Workin' on my popeye arms!

scottickes

scottickes

Joined
Oct 27, 2005
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Per Fred Rowe. He stated in another thread that I'd get popeye arms, with all the 52100 rollers that I had. Here's my start on those arms. I tried forging two knives at a time, but I kept tiring out! I definitely gave myself a work out. Four of them were forged over the last few weeks. The rest of them were done yesterday and today.

The ones without rollers above them in the picture are damascus. I put a roller identical to the one used above each 52100 knife.

I'm finally getting to the point to where I actually have a plan. I don't always execute it perfectly, but I'm getting closer and closer with each blade.

What do ya'll think?
 
Lookin' darned good from here Scott! One suggestion (which is likely less useful to you than some others). After forging, make sure to mark each blank with what it's made of. Once you start to get 10 or 15 laying around, it can be a challenge to remember what was made from what. Of course, you could just get a "52100" stamp at this point. :)

I'm looking forward to seeing these as they progress.

-d
 
Scott,

How is your arm holding up? This is serious forging. I admire what you have done; forging 52100 bearings into blades is not an easy go. Its not a steel that, "gives" easily.
You have earned your, Popeye patch with what you have turned out here.

Well done, Fred :thumbup:
 
Allan Molstad said:
how do you hold the bearing while you smack it?
Click to expand...

I think he has a machine that the bearings go into that looks like those Bop-A-Mole games. When a bearing sticks it's little head up he BOPS IT. After a while it poops out a knife.

Yea...I'm pretty sure that's it. :D
 
Dang. You are gonna have popeye arms.
 
deker said:
Lookin' darned good from here Scott! One suggestion (which is likely less useful to you than some others). After forging, make sure to mark each blank with what it's made of. Once you start to get 10 or 15 laying around, it can be a challenge to remember what was made from what. Of course, you could just get a "52100" stamp at this point. :)

I'm looking forward to seeing these as they progress.

-d
Click to expand...

At this time, all of my knives are either damascus or 52100. Even I can tell the difference between those two. :D
 
Fred.Rowe said:
Scott,

How is your arm holding up? This is serious forging. I admire what you have done; forging 52100 bearings into blades is not an easy go. Its not a steel that, "gives" easily.
You have earned your, Popeye patch with what you have turned out here.

Well done, Fred :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thanks Fred. My hand is a little stiff and my arm is dead right now. It doesn't hurt, but I had a little trouble getting to sleep last night. It felt like it did when I hand dug 44 post holes for my shop a few years back. It's good exercise though.
 
Allan Molstad said:
how do you hold the bearing while you smack it?
Click to expand...

Let's just say I don't have any hair left on my arms and I've burned the fingerprints off my fingertips. I could be a safe cracker now! Those little steels balls are hard to hold onto at 1900 debrees F.!!!! :eek:

(I weld a piece of 3 foot long rebar to them.)
 
It's been a while since I asked a really retarded question, so I thought it was about time... do you guys always hammer with the same hand, or do you switch off when one arm gets tired? I get confuzzled sometimes because I write eat draw etc. left-handed, but I'm better with tools in my right hand. To make it even more interesting, my left eye is dominant and my right hand is dominant... makes me look pretty goofy aiming a pistol!

And, is each of those blanks made from just the one bearing like the one above it?

Looky there, two dumb questions for the price of one :D :o
 
what is it with the left hand for a right handed person?
Why is the left hand the "D-student" of the body?
 
GibsonFan said:
It's been a while since I asked a really retarded question, so I thought it was about time... do you guys always hammer with the same hand, or do you switch off when one arm gets tired? I get confuzzled sometimes because I write eat draw etc. left-handed, but I'm better with tools in my right hand. To make it even more interesting, my left eye is dominant and my right hand is dominant... makes me look pretty goofy aiming a pistol!

And, is each of those blanks made from just the one bearing like the one above it?

Looky there, two dumb questions for the price of one :D :o
Click to expand...
I only use my right hand to hit and my left hand to hold. It's just the one roller per blade. I've got larger rollers that would make many blades, but I'm working on the arm strength to get it there.

Here's a picture of my progess in the arm strength area.

How am I doing? Now that's a Popeye arm!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Is my sense of humor so odd that I'm the only person that finds that picture amusing? I can't believe this picture has been posted for nearly an entire day with no comments.
 
Relax, I think it's funny too. I've seen similar pics that referred to other... umm... one-handed activities.
 
scottickes said:
Is my sense of humor so odd that I'm the only person that finds that picture amusing? I can't believe this picture has been posted for nearly an entire day with no comments.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Scott. I needed that. ROFLMAOW(diet pepsi)SOMN

:D
 
You mean you guys only use one hand for the "other" activities? kidding. I saw that picture and couldn't stop laughing.

-Mike Sheffield
 
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