I usually make many of the handles for
my blacksmithing tools. Although I have tried many woods I believe
only hickory or white ash suitable. And as far as hickory is concerned,
I prefer it to the ash for hammer things and I think the Shagbark
hickory is the better variety.
I like the white ash best for the long handled tools. Any other
woods such as oak, maple, dogwood, locust, etc. will eventually
cause problems. They are either too stiff and there is no spring,
the head will eventually collapse under the pressures of pounding,
grain will constantly curl up, it will break suddenly or it splits
easily.
I like to get the wood from about an 8-10" tree. In this
instance the younger, more rapid growing tree is best. I have
gone up to 16" and the handles still seem to be okay but
it gets more difficult to work with a larger tree. I cut the tree
into two size boles (segments): One for hammer type stuff at about
20" and the other for handled tools like shovels, rakes,
etc. at about 6'. Then, I split these up with a froe and club
or wedges into handle sized splits. About 3" square for the
6' boles and 2" square for the hammer type tools (includes,
flatters, cut-offs, fullers, etc.) Do not use any of the pith.
Use that to throw on your outdoor grill to add some excellent
flavor. One tree will give you dozens of each size. Throw these
pieces in a dark dry place to dry for the next year or ten.
When I need a new handle I shape it on a shaving horse but you
could use a good solid bench vise also. Something about waist
height. Not nearly as much traditional fun, however. I also do
a little shaping for the head with a big wood rasp. Somehow that
seems a little like cheating but it is rapid and accurate. I also
have a 1x42 belt sander that I sometime use for getting the head
to shape quickly. That is definitely cheating. I always finish
the handle with a spokeshave. I agree, as someone just mentioned,
never sandpaper. The spokeshave leave nice little longitudinal
ridges that help the grip. To finish I rub in a bit of linseed
oil with my hands.
Occasionally, and for no really good reason, I stain it first.
Just to get a little darker color. Hickory is almost bone white
when dried. Takes me about an hour to do a handle from raw stock.
When I mount the head I put a wood wedge in lengthwise (running
with the hammer) and a soft steel wedge cross-wise. To put in
the wood wedge I saw down to a depth just short of the bottom
of the hammer. I have been making the wood wedges out of locust
but I suspect something else might be a bit better. But we are
really talking nits here.
It is a lot of work getting the tree, cutting it up and splitting
but once done it is likely you will have enough handle material
for the rest of your life. Other than firewood, hickory is not
much used. (Except, of course, for handles). I get most of my
hickory from developers clearing for housing. I always offer them
10-20 bucks if I can have the tree and (so far) they have always
said "Just take it". One time one developer asked me
to make a handle for a fiberglass handled hammer of his that just
broke. I have plenty of hickory handled tools that are still going
strong after 25 years. It appears they will easily outlast my
arm.
File Handles
A wonderful handle for a medium to large
file is a golf ball. Take an old golf ball, drill a 1/4"
hole more than half way through the ball. This hole size will
vary for smaller or larger files. Ram the tang of the file into
the hole, and you've got a new handle. It's also great for hanging
up the file in a rack.
(from the "Hot Iron Sparkle" newsletter of the North
Carolina Chapter of ABANA)
Use a mixture of equal parts of liquid
wax and boiled linseed oil. The wax is any liquid wax that we
can find in the grocery, hardware, or auto store. We used to use
liquid floor wax, but that has become unavailable in recent years
(no plastic finishes please), so we have gone to the water soluble
car wax that you "mix with water to wash and shine your car
in one easy application."
To apply, we heat the piece just short of color and brush on.
Continue applying until the liquid ceases to boil on the surface
of the metal. Then quench in water and rub with a cloth. (Do not
try this at home because the smell is horrendous and takes months
to go away!) The finish is very durable under weather and mechanical
action. Hinges, latches, dinner bells, etc. that are outside last
for years before rust appears at the mechanically abused points.
(Unknown Source from ARTMETAL mailing list)
For indoor work: Mix 60% boiled linseed oil, 40% turpentine,
a dash of Japan drier . All available at
your local hardware store. Make sure you remove all loose scale
with rotary wire brush. Apply the mixture liberally with a brush
and then wipe the excess off with a clean cloth. Re-apply as needed.
The thinning of the linseed oil allows for it to get into all
the cracks and crevices. For exterior work: sand blast the piece
and apply a zinc base enamel primer. Then apply a top coat. Sherwin
Williams Commercial division has a graphite black premix that
looks pretty good. It isn't as good as applying graphite dust
while the paint is tacky, but repair touch ups are hard to match.
Final note. If you are quenching your work
while it is still hot, a hard rust layer forms and is very hard
to remove with wire brushing.
(Enrique Vega from ARTMETAL mailing list)
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE FINISH FOR STEEL
From a discussion on "theforge" e-mail list
For nice pitting, sprinkle granulated salt, sodium chloride, on the hydrogen peroxide dampened surface. You can control the pitting by: how closely, how many and the size of the salt grains you apply.
I tried out the hydrogen peroxide method for the first time recently, and was astounded with what I got.
Here's the method I used:
It was a clear, warm day, and most of the surfaces were vertically oriented. I found that applying the HO with a spray bottle worked best. I used a newly opened bottle (for maximum strength) and did not water down the solution at all.
Here's the steps:
1) Clean metal completely. No oils or millscale can be on surface. The way I cleaned the metal was first a degreaser, then cleaning with muriatic acid. Sanding, sandblasting, or rigorous powered wire brushing could also be used.
2) Let the clean, dry piece warm up in the sun (I suppose you could lightly warm the piece with a torch or heat gun, but don't get it hot, just barely warm).
3) Spray on a coat of HO, just enough to wet the entire surface. I found this technique works best if the piece is warm enough to dry out in less than a minute. If any areas stay wet longer (like on horizantal surfaces where it can pool up), gently dab them with a clean rag or paper towel.
4) Repeat step #3 until you have the depth of coloration you desire. Make sure the piece is entirely dry before spraying more on. I found that after five or six rounds, I had a very deep beautiful redish brown color that was incredibly stable (didn't easily rub off). After that, the HO didn't seem to deepen the color noticably.
5) Seal surface with clear lacquer, oil, wax or whatever method you generally prefer. I also did a small test piece that I cleaned and wire brushed to a nice silver color, then gave two quick coats of HO, using the same process described in step #3 above. I then coated in with clear satin lacquer. It is a beautiful coppery red/brown color that still had a translucent quality, keeping the metallic qualities as opposed to a solid rusty coloration. I can't say enough how taken I was with this finish.
This is such a cool, easy, non-toxic finishing process that I plan to do a number of more experiments, varying the surface treatment prior to the HO application, (sanded, chemically etched, grinder marks, etc) and varying the application of the HO (sponge, rag, brush, soaked sawdust, etc) to see what happens.
Heath -Fusionworkshttp://www.fusionworks.nu
It is a fantastic way of getting different colorful rusts fast without the nasty chemicals. Peroxide works much faster if you add about a 1/4 cup of vinegar to the pint of peroxide and a couple of tablespoons of salt.
If you heat the iron so that the solution almost boils off you get absolutely instant rust. You do have to put up with the vinegar smell. Sandblasting works great for cleaning the metal of oils, scale etc and gives the solution a nice surface to bite.
Clyde Wynia
A method of patinating steel
Article by: Charles Lewton-Brain c 1990
Warning: This procedure should be undertaken with appropriate precautions; goggles, gloves, protective clothing, adequate ventilation.
As part of a large scale patination project in which I patinated a steel roof surface 24 by 48 feet on both sides I performed some 40 experiments to find out how to patinate the steel which was a requirement for structural reasons. In doing so I also experimented with paint, buying over $350.00 worth of spray paint, eventually finding one single color which for all intents and purposes is green patina.
When placed in recesses and the high areas are rubbed off it is indistinguishable from a cupric nitrate patina. It is a car paint: GM 42, 1980 Chevrolet Medium Green. While this is ideal for smaller surfaces my paint experiments did not produce the surface effects I required on the large scale work. I reasoned that if I could plate the steel with copper and then convert the copper to patina in a fume not only would the job be easier but it would also be safer than dealing with solvents or corrosive patination techniques (such as a cupric nitrate patination) over large surface areas. I was dealing with 4 x 8 foot sheet steel to be equally patinated on both sides simultaneously.
Other types of objects might be easier to deal with. 'Tents' of polyethylene plastic sheeting stapled to a framework of 'economy' studs were built. The construction of such a tent requires that it be sealed (draped onto the floor from the frame and then weighted down). The object inside is positioned on supports of some kind so that it is suspended off the floor in the air inside the tent. Then pans of household ammonia are placed underneath the object. The fumes attack copper or copper based alloy surfaces.
Under normal conditions one can activate a copper containing surface with a dilute salt solution to speed up the procedure and obtain a blue patination but this provedtoo corrosive for dealing with steel. The final procedure chosen was as follows:
l) The steel was cleaned well. Sandblasting would be ideal but was impractical for the project. Solvents were also out for safety reasons on such large surfaces without good ventilation. We ended up using Fantasticr cleaner. Two scrubbings with Fantasticr on large sponges and good rinsings in between and after were adequate most of the time. The surfaces were then left damp with the rinse water. Only the edges were handled to avoid contamination of the cleaned surfaces.
2) A contact plating solution for copper plating was prepared (see below) and this was applied to the steel using paint rollers (goggles/gloves!) Brushes work also but the paint roller is a bit more gentle. Plating occurs instantly. Several passes may be made over the same area, without pressing hard, which can remove the delicate plating. The surface was then rinsed very well. If areas of the plating lifted grease residues were the cause and a further local Fantasticr sponging and good rinsing sufficed to allow plating to take place. After final rinsing the steel (held by the edges) was taken to the tent. One moves fast to retain the surface moisture.
3) The steel was then placed in the tent and pans of ammonia enclosed under it. The tent was sealed. The centers of the thin sheet sagged causing pooling, therefore we built a wooden support with a single nail pointing upwards to support the sheet. More stable objects would not need support, though pooling may be factor to consider depending upon the surface relief. The time required to convert the copper plating was optimal at about 1-1 and a half hours.
4) The steel was removed and gently rinsed as scrubbing or hard spraying can remove the delicate patina surface. It will be a mixture of blues, greens and hints of brownish red where pooling has occurred and the surface dried. In my case I chose to re-introduce pink spatter marks to the surface by spattering droplets of the contact plating solution onto the patina surface where they instantly went pinkish-brown. The steel was then dried with fans and immediately sealed using clear automobile enamel paint. I then went back with stencils and gold spray paint to further modify the surface. The steps in the procedure are then: Clean, rinse,plate, rinse, fume, rinse, dry and seal.
The conversion process
The copper on the surface is attacked by ammonia liquid, not as much by the fume which has a different chemical composition than the liquid. The water dampened surface slowly takes in ammonia fumes where they are converted to ammonia liquid in solution so that they can attack the copper. The purpose of the pans of ammonia below the object is to provide a constant vapor pressure which replenishes the ammonia on the surface at a constant rate as it is used up in converting the copper to patina. This system therefore ensures better overall constant dilution control than beginning with ammonia on the surface.
Control Factors:
Resists: Resists may be used to prevent plating or to prevent the plating from being converted to patina by the fumes. Resists to plating may be a greasy material (litho-crayon, oil) or thinned rubber cement. Other resists require too much cleaning time and may need solvents for removal. Resists to patination may be a protective spray through stencils (Pamr) or thinned rubber cement. Pattern control through resists is easy. Time: Time is a factor in all fumings. Experiment with various times on sample pieces to have a palette of process marks (colors, tones, effects) to choose from.
Pooling: Where pooling occurs variations in color will result. Pooling can be encouraged and controlled by local application of greases before or during patination and by the position and shape of the object. Various liquid thicknesses cause surface variations.
Sealers: Sealers will each have a characteristic effect on the surface. I recommend making a palette of various sealing options over a patinated surface. Examples of sealers include waxes, oils, lacquers, transparent acrylics, enamels, varnishes and so on. They often have a tendency to darken the colors on the surface. I prefer clear auto enamel or Spray-Lac number 1473 professional Finish Clear Dead Flat lacquer. It is available from Star Chemical based in Hinsdale Illinois, Deerfield Beach, Florida and Dallas Texas. It is an industrial quality spray and requires good ventilation. It is very unobtrusive on a surface. With any spray the surface chosen can be glossy, like paint (in which case why not use paint?) or shortly after spraying can be matted down with a cloth pad for better surface control. Other Chemicals: I mentioned dilute salt solutions earlier.
Many chemicals will modify surfaces. (Remember never to mix bleach and ammonia). Experimentation and sample making will offer the user control choices. Suggestions for initial investigations include salt, vinegar, baking soda and local heating. There are a number of patination books available including one I sell on patinas for small studios.
Contact Plating Solution Recipe
All safety warnings apply. Always add Acid to Water!! Goggles/Gloves!
250 grams copper sulfate (CuSO4) Technical grade chemicals for this solution is fine. 42 cc sulfuric acid Distilled water to the 1000 ml level.
Put about 800cc water into plastic or glass container after marking the 1000cc level on it. Add the copper sulfate and stir to dissolve. Slowly pour a thin stream of acid into the swirling water. Heat is evolved-be aware of this. Rinse the acid container with distilled water and top up the mixture with it to the 1000 ml level. This solution can also be used as an electroforming solution for growing copper. Remember, acids are dangerous. A dust mask is suggested around chemicals. Work cleanly. Copper salts are toxic and irritant and should be handled with care. Dispose of properly.
All rights reserved internationally. Copyright c Charles Lewton-Brain.Users have permission to download the information and share it as long as no money is made-no comercial use of this information is allowed without permission in writing from Charles Lewton-Brain.
Metal Finishing Techniques
Mild steel will rust upon exposure to any source of oxygen, air being the most common source. Heat causes most chemical reactions to accelerate. Therefore, if you take a piece of mild steel, heat it and do nothing else, it will rust. In order to not have your work rust, you must exclude oxygen from the metal. The amount of humidity in the air determines the kind of finish you will need. Areas having low humidity, like New Mexico, could use an oil finish for both interior and exterior work. However, areas having high humidity, like the East Coast, require stronger coatings for exterior work.
Mark Williams Phd.
Traditional Finishes
Nearly any wax or oil, or a combination thereof, will work as a metal finish. Make sure you remove all loose scale with rotary wire brush or similar tool. Apply whatever mixture you choose liberally with a brush and then wipe the excess off with a clean cloth. If you are quenching your work while it is still hot (red heat or better), a hard rust layer can form which is very hard to remove with wire brushing. Some common oil/wax mixes include:
Mix equal parts of linseed oil, mineral spirits, and japan drier. All available at your local hardware store. Reapply as needed. The thinning of the linseed oil allows for it to get into all the cracks and crevices. Mineral Spirits are flammable!!! Use this mix only on cold metal!!!
Equal parts boiled linseed oil and turpentine with varying amounts of beeswax dissolved in the linseed oil. Have the work at a black heat and rub the mixture into the surface with an old towel or rag. The mixture should smoke upon application Quench from medium black heat directly into a pan of beeswax. You've got to be careful not to let it burn. When it has cooled enough to handle, wipe the excess off with a rag.
To get a gray to black surface, apply peanut oil to the heated piece and continue with the flame until the desired color is reached.
Equal parts of liquid wax and boiled linseed oil. Any liquid wax that can be found in the grocery, hardware, or auto store will do. No plastic finishes please!! A water soluble car wax that you "mix with water to wash and shine your car in one easy application" will work fine. To apply, heat the piece just short of color and brush on. Continue applying until the liquid ceases to boil on the surface of the metal. Then quench in water and rub with a cloth. (Do not try this at home because the smell is horrendous and takes months to go away!)
Bees-wax and turpentine. This mix turns a very nice brown just before black, which can be very attractive. Use the turpentine to dilute the beeswax a bit, i.e. to make it softer and easier to apply. The proportions of bees wax to turpentine can vary according to personal preference. Mix some up and add more beeswax/turpentine if it is too soft/hard. Use the turpentine sparingly.
Melted paraffin and boiled linseed oil Beeswax and mineral oil
To make most wax/oil or solvent mixes USE A DOUBLE BOILER and heat the wax until it melts. Then add the solvent/oil. ****DO NOT DO THIS OVER ANY KIND OF FLAME**** An electric stove or heating element will work fine. Most solvents, like turpentine, smell pretty strong, so prepare only in a well ventilated area. Take the melted wax off the stove to mix in the solvent/oil. Pour it into some kind of a container with a lid and let it cool.
To apply most wax/oil finishes, warm up the piece of metal (pleasantly warm), and rub mix all over it. Then continue heating it until the wax starts smoking. At this point the wax is caramelizing on the surface, which hardens it a lot. You need to get it warm enough to caramelize all the loose wax (or you could buff it off later), and not so warm that the caramelized wax burns off entirely. Somewhere in between those temperatures the wax goes from light brown through dark brown to a nice shiny black. It takes a bit of practice (and patience) to apply this finish to an irregularly shaped piece and get a uniform appearance. You may hear this described as "applying the finish at black heat."
To heat small ironwork for finishing, try opening up a gas forge and holding the metal in the exhaust. Brushes for applying wax/oil/solvent mixes can be made from twine or hemp rope, tied into a shape like a shaving brush, with the ends trimmed and unwound. Cheap "natural" bristle brushes can be found at most Builder Square/Menards/Home Depot type stores. The brushes must be of a natural vegetable fiber. Synthetics will just melt onto the metal and "Goo it up."
George Dixon detailed his finishing method as follows:
Either hand sand or wire brush clean the metal surface. Mix 60 - 40 linseed oil (boiled) to turpentine. Brush this mixture on, remove the drips that slowly form. When this has dried, apply a good coat of varnish, organic rather than synthetic. This is more due to the plant base of the first mixture than anything else. When this has dried, apply several coats of a good caranuba base paste wax. Apply with a soft brush to get into uneven or layered surfaces. When the wax dries to a matte finish, buff the piece with a soft shoe brush to raise the luster of the wax. The use of brushes instead of cloth reduces lint and the bristles get into places a rag won't. This finish approach was used by the Samuel Yellin shop early in this century and work coated in this manner is still rust free, Again, this is an interior finish. Tell the customer to wax their iron as often as they wax their fine wood furniture, tell them which wax you used and how to do it. A card with "The Care Of..." that explains this is a nice thing to add with the bill!
A simple method of achieving a blue/black finish is to buff off the scale, heat until the metal turns about the color or colors desired and then spray with WD-40 and wipe when cold. William Hightower used this finish on bathroom towel bars, and "hasn't had a rust spot yet."
Painted Finishes
A product by Carboline, called RustBond, is a commercial epoxy "paint". It is a two part mixture, about $50 a gallon, and a gallon covers about 500 square feet. It is all coating and contains no solvent. It is used in chemical plants, water towers, etc. A one mil thick coating is all you need to protect the bare metal from corrosion. Then you can cover it with anything, oil base, latex, etc. It usually comes with a cool green tint which is transparent, and you can still see the metal surface finish through it. Your local distributor should also be able to get you some without the tint, which is of course clear.
Automotive lacquers used on metal objects create an intense illusion of depth. It does require a good deal of time and it is quite thoroughly toxic and should only be performed with very adequate ventilation and a respirator suited to the purpose. Despite the required dedication of time and the need to check out and implement precautions, the results can be quite beautiful.
For exterior work: sand blast the piece and apply a zinc base enamel primer. Then apply a top coat. Sherwin Williams Commercial division has a graphite black premix that looks pretty good. It isn't as good as applying graphite dust while the paint is tacky, but repair touch ups are hard to match.
One part by volume of fine lubrication grade graphite powder mixed with three parts of Formby's hand rubbed low gloss poly finish. The result does not look like a urethane finish, but the highlighting effect of the graphite when well rubbed is outstanding, and the poly is an excellent binder and preservative.
1 tsp of powdered graphite mixed with a can of paste wax. Great for inside iron.
A primer for a natural iron finish called "MICROSEAL" is available from: The Microseal corp. PO Box 541 Rome, N.Y. 13440. tel: (315) 337-2720
It was developed and is used as a clear primer for outdoor bronze sculptures which were being eaten by acid rain. It can be used under a warm wax application or under any other type of clear coating. if used as the sole finishing treatment it produces an interesting brown oxide that can be very appealing.
Tinted Finishes
Robb Gunter has been using potters non firing stains with beautiful results. You might contact him for more on this technique, in Tijeras ,NM. He has one of the best blacksmith school facilities in the country.
A pleasant flat finish is a mixture of bowling alley wax with the colored powders used to tint concrete. (Remember those green yard frogs). Preheat the piece with the torch, apply the mixture with a rag or brush, then lightly reheat to dry and seal. The green mixture looks especially good on leaves. A book containing many good patina formula, for both red-metals and iron, is:
Methods For Modern Sculptors ISBN 0-9603744-0-X
It is available from Lindsay Publications, Centaur Forge and American Foundrymen's Society for about $20
 |
from Dave Mudge |
It is a very good $200 tool. Remember that it IS a $200 tool and don't expect it to perform like a $2,000 tool, and you'll do fine. The first and foremost thing to realize is that there is no blade guard as it is right now. With a little creativity you can add one.
With a small try-square, set
the 'fence' square with the blade. Make a trial cut on a piece
of 3/4" sq. Look at the cut. Does it look square and plumb? If
not, adjust your blade guides (rollers) to make the cut square.
You may have to make several test cuts before you get it right.
There are 2 blade guide 'bars' (the 1/2" x 1,1/2" sliding
flat bars that the 'blade guides' are attached to.) They
have a plastic handle, they move the 'blade guides'closer and
farther from each other. Drill & tap another hole for the
plastic handle in each, so that you have greater adjustment capabilities.
Make another table for the bottom blade guide. Make it of
material at least as heavy as the original little table.
Make it with a notch so that you can still use the saw in the
horizontal position.
Run your "bi-metal" blade as tight as you can get it by hand. Use a LOT of oil on your blade guides at all times even if you don't build the stand / oiler. Always clamp your material VERY securely in the vice and try to wiggle it before you begin to cut. Round stock will have the greatest tendency to come loose.
If you use the saw much in
the vertical, (free hand cuts) you can expect to dull the
teeth on one side or the other of your blade. When you go back
to cut horizontal, it will cut crooked. If you are cutting very
thin wall tubing and your blade teeth are too course, feed the
blade very gently by hand through the cut (of course you should
have the correct blade, BUT...)
Buy several blades at once, because as you are learning to use
your new tool, you will make mistakes and perhaps break some blades.
In my opinion, the BEST DEAL on blades is TYLER TOOL CO.
TYLERTOWN, MISSISSIPPI, 1-800-222-8404 64,1/2"
x 1/2"
BI-METAL ALLOY
They cost about $13.00 ea. (compare that to $10 for trash blades from Harbor Freight)
I started with a hack saw, then I got a power hack saw, then when I got this band saw it was like a whole new world. Now I have a BIG band saw for horizontal work and I use the little saw for 45 deg. cuts and for free hand work.
CONVERTING TO 220V
I prefer to run all of my stuff on 220 volt ac. You get more power for less cost. So if you can wire your motor for 220, do so. I'm going to assume that your saw has the same motor that mine has. Be sure that it's NOT plugged in,(sorry).Remove the plate on the motor that covers the area where the wire, (plug in) comes from the motor. If you're lucky, there will be a little chart on the back side of that plate.
The chart will show you 3 to 5 terminals that are numbered or lettered, or both. One configuration of wiring will be for 110/120 volt. (probably the way that it came from the factory). The other configuration will be for 220/240 volt. It's simply a matter of un-pluging the wires and changing the configuration. Then I suggest going to the hardware / electrical supply store and buying a replacement wire.(plug into the wall) Get it longer than you think that you will ever need. Stranded 10/3 will be heavy enough. You'll need a 220 v. male plug and perhaps an outlet for the wall if you don't have several already. You'll need some crimp on terminals for the motor end of your new long heavy duty wire.
Running your stuff on 220 is more economical, stronger, and much cooler running than 110. One of the great things about this little saw is it's portability. You can move it all about the studio, turn it around to fit that outrageously large (long) piece that you have to block up on a roller stand just to hold up the other end. That's another "must have" tool, some adjustable (up & down) stands with rollers on top.
Why? Well, suppose that you are cutting 2" wide brackets from a 20' long piece of 2" x 2" angle. You set up the "stop" at 2", set up 2 roller stands adjusted to the height of the saw's vice table, one perhaps 10'and the other 15' from the saw, and go to work. Cut, feed, cut, feed and before you know it, you'll have a big pile of stuff on the floor and no more angle iron.... :-)
