a very salty brine, and an even faster quench than brine is aqueous lye. which has been phased out of use, for some bizarre reason I live on the island, historically the local smiths used sea water for a nice fast quench.
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Mar 14, 2015 09:44
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M_Gargantua posted:HY-80? Are you 100% it is steel? Maybe like Inconel? I have no idea what it is. It's a metal that's magnetic when cold and loses magnetism when hot. It's very hard to work, but when treated correctly is very strong. I have several bars of it, and I assume it will make fan loving tastic knives. Especially now that I have a real anvil and can put some weight behind the hammer.
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Mar 14, 2015 14:15
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Pagan posted:I have no idea what it is. It's a metal that's magnetic when cold and loses magnetism when hot. It's very hard to work, but when treated correctly is very strong. I have several bars of it, and I assume it will make fan loving tastic knives. Especially now that I have a real anvil and can put some weight behind the hammer. I think I'm wrong, but I'm going to hazard a guess anyone. Maybe a magnetic stainless? 400 series? It's harder to forge, becomes brittle quickly and can break when hard. I am sure it can probably take hardening and tempering well. I am just guessing this because it was one of things I had to really be careful of when forging my hardware. If I hit it below dark orange it would often crack. ArtistCeleste fucked around with this message at 17:33 on Mar 14, 2015 |
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Mar 14, 2015 17:30
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How easy is it to overheat stainless and ruin its stainlessness? I've thought of using it for a couple projects but it sounds too easy to screw up.
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Mar 14, 2015 17:50
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Ambrose Burnside posted:How easy is it to overheat stainless and ruin its stainlessness? I've thought of using it for a couple projects but it sounds too easy to screw up. That mostly happens to the surface of it. If you can grind it flush again it should be good. But twists, curves, roundstock, anything that you can't grind the surface off of can be problematic. I did a test with the hardware in my own bathroom and anything the whole twisted and tenoned area rusted. I initially sandblasted it the best I could and used a wire wheel on it, but though it looked stainless it did not retain those properties. I read that you can passivate the surface in a hot acid bath, but I don't have ventilation or know enough to work with hot acid. I ended up buying a product called "ProtectaClear" and coating it with that. You can no longer polish it like stainless but I think it's a good sealant. A blogger did a test with Renaissance wax and a few others and found that the brush on ProtectaClear was the only that worked. She left shiny copper out in the rain for 5 weeks and looked brand new when she brought it in. It's not very viscous so it's easy to coat. I'm pretty sure it even coated around the mortise and tenon joint and dries completely clear so it looks like bare metal when it dries. If you want to make a blade out of stainless you are probably fine. You will just need to sand off the entire surface, which you pretty much do anyway with knives. You may have better luck than me if you have a good sandblaster. The one I use is pretty weak. Never mix stainless sand, flap disks, grinders and the like with the materials you use for finishing regular steel. Any little bit of iron can make the stainless rust. At least this is what I learned on my first run of the product. I will let you know if I have any further success in the future.
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Mar 14, 2015 18:15
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ArtistCeleste posted:I think I'm wrong, but I'm going to hazard a guess anyone. Maybe a magnetic stainless? 400 series? It's harder to forge, becomes brittle quickly and can break when hard. I am sure it can probably take hardening and tempering well. It rusts, though. Does stainless require a surface treatment to make it "stainless"
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Mar 14, 2015 20:33
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Pagan posted:It rusts, though. Does stainless require a surface treatment to make it "stainless" 400 series stainless is ferrous so it will rust. I guess rust resistant would be a better thing to call it. Edit: is ferrous the right word? As much as I work with this stuff day to day I'm not sure about the actual makeup of some of the stuff. Either way, 400 stainless can rust, yes. A Proper Uppercut fucked around with this message at 21:10 on Mar 14, 2015 |
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Mar 14, 2015 21:03
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A Proper Uppercut posted:400 series stainless is ferrous so it will rust. I guess rust resistant would be a better thing to call it. Yes, it is the right word. It absolutely will rust. I noticed though that when forging the 300 series it did not oxidize nearly as quickly and the scale tended to be very fine. I actually maybe you found some rusted stainless and might not know it because of it's appearance.
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Mar 14, 2015 22:15
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That would make more sense than some exotic or expensive alloy. So, how does one keep stainless from rusting? I volunteered at the Steel Yard today. Because I know how to weld and forge, I didn't have to paint bathrooms (suck it teenagers) I got to forge some railings and bars to store tools. I made a rack for clamps, which is what I'm forging here.  There was another guy who helped me make a hammer storage rack. Should have gotten pictures of the finished products, but I was in a rush to get finished on time. So far, all of my smithing has been my own ideas and concepts. This was my first time making something to order, to do a job specified by someone else. It felt awesome to be finished. Even though none of the pieces look great, they were all functional and fit the specifications. Also - coolest large scale metalwork video I've ever seen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkX296YZfS8 Pagan fucked around with this message at 15:39 on Mar 15, 2015 |
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Mar 15, 2015 01:23
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Pagan posted:That would make more sense than some exotic or expensive alloy. So, how does one keep stainless from rusting? Well 300 stainless pretty much won't rust. Not sure how common that stuff would in scrap yards though. At work, we just use wd40. Not sure about a long term solution. I would think as long as you keep it dry it should mostly be okay, maybe just get some surface rust. Any tooling we make we generally use 420 or 17-4 as it doesnt rust too much and is just all around nice and solid.
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Mar 15, 2015 17:43
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