What did you do in your shop today?

[Alan Longmire 3,773]

Yikes, Martin!  There are less painful ways to get a helicopter ride, you know...  hope it heals well and you don't lose any hand dexterity!  They can do wonders with surgery these days.

[Martin Tiney 64]

Thanks, the team of surgeons are positive that I'll make a full recovery, ironically I caught my overall sleeve caught while turning off the industrial size belt grinder I was using, a press of a button, a large jolt and a chopper ride later, 

Already planing and trying to draw left handed in my hospital bed 

[jake cleland 721]

finished riveting up basket hilt attempt number three. Finally got one I'm pretty happy with. my original plan was to braze it after riveting, but honestly the risk/reward doesn't seem worth it...

 

 

 

 

[Alan Longmire 3,773]

Awesome. 

[Brian Dougherty 1,396]

Jake! Dude! Incredible!

[Daniel W 97]

It has been taking me quite a long time to get to anything at my work shop, but I finally did some simple upgrades to get my garage shop set up a little quicker.  I didn't get to work on anything stupendous, just more tongs and getting ready for making some little stuff to gift out over the year. 

 

I've been neglecting a tool on my hammer rack that after some reading of an old e book is a little more important than to just leave it hanging there.  A flatter for some final refinement.  This is a lower jaw of what I'm going to fab up into 1 1/2 box jaw tongs.

 

The other side came out just about as well, but for a little cold shut that I did not totally remove with the rasp. I made these nibs by the twist method thinking it would save a little bit of time. The upper boss and nib, I like to make my box jaws with a bow in them as it give a little bit of variety in what stock sizes it can hold comfortably without having to readjusts them.  I find that the other set I made of these set for 1/4 will hold up to 3/8 pretty comfortably. 

 

However I'm also showing my lack of practice as I did not notice until the pieces were cooled and set them together that I did not pay attention and twisted the nibs in opposite directions. back in the fire one of them will go.

Edited Wednesday at 03:16 PM by Daniel W

[dragoncutlery 88]

Trying my hand at canister welding ........for got the air hole luckly i think i can scavange enough for some san mi the next one will be better also smaller nuts

[Brian Dougherty 1,396]

Looks like a good start to canister welding.

 

My MIG welding skill is poor enough that I don't actively leave an air hole in my canisters.  There just always is one  

[dragoncutlery 88]

She was breathing fire when i finished welding buuuuut not enough if it had puffed out any more it might not have fit out the forge door

 

I am pretty sure i can get something useful out of it so its still a win 

[Jeroen Zuiderwijk 306]

Another attempt at a bronze sword hilt. Didn't work out, but was educational. The wood is alder, which I harvested some years ago. Unfortunately after I burned in the tang, there was still a drying crack there, making this one unusable. So I split it open, to see how the inside looked. As I've experienced before, the effect of the burning is paper thin. A tenth of a mm below the surface the wood is completely unaffected.

 

Burning in the tang. The wood is kept wet in between burns. The tang is heated to below red (though in broad day light):

The split handle:

The hilt tang was burned in sufficient to cut the end to the right profile.

 

The wood cut across, showing the depth of the burn near the end, which is exposed to the most burns:

 

Anyway, back to another attempt, and better checking for drying cracks in the next piece of wood that I use. I did make some domed washers for the rivets. So at least a little progress was made

[Jaro Petrina 244]

Now to file the bronze. Darn work I need small mill.

[Alan Longmire 3,773]

A drill and a jewelers saw is almost as good, and much cheaper. 

[Jeroen Zuiderwijk 306]

Better luck (or better planning) today. Tang burned, holes drilled and started shaping the hilt. Paricularly drilling the holes, so they line up as the blade is inserted was a challenge.