Some random action shots (just 'cuz)

[NickWheeler]

Holy crap Don, you suck!!!! I'm so freak'n jealous!!! That hammer is freak'n BAD ASS!!!!!!!


Sorry if that seemed short Karl, I just happened to jump on here before I left for work and realized I was running late.

Don's right, it is an Imagination Xpress, or Jeff Carlisle press as most people refer to them. I think it is rated somewhere around 20. I bought it 8 years ago before I had ever welded a thing in my life. I'd made several damascus billets by hand, and I was just excited to get something to increase my capabilities.

I could probably use that engineering crap in my head to figure it out, but I just know it squishes real hard. I think that might even be a technical form of measure.

Okay, off to pick up a new 7X12 band saw!!!

[Keithcellini]

Hey man, Thanks for the shots Gotta love billets... I am far from gay but I think we should start a calender called the men of knifemaking!! Kind of like that firemen calender I think you would do well hehe.

My wife would like to see my fat ass in a calender...

[bryce]

hahahahaha

Its like a real shop in here,

enough bullshit to make you laugh

and some real world education

thanks to everybody

[jll346]

More More More!!!

[Sam Salvati]

Yeah Matt, you might be a skinny SH#T but the way I understand it you're still the reigning "Ashokan Wiggly Bridge Thumb Wrestling Champion" so don't worry, be happy

Did I miss this years competition? CAUSE I THINK SOMEONE NEEDS A TAKE DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NickWheeler]

Cutting the bars into even lengths. Note sexy new Jet 7X12. Happy Birthday to myself!!!


There is more steel left, but these 5 should give me enough steel and the pattern I want for the integral. Remember, each bar is ~60 layers


Quick grind/dirty etch to show what the pattern currently looks like in one bar


Here's my set-up for twisting small bars. Close to the forge, and pretty easy to use. I use a bigger vise and a big 'ol pipe wrench for big billets, but these bars are a little under 1/2" square with the scale ground off.



A little twisting action

[NickWheeler]

I just thought this was a cool angle/shot


Twisting the very end of the bar


Here's one bar completely twisted over the entire length next to one that is still square and ground clean.


Here's two of the bars twisted clockwise, and three of them twisted counter clockwise. YES, it makes a difference! Look at the spiral flutes... they angle up/down in different directions.


The bars have to be forged black flat after twisting. I do this VERY carefully. I leave some meat for grinding off in the next step. Note the length gained in the two bars that are flattened vs. the one that is just twisted.


more to come later

[Sam Salvati]

Nick I love how that little vice fits right in your hardy hole (now that didn't sound right ), that is very very handy! My big leg vice is mobile, but why clutter up when you can lift one on and off right from the anvil. Nice anvil too was that one dressed personally by Russell? You have the shop of dreams. Nice new saw too, it's so CLEAN! Cannot wait to see em etched(if you can get a shot).

[NickWheeler]

Sam, I have some stuff to make a portable stand for my post vise that would actually be rigid. I got some 3" thick plate, and a HEAVY walled 5" X 7" piece of rectangle tubing for the post.

I saw a pic of Uri Hoffi with a similar stand... he put wheels on the back side and then could move it around with a handle bar.

But I need to buy some bigger cutting tips for my torch to cleanly cut that 3" plate!

I would LOVE to have a couple designated posts in the ground with vises in the hot work area, but I just don't have room right now.

This little cheapy vise and the hardie hole base plate do work pretty slick!

Oops, I forgot to answer you! My anvil was dressed by Russel. I didn't want the edges all rounded over like they do to some of them for drawing purposes. I like square edges for knife work.

And THANKS for the kind words about my shop. It is getting quite well equipped. It's been a long road and I have made a lot of sacrifices to make it happen.... but I'm glad. There is always bigger and better.... but I'm pretty dang happy with the stuff I've got!!!

[Sam Salvati]

Great idea nice you have a base plate that big! I made mine with a T shaped plate made from 1/4 thick by 8 inches wide by 15 inches long, two of them welded together. When you stand to work at the vice you stand on the base which instantly makes it (in my case atleast) 220 pounds, But still very light to move around the shop and take to demonstrations. But it is kind of a pain in the ass, you have to stand right next to the vice to keep it from wobbling, it has 4 holes on it so i will try bolting it to the floor when I get some of the clutter out of my shop. I also have another i am planning on mounting permanently into the ground like that. A friend of mine came up with a very good idea. You sink your main pipe into the ground about 6 feet with 3 feet sticking out of the ground. Take a ring that has holes drilled all around it and fit it over the main pipe. Take another peice of pipe that fits over that one, and slide it over, with a similar ring mounted to the bottom(so both rings ride against each other). Mount a cover plate so you don't drop anything down the main pipe, and mount the vice to that. The rings with the holes will make it so you can swivel the vice and secondary pipe around the main support pipe as needed, and lock it in place with a pin or two through the rings on the bottom(I hope that made sense).

[B . Buxton]

WOW, that sure is a beautiful band saw Nicky. Keep those Twists progressing, I have an idea I'm going to try this next week, I mounted a post with a square tube on the back side of my forge, I will weld a 1" square bar to each end of my next billet and then see if I can twist it right in the forge, My little puny arms might not be strong enough to twist a 1" bar laying down about chest high but I'm going to see. It would sure be nice to leave it in the heat while twisting. It sure is fun trying new ideas.

Keep those pictures com'in I need some ideas for the Arkansas show.

Bill

[NickWheeler]

I was going to try that same thing Sam! When I found the 3" plate I figured it would stay put and the price was right It weighs about 450lb.!

Bill.... I have thought about doing something like that for a long time, but never did. I hope it works, and that you show us if it does!

Here I'm using the KMG and serrated wheel to hog off the ugly stuff from the bars.


Close up of the same thing.


And here's an idea what the pattern is doing so far. You can see here why you have to twist each alternating bar in another direction. If you didn't, you'd just get slanted lines all going in the same direction!

[Keith_H]

aww Nick you are a lucky guy.

The rest of us will stay fat, ugly, shopless and girlfriendless

why dont you use your surface grinder for that?

[Sam Salvati]

WOW Nick that is what I am TALKIN' ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!! That 3 inch plate oughta do it.

[Matthew Gregory]

Great shots so far, Nick. It's always fun seeing how others work, and you're being awful kind tolerating our queries and comments!

Is that a Norton Blaze on the KMG? Not sure what I think of those... they seemed to work great for me before variable speed, but since I have the option to slow 'er down, they don't seem to last for squat. I'm pretty sure the last bunch I got were cut wrong, too -- they wobbled somethin' fierce!

[Keithcellini]

Nice stuff dude! One day I hope to be able to play with billets like this. It seems as if you can keep playing and being creative while finding new ways to pattern the steel. love the action shots, keepem coming!

[NickWheeler]

Hey Matt.... yep, it's a blaze orange. I really like them for the hogging end of things and got the bigger drive wheel from Rob... pretty much FOR those belts. Running them balls out I think they rock. But like you said, slow 'em down and they suck hard. I've always done well with the Norton ceramic hoggers (red grit, blue back).

Oh, and since I forgot to answer your question before! doh! I use anhydrous borax. I always have and it's always worked for me. I store it in an ammo can (put'n a pic in this series just for kicks)

All 5 bars ground clean on the mating surfaces and clamped up in proper order.


Fluxing with the anhydrous borax. It looks REALLY hot in the pic but it was just getting orange when I fluxed it.


Setting weld by hand.


5 bars are now one.


The very tedious and frustrating (for me) process of upsetting the bolster area enough to get the look/feel/dimsensions I want. Oh, and my cool new green hammer I bought at the Jet surplus place with my saw

[Keith_H]

wow nick, you have been busy! You do more work in 3 days than i do in a year haha.

p.s. -I want your anvil

[John Frankl]

Nick,

Very cool thread. But I cannot believe you are using an angle grinder ON your anvil!!! I would be way too paranoid about a slip and marring that work of art.

John

[Luke Smart]

Nick, very very cool thread ya got going here. Thanks to you and your shop pixie for photographing and taking the time to share with the rest of us to enjoy.

Luke Smart