Sussessfull Bearing Can!!!

J. Keeton

J. Keeton

Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
1,218
Yay, today I tried again with canister welding. I used allot of Harley Davidson roller bearings along with 2 valve springs in the center and 4600E powder. It was done in a 2.5 x 2.5 x 4 x 1/8in can.

Here is a little pictorial






















Thanks for looking,
 
I was planning on just drawing it out. I think it will make 2 billets. I am curious to see how the valve springs came out. (What is ladder and loaf?)
 
Thanks for all the complements! :D

Unfortunately right now I am kinda at a crossroads with this billet and my little shop. I don't have the proper equipment to do an accordion fold. So I am planning on just drawing out the billet(s) and seeing what I get. Probably some elongated roller bearings. lol

On another note I have found that it gets insanely hot in that steel container. To the point that everything in the area is warm to the touch... including the propane tank, which is bad . I also don't like the idea of carbon monoxide poisoning. Soooo to solve this I am building an awning outside of the container and moving my press and forge out in the open. I hope it works out.

Here are some questions for yall’s expertise:

Do yall know of any tricks to keep the slag down to a minimum? It's been driving me insane.

Are the canisters supposed to get so hot that they start melting or am I just running my forge to hot?

Also can old flawed hunks of damascus be put in a can without fearing that they will show up in the finished work? , or should I just throw them away.

Thanks,
 
J. Keeton said:
(What is ladder and loaf?)
Click to expand...
Ladder is simply ladder patterning it: you forge it to a thickness somewhat close to final thickness, then cut alternating grooves and forge it flat, or press grooves while hot and grind flat. There are many tutorials and videos that explain the process.

Loaf is when you simply cut off slices from the pattern. You could also cut your box lengthwise in to 4 or more pieces, then put them together to form one square, then repeat until you have a sufficient number, then put them together until you have a loaf long enough to make a blade from (from the end view), then cut off blade size slices.

If you want a drawing explaining how to make a loaf, I just drew one in Paint, but you'll have to wait until later when I can upload it.
 
Larrin said:
If you want a drawing explaining how to make a loaf, I just drew one in Paint, but you'll have to wait until later when I can upload it.
Click to expand...

Cool I would appreciate that.

Thanks,
Jimmy
 
Here's the quick and dirty picture. I hope it makes sense. As a side note, I highly recommend the "Blade's Guide to Making Knives". It has an awesome guide to making damascus by Rick Dunckerly. It is fairly short but is the most information packed article written to date. You'll have to read it many, many times.

 
Why dont you install a ventilation fan and move the propane tank to the outside?
 
tnmike said:
Why dont you install a ventilation fan and move the propane tank to the outside?
Click to expand...

Ya, I am thinking about just putting one or two exhaust fans in there. The more I think about it the more I want to keep my equipment inside. I'll have to think about moving the tank outside also if problems persist.
 
That looks good J. Keep in mind that 4600E doesn't harden so you need to keep the percentage of high carbon stuff pretty high in the billet. Larrin has some good info on patterning, the can weld is the easy part, turning it into a blade and exposing the pattern is the hard part. A loaf or an accordian cut is the best way to expose the pattern but a ladder is easier and the next best way to do so. Make ya some ladder dies for that press and that is a super idea to move the forging stuff out of that box :thumbup:
 
I am actually planning now to put an exhaust fan in the container, a hood over the forge, and moving the forge right next to and parallel to the door.
 
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