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Maggie’s The Welding and Metalworking Thread

That's not abuse.... that's use.

If your vice looks like new... you aren't using it.

I agree, tools are meant to be used; I don't want new, but a coat of paint and some fresh jaws wouldn't hurt. I do try to care for my tools. Afterall, I've got 3 generations' worth of nicks, dings, gouges and welding slag family members have put into it over ~50 years(?).

I just can't find a set of replacement jaws for it. I'm thinking I'l have to find some generic set of 8" knurled jaws and cut them to fit my 3.5" Craftsman.
 
I agree, tools are meant to be used; I don't want new, but a coat of paint and some fresh jaws wouldn't hurt. I do try to care for my tools. Afterall, I've got 3 generations' worth of nicks, dings, gouges and welding slag family members have put into it over ~50 years(?).

I just can't find a set of replacement jaws for it. I'm thinking I'l have to find some generic set of 8" knurled jaws and cut them to fit my 3.5" Craftsman.

make a set...
one out of brass also
 
I agree, tools are meant to be used; I don't want new, but a coat of paint and some fresh jaws wouldn't hurt. I do try to care for my tools. Afterall, I've got 3 generations' worth of nicks, dings, gouges and welding slag family members have put into it over ~50 years(?).

I just can't find a set of replacement jaws for it. I'm thinking I'l have to find some generic set of 8" knurled jaws and cut them to fit my 3.5" Craftsman.
Just take them to any shop with a mill... have them re-mill them. Or surface grind them.

Jaws are easy,

Sirhr
 
Scored this one yesterday just for the price of picking it up. Other than refinishing and straightening the handle, looks like all it needs is a couple of dowel pins, rear cap and pipe jaws if I want to go the extra mile.

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If this is a vice thread now I did score these last year for $0.17/#. They are on my winter restoration list, need to find a new handle for both and a spring for one otherwise they just need to get cleaned up a bit...and if I ever find the ungrateful grandchildren that scrapped these, well I’ve got words.
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If this is a vice thread now I did score these last year for $0.17/#. They are on my winter restoration list, need to find a new handle for both and a spring for one otherwise they just need to get cleaned up a bit...and if I ever find the ungrateful grandchildren that scrapped these, well I’ve got words.
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A paddlin is a better option.

Nice!!!

Sirhr
 
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It seems like all of the vises in my area are so freaking expensive. Prentiss vises are $300-1200. Post vises start at $220.
 
currently working on a "tac-board" or "nav board" for precise underwater navigation.
download.jpg

it essentially a fancy way to say "ship compass with a watch mounted to it".....

the ships compass is more precise than wrist mounted compasses that we usually use, and it gives us the ability to mount depth and bottom timers to it at well.


its usually held in front of the diver as they swim along.
Artemis_08.jpg

now for some reason a lot of places seem to restrict sales of these to police/ military.....for.....reasons.

and when they do pop up on Ebay, they are ungodly expensive.....

so most people just make their own out of an old cutting board
Nav Board-M.jpg




well i found a design that actually looked pretty easy to fab up
AQL_Attack_Board_2014 (1).jpg


so i channeled my inner Chinese and reverse engineered it
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had the chassis water cut from 3/8" 6061, now to do all the final finishing and then likely have it sent out for Type 3 hardcoat.

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should have some updates in a week or so.
 
currently working on a "tac-board" or "nav board" for precise underwater navigation.
View attachment 7457592
it essentially a fancy way to say "ship compass with a watch mounted to it".....

the ships compass is more precise than wrist mounted compasses that we usually use, and it gives us the ability to mount depth and bottom timers to it at well.


its usually held in front of the diver as they swim along.
View attachment 7457589
now for some reason a lot of places seem to restrict sales of these to police/ military.....for.....reasons.

and when they do pop up on Ebay, they are ungodly expensive.....

so most people just make their own out of an old cutting board
View attachment 7457594



well i found a design that actually looked pretty easy to fab up
View attachment 7457595

so i channeled my inner Chinese and reverse engineered it
View attachment 7457588

had the chassis water cut from 3/8" 6061, now to do all the final finishing and then likely have it sent out for Type 3 hardcoat.

View attachment 7457596


should have some updates in a week or so.
I bet I know some people who would buy those.

Some of them are in marketing!

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
currently working on a "tac-board" or "nav board" for precise underwater navigation.
View attachment 7457592
it essentially a fancy way to say "ship compass with a watch mounted to it".....

the ships compass is more precise than wrist mounted compasses that we usually use, and it gives us the ability to mount depth and bottom timers to it at well.


its usually held in front of the diver as they swim along.
View attachment 7457589
now for some reason a lot of places seem to restrict sales of these to police/ military.....for.....reasons.

and when they do pop up on Ebay, they are ungodly expensive.....

so most people just make their own out of an old cutting board
View attachment 7457594



well i found a design that actually looked pretty easy to fab up
View attachment 7457595

so i channeled my inner Chinese and reverse engineered it
View attachment 7457588

had the chassis water cut from 3/8" 6061, now to do all the final finishing and then likely have it sent out for Type 3 hardcoat.

View attachment 7457596


should have some updates in a week or so.
I had to do it with one on my wrist. No wonder I was always lost 😒.
 
I had to do it with one on my wrist. No wonder I was always lost 😒.
I had a pretty decent one that I attached to the back side of my pressure gauge so it hung in front. it was a nice addition to the one on my wrist in case that hand was busy with a bang stick or something.
 
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So if I read what you are saying correctly....so long as I use them for "marketing purposes"....I should be able to write a couple Rescos off on my taxes as "business expenses" 😂😂
Unless your accountant is a complete idiot... yes!

PM inbound...

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
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have some updates on the nav board.

finally had time to get the mounting holes drilled and have it media tumbled.....looking pretty good!
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need to update the rear cover to accept thread inserts.....should have a new rear cover tomorrow and then itll be read for the water.
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going to eventually send it out for Hardcoat.....but i think itll survive a few splashes in the lake unharmed.
 
Decided to wander around this thread a bit. Seems like a lifetime ago when I was working in metal fabrication. I am a journeyman welder and millwright. Used to work on boilers, high pressure pipe systems and did some cool stuff. I have welded twice in the last 30 years and it was humbling:cry:. I do miss it and playing with the cool tools. Perhaps missing it is looking through the the filter of time I did like the work.
 
This is a mount and cooling airflow metalworking project for a HAM radio amplifier I built.
The blower intake is the large silver tube coming up from under the amp.
Blower pressurizes the aluminum box where the amplifier tube is mounted.
Pressurized air flows through the tube cooling fins.
Tube is capable of making 7kw power at 5000 volts. (I don’t run it that hard)
1boring_grid_ring_opening.jpg
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3ready_to_flow.jpg
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Fist project with no plans, just go to the scrap yard and see what might work.
Steel $33, plus scraps I already had.
Wood 2x8’s for the floor $23.
May $46 but I only used half.
Rattle can $12
So $114 plus time ain’t tea bag. Boy’s first time actually welding on a project, don’t judge him he has a horrible welding teacher...

Just waiting for the second coat of paint to finish drying on the gate and put that back in, took it up for a test fit and she wasn’t ready to commit but looks like it will work just fine.

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Fist project with no plans, just go to the scrap yard and see what might work.
Steel $33, plus scraps I already had.
Wood 2x8’s for the floor $23.
May $46 but I only used half.
Rattle can $12
So $114 plus time ain’t tea bag. Boy’s first time actually welding on a project, don’t judge him he has a horrible welding teacher...

Just waiting for the second coat of paint to finish drying on the gate and put that back in, took it up for a test fit and she wasn’t ready to commit but looks like it will work just fine.

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Farmers......using their skills buying scrap shit like poors in order to make their and our world a better place.......
 
Farmers......using their skills buying scrap shit like poors in order to make their and our world a better place.......
Very true. And I take no credit for what they do, I only pretend to be a farmer on the weekends. But I live near a lot of them and love working with them, everyone is a salt of the earth type man.
 
So everything was painted a few weeks ago... and I bought a small trailer to mount everything on. Makes moving things easier than if I put it on an actual rampart! Ramparts are hard to move. Sort of a waste of Walnut, I guess. But damn that trailer floor looks good!!!

Barrel goes in tomorrow!


trailer 1.jpg


You can see how the 'pivot' works for the traverse. It's run on the rails that are screwed to the floor. The elevation is via the acme thread.

trailer 2.jpg


Once the bronze barrel goes on and the Elevation hooks up, it's going to look really spectacular! And function just like a Rampart gun should!

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
So everything was painted a few weeks ago... and I bought a small trailer to mount everything on. Makes moving things easier than if I put it on an actual rampart! Ramparts are hard to move. Sort of a waste of Walnut, I guess. But damn that trailer floor looks good!!!

Barrel goes in tomorrow!


View attachment 7473426

You can see how the 'pivot' works for the traverse. It's run on the rails that are screwed to the floor. The elevation is via the acme thread.

View attachment 7473427

Once the bronze barrel goes on and the Elevation hooks up, it's going to look really spectacular! And function just like a Rampart gun should!

Cheers,

Sirhr

I have a large window in my house this would look great pointing out!

This cute one belongs to a member of our local German club.



Proves that there are "Have's" and "Have's Not".
20160625_144507.jpg
 
So everything was painted a few weeks ago... and I bought a small trailer to mount everything on. Makes moving things easier than if I put it on an actual rampart! Ramparts are hard to move. Sort of a waste of Walnut, I guess. But damn that trailer floor looks good!!!

Barrel goes in tomorrow!


View attachment 7473426

You can see how the 'pivot' works for the traverse. It's run on the rails that are screwed to the floor. The elevation is via the acme thread.

View attachment 7473427

Once the bronze barrel goes on and the Elevation hooks up, it's going to look really spectacular! And function just like a Rampart gun should!

Cheers,

Sirhr
museum_indiana_jones.gif
 
Finally got it moved to the basement where it will get more use. This was my grandfather's. Took a bit of cleaning up but still works great. View attachment 7467858

Nice job and those old drill presses are hard to beat. PIcked up a Clausing 20" circa late 50's drill press from a co-worker brothers estate. Needed some work and had to replace the quill which was not cheap. Thing is a beast and just hums. Last year rebuilt a friends Powermatic 1200 that was in boxes and turned out to be quite a project since all the bearings had froze and and the VSS was trashed. New motor, bearings, VSS and now runs like a top.
Powermatic 1200.jpg
 
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Here is a machine work project I did for the RV.
Added a new (larger) rear sway bar.
The new Hellwig sway bar looked great, but the mounting brackets were just….crap.
Ordered a block’o steel. Took some measurements, laid it out w/ blue dye, made chips.
1bracketbushingstock copy.jpg
2finishcut copy.jpg
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4drillingboltholes copy.jpg
5swaybarbrackets1 copy.jpg
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Shotmarker Stand made from 2"x2"x1/8" square AL tubing. 32" square and TIG welded. Legs made from 1" EMT and height can be adjusted by using different size EMT. Breaks down flat for easy transport and is light. Bungee cords attached to keep stand stable.

Shot Marker.JPG
 
The firing line @ my range had wooden tables that wobbled.
I made this portable shooting bench out of some pieces of stainless steel tubing, threaded pipe bungs, and a big chunk of Aluminum plate.
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Doesn’t look like something I’d want to move around every time I went shooting lol.
 
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The arm all done including locks, bushings, etc. Just need a socket that will fit my cradle and it'll be done. Not bad for a morning's work! I didn't really feel like paying $800 to the Surplus Mount Mafia to get something that they got at Gov auctions for 20 cents a pound... and I can make in a morning!

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
Parts finally came in from Cerakote....they look amazing.

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Cerakote only took 1 week...i dropped it off and told them to spray it whatever color they were doing their next batch in......took a gamble.....could have gotten back parts in Navy seal hot pink......was lucky to get manly black.
 
Parts finally came in from Cerakote....they look amazing.

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Cerakote only took 1 week...i dropped it off and told them to spray it whatever color they were doing their next batch in......took a gamble.....could have gotten back parts in Navy seal hot pink......was lucky to get manly black.

Navy Seal Hot Pink??

Isn't that some kind of rescue color?

Looks great...

PM me when you are ready to talk to those guys I know in San Diego... This needs to be marketed...

Sirhr
 
Made a desk a while back from some circa 1940s pipeline and angle iron off of an oil lease. Top is pine and coated it all in linseed oil. Not a work of art but it is what I need for my office in the shop. Heavy as hell. Crappy cell pic from when I was renovating but the desk turned out pretty good. The surface rust when hit with the linseed oil makes a nice deep leather brown.

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