What's going on in your shop?

KenH said:
That Coal Iron press works pretty darn good for a 9 ton press doesn't it? Assuming it's still got the stock 3" cylinder installed? I upgraded my Coal Iron press to a 4" cylinder so I could get an honest 12 ton from it.
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I snicker every time you post about your press. Not that I blame you, because I don't and would feel the same way. I'll bet if Coal Iron knew how much bad press they would receive, they would have replaced your cylinder for free.
 
When I first got the press and realized it was only 9 tons I talked to somebody there and they could care less. Said "it works, what does it matter" or words to that effect. That's what rankled me more than anything. They also mentioned how much more the 3.5" cylinder cost - and it does. Heck, a 3.5" tends to cost more than a 4" cylinder.

I'm not on a crusade about the "12" ton press, I think Coal Iron has some good presses, and a good design. Just when I see something posted about how good it works, sometimes I just have to mention the issue. I do always ask if it's still the 3" or has Coal Iron started using a 3.5" cylinder.
 
It did pretty well. We set the welds by hand and drew out the initial stack to around 13.5" and 1.3" thick. I had trouble getting into the rhythm of the hand lever at first, but it takes getting used to. With the snaller die size, you just take smaller bites. But the 50kg SayMak power hammer was much easier to use and I could draw out a lot thinner and faster.
 
KenH said:
When I first got the press and realized it was only 9 tons I talked to somebody there and they could care less. Said "it works, what does it matter" or words to that effect. That's what rankled me more than anything. They also mentioned how much more the 3.5" cylinder cost - and it does. Heck, a 3.5" tends to cost more than a 4" cylinder.

I'm not on a crusade about the "12" ton press, I think Coal Iron has some good presses, and a good design. Just when I see something posted about how good it works, sometimes I just have to mention the issue. I do always ask if it's still the 3" or has Coal Iron started using a 3.5" cylinder.
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I would be massively P.O’d if I bought a press and it was 25% less than advertised. It absolutely does not matter if it “works”, it’s not what it was sold as. Be like selling a “V6” car to someone and when they open the hood, it’s a 4 cylinder.
 
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I gotta mow the jungle in my backyard today, waiting for the grass to dry, I figured I’d shape the handle on this. The handle is 1/2” plywood, it will be replaced by stacked birch bark after I get the G10 shaped how I want it. I think the plywood actually looks kinda neat! The rest of it is: ivory G10, purple G10, copper, and Apex Ultra. It’s a take down. Gonna probably cry when I sell this, I really like this knife.
 
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July. Taking advantage of a nice holiday weekend to put some time in the shop and hopefully finish some projects.

The cold bluing worked decently. Learned that the metal needs to be very clean to get a good finish.

Still have some fitting issues to correct, but I’m liking the direction it’s going.

IMG_5625.jpegIMG_5626.jpegIMG_5628.jpegIMG_5629.jpeg

I did get a little aggressive with the file work and need to figure out something to fill those holes with. Time to dig through the shop and see what materials are available.
 
That looks awesome!! I am working my way through an 80 hour work week, so its going to be a sweet paycheck!

Also gathering materials to build my own heat treat oven!!
 
Heikki said:
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July. Taking advantage of a nice holiday weekend to put some time in the shop and hopefully finish some projects.

The cold bluing worked decently. Learned that the metal needs to be very clean to get a good finish.

Still have some fitting issues to correct, but I’m liking the direction it’s going.

View attachment 84935View attachment 84936View attachment 84937View attachment 84938

I did get a little aggressive with the file work and need to figure out something to fill those holes with. Time to dig through the shop and see what materials are available.
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Diamonds dude! Diamonds! :D

Actually I think black epoxy would look nice.
 
Sean Jones said:
Diamonds dude! Diamonds! :D

Actually I think black epoxy would look nice.
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I'm digging around to see what's on hand that I can use. Black epoxy is the fallback, but I think I may have some other options. Was looking to see if I had any turquoise pieces.

Looking at the photos again, maybe diamonds is the correct answer, they do look like gem settings...
 
That looks pretty cool! Another option is to mix some glow in the dark pigments and epoxy and fill them with the epoxy so it will glow!
 
I've been fairly busy in the shop lately. At least for me. I've been working on a knife for my step-son for sometime now. But with a lot of family illness and a death in the family, I haven't had much time, until now.

So here's the knife ready for glue-up.

https://imgur.com/9ZtJU7E

https://imgur.com/Jpxk6jA

And I have a question for those that have been using Gene Kimmi's method of wax on the edges of the tang before glue-up to prevent the epoxy from getting every where. I tried it and ended up with nothing but a mess. I had wax everywhere including the face of the tang. When I attempted to clean up the face the wax on the edges flaked off as well. Any ideas?
 
I've also bought a couple items for the shop. Including a 110 lb Anvil from Vevor for $179 including shipping!!

The 66 lb got good reviews from several sources, including from Black Bear Forge. Who is one of my favorite YouTube smith's
He felt the 66 was decent for beginners. I felt that 66 lbs would be a bit light, so I opted for the 110. Obviously not a great anvil, but it's more than I've had.

https://imgur.com/DpNPUq7

I also picked up an old vise. I haven't mounted it yet. But it turns freely. I may need to fix the face a bit. But otherwise it should do well once I find a spot in the shop for it.

https://imgur.com/8lHCSMz
 
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