Welding, blacksmithing and pæonies
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Welding, blacksmithing and pæonies
What kind of welding class is it, industrial arc? TiG / MiG? Oxy-Acetylene art braising?
Wear a respirator, no matter what anyone says, leave your pride at the door, wear a damn respirator and don't lick the the arc clamps.
Wear a respirator, no matter what anyone says, leave your pride at the door, wear a damn respirator and don't lick the the arc clamps.
His Incomparable Highness,
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
Re: The LOA Thread
It's a 2 year course and according to their brochure, all 3. As far as the respirators go, I am seriously hoping that they provide all necessary equipment there. They damn well better anyway, it took every penny of my $9,000 grant!
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Tarjei Einhornsson - Grand Marshal of The Nordic Union
Zand Gozâr - Grand Vizier & Satrap of Kumarastan, Kingdom of Babkha
Tarjei Einhornsson - Grand Marshal of The Nordic Union
Zand Gozâr - Grand Vizier & Satrap of Kumarastan, Kingdom of Babkha
Re: The LOA Thread
I did all three in High School. My Dad talked me out of going to this underwater welder's course in California. I wish he hadn't, I loved welding. I could have been opening up my own fabrication shop by now.
His Incomparable Highness,
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
Re: The LOA Thread
Welding is very cool, but I enjoy blacksmithing more. There's something to be said for hammering hot iron that's been heated to a glowing red in a coal-fired forge. Both of you should try it if you like welding; and the equipment's substantially cheaper.
Re: The LOA Thread
I've tried blacksmithing, and as fun as it is, it doesn't have the industry application that welding does.
A small LP propane forge costs about as much as a small arc welder and the amount of material you can fit inside leaves some to be desired. A big old forge costs way more than most residential grade welding systems, and with the expection of argon propably costs more to fuel as well.
A small LP propane forge costs about as much as a small arc welder and the amount of material you can fit inside leaves some to be desired. A big old forge costs way more than most residential grade welding systems, and with the expection of argon propably costs more to fuel as well.
His Incomparable Highness,
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
Re: The LOA Thread
Actually fuel for a coal forge where I live can almost literally be dug up in my back yard. My entire neighborhood is on a reclaimed coalfield (the land is subsequently extremely fertile, my peones grow to softball size and larger). I can dig about 8-10 feet down and hit some old coal. Would need to be cleaned and dried first but I have virtually an unlimited supply of coal living in West Virginia. As for what could be used for the actual forge, I could probably go across town and pick up some kind of thick steel bowl-ish thing in a junkyard. I imagine if you use your head you could probably have an entire blacksmithing setup for under a thousand including a decent anvil* and old blower motor for a bellows.
*Ja, I have researched blacksmithing tools, if anyone has read some of Normark's material you can pick up that I have an interest in metalworking.
*Ja, I have researched blacksmithing tools, if anyone has read some of Normark's material you can pick up that I have an interest in metalworking.
Click to register your team!
Tarjei Einhornsson - Grand Marshal of The Nordic Union
Zand Gozâr - Grand Vizier & Satrap of Kumarastan, Kingdom of Babkha
Tarjei Einhornsson - Grand Marshal of The Nordic Union
Zand Gozâr - Grand Vizier & Satrap of Kumarastan, Kingdom of Babkha
Re: The LOA Thread
I never meant to say no one could ever make it work. You can make many many tools, for any activity, cheap by making, harvesting, finding, stealing, etc. I have an anvil made from the cut off end of a railroad track. Swiped it from a construction site in the middle of the night. It was trash anyway. I use it for cold hammering, mostly bending and shaping steel plate for SCA purposes. There's Youtube videos on coffee an forges that are cheap enough.
With enough pipe fittings and some scavenged guages you can make yourself a crude gas welding torch. Will it work as well as a commercially produced one? No. Is it as safe? No. Does it do it's job? Yes. Of course you can use some old bricks to make a forge, but it will never heat as correctly or well filled with dug up irregular coal as a well crafted gas (or well designed coal forge with pressed, predictable coal.) I never meant to sound like I thought it couldn't be done, but if you're going to up and buy quality stuff, it's not cheaper to get into blacksmithing. The hammers alone are worth more than many cars I've owned (and yes, I understand you can take a grinder, some polishing cloth and a hacksaw to make a sledge into almost any hammer you want.)
With enough pipe fittings and some scavenged guages you can make yourself a crude gas welding torch. Will it work as well as a commercially produced one? No. Is it as safe? No. Does it do it's job? Yes. Of course you can use some old bricks to make a forge, but it will never heat as correctly or well filled with dug up irregular coal as a well crafted gas (or well designed coal forge with pressed, predictable coal.) I never meant to sound like I thought it couldn't be done, but if you're going to up and buy quality stuff, it's not cheaper to get into blacksmithing. The hammers alone are worth more than many cars I've owned (and yes, I understand you can take a grinder, some polishing cloth and a hacksaw to make a sledge into almost any hammer you want.)
His Incomparable Highness,
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
Re: The LOA Thread
For good low-sulfur coal I'd probably have to take a half-hour trip south of here and visit a still operating coalfield where it's been processed and has little to no sulfur in it. Although I moved here in 1999 from Seattle, the coal field that now rests below some feet of earth was reclaimed in the 1950's and is actually pretty shitty. It burns with a horrible sharp odor and the size varies considerably. I've found everything from silt to a piece I had to summon my He-Man powers to lift.
Although the firebricks is a good idea. I can pop over to Lowes and get those BBQ bricks for like a dollar a brick, make a decent mound of dirt around some flue piping and have a decent coal forge. It's ye olde fashion method but I think that is one of the major reasons people get into blacksmithing anyway, to do metal working the old fashioned way. But ja, good tools are expensive and an anvil that doesn't have internal flaws and isn't made in China is in the thousands (I'm not being racist for those reading this, having done the research on anvils there is a serious structural integrity with many "economy grade" anvils coming out of China). I was mostly referring to a scavenged setup whereby you've taken some time at a junkyard and fashioned yourself a makeshift smithy. I imagine you could probably spend tens of thousands on a top-knotch smithy with a good assortment of quality tools, a large forge and so on. Although I imagine someone doing that is probably in it for more than just a hobby. To learn the craft, however, scavenging might be the best idea because I couldn't imagine pulling out the cash to bankroll a master blacksmith grade smithy when just starting out. I got almost 10,000 on the Federal Pell so I mean I'm not exactly rollin' in dolla billz LOL.
But for a quick update, right now it's just orientation and we're going to take a safety test within the next week. Their policy is that new students must pass a safety test in order to begin using anything in the shop (which is huge and stocked with brand new Lincoln equipment by the way). Which I agree with, as I seem to be in a class with "younger" folks who might not otherwise have a degree of commonsense about them yet. The youngest is probably not a day over 17 and I'm the second oldest with the oldest being like 32. And ja, my instructor has all of his fingers* lol.
*American shop class reference for those not in the US.
Although the firebricks is a good idea. I can pop over to Lowes and get those BBQ bricks for like a dollar a brick, make a decent mound of dirt around some flue piping and have a decent coal forge. It's ye olde fashion method but I think that is one of the major reasons people get into blacksmithing anyway, to do metal working the old fashioned way. But ja, good tools are expensive and an anvil that doesn't have internal flaws and isn't made in China is in the thousands (I'm not being racist for those reading this, having done the research on anvils there is a serious structural integrity with many "economy grade" anvils coming out of China). I was mostly referring to a scavenged setup whereby you've taken some time at a junkyard and fashioned yourself a makeshift smithy. I imagine you could probably spend tens of thousands on a top-knotch smithy with a good assortment of quality tools, a large forge and so on. Although I imagine someone doing that is probably in it for more than just a hobby. To learn the craft, however, scavenging might be the best idea because I couldn't imagine pulling out the cash to bankroll a master blacksmith grade smithy when just starting out. I got almost 10,000 on the Federal Pell so I mean I'm not exactly rollin' in dolla billz LOL.
But for a quick update, right now it's just orientation and we're going to take a safety test within the next week. Their policy is that new students must pass a safety test in order to begin using anything in the shop (which is huge and stocked with brand new Lincoln equipment by the way). Which I agree with, as I seem to be in a class with "younger" folks who might not otherwise have a degree of commonsense about them yet. The youngest is probably not a day over 17 and I'm the second oldest with the oldest being like 32. And ja, my instructor has all of his fingers* lol.
*American shop class reference for those not in the US.
Click to register your team!
Tarjei Einhornsson - Grand Marshal of The Nordic Union
Zand Gozâr - Grand Vizier & Satrap of Kumarastan, Kingdom of Babkha
Tarjei Einhornsson - Grand Marshal of The Nordic Union
Zand Gozâr - Grand Vizier & Satrap of Kumarastan, Kingdom of Babkha
Re: The LOA Thread
We did that too, it was a hands on practical safety tour, and a verbal interview on retention afterwards. Did it before every new class.
I wish you luck on your course. Though I enjoy my life, I regret having been coerced into giving up that aspect of it.
I wish you luck on your course. Though I enjoy my life, I regret having been coerced into giving up that aspect of it.
His Incomparable Highness,
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
Re: The LOA Thread
Thanks, I'll definitely need it.
Although, why not do it yourself? I mean I'm 22 and to my understanding you aren't much older. When your enlistment is up, why not enroll in a welding course?
Although, why not do it yourself? I mean I'm 22 and to my understanding you aren't much older. When your enlistment is up, why not enroll in a welding course?
Click to register your team!
Tarjei Einhornsson - Grand Marshal of The Nordic Union
Zand Gozâr - Grand Vizier & Satrap of Kumarastan, Kingdom of Babkha
Tarjei Einhornsson - Grand Marshal of The Nordic Union
Zand Gozâr - Grand Vizier & Satrap of Kumarastan, Kingdom of Babkha
Re: The LOA Thread
I'm only 24, so not much older at all. I have a wife and child to support. I can't feed them as a full time student, and I fully support and respect my wife's decision to be a housewife. I'm currently getting a business degree. Once I have a bachelors I might be able to get some desk-type job that will provide enough to live and give me enough free time to return to welding. Out here in rural canvas I could pretty much write my own paycheck if I decided to do house calls. Welders get lazy and want you to come to their shop, it's the rare guy who will drag a portable unit to your farm to fix a sprayer boom, and in the end even if you charge more it's cheaper than loading the boom up and hauling it to town.
Maybe, maybe.
Maybe, maybe.
His Incomparable Highness,
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
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Re: Welding, blacksmithing and peones
Split and moved
Re: Welding, blacksmithing and peones
You're too kind. Thanks!
His Incomparable Highness,
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir
His Matchless Grace,
His Majestic Honor,
His Eminent Splendor,
His Chivalrous Eminence,
The Rook
Lord Protector of Uantir