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Replying to find a pic I posted of that belt buckle, which cleaned up nice btw when I took it to a place. It WAS epoxy that someone had coated it with, theoretically to keep it from burnishing 
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Mar 20, 2021 12:45
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 Haven't done any mig welding in a few years and I scored a basic 15A 240V mig for free recently, I identified a need for a skewer holder for our bbq because the grill plates are hard and need seasoning so in the meantime this thing will work to hold skewers up off it and prevent them sticking. still figuring out the welder which is fairly basic to say the least
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Mar 21, 2021 05:56
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Metal guys I have a question I got this old copper pot at a thrift store recently and it's pretty beat up.  I want to beat it back into shape what's the best way to approach this? My first thought was a block of wood on the inside and going at it with a hammer. It also is tin plated on the inside I'd like to strip that off and use it as a sugar pot.  Bare copper has something in it that when cooking sugar for candy in it prevents the sugar from crystalizing. Is there anything I could use to strip the tin out with out affecting the copper or am I best going at it with sandpaper? Thanks!
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Mar 21, 2021 16:26
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Thumposaurus posted:Bare copper has something in it that when cooking sugar for candy in it prevents the sugar from crystalizing. I'm not knowledgable about the forming question so I'll let someone else answer that. Yes, it can be stripped. A few ways. I'd try Hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) first. Beyond that there are proprietary strippers and electrolysis using sodium hydroxide and a steel anode. If you know someone in the PCB industry they have some specialty chemicals but I've not used them. https://www.reddit.com/r/chemistry/comments/5vm7ax/removing_tin_coating_from_copper/
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Mar 21, 2021 17:03
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Re: the mechanism behind unlined copper being ideal for sugar pots, found a decent discussion of it here that focuses on preserves but has a lot of overlap: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/87288/are-there-advantages-to-an-unlined-copper-jam-pan It sounds like copper ions (or aluminium, interestingly enough) act as catalysts for sugar inversion. Also helps beaten egg whites to foam, apparently. The high heat conduction thing is probably the really critical characteristic for candy specifically. Not sure if this is a factor, but sugar’s upper-range working temperatures are surprisingly close to pure tin’s melting point, and as historical ‘pure tin’ could often contaminated with small amounts of lead and/or bismuth, its melting point would be even lower- it’s conceivable that a tinned copper pot’s lining could be destroyed by simply badly-burning a pot of candy. all that being said, i do wonder if you could achieve the same effect with less effort expended by just putting a piece of clean copper or aluminum in a less-than-ideal pot, if the tin isn’t having a negative effect (and i haven’t seen anything beyond my idle speculation suggesting as much for candymaking) then just introducing a source of bare catalyst metal ought to do the same work. Ambrose Burnside fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Mar 21, 2021 |
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Mar 21, 2021 17:43
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If you're trying to invert sugar, you can just use diammonium phosphate instead of a copper pan. I used to make invert syrups for beer all the time and it was easy as
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Mar 22, 2021 04:15
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This probably isn't the right thread, but I'm gonna give it a try anyway. I've got a copper topped bar that has been coated with something clear. I assume polyurethane. It gets "sticky" if things are left on it. I'm going to assume someone put a single stage poly on there when they should have used something 2-part catalyzed. So if any of you have coated something like this what have you used that has worked well?
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Mar 22, 2021 15:34
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Motronic posted:This probably isn't the right thread, but I'm gonna give it a try anyway. I've got a copper topped bar that has been coated with something clear. I assume polyurethane. It gets "sticky" if things are left on it. I'm going to assume someone put a single stage poly on there when they should have used something 2-part catalyzed. You could also leave it unfinished and let it patina a bit?
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Mar 23, 2021 01:40
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Yeah lacquer, resin, epoxy, urethane ...acrylic there's a lot to choose. My wife's shop uses Sculpt Noveau Clear Guard, a resin, for when she doesn't want a patina to form and to help poo poo to be easily cleaned. She's used it on copper, naval bronze, stainless, aluminium, and mild steel. It's not *perfect* but just don't use any harsh chemicals/acids/bases and try to not drop hammers. Mostly they aren't being used as bartops though so ymmv. Maybe since copper is quite motile, a slighy harder surface could help stop dents? U got a pic of the bar? I wonder it's condition. down1nit fucked around with this message at 09:11 on Mar 23, 2021 |
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Mar 23, 2021 09:00
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I realize this isn't an answer to your question, but if it's at your house and not a commercial space I'd just strip it and let it get marked up through use. I had a copper top table that I left out on my deck. It looked great and I'd scrub it with barkeepers friend and lemon juice every few years when it got too weathered.
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Mar 23, 2021 09:26
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Kaiser, down1nit and Vim thank you. So a couple responses/clarifications, it's in pretty decent shape and it's a home bar. This is what I'm working with, excuse the tarp covering most of it I'm redoing the whole room at the moment and currently putting in new can lights/doing drywall repair on the ceiling so everything is a mess.  It's been pre-patina'd before it was coated with....whatever. And to Kaiser and Vim's point, maybe I do just let it go. Could be an interesting look and if I don't like it I could always coat it again later. The question, not for this thread, is figuring out what's I've got on there or at least what to use as a solvent. But I suppose this is why I have about 8 different types to drag inside form the barn and go up the scale in nastiness until something works. Granted the whole reason I'm asking here is because I don't know, but Clear Guard is a single stage product so I'm a bit concerned about having the same issues of like.....if a bottle sits on it for a week or so and has the slightest bit of anything on it it will literally be stuck to the bar. Just putting glasses down on it feels.....well, it doesn't feel like they're going to slide on it. It just feels soft. I'm not describing it well, but it's just not the feeling you would expect when you put a glass down on a table or a bar. It would slide easily on those surfaces, and those surfaces can be cleaned up by wiping them with a bar towel. That's just NOT how this bar top works. I don't know if the coating is breaking down in UV over the years (I assume it's been like this for 14 years or so since this addition was put on) or if it's always sucked. Anyway, thanks for the ideas so far.
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Mar 23, 2021 14:14
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Motronic posted:
There's a bar near me that used old copper ceiling tiles, the textured sort, and poured two part ultra clear gloss epoxy over it. It gets a ton of use and looks pretty good. Hell I watched a frat guy vomit on it once.
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Mar 23, 2021 14:19
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Yooper posted:There's a bar near me that used old copper ceiling tiles, the textured sort, and poured two part ultra clear gloss epoxy over it. I mean, this is the kind of think I'm thinking, just want to make sure I'm on the right track and see if anyone has some specific product recs.
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Mar 23, 2021 14:21
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gah, having the worst time trying to find an anvil locally. I guess I should say I'm having trouble finding one that isn't clapped out and costs 1,000 dollars. Ghostnuke fucked around with this message at 15:31 on Mar 23, 2021 |
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Mar 23, 2021 15:28
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Honestly, it's probably best to buy new these days as the alternative is being extremely patient and really watch estate sales etc. like a hawk. They're basically impossible to find if you're looking to do real work on them and need all the parts in clean condition. And as you said people are selling unusable ragged edged swayback faced poo poo for 800 bucks Not an investment for someone starting out obviously, I tell new folks to just buy a harbor freight piece of poo poo and by the time it breaks you'll know if the hobby is worth the money for a good anvil. threelemmings fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Mar 23, 2021 |
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Mar 23, 2021 18:06
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I hate it but I guess I'll start looking at new ones. What's the minimum weight I should be looking at? Mostly doing blades, but would probably do some bigger tools as well.
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Mar 23, 2021 23:31
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Yeah don't bother unless you can get a decent used one for less than half of an equivalent new anvil. The boomers have been hoarding that poo poo for decades and letting them rust. They won't sell unless they get a huge profit. Deny them that. (Buy it from their widow in 10 years for a tenth of what they paid for it and give it to a teenager in need.) I wouldn't go anywhere under 110-120 pounds for generalist stuff. Mine is 120 and is adequate for the poo poo I want to do. Go as big as you can afford. I want one that's 3-400 for my money's-no-object wish sized anvil. E: a brand new 120 pound Nimba titan is 975 dollars right now. Made in the US. That's what I use and I'm very satisfied with it. That's like new iPhone territory. Slung Blade fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Mar 24, 2021 |
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Mar 24, 2021 02:39
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Agreed with that. I bought a ~145lb anvil from an old welder a few years ago for $350-400 I think. He'd made it by hand. It's ok. Not awesome, not terrible. But yeah, I got in on the early years of the new blacksmithing trend started by Forged in Fire, so I got lucky.
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Mar 24, 2021 03:22
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Perhaps a temporary solution would be go with an improvised anvil. Don't mean a piece of rail, but some solid rectangular bar for that you could counter sink into a log for instance, or some other support. It doesn't have to be the traditional anvil shape. I have seen some big cut off pieces at metalworking shops that you could get cheaply and they would provide a solid flat surface to beat on, better than a piece of railroad. And maybe they could mill ~1" square hole in it for you so you get a hardy hole to boot. You can have a bick tool that you mounted in the hardy hole, or wedge it straight into a look or something as a separate tool.
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Mar 24, 2021 07:38
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His Divine Shadow posted:Perhaps a temporary solution would be go with an improvised anvil. I was thinking about this the other day - what sort of metal would be best for an improvised anvil? Mild steel? Some amount of carbon? Heat treated to some degree? Obviously ultra high carbon quenched to glass hard might be a bit exciting when you hit it with a sledge.
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Mar 24, 2021 08:37
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I think mild steel would work, I am not sure one can be too choosy here since you are likely limited to what you can find. Some form of carbon steel that's not hardened would probably be a lot tougher than mild steel but I think mild steel would be fine for a long time. Historically most anvils where soft wrought iron, steel came very recently. It's mostly misstrikes I think which would dent the surface. Over decades of use it'd probably move, but it's mild steel, just mill it flat again, or angle grinder, or welder.
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Mar 24, 2021 09:00
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Bulldozer parts, pretty much anything railway related, or anything from any kind of heavy industry is likely to be a decent alloy steel and will make a decent improvised anvil. I would call up your local machine shops and steel suppliers and ask if they have any off cut of 4140 laying around. A couple blocks of that stuff in different shapes and you're golden. Plus you can make rad tools with it when you get a proper anvil (if you decide you need it). You can totally get by with stake anvils. Those can be made easily at home with basic tools and a forge. Maybe a big rock. I'll dig up a video here in a sec. E: yeah here, check this guy out. He does great work without a lot of anvil. A lot of stump backing up the anvils he does have though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdJVGi2pWM8 E2: actually that's another thing. If you can't get an anvil or decent blocks of alloy steel to start with, go find a rock. Like a big granite boulder of the appropriate shape. That will also work. Slung Blade fucked around with this message at 16:10 on Mar 24, 2021 |
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Mar 24, 2021 16:02
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2mx2mx2m cube of hardened and tempered tool steel, buried 1m into the floor of the shop, got it. What should I budget, £20 and maybe a lifting strap to move it?
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Mar 24, 2021 18:26
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Generally something sacrificial altar sized as you describe wouldn't be made out of tool steel so you don't chip your dagger and you'd want channels for the blood, definitely not ideal for the amateur.
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Mar 24, 2021 18:34
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If you have the money, just buy a new anvil. They're worth what they cost and a new one will last what, a century of hard use? If you theoretically got tired of smithing you could sell it onward for a good price. If you don't have the money for a new anvil, there's a couple things to try. -go to a blacksmith swap meet or truck sale and buy one from an actual blacksmith. Definitely explain that you are a new smith trying to get started. Make sure they know you're not a collector and that you are actually going to use it -Find a piece of scrap steel. You don't necessarily need a big anvil to do long work but it helps. A lot. You are looking for something with a decent-size striking face that you can easily hit with a hammer. I'd say 4x4 inches or 10x10cm is a good top area and you need this to be flat. Not machined-to-thou-tolerances flat, but you need to be able to rest a straightedge on top with no light showing. I have a chunk of steel 4x4x5 inches that I use for a shop anvil. If I mounted it I could definitely use it for light work. You will need an angle grinder in this hobby, so just plan on being able to do mods to your improvised anvil. Buy an angle grinder first and get a good one. The following places are likely to have stuff lying around that might work. Call and ask if they would be willing to sell out of their scrap dumpster, and offer scrap value. -Semitruck shops (large leaf springs) -Forklift or equipment rental places (hydraulic cylinders, large forklift forks, structural pins) -Machine shops (ask about large cutoffs of any kind of steel) Bring cash and don't waste their time. I bought a lot of good steel from a truck repair shop. The foreman met me out back and had a younger employee hop in the dumpster and fish me out anything I wanted. The dude probably spent the money I gave him on beer but that's fine with me lol. 40 bucks got me a semi brake drum (that I used to make a forge), a very heavy and thick steel ring that I think was from a clutch, an enormous leaf spring, and a bunch of roller bearings.
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Mar 24, 2021 19:33
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I remember an Australian dude on reddit that was like "I asked a machine shop for something to use as an anvil and they offered me a cylinder. Will that work??" And it turned out for like 300 bucks AU they sold him a 40cm diameter by 40cm tall piece of stainless. Which is not a 100% perfect anvil but drat that's a very very solid start. So call around and be friendly, you can get very lucky if fate smiles on you.
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Mar 24, 2021 19:40
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Uncle Enzo posted:I remember an Australian dude on reddit that was like "I asked a machine shop for something to use as an anvil and they offered me a cylinder. Will that work??" And it turned out for like 300 bucks AU they sold him a 40cm diameter by 40cm tall piece of stainless. Which is not a 100% perfect anvil but drat that's a very very solid start. So call around and be friendly, you can get very lucky if fate smiles on you. If someone shows up to my shop genuinely looking to learn and asks for scrap material, they'll leave with so much that the leaf springs will buckle.
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Mar 24, 2021 19:56
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Yooper posted:If someone shows up to my shop genuinely looking to learn and asks for scrap material, they'll leave with so much that the leaf springs will buckle. how far away from KS are you? 
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Mar 24, 2021 21:23
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Ghostnuke posted:how far away from KS are you? 17 Hours  I'd second the railroad track section to start with. Drop in to a scrapyard and inquire about a foot of track. They'll probably even torch it off for you. Just don't give these people money :  He also has a Polish anvil from 1820 for $1650 and a NOS 1920's era German anvil, never used. Price not listed.
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Mar 24, 2021 23:28
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Yooper posted:17 Hours I hate this man. Hey instead of a somewhat cleaned up 1880 vintage 422 pound wrought iron with steel face anvil for $2650, what about a brand-new American made solid steel 450 pound anvil for $2575? Like, in what world is a 140 year old pitted anvil worth MORE than a heavier brand new one made with harder, better steel? We have a Nimba Centurion anvil at the forge and that thing rules. If you can afford a Nimba, buy one, they are top-quality.
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Mar 25, 2021 01:14
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The internet seems to have ruined the used anything market. It feels like anything that might be a deal gets snapped up and relisted immediately.
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Mar 25, 2021 02:04
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threelemmings posted:Generally something sacrificial altar sized as you describe wouldn't be made out of tool steel so you don't chip your dagger and you'd want channels for the blood, definitely not ideal for the amateur. As part of my religious commitment I use another 2x2x2 block for sacrifices, this one made of knife-safe marshmallow. Speaking of which, how many ants does your average blood-god tolerate?
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Mar 25, 2021 02:28
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Vindolanda posted:As part of my religious commitment I use another 2x2x2 block for sacrifices, this one made of knife-safe marshmallow. Speaking of which, how many ants does your average blood-god tolerate? As many as you can stab
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Mar 25, 2021 06:36
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bend posted:As many as you can stab Lads, I’m going to need recommendations for some smaller sacrificial daggers. Micro-surgery has gotten the obsidian blade down to a tiny size, hasn’t it?
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Mar 25, 2021 09:05
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honda whisperer posted:The internet seems to have ruined the used anything market. It feels like anything that might be a deal gets snapped up and relisted immediately. yeah, this is one of the reasons I like local estate sales/online estate sales that don't ship, it cuts out the planetary competition and limits you to a rather small geographically-constrained pool of grognard weirdos who share your hobbies. being The Lucky Guy who snags a killer lot becomes much more realistic a proposition. unfortunately, if you don't live in a place where Old Iron is plentiful there won't be much to look at... which is why i have literally planned crosscountry driving vacations around hitting West Virginia precisely during the allotted pick-up time for a lot that included a real working smith's shop / tooling; ended up getting a gorgeous and quite heavy stake anvil + leg vise for, I dunno, like $100, $150 each? Truly screamin' deals, b/c i was able to go to the place where that sort of tool is relatively cheap and plentiful
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Mar 25, 2021 22:28
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don't wanna jinx it, but I've got a decent shot at a 100 lb-ish peter wright I know that's not as heavy as I'd want my dream anvil to be, but I only offered $200 Ghostnuke fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Mar 26, 2021 |
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Mar 26, 2021 00:14
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I finally have the parts for my workshop exhaust fan project. I went with an 8 inch grow tent style inline fan, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WGPJ2MQ/, a big rubber 8 => 6 inch reducer, and 6 inch pipe, elbow, and end cap.
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Mar 26, 2021 00:23
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Got this oil burner for free, if it still works it'll be used to make a diesel forge in the future. Instead of propane.
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Mar 27, 2021 21:10
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 Wife got this 230lb pig anvil from a guy in Italy. Way too much money but a beautiful tool. She sits on a stump with all its bark.
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Mar 28, 2021 00:49
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Where’d you put the anvil, though
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Mar 28, 2021 00:51
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