Matt Walker

I would spark test along with some known examples to get an idea if it's worth sending off as a first step. Wonder what a lab test cost? A friend once found a few big saw blades like that and immediately paid a laser cutter to profile a bunch of blades. They all turned out to be not harden-able and wound up as elements in a knife sculpture, the best I remember.

Thanks Alan, It's pretty nice to know someone who has this kind of knowledge.

Found them! 18 pieces Apx. 3' long. My local archaeologist friend tells me the area these came from was a few miles from a place called today Valley Forge. Maybe he will give more details about why high P wrought was known to be produced there.

I'll see if I can find them.

Alan, I may have more of those black painted bars if Y'all can use them.

Just one opinion: I think the money would be better spent on a log splitter, like 25 ton range. See if this link works https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qfUajb2EAL1w7Hy7cusSchMv1Ufpwt0V/view?usp=sharing

I didn't find my wrought ones, but here are some small ones from coal mining when equine power was common.

I have a few. Found in a scrap yard years ago. If I can find one I'll take a photo.

Scary sharp for me.

Alan is correct. And if you have one of these using a drawing knife is a most pleasurable experience. Kinda a clumsy operation otherwise.

I want to pick it up!

Yeah Brian, Actually our limestone is much harder than some in other areas. Hard rock takes much less explosive powder than soft rock which absorbed the energy rather than fracturing efficiently. In a 1/2" hole 12 inches deep 2 teaspoons is plenty. A stump on the other hand would take a lot of powder. And yeah, you would fit in well around here. Maybe!

Based on 1/2 inch hole I can drill in 3 minutes with generator and Hilti drill. Even that expanding material needs a bigger hole like conventional blasting medium, requiring lots of air and heavy drill. 45 Long Colt full of smokeless powder or Pyrodex and capped off with epoxy dropped in hole. The old air bottle just holds a spring that drops a firing pin in a tube when the string pulls keeper pin and provides enough weight to not blow out. That was gen one here is gen 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4mcEvc2OyA . Same load, both systems had issues. I later went to cannon fuse and loose powder or Pyrodex pellets 50 cal. then electronic igniters proved to be better. Cannon fuse leaves a flaw in the packing as it burns away resulting in occasional ineffective blow outs but the wire stays in place. With the gen 2 system several shots would upset the 1/2 inch rod around the groove or hole for the keeper pin. Gen 1 had problems with bent and dirty tubes. I even made some tubes from O1 and HTd. Drilling a 1/4" inch hole in a 1/2" rod 11" long challenged my limited patience.

As you know It's worked lots of rocks that could have done this and may have started cracks but this was an old pine stump I thought was rotten but must have been solid in the center. Thanks for all the input guys. Since we are off topic anyway I bet some will like this video

I just destroyed my backhoe bucket. Sorry for being off topic but I would appreciate the metallurgical advice. After I get it V'ed out and re-welded I want to reinforce the backside. I have on hand 1084, some of that 6150 that is tapered edge to edge that was floating around some years back, a torsion bar from a tank unknown and could get hold of automotive leaf spring. Something tells me the 6150 is the best choice to toughen up the failure points? Pre-heat, post heat? Good news was my two previous welds from a couple years back held. Welding advise, I have a 220 MIG and stick available. Yeah I'm rough on stuff!

Cleaning out old photos from computer and stumbled on this. Thought it would fit here. I made the steel and a friend, John Young made the knife. Don't remember who the note was for or why it was photographed. I probably learned this from Ron Claiborne.

This will either discourage you or motivate. Notice at the beginning "No Cuts, No Edits, Real Time" and I saw no power hammer or press used. When you can do this in 10 minutes please come demo at our guild meeting.

Yeah Brian, My first one sounded like a 22 rifle when it collected enough dust to complete a disastrous circuit. At that time dust proof units were way-way more expensive so this was my solution. I was going to include a muffin fan but an electrical engineer friend declared that overkill, It is mounted to an aluminum plate laying in the bottom.

You would be welcome to visit our second Sunday regular meetings.

Impressive work!

My go to fix for cast iron is brazing with a coated bronze rod. Heat as much of the piece as is practical. 400-500F before starting brazing process, in an over is ideal. Wrap the piece in ceramic fiber (kaowool) as son as finished to cool slowly. I have mig welded CI, only the good old clean fine grain stuff, mig won't work on oil soaked material or newer trashy porous cast from overseas. My friend who does lots repair work uses the nickel rod designed for cast. The higher Ni rod is expensive and I found it difficult to work with, again it should be pre heated and cooled slowly.

Thumbs up. I like that it's blown, cast refractory and flame entering at somewhat of a tangent. Alan is correct, it can be built for less money but for a plug and play production forge it is way ahead of most and has what I would build into one.

Actually I haven't. Been busy removing the coal forge this unit will be going back in the same space. I have run it some for shop heat and I'm very pleased with the uniformity of the heat in the chamber. Removing the coal forge turned into a job involving building scaffold and enlisting help removing the smokestack from a 14 foot celling, thanks Warren. I'm confident the modification will prove worthwhile. I also have this big castable forge for damascus https://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?/topic/42172-milk-can-forge/#comment-421277 The Volcano unit will be for various smaller fast heat up work.

I have one of those small photography cubes. Borrow next time to see if it makes a difference.