Blacksmithing

[h-dom]

So it is human powered at the moment but I do have two power unit options. I have a huge old single phase motor which I think is 1400rpm but is probably overkill in power and would obviously need gearing down to around 60rpm. I thought about using a countershaft and going down 1:3 a couple of times but not sure if that will be slow enough at 155rpm. I suppose I could go 1:4 twice to get to 87.5rpm but it's going to mean two tiny pulleys and two big ones.

I also have an old winch motor off a trailer, decent sized motor but I haven't been able to get it started yet. It has an electric brake which I need to figure out the wiring and really strip it all down to get it to work properly. That would be perfect speed wise.

For now though it is fine using it by hand.

It's made from 10mm plate, two 50mm ID flanged housed bearings one either side of one piece of plate and then another piece of plate bolted on the back. That conveniently left a 40mm gap between the plates so I used 40mm SHS as the runners. Plates across the top between the two plates and drilled a 20mm hole to take m20 threaded rod. Welded a nut on each side of the rod so it would turn freely in the plate. Then I drilled a piece of 40mm SHS 20mm again and welded a nut onto the box either side of the hole (with the rod in place so I know the threads will match). This then meant I can wind it up and down. The main roller is 50mm diameter mild steel and runs through the two housed bearings.

Oh, I forgot I had to torch a hole through both of the plates to be able to pass the top roller through. I'm not the smoothest with the torch but got there in the end.

The bottom rollers are just bearings pressed onto a 25mm mild steel shaft which sit in Vs in a bottom rail.

Then to use it I just welded an m20 nut on the top of the threaded rod and used a 30mm socket on that, and on the roller I just welded an extension bar on, this is ok but the height adjustment is pretty tight and takes a lot of effort to turn, so could do with being a bigger handle. Hopefully in time it will loosen up.

The whole assembly is welded onto a piece of 20mm plate with some angle iron down the sides. I found this in a skip, it wouldn't need to be that strong but it worked and gave the whole thing some more weight. I can now either bolt it down to a bench or more likely give it its own table on wheels.

 

[DAPPH]

Thanks for the pictures ...... very interesting.

So the bottom rollers simply sit in the groves ...... that's a smart idea , I was wondering how to set them in place yet have them adjustable .

 

[h-dom]

Thanks for the pictures ...... very interesting.

So the bottom rollers simply sit in the groves ...... that's a smart idea , I was wondering how to set them in place yet have them adjustable .

Yeah, ideally I would have put the bottom rails together and drilled a 25mm hole down the middle so I ended up with half a 25mm hole to sit them in, but I only have a 20mm drill bit. I may adjust it like that if it causes me problems but it seems ok like it is.

 

[h-dom]

Wine rack is coming along nicely...the wood will slot in and I'll fix it in place with a (hand forged) nail at the bottom.

 

[DAPPH]

Yeah, ideally I would have put the bottom rails together and drilled a 25mm hole down the middle so I ended up with half a 25mm hole to sit them in, but I only have a 20mm drill bit. I may adjust it like that if it causes me problems but it seems ok like it is.

Tack weld the two strips length ways at each end , hole saw cut them then grind off the welds & separate the pieces ?

 

[selectedgrub]

I really like that wine rack.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[h-dom]

Tack weld the two strips length ways at each end , hole saw cut them then grind off the welds & separate the pieces ?

Yeah, something like that but didn't have a 25mm hole saw or drill bit so just went with the V slots for now

 

[h-dom]

I really like that wine rack.
Thanks for sharing.

Thank you

 

[h-dom]

Bad photo, all done

 

[DAPPH]

Have you tried it for stability by filling it with wine bottles filled with water ? Good excuse to test the said wines at the same time , tell SWMBO that drinking the wine is a major step in proving safety .

 

[h-dom]

I haven't tried it, I don't drink a drop anymore and so have no wine bottles unfortunately

It will be thoroughly tested when I deliver it tomorrow morning.

It is very stable though.

 

[Bravheart]

Have you tried it for stability by filling it with wine bottles filled with water ? Good excuse to test the said wines at the same time , tell SWMBO that drinking the wine is a major step in proving safety .

My thoughts exactly along with the "that's only a week's supply"

 

[Blue Chips]

Bad photo, all done

I like the rack! Who knows...I might even make a spin-off of it some day.

Just a thought: It looks pretty stable, but after it's been decided exactly where it will reside, perhaps it could be secured to an adjacent wall with an unobtrusive piece of wire or fastener. I can imagine a big dog or a child running through the house and knocking over a rack full of expensive (or in my case, mostly cheap ) wine.

Your blacksmithing thread is inspiring me to fire up one of my forges. They're both portable home-made forges...one gas and one solid-fuel...which I use outdoors, and the weather is finally getting cool enough again to do some work next to a hot forge. I'm getting close to the point where I need to make some reproduction hardware for an old house we're restoring, which would be a good excuse to hammer hot metal.

 

[James1979]

Bad photo, all done

View attachment 362757

Very nice

What’s the significance of the bit of wood?

 

[h-dom]

I like the rack! Who knows...I might even make a spin-off of it some day.

Just a thought: It looks pretty stable, but after it's been decided exactly where it will reside, perhaps it could be secured to an adjacent wall with an unobtrusive piece of wire or fastener. I can imagine a big dog or a child running through the house and knocking over a rack full of expensive (or in my case, mostly cheap ) wine.

Your blacksmithing thread is inspiring me to fire up one of my forges. They're both portable home-made forges...one gas and one solid-fuel...which I use outdoors, and the weather is finally getting cool enough again to do some work next to a hot forge. I'm getting close to the point where I need to make some reproduction hardware for an old house we're restoring, which would be a good excuse to hammer hot metal.

You are right, but it will be tucked between a wood burner (not sure if they want warm wine but they will do) and a cupboard. If they decide to move it somewhere else I will certainly suggest some sort of fixing to keep it from being knocked over!

Get the forge out! It's been a tough summer for blacksmithing but when you have orders coming in there is no option but to fire it up. It doesn't matter how cold it is outside, in my workshop when the forge is on all day it tops 40 degrees quickly. It has been showing 50 throughout the summer.

And show us some photos of what you make too please!

Very nice

What’s the significance of the bit of wood?

Not much really, I think the fella found it on Mablethorpe beach. They moved up from Essex last year and everything is new to them, so a bit of wood floating in the sea was very exciting!

 

[Bravheart]

You are right, but it will be tucked between a wood burner (not sure if they want warm wine but they will do) and a cupboard. If they decide to move it somewhere else I will certainly suggest some sort of fixing to keep it from being knocked over!

Get the forge out! It's been a tough summer for blacksmithing but when you have orders coming in there is no option but to fire it up. It doesn't matter how cold it is outside, in my workshop when the forge is on all day it tops 40 degrees quickly. It has been showing 50 throughout the summer.

And show us some photos of what you make too please!


Not much really, I think the fella found it on Mablethorpe beach. They moved up from Essex last year and everything is new to them, so a bit of wood floating in the sea was very exciting!

Nice work again, your design or his? That ring roller has paid for itself already.

 

[h-dom]

Nice work again, your design or his? That ring roller has paid for itself already.

I had free rein, he said about putting the bottles down the side but I thought this looked better.

I actually did the rings for the bottles free hand hot

 

[julianthegypsy]

I had free rein, he said about putting the bottles down the side but I thought this looked better.

I actually did the rings for the bottles free hand hot

Very satisfying. I once made a chain out of rings made of flat steel, rolled the wrong way, by hand. Totally mad, but worth it!

 

[Blue Chips]

Get the forge out! It's been a tough summer for blacksmithing but when you have orders coming in there is no option but to fire it up. It doesn't matter how cold it is outside, in my workshop when the forge is on all day it tops 40 degrees quickly. It has been showing 50 throughout the summer.
And show us some photos of what you make too please!

As a hobbyist, I have the luxury of playing with my forges when it suits me, assuming that I have time for it. It's been a bit warmer than usual here this summer, but temps are getting back to their normal range now for using the forges outdoors. I've been very busy this summer working on the old house that we're renovating/restoring, so I haven't had much time for blacksmithing or machining. I'll see if I can find a few photos of some hand-forged items that I've made. Here's the first photo I found, which I had posted on another forum a while ago. It's a fire poker that shows my first attempt at making a forge-welded twisted basket handle. Next time, I'd like to try making a double-cage version, with a reverse twist on the inner cage.

I built a gas forge from scratch except for the burners, and I built a solid-fuel forge that started out with an old cast-iron forge hearth pan, under which I fabricated a new frame, tuyere, ash bucket, clinker breaker, etc., and adapted an old electric forge blower. Instead of claying the solid-fuel forge, I used a castable refractory material to cast a double (nested) bird's nest. When I have a chance, I'll cobble together some photos of my forge-building projects and/or provide some links to some posts that I made on another forum.

 

[h-dom]

As a hobbyist, I have the luxury of playing with my forges when it suits me, assuming that I have time for it. It's been a bit warmer than usual here this summer, but temps are getting back to their normal range now for using the forges outdoors. I've been very busy this summer working on the old house that we're renovating/restoring, so I haven't had much time for blacksmithing or machining. I'll see if I can find a few photos of some hand-forged items that I've made. Here's the first photo I found, which I had posted on another forum a while ago. It's a fire poker that shows my first attempt at making a forge-welded twisted basket handle. Next time, I'd like to try making a double-cage version, with a reverse twist on the inner cage.

View attachment 362807

That poker is stunning, please put up more photos if you find them!

I'm on hammers today, the usual rounding hammer but I've tried a new design for one using 40mm bar rather than 50mm and upsetting the ends. Had to make some extra tooling to do it but I'll put up some photos in a bit.