From jimkirk@news.uwyo.edu Mon Oct  3 21:41:37 EDT 1994
From: jimkirk@news.uwyo.edu (Jim Kirkpatrick)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: FAQ part 1 of 8
Date: 3 Oct 94 03:13:58 MDT
Summary: Metalworking FAQ part 1
Keywords: FAQ
Organization: University of Wyoming - Laramie, WY
Lines: 697

This is the FAQ for rec.crafts.metalworking.  It is in several pieces
to keep the overall size of each part below the limits imposed by
some news systems.  This is part 1 of 8.

Generally, units below are United States dollars, degrees Fahrenheit,
and all the other silly backwards units we Americans still use.  Sorry.


The questions being answered in part 1:

0.  Where is this FAQ kept, and where are archives of the newsgroup?
1.  The original rec.crafts.metalworking charter.
2.  The CLOCKS bitnet mailing list, and other related lists.
3.  What are some good books and/or video tapes on metalworking?
4.  Who makes good lathes/mills/etc?
5.  Where do I buy a machine?

The questions being answered in part 2:

6.  What are good magazines to subscribe to?
7.  Where might one take classes or get instruction?
8.  Where can I get raw material for my projects?
9.  Where can I get tools, drill bits, etc.?
10. What are some of the related professional/hobby associations?
11. How do I harden/temper metal?
12  How do I wire up this strange motor?
13. How do I deal with mail-order suppliers?
14. How to sharpen knives, chisels, and other tools?
15. Some safety reminders.

The questions being answered in part 3:

16. How do I drill round holes?
17. What's TIG and MIG?
18. MIG welding technique.
19. Which MIG welder should I buy?
20. Books on welding.
21. Soldering/brazing topics.

The questions being answered in part 4:

22. What are bolt grades?
23. What is XYZ made of?
24. How do I build a furnace or forge?
25. What is Damascus steel?
26. How do I repair/replace this old leather belt?

The questions being answered in part 5:

27. Can I use a drill press as a cheap vertical mill?
28. What is involved in building a steam engine?
29. How do I anodize aluminum?
30. Rust!  How do I deal with rust?

The questions being answered in part 6:

31. Are there any machinery museums?
32. How do I cut metal?
33. What kind of oil should I use on my lathe/mill?
34. What are the various tapers (Morse, JT, R8, etc.)?

The questions being answered in parts 7 and 8:

35. What is Electric Discharge Machining (EDM)?
99. Names and addresses of publishers and suppliers
    (OK, so I got tired of re-numbering it every time a new
    question was added!)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

0.  Where is this FAQ kept, and where are archives of the newsgroup?

    This FAQ is also available via anonymous ftp to plains.uwyo.edu,
    in the METAL directory.  I also hope to get it posted to news.answers
    and into rtfm.mit.edu, which is where many groups' FAQs are kept.

    I also keep an "informal" archive of the newsgroup on plains.uwyo.edu,
    also in the METAL directory.  It's informal in that I only update it
    from time to time, not continuously.

1.  The original rec.crafts.metalworking charter.

    A tiny bit of history:  there existed a group trial.rec.metalworking,
    but few sites pick up the "trial" feed.  Also, the trial method of
    group creation sort of died of neglect, so this group
    (rec.crafts.metalworking) was created to take its place and become
    an official wide-spread group.

    Charter
    -------

    Charter -- REC.CRAFTS.METALWORKING

    The USENET newsgroup, rec.crafts.metalworking, is a newsgroup which
    discusses various aspects of working with metal, such as (but not
    limited to):

      machining, as on a lathe, milling machine, grinder, etc.;
      numerical control of such machines;
      welding, whether by gas, arc, mig, tig, thermite, or other methods;
      Metal joining, whether welding, brazing, soldering, riveting,
        screwing, folding, etc.  (this section was added during the discussion)
      casting various metals by various methods;
      hardening/tempering various metals;
      blacksmithing/forging;
      spinning and hammer work;
      sheet metal work;
      jewelry-making;
      purchasing and/or reconditioning metalworking tools and machinery;
      interesting projects;
      books on metal technologies and history;

    Example areas of interest:

      knife/sword making;
      automotive repair;
      steam engine (model/scale, though full-sized discussions are welcome!);
      art work, such as bronze castings and sculptures;
      gunsmithing;
      toolmaking, such as for woodworking, further metalworking, etc.;

    While the bulk of the discussion will probably be directed towards
    small-scale "home" shops, industrial/production discussions are also
    quite welcome.


2.  The CLOCKS bitnet mailing list, and other related lists.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    If you have access to Bitnet and are interested in clocks/watches,
    there is a CLOCKS list.  Send mail to LISTSERV@SUVM on Bitnet, containing
    the command "SUBSCRIBE CLOCKS your name".  Their "charter" is:

     Welcome to the CLOCKS Listserv list.  This is a new attempt at
     communicating information about clocks between those interested in
     ANY aspect of clocks.  To quote from the header text for CLOCKS:

     >  *  Clock/Watch Repair, Collecting, and Construction
     >
     >  CLOCKS is a discussion list dealing with any and all aspects of
     >  clock and watch work.
     >
     >  The list's primary goal is to discuss the collecting,
     >  construction, and repair of both clocks and watches.  Included
     >  also are topics on the history of time keeping, wooden movements,
     >  water clocks, antique and modern clocks, etc.  Of great interest
     >  is information about suppliers of repair and construction parts
     >  and techniques, information, books, newsletters, national and
     >  local associations.  Another interest is the use of clock/watch
     >  tools, such as the watchmakers lathe, bushing replacement, time
     >  regulation, etc.
     >
     >  The list welcomes the participation and contribution from anyone
     >  interested in the subject area, whether an amateur, beginner, or
     >  professional.

    I can't give you a cookbook approach on how to get to Bitnet if you
    aren't on it.  This varies from site to site, so you should ask your
    system administrator "how do I get e-mail to/from Bitnet?"  As one
    example, at our Internet site, we add ".bitnet" on the end, so for
    us the address would be LISTSERV@SUVM.BITNET.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There is also a Usenet newsgroup rec.woodworking that may be of
    interest to people who read rec.crafts.metalworking.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    WWW (World-Wide-Web) users may be interested in Enrique Vega's
    efforts which he calls ArtMetal.  This includes a mailing list
    and a Home Page of:

      http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/edu/arts/metal/ArtMetal.html

    Enrique can be reached at evega@artmetal.pdial.interpath.net.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A Usenet newsgroup was created around March of 1994, called
    rec.crafts.jewelry.  Some of the questions on rec.crafts.metalworking
    have been jewelry related, such as casting small pieces; these might
    be more appropriate on the new group, or at least you might get more
    answers!

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A mailing list for knifemakers, knife collectors, and people interested
    in edged-weaponry martial arts and techniques is the "EDGE" mailing list.
    Requests to be added to this list should be sent to:

      EDGE-owner@HICOM.LUT.AC.UK

    Submissions to the list itself should be sent to:

      EDGE@hicom.lut.ac.uk

    Topics on this list have ranged across topics like discussions of the
    types of steels used in knives, and why select one over another; the
    qualities and selection of different types of pocket tools [such as the
    Gerber Multi-Plier, the Leatherman, the SOG Toolclip, etc.]; current
    sales on knives from mail-order or discount-house sources; why Japanese
    swords are made the way they are/were, and how to take care of such a
    sword; selecting modern reproduction swords for martial-arts purposes;
    and many other edged-weapon and edged-tool subjects.


3.  What are some good books on metalworking?

   - How to Run a Lathe
     South Bend Lathe
     400 W. Sample Street
     South Bend, IN 46625

     This book is available from South Bend distributors,
     such as Blue Ridge, and/or Lindsay.  It was originally printed
     in 1914 and last updated in 1966, I believe.

   - Machine-Tool Work, by William P Turner and Halsey F Owen.
     1932 and 1945 (hence no ISBN number).  Some libraries may still have
     a copy, though you're probably out of luck for a purchase.

     Moderately good text, very good diagrams and pictures, especially
     of huge special-purpose machines like railroad wheel grinders.
     Suffers a bit from age, and seems intended for large industrial
     shops, but a good read if you find it.

   - Machine Shop Theory and Practice, by Albert M Wagener and Harlan R Arthur.
     1941 (hence no ISBN number).  Some libraries may still have a copy,
     though you're probably out of luck for a purchase.

     Fairly good text, more specific techniques than the Turner/Owen book.
     Suffers a bit from age, but still a nice instructional book.

   - Lathe Operations, by Richard R. Kibbe.
     1985, ISBN 0-471-89023-5.
     Adapted from materials originally prepared by the Engineering Industry
     Training Board of Great Britain.  Also in the same series: Milling
     Machine Operations, and Grinding Machine Operations.

     A step-by-step text with about 2 photos and lots of simple but
     usually-clear drawings.  Shows how to do most any common lathe
     operation (and a few uncommon ones) in as few words as possible.

     Check page 90 for what seems to be a man with two right hands.

  -  Machine Tool Practices, by Kibbe,Neely, Meyer and White
     It's the first year machine shop text used by some community colleges.

   - The Making of Tools, by Alexander G Weygers
     Prentice Hall Press, 1973, ISBN 0-671-60924-6
     A modern book about doing things the old way.  How the artist/craftsperson
     can design, make, sharpen and temper tools.  May be available from
     Centaur Forge.

   - Machinery's Handbook
     A standard reference book for machinists, available from most
     distributors of machines or tools.

   - Clockmaking & Modelmaking; tools and techniques
     by W.R. Smith

     Mr. Smith has published other books on clockmaking, but this one
     covers more than just clocks, and is thus of interest to more than
     just clock-makers.  This is a collection of articles from the
     British Horological Journal, Timecraft, Model Engineer, and
     Horological Times.  The articles have been updated and expanded
     for inclusion in this 112-page coil-bound book.

     For a complete review, see HSM Jan/Feb 1992, page 14.

     Available from Gateway Clocks (see names/addresses section),
     $27 post-paid within USA (overseas buyers add $5 for postage).

   - Elmer's Engines, by Elmer Verberg
     available from Modeltec
     Has many very nice, and fairly easy to build stationary steam engines.

   - Model Locomotive and Marine Boilers
     [Argus Press, 1988, ISBN 0-85242-923-1]

     by Martin Evans (well known in the Model Engineering field, at least in
     Great Britain)

   - THE MACHINIST'S BEDSIDE READER
     Guy Lautard
     2570 Rosebery Avenue
     West Vancouver, B.C., Canada V7V 2Z9

     (Guy's books are also available from other suppliers, such as MSC)

     Contains: Working drawings and detailed instructions for making 15
     useful and practical machinists tools and lathe accessories; dozens of
     hints, tips and tricks to help get things done faster, easier and
     better in your shop; a collection of 2 dozen machine shop anecdotes;
     2 highly readable machinists short stories.
     Projects include: a sharpening jig for drill from 1/8 to #60, a
     swiveling base for a 2" Wilton vise, a graduated handwheel for
     the lathe leadscrew.........and many more

     THE MACHINIST'S SECOND BEDSIDE READER
     Similar in format to the first book; projects include: a small
     pantograph engraving machine, a tool maker's block, poor man's
     jig borer and a kerosene-burning blowtorch....... also a short
     story titled "The Bullseye Mixture" which details the method for
     barbon pack color casehardening.

     THE MACHINIST'S THIRD BEDSIDE READER
     Some of the projects/info: color casehardening, a co-ax indicator,
     a collet chuck system, a deluxe overhaul of a keyless drill chuck,
     sharpening tools, sandblasting, setting up work on a faceplate,
     taper turning, knurling flat surfaces, and more.

     Other books and plans by Lautard (not a complete list):
     "Hey Tim, I gotta tell ya....' a mini Bedside Reader"
     "A Brief treatise on Oiling Machine Tools"
     "3.75' Diameter Ungeared Rotary Table"
     "Universal Sleeve Clamp"

     Lautard's targeted readership seems to be the home machinist.  I'm
     sure that much of what he has to say may be "old hat" to a skilled
     machinist with many years experience.  I confess that I am a rank
     amateur in machine shop practice (my only professional experience was
     as a part-time helper in a gunsmith shop where the machine I got to know
     best was the polishing wheel). The flyer I quote from is available from
     Lautard at the address I gave with my last posting.

     [reviews and typing courtesy of Michael Gordon, except for the description
     of the third bedside reader.  JK]

     It has also been reported that Guy sells an index of some sort, either
     of all projects or all articles, in the back issues of Model Engineer.
     However, the index is reportedly hard to use.  See the description of
     Model Engineer, elsewhere.

   - Machine Tool Reconditioning, by Connelly

     Covers reconditioning of machine tools, including figuring out
     what's off on lathes and such.  Also a good section on scraping
     (i.e. removing small areas of metal by scraping, such as making
     a plate very flat).  Mostly deals with reconditioning ways, and
     does not spend much time on mechanical problems such as worn nuts
     or gears.

   - The Surface Treatment and Finishing of Aluminum and its Alloys,
     Edited by S. Wernick, R. Pinner, and P.G. Sheasby.  Published
     1987 by ASM International, Metals Park, Ohio.  2 volumes.

     Mentioned in sci.materials in response to a "how do I anodize aluminum"
     question.

   - Electroplating for the Amateur, by L. Warburton.
     Model & Allied Publications
     Available via Argus (see names & addresses section)

     Also mentioned, in rec.crafts.metalworking, regarding anodizing.

   - Machine Tool Practices, fourth edition, John Wiley and Sons.

     Covers a lot of ground and is the first-year book at DeAnza College.

   - Machine Shop Practice, second editions, volumes 1 and 2
     by K.H. Moltrecht.  Published by Industrial Press, Inc.
     ISBN ISBN 0-8311-1126-7 and ISBN 0-8311-1132-1 (vol 1, vol 2)

     Preface: "It is written for the beginner, as well as for the more
     advanced craftsman, technician, and manufacturing engineers."
     "...designed for use in the classroom or for home study,..."
     (about $20 each)

   - The Home Machinist's Handbook, by Doug Briney  (c)1983
     $17.95  [TAB Books] ISBN 0-8306-1573-3 (paperback)

     Basic... Reading prints, measurements, hand tools, bench tools, the
     lathe & operation, the milling machine & operation.  Projects using
     the Serline machine system.

   - Machinists' Ready Reference, 7th edition (c)1989 [Prakken Publications,
     Inc], Compiled by Clarence Weigartner, ISBN 0-911168-74-5
     7th edition: $12.50/$10.00(schools), new 8th edition: $14.50

     Pocket sized (4.5" x 6").  Good student guide to math, drills, tapers,
     threads, milling/turning speeds, gears, weights & reading shop prints.
     Sort of a "poor man's Machinery's Handbook".

   - The Starrett Book for Student Machinists (c)1941, 1975 & 1982 [160 pages]
     Catalog #1700 @ $8.50

     Drawing, fits, bench work, how to measure, cutting speed/fluids,
     drilling, lathe operations, grinding, sawing, toolmaking, geometry,
     mechanics, & reference tables.  Good information, well worth the price.
     It covers screw cutting, via the lathe, better than most.  Be sure to
     get the FREE Starrett information, "single copy mailed to individual
     craftsmen."  Decimal Equivalent Card (pocket size 3" x 5"); The
     Starrett Story (36 pages 4-5/8" x 6-7/8"); The Tools and Rules for
     Precision Measuring, Bulletin #1211 (80 pages 5-1/4" x 7-5/8")

   - Watch Making, by George Daniels.

   - De Re Metallica (Georgius Agricola, 1556) translated by Herbert Hoover
   - Pirotechnia (Vannoccio Biringuccio, 1540) translated by Smith & Gnudi

     These two are Dover reprints, and were state-of-the art from renaissance
     through perhaps 1850 or so.  The first is on mining, and the second on
     metalworking.  An interesting historical look at how things were done
     in earlier times, and why they thought it worked.

   - Computational Geometry for Design and Manufacture
     Copyright 1979, I.D.Faux, M.J. Pratt
     Ellis Horwood Publishers, a division of John Wiley & Sons.
     ISBN 0-85312-114-1

     Very good overall text on surfaces and design.  Was recommended
     as a way of learning strange jargon used in CNC machining of surfaces,
     such as loft, nurbs, and coons.

   --------------------------------------------------------------------

   The following suggested books pertain to jewelry-making, per Sherry Lem.

     The Complete Metalsmith
     Tim McCreight
     Davis Publications, Inc.
     Worcester, MA, 1991
     Excellent, easy to follow techniques for beginning to intermediate levels,
     this is the revised edition which is much improved over the original.

     Contemporary Jewelry
     Philip Morton
     Holt, Rinehart & Winston
     NY, 1970, 1976
     Interesting design philosophy, techniques.

     Design and Creation of Jewelry
     Robert vonNeumann
     Chilton
     Radnor, PA, 1961, 1972

     Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths
     Heikki Seppa
     Kent State University Press
     Kent, OH 1978
     Perhaps THE book on anticlastic raising/forming, though difficult to
     teach yourself from the pictures and instructions.

     Jewelry Concepts and Technology
     Oppi Untracht
     Doubleday & Company
     Garden City, NY, 1982, 1985
     Most comprehensive guide on jewelry making techniques,
     also contains gemological data, info on setting up a workshop .

     Jewelry: Contemporary Design and Technique
     Chuck Evans
     Davis Publications
     Worcester, MA, 1983
     Especially good sections on mixed metals (mokume gane, etc.).

     Jewelry Making and Design
     Augustus F. Rose and Antonio Cirino
     Dover Publications, Inc.
     NY, 1949, 1967
     Decidedly English flavor, very inexpensively priced.

     Jewelry Making Manual
     Sylvia Wicks
     Brymorgen Press
     Cape Elizabeth, ME, 1986
     Beautiful color photos, good technique instructions.

     Jewelry Manufacture and Repair
     Charles Jarvis
     Bonanza, NY, 1978

     Metal Sculpture - New Forms New Techniques
     John Lynch
     The Viking Press
     NY, NY
     Basic art metal techniques.

     Metal Techniques for Craftsmen
     Oppi Untracht
     Doubleday & Company
     Garden City, NY, 1968


   --------------------------------------------------------------------

   How about video tapes?

  -  New Life Video Productions

     Several tapes with Rudy Kouhoupt, frequent author in HSM and
     other magazines.  Titles such as:
        "Fundamentals of Machine Lathe Operation"
        "Fundamentals of Milling Machine Operations"
        "How to Cut Spur Gears"
        "How to Cut Screw Threads"
        "Building a Sterling Hot Air Engine"
     Price varies from tape to tape.  Production qualities
     seem poor (based on viewing the first title), such as poor
     and inconsistent audio, including a radio playing in the background.
     But you can safely ignore this and concentrate on what Rudy is
     trying to show you.  Seems reasonably priced for the material
     covered.  The material is quite good for the beginner ("I just
     got a verical mill; how do I use it?"), or perhaps even the advanced
     beginner.  These are probably tapes you will watch once or twice,
     so it would be nice if you could rent instead of purchase them!
     Most of them seem to focus on making a simple but useful project
     while presenting the material.

  -  Bailey Craftsman Supply

     "Greensand Casting Techniques" from David Gingery's workshop.
     HSM seemed to like it.  Others include a second volume of the
     above, Basic Metal Lathe Operation (2 vol), Basic Milling Machine
     Operation.

  -  Quality Street Productions

     The Fourth Annual NAMES Expo  (1993)

  -  Starrett

     Tools and Rules for Precision Measuring

  -  Colonial Williamsburg
     P.O. Box C
     Williamsburg, VA  23187

     Tapes are also available from:

     KVC Entertainment
     P.O. Box 40276
     Indianapolis, IN  46240-0276

     CW produces several tapes on blacksmithing, silversmithing, gunsmithing,
     and so on.  They show the "old time" way of doing things, but are
     reported to be excellent.

4.  Who makes good lathes/mills/etc?

    Who makes good cars?  This is almost purely a personal preference,
    though in general the imported machines (Grizzly, Jet, Enco) seem
    to rate lower than US-built machines (South Bend, Bridgeport).  However,
    the imports are usually MUCH less expensive, offsetting some of the
    quality issues for home shops.  It has also been reported that South
    Bend has been going "downhill" lately.

    There is some indication that Grizzly equipment is slightly better
    than other "Taiwanese" machines.

    One of the main complaints about Taiwanese machinery is the lack of
    replacement parts and service.  Grizzly claims that they keep a supply
    of parts on hand for all their machines.  The same factories appear to
    turn out Grizzly, Jet, Delta, and the "no-name" machinery.  A few years
    ago Fine Woodworking magazine published an article on this subject.

    Unimats are sometimes considered "toys" rather than real machines,
    though they may do just what you want if you don't push them hard.
    The Unimat PC may be a nice small CNC lathe; any experiences?

    Unimat, Sherline, and Taig are "micro lathes" in that the swing over the
    bed is less than 5 inches, and the bed is about a foot long.  Sherline
    and Taig are made in the US, and Unimat is made in Austria (and hence
    uses metric threads, e.g. in the spindle thread, which may be a pain
    to US buyers).  Sherline and Taig both use 3/4 inch x 16 threads in the
    spindle and can thus interchange accessories*.  The Taig cannot cut
    threads, while the Sherline and Unimat can (with accessories).  Sherline
    and Unimat sell a milling add-on.  The Taigs come in unbundled kit form
    where you have to buy everything; they claim an overall accuracy of
    .0004 inch and have excellent parts and service, and also sell a
    watchmaking headstock.  Taig is the cheapest at about $250 to get
    started, about $450 for Sherline.  It appears the only Unimat now
    being sold is the CNC "Unimat PC", at about $750.  Unimat seems to
    charge quite a bit more than normal for accessories.  Just keep in
    mind that these are not as rigid or powerful as full-sized lathes.

    * It has been reported that although the Taig and Sherline use a 3/4-16
    spindle thread, the threads on Taig chucks and faceplates are recessed
    far enough that a Sherline lathe will only grab about 1.5 threads, not
    enough to be usable.  However, one reader bored out the back of a
    Taig faceplate to 1" diameter for about 1/4" depth, and reports it
    threads on his Sherline quite well now.  So, be careful if purchasing
    a Taig accessory for use on a Sherline lathe!

    Harbor Freight sells a "precision 4x10" mini-lathe for around $700
    with autofeed, change gears for most english threads at extra cost.
    It is actually a 7" lathe which takes standard 2MT tailstock tooling
    and 3/8" cutting tools, and has Electronic Variable Speed (EVS)
    instead of changeable belts.  This is larger and sturdier than the
    Unimat/Sherline/Taig, and sounds similar to the 8" Grizzly except
    for the EVS.

    What can you do if you have little money?  Aside from looking at used
    equipment, you can actually build a lathe and other machine tools.
    Dave Gingery wrote an excellent series of books on building your own
    machine tools with just hand tools.  While it's a lot of work, you
    can learn a lot.  First you make an aluminum charcoal foundry, then
    a lathe, and finish up with a dividing head (five or six books later).
    Other authors have published detailed plans for making lathes.  See
    the publisher's catalogs from Lindsay, Cole's, Power Model, Tee,
    and Argus.

    A very thorough discussion of vertical mills and what to look for
    was in Home Shop Machinist, July/August and September/October 1993.

    ........................................

    The following comments, regarding the Central Machinery (Harbor
    Freight Salvage) "Precision 7"x10" Mini Lathe", were originally
    sent to John Kopf in response to a query of his, asking the
    opinions of this versus the Grizzley 8x18 lathe.

    Date: Tue, 23 Nov 1993 09:40:15 CST
    From: <U39466%UICVM@UIC.EDU>

    I own a 7 x 10 mini-lathe offered by Harbor Freight.  First, the
    good points.  Compact size useful for relatively large turnings...easy
    to move/store....tight headstock bearings....nice 3-jaw Yamakawa (japanese)
    chuck....good cross-feed and compound feed...good accuracy overall...
    Mt2 tailstock compatability...fun to use...3/4" hole in spindle....
    quiet without feed engaged....relatively easy to set-up tooling...
    cuts threads.....has chip tray...uses cheap 3/8 tooling.

    Now for the down side....motor on mine with a Dremel speed control
    substituted for the factory setup has good high-speed power but is
    lacking in low-speed torque....my set-up produces surges of rpm
    occasionally... newer version appear to have 2-speed setup that may help...
    HF parts supply is limited....I could not get jaws for the chuck (I need
    inside gripping because they were missing..used equipment!)...feed
    screw is poorly mounted/designed and uses up a lot of available
    power.....split nut on carriage is prone to disengage...the motor is
    120V DC fed by a rectifier and that may be part of my problem..
    manual carriage feed wheel/mechanism is not smooth and perhaps
    needs bushed.

    Overall, I love it because I bought it used needing some repairs
    for $95.  Enco in Chicago now offers it for $1000.  They are more
    reputable than HF IMHO.  They also cannot provide my jaws or a
    specifically designed 4-jaw.  If I paid $800 I would want the
    split-nut and RPM/POWER problems completely eliminated.  After
    my initial $95, I have spent about $65 for a live center and tools
    from Enco.  I use it weekly and am learning a lot.  A friend who
    is a lathe operator has used it and is impressed.  I hope this helps.
    If you buy one and find solutions/parts, keep me posted.

         Gordon Pari


    Date: Tue, 23 Nov 93 14:48:23 -0800
    From: Greg Saville <gregs@sequent.com>

    Just one comment, if you end up ordering the Harbor Freight one, DON'T
    order the $43.00 threading gear set.  Though it's not clear in the
    catalog, it already DOES come with the lathe (unless you order the
    ~$550 version that says same as above, but without threading
    capability.) Thinking I needed it to do threads, I ordered it too and
    now have two sets of threading gears.  I suppose I could have returned
    one set, but didn't bother.

    I've enjoyed the lathe, have been pretty happy with it, but have no
    other experience to be able to compare it to any other like the Grizzly
    you're also looking at.

    gregs

    Date: Tue, 30 Nov 93 14:18:01 EST
    From: fisher@gaas.enet.dec.com

    I purchased one of these mini-lathes this summer.

    Since then I have read a few books and learned much about lathes.

    If I had to do it over again I would purchase the Grizzly "8"x18" Lathe
    you mentioned.  I kinda like the mini-lathe for 1) the size and 2)
    the variable speed motor.  What I don't like is 1) Support (I had
    a bent shaft on my cross slide and called them back within 48 hours
    after receiving the lathe and I still haven't received the replacement
    part - I think they ordered it from Korea.), 2)  It is sufficiently
    non-standard that Nobody makes a 4 jaw chuck for it or any other
    bolt on accessories such as a steady rest or a follow rest.

    But it seems to work and I have been having fun with it and learning.
    The size is great - I just finished cutting about 50 brass port holes
    for a model tub boat.

5.  Where do I buy a machine?

    Check out the Yellow Pages, the ads in the magazines, and catalogs
    from the "names and addresses" section elsewhere in this FAQ.
    For example:

      Blue Ridge Machinery and Tools, Inc
      Alley Supply Company
      Enco
      Grizzly


From jimkirk@news.uwyo.edu Mon Oct  3 21:41:43 EDT 1994
From: jimkirk@news.uwyo.edu (Jim Kirkpatrick)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: FAQ part 2 of 8
Date: 3 Oct 94 03:14:02 MDT
Summary: Metalworking FAQ part 2
Keywords: FAQ
Organization: University of Wyoming - Laramie, WY
Lines: 640

This is the FAQ for rec.crafts.metalworking.  It is in several pieces
to keep the overall size of each part below the limits imposed by
some news systems.  This is part 2 of 8.

Generally, units below are United States dollars, degrees Fahrenheit,
and all the other silly backwards units we Americans still use.  Sorry.


The questions being answered in part 1:

0.  Where is this FAQ kept, and where are archives of the newsgroup?
1.  The original rec.crafts.metalworking charter.
2.  The CLOCKS bitnet mailing list, and other related lists.
3.  What are some good books and/or video tapes on metalworking?
4.  Who makes good lathes/mills/etc?
5.  Where do I buy a machine?

The questions being answered in part 2:

6.  What are good magazines to subscribe to?
7.  Where might one take classes or get instruction?
8.  Where can I get raw material for my projects?
9.  Where can I get tools, drill bits, etc.?
10. What are some of the related professional/hobby associations?
11. How do I harden/temper metal?
12  How do I wire up this strange motor?
13. How do I deal with mail-order suppliers?
14. How to sharpen knives, chisels, and other tools?
15. Some safety reminders.

The questions being answered in part 3:

16. How do I drill round holes?
17. What's TIG and MIG?
18. MIG welding technique.
19. Which MIG welder should I buy?
20. Books on welding.
21. Soldering/brazing topics.

The questions being answered in part 4:

22. What are bolt grades?
23. What is XYZ made of?
24. How do I build a furnace or forge?
25. What is Damascus steel?
26. How do I repair/replace this old leather belt?

The questions being answered in part 5:

27. Can I use a drill press as a cheap vertical mill?
28. What is involved in building a steam engine?
29. How do I anodize aluminum?
30. Rust!  How do I deal with rust?

The questions being answered in part 6:

31. Are there any machinery museums?
32. How do I cut metal?
33. What kind of oil should I use on my lathe/mill?
34. What are the various tapers (Morse, JT, R8, etc.)?

The questions being answered in parts 7 and 8:

35. What is Electric Discharge Machining (EDM)?
99. Names and addresses of publishers and suppliers
    (OK, so I got tired of re-numbering it every time a new
    question was added!)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6.  What are good magazines to subscribe to?


    - The Home Shop Machinist (HSM), "dedicated to precision metalworking"
      Published 6/year by Village Press (see addresses section), $24.50/year.
      Note that many back issues are not available, though most of the
      projects are available in the "Projects" book series.  Mostly
      techniques, no steam, some gasoline engine projects, many tooling
      projects.  Probably the best of the US magazines.  Some projects
      will span several issues.

    - Projects In Metal (PIM).
      Published 6 times per year by Village Press, $19.
      Only projects, no advertisements!  Each project is complete in one
      issue.  A "weak sister" to HSM, apparently started in part to handle
      overflow projects from HSM.  Earlier back-issues have been combined
      into a new book series called "Metalworking".

    - Live Steam Magazine.
      Published 6 times per year by Village Press, $31.
      Mostly trains, some techniques, some stationary engines, lots of
      history and club information.  Usually each issue has one stationary
      engine and two locomotive construction projects in various stages.

    - Model Engineer's Workshop
      Published bimonthly by Argus
      Described as the British version of HSM, and similar to the
      tool-oriented writing in Model Engineer.  U.S. subscription rate
      is $38.  More "packed" than HSM, and features the uniquely
      English way of doing machining (e.g., spending hours to
      make a cutter to make the cutter for gear cutting, when many of
      us in the US would just order the gear cutter and be done with it).

    - Modeltec.  "Machinist Projects of Beauty and Usefulness"
      Published by George R. Broad, 12 per year.
      P.O. Box 1226
      St. Cloud, MN 56302
      Phone: (612) 654-0815
      $31 per year ($38 in U.S. funds if outside U.S)
      Similar to Live Steam but not restricted to trains.  Lots of projects
      for railroad cars.

    - Strictly IC
      (IC stands for Internal Combustion)
      Published 6 times per year
      $24.25 (+$2.00 US foreign, WA residents add $2.00 sales tax)
      Robert A. Washburn, editor
      24920 43rd Avenue S.
      Kent, WA  98032

      Concentrates on construction of miniature internal combustion engines,
      and has a few classified ads, usually for engine castings.

    - Gas Engine Magazine
      P.O. Box 328
      Lancaster, PA  17603
      (717) 392-0733, (717) 392-1341 (FAX)

    - Model Engineer
      Published biweekly, about $80/year
      Argus Specialist Publications Ltd.

      The king of model machining magazines it has been around for about
      100 years.  Varied construction articles, lots on trains.  Some
      projects can take years to complete!  Extensive back-issues are
      available from Tee (q.v.), and we presume from Argus since they
      publish it in the first place!

      An index to back issues is available from:
      G.V. Wilkinson
      129 Springside Road
      Hillcrest 3610
      South Africa
      The index used to cost 30 pounds sterling, and is reportedly
      much better than Guy Lautard's.

      A computer-readable index is apparently available from Henri Larose,
      covering about 30 years (growing as he gets time to do more).  Cost
      is 30 UK pounds if in the UK, or $30 US if in the US.  Contact the
      author vie e-mail at 73114.3203@compuserve.com.  Or, his mail address
      is 211 Lanitos Ave, Sunnyvale Ca 94086.

    - Engineering in Miniature
      Published monthly, about $30/year.
      Tee Publishing

      Similar to Model Engineer, more steam traction engines.
      Has an extensive collection of back issues of this and other
      model magazines.

    - Clockmaker
      Published 6 times per year, around $30/year
      Tee Publishing
      Discusses how to build mechanical clocks, with many projects spanning
      several issues.  Big names like John Wilding write in this magazine.
      Classified ads for clockmaking supplies.

    - Workshop Masters
      Published by Tee, ceased regular publication in 1991.

    - American Machinist
      Penton Publishing
      1100 Superior Ave.
      Cleveland, OH 44114-2543
      (216) 696-7000, (216) 696-0177 (FAX)
      One of those free trade publications with lots of ads.

    - Metalworking Digest
      Gordon Publications, Inc.
      301 Gibralter Drive, Box 650
      Morris Plains, NJ  07950-0650
      (201) 292-5100, (201) 898-9281 (FAX)
      Another free trade publication with lots of ads.

    - Modern Machine Shop
      6600 Clough Pike
      Cincinnati, OH 45244-4090
      (513) 231-8020, (513) 231-2818 (FAX)
      Another free trade publication with lots of ads.

    - Horn & Whistle
      Richard Weisenberher
      2655 North Friendship, Lot #8
      Paducah, Kentucky  42001
      $18 per year.  Low budget, in that they publish anything people send
      in.  Some technology, some nostalgia, lots of stuff on meets where they
      get together and have "steam blasts."

    - Traction Engine Magazine

    - The Anvil's Ring
      This is the publication of ABANA (see below, associations)
      published 6 times a year; cost is $24 per year, or you get
      it as part of the $35 dues for joining ABANA.

    - Anvil
      Published monthly, about $30 per year
      See Centaur Forge, elsewhere.

    - American Craft (bi-monthly) (jewelry)
      published by the American Craft Council
      40 West 53rd St.
      New York, NY 10019
      (212)956-3535
      Current work in metal, clay, glass, wood, textiles, mixed media;
      featured artists, calendar of events.

    - Metalsmith (quarterly) (jewelry)
      published by Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG)
      5009 Londonderry Drive
      Tampa, FL 33647
      (813)977-5326, (813)977-8462 fax
      Jewelry, techniques, featured artists, current exhibits

    - Ornament (quarterly)
      P.O. Box 2349
      San Marcos, CA 92079
      Jewelry (metal and beads) and textile/fiber art

7.  Where might one take classes or get instruction?

    This depends on several factors, mostly where you live.  Good places
    to check out include community colleges (universities sometimes will
    have classes in metalworking, but perhaps only for already-enrolled
    students or faculty/staff).  Sometimes a high school will offer night
    or weekend classes to the public, funding permitting.  Also look for
    vocational/technical schools, and possibly even art schools since some
    metal sculpturing requires a firm background in welding.  In a few cases
    there may be specialized schools in your area, so check your yellow
    pages or ask around.

    Some examples:  John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown NC
    (800) 562-2440, Craft Center in Ripley WV.

    Some schools also offer room and board and/or campground hookups.

8.  Where can I get raw material for my projects?

    The Yellow Pages are often a good place to start.  Also,
    the advertisements in magazines like Home Shop Machinist.

    Another way is to go find your nearest junk yard and/or metal recycling
    business and scrounge around.  Make friends with a machinist at the
    nearest mining operation and ask for their throwaway "scraps".  Order
    from a supply company (see ads in the magazines, and/or the "names
    and addresses" section elsewhere in this FAQ).

    Sometimes you can discover a creative re-use.  For example, buy a few
    old aluminum automotive pistons, perhaps from your junk yard or a
    garage that rebuilds engines.  Cut off the top and clean it up on your
    lathe.  Now you have a nice round blank to start some project with.
    Similar discoveries should be posted to the newsgroup!

    Some of the magazines have ads for small "garage" shops that produce
    specialized castings.

9.  Where can I get tools, drill bits, etc.?

    Many of the places that sell equipment also sell tools
    but there are also outlets that only sell accessories such as
    lathe bits, drills, taps, and so on.  Scan the "names and
    addresses" section elsewhere in this FAQ.

10. What are some of the related professional/hobby associations?

    ABANA - Artist Blacksmiths Association of North America
    PO Box 1181
    Nashville, Indiana 47448
    (812) 988-6919
    Dues are $35 per year, which also includes their publication
    "The Anvil's Ring" (see earlier, magazines)

11. How do I harden/temper metal?

    This is a *huge* subject, and depends on the metal, and intended use.
    Most of the time, this question is asked regarding steel, so we'll
    give a brief description of that, based on an article in Home Shop
    Machinist (Sept/Oct 1991, "Heat Treating Basics" by Steve Acker).

[Also thanks to Steve Gaudio (?) for his post of 18-Sep-1992,
 and clarification by Tim Eisele]

    Iron will, at common temperatures, organize itself into an atomic
    structure that is called "body centered cubic."  This consists of
    overlapping cubes with an atom at each corner, and one more in the
    center of the cube.  But above roughly 1400 degrees F there is a
    change in structure to "face centered cubic" and the central atoms
    migrate to the faces of the cubes.  This latter form is not magnetic.

    Steel is basically iron with some carbon mixed in, though modern
    alloys have various other metals and substances as well.  When
    steel is heated to the critical temperature (about 1400 degrees F),
    the iron will change to face centered, and the carbon atoms will
    migrate into the central position formerly occupied by an iron atom.
    This form of red-hot steel is called austentite.  Since it is not
    magnetic, a magnet may be used to determine when the critical
    temperature has been reached (though the magnetism may be lost
    before the transition, so this is only approximate).  Complete
    migration of the carbon atoms may take a minute or two.

    If you let this cool slowly, the iron atoms migrate back into the cube
    and force the carbon back out, resulting in soft steel called pearlite.
    If the sample was formerly hard, this softening process is called
    annealing.

    If you cool (quench) the sample suddenly by immersing it in oil or
    water, the carbon atoms are trapped, and the result is a very hard,
    brittle steel.  Too brittle for most uses.  The structure is now a
    body centered tetragonal form called martensite.

    So, the next step is to heat it back up, to between 200 and 800
    degrees F or so, depending on the desired end hardness.  This allows
    some of the hardness to relieved and is called tempering.  The
    amount of tempering that is desirable depends on the final use.
    Cutting tools are very hard, knife blades less so because they
    must flex under use rather than break.  Tempering is a trade-off
    between hardness and flexibility.

    Accurately measuring the tempering temperature is important.  A
    nice, expensive thermostatically-controlled oven is great.  Or,
    some special compounds can be applied that melt or change color at
    the right temp, such as Tempilstik and Tempilaq.  If the steel is
    clean to start with, then you may notice that it goes through
    certain color changes as it heats up, with understandably vague
    descriptions such as "light straw" indicating about 440 degrees F,
    and purple=520.  These colors are not incandescence colors, but
    are viewed in normal room light.  The colors are due to types of
    surface oxidation that are temperature dependent.

    When quenching, it is often very important to avoid stirring a
    part because this will cool one side much more quickly than
    the other, and might cause warping.  For knife blades, as an
    example, move it strictly up and down during the quench.

    Case hardening is a bit trickier, and involves heating the object in
    some sort of agent that promotes hardening at the surface.  Liquid
    cyanide works well but should be out of the question for the home
    machinist.  Luckily there are substitutes available from suppliers,
    one being called Kasenit, for example.  Note that hardness is
    often measured using a "Rockwell C" scale, with 63 being very hard
    and 35 being fairly soft.

    A type of steel called "drill rod" is especially useful for home/hobby
    use.  As its name implies, it is the type of steel used for drills,
    and is available is round or square form (square drills?).  Drill
    rod is also very useful around the shop because it is usually made
    to very accurate dimensions.  Some types of drill rod are formulated
    for hardening via heating then quenching in oil, while others are
    quenched in water.  The difference is that water will cool more quickly
    because it's a good conductor (though it may also form a steam "jacket"
    that moderates this effect), while oil will cool more slowly.  Since
    rapid cooling may warp a part, this could make a difference in the
    final product.

    There is also an "air hardening" steel, though it seems to be
    quite a bit more expensive than other steels.

    It has been reported, by way of example, that you can make springs
    out of hacksaw blades by annealing, bending, hardening, then tempering
    by heating to a "metallic blue" and quenching in oil.  I suspect lots
    of experimenting may be in order before you get things just right.
    Remember the steel must be clean (no paint etc.) to see the colors.

    Quenching in oil may be a fire hazard.  Take proper precautions, such
    as removing flammable materials from the area, wear proper clothing,
    and have an extinguisher handy.  Even quenching in water presents
    the risk of scalding from steam or splattered water.

    As one newsgroup reader pointed out, not only are there a gerbillion
    alloys, but zillions of treatments to choose from, and this is just
    for steels.  Other metals, like brass, can be hardened by "working"
    the metal, by bending, hammering, peening, etc.  Brass is usually
    annealed with a quench, which is the opposite of steel.

    It's best to carefully research your particular project first,
    especially if it's something that is valuable.

    A recent book, "Simplified Tool Steel Heat Treatment and Selection
    Guide" by Bill Bryson, may be of some help.
    $31.95 from Bill Bryson, Dept. HSM, RR 1, Box 4243, Union, NH 03887.
    I purchased this, and was surprised to spend $32 on 100 pages of
    loose-leaf pages.  The information is geared more towards the small
    commercial shop than the home shop, and thus deals with issues such
    as atmospheric control (using stainless-steel foil) and using accurate
    temperatures.  In the home shop, we usually read about methods like
    "hit it with a torch then drop it in a bucket of oil."  Bryson goes
    beyond this, discussing accurate methods that might be out of reach
    for some of us, but just barely.  He also has a chapter on cryogenic
    treatment, that can also be used in the home shop via dry ice.

    Power Model Supply recently (December 1992) listed two small heat
    treating ovens in an HSM ad.   2000 degrees F, 4x4x4 inch $330,
    6x6x6 $435.  Write them for more info or see the ad.


12. How do I wire up this strange motor?

    (with thanks to Bill Brown)

    The following describes how to deal with an AC/DC "universal" motor
    that has 4 unmarked wires coming out.  Be sure you don't have some
    other motor, such as a 3-phase unit.

    Other motors are covered in an FAQ for the newsgroup rec.woodworking.
    The FAQ postings (six of them) for rec.woodworking are normally posted
    around the first of each month, and possibly also posted to the newsgroup
    news.answers.  I can't say how long *your* news system will choose
    to keep these around!  Look for "Frequently Asked Questions about
    Electric Motors."  Also, the "Electrical Wiring FAQ" may be of
    interest.

    The universal motor is called that because it can run on AC or DC.
    Older units might have been designed this way because very early
    power distribution had not settled on AC or DC, or with 50 or 60
    cycles.  Thus, such a motor could be used universally, in all locations
    provided the voltage was within reason.  This still may be a concern
    with some on-site jobs feeding power tools from DC sources such as
    portable welding rigs.  Another nice thing about these motors is
    that they are easily reversible.  They are also easily speed-controlled,
    such as in hand drills, whereas induction motors prefer to run at or
    near synchronous speed.

    The first task is to determine which two wires go to the armature,
    and which go to the field winding.  If you can't tell by examining
    where the wires go (or the nameplate), get an ohmmeter and connect
    it to the wires until you find two that show some continuity.  Rotate
    the shaft slowly by hand and note if the resistance changes as you
    turn it.  If it does, you probably have the armature, and the
    fluctuations are due to the brushes making and breaking contact with
    the commutator.  The other winding (field coil) should show a steady
    resistance.

    Presuming you want the ability to reverse the motor, find a switch
    that can handle the rated current, in the double-pole-double-throw
    configuration with a center-off position.  The suggested hook-up is
    (as usual, a bad ASCII graphic):

                                 +-------------------+
     1                           |                   |
     2 ----------FIELD-------o<--O   o               A
     0  white                 \     /                R
                                \ /                  M
     V                           X                   A
     O                          / \                  T
     L  black                  /   \                 U
     T ----------------------o<--O   o               E
     S                           |                   |
                                 +-------------------+

     NOTE: no connection at "X";
           Include a green-wire frame ground if at all possible

    Avoid reversing the motor while it is moving in the "other" direction
    as this could severely stress the switch and motor (particularly
    the brushes).  Move the switch to the center (off) position, and
    continue on to the other direction after the motor has stopped.

    Please, always be careful when dealing with electricity.  If you
    don't feel comfortable and safe doing such a hook-up, find someone
    who can do it for you, or at least who can check what you're doing.


13.  How do I deal with mail-order suppliers?
     The following suggestions were offered by Stu Friedberg --

     Get the catalogs and know what you want.  There are often many
     sizes, models, and sources of an "X", so you need to know which
     particular X when you write and especially when you call to place
     an order.  Even the smallest industrial supply houses deal in tens
     of thousands of items, which means even very knowledgeable order-takers
     can't always give you the information you need over the phone.
     Reserve queries about details for stuff that you couldn't figure
     out for yourself.

     Many of the order takers are very helpful and knowledgeable.  At
     *SOME* sources the order takers can actually go look in the stock
     bins, take a micrometer to measure a shaft diameter, etc.  I have
     had people at three different companies do something like this for
     me.  However, some companies have computerized centralized order
     taking at a location completely separate from their stocking
     locations, so don't *assume* people can tell you anything that's
     not written in the catalog.  I've had one company tell me to just
     order a set of change gears and return them if I couldn't use them.
     This wasn't crazy, the order taker simply had no relevant information
     available.

     Get the catalogs and shop around.  Very often there are *big*
     differences in price between identical items, and even more often
     one source will have a unique or slightly different item at an
     excellent price compared to the "standard" item.  There are lots
     of reasons for this.  I have seen 2 to 1 price ratios on things
     like shim stock (from the same manufacturer) and "can't twist"
     clamps (from different manufactures but of equal quality).
     Occasionally, you will find 10 to 1 price ratios on things like
     boxes of hose clamps.  Great deals if you look around.  If you can,
     examine a tool at a local store (where the prices may be higher)
     to see what the quality is like, before placing the order by mail
     or telephone.

     You can also learn a great deal by perusing the catalogs, both
     about tools in general, and about specific details of specific
     tools.  There's seldom enough room in a catalog to print all the
     manufacturer's data, but different sources will select different
     stuff to print.  I have many times used one company's catalog to
     select the precise thing I wanted, then bought it from another
     company because the price was better.

     Most suppliers ship quickly if they have a credit card authorization.
     If they don't ship within two working days on a routine basis, shop
     somewhere else in the future.  One full working day is quite common.

     I have had only one bad incident in the 4 or 5 years I've been
     buying industrial stuff by telephone, and came through with no
     losses.  A supply company (which entered bankruptcy proceedings
     just a little while ago, by the way) charged my credit card for
     the full amount of my order, didn't ship for a month, and was
     completely clueless as to when they would ship my order.  That is
     intolerable, and protection against abuse like that is one good
     reason to use a credit card rather than sending a check.  You don't
     need to sue to get your money back if the merchant doesn't come
     through.  (If it's not obvious, I got my money back and started to
     throw out that company's catalogs as they arrived.)

     Some industrial suppliers don't do back orders because it slows
     things down.  The stock pickers send what's in stock and mark out
     of stock items on the invoice.  This may be a little different from
     retail mail order sources you've dealt with in the past.  Contact
     them about what's in stock and when it's expected to be available.

     Be prepared to return an item.  Having to return an item because
     it was misshipped, defective, or of unsatisfactory quality is *NOT*
     an indictment of the supplier.  If you do enough shopping for
     industrial supplies, you will find that you have to do a partial
     return maybe 1 time in 5.  Don't get mad; don't get upset.  It's
     routine.  Industrial supply and consumer retail have different
     expectations about quality control.

     When you return an item, follow instructions.  Many, but not all,
     suppliers require you to contact them for a "return authorization"
     number, which you must write on the outside of the package.  You
     should include a copy of the invoice in the package.  This is *NOT*
     an opportunity for the supplier to screw you over.  This is a
     routine matter, and most of them just ask you to note on the invoice
     what was wrong and if you want credit, a refund, an exchange for
     something else, or whatever.

14.  How to sharpen knives, chisels, and other tools?
     This is actually a tricky subject, and beyond the scope of this FAQ.
     However, an excellent book on sharpening knives and similar tools is:

        The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening, by John Juranitch.
        1985 by Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-38002-4, $12.50

     This book can sometimes be found in the larger knife stores, such as
     frequently found in USA malls (e.g. Cutlery World).  It is a bit
     biased in that John also sells sharpening equipment, but the techniques
     are fundamental and can be used with competitor's equipment such as
     Lansky's.  Another source for the book is Knife World Books,
     (800) 828-7751 Ext 71.

     Sharpening drill bits has never seemed easy.  If you have lots of
     money, Darex makes drill and mill sharpeners, and Glendo's Accu-
     Finish line addresses simpler cutting bits (and they even re-sell
     some Darex tools in conjunction with their grinders).  Black and
     Decker reportedly make a decent drill sharpener (1/8" to 1/2")
     for around $250.

     Some of the magazines will print articles from time to time on
     sharpening, and/or building sharpening equipment.

15.  The following text on safety was donated by Gary Preckshot:

     The forces involved in metalworking machinery are far higher than most
     people expect.  You can either be struck by shrapnel or pulled into
     a machine by being caught by a moving part.  There are several rules that
     reduce these hazards:
      a) Don't wear loose clothes, ties, unsecured braids, or jewelry.
      b) Turn off machines and *WAIT* for rundown before approaching the
         working area.  You'll spend a lot more time in an ER than you'll ever
         save by jumping in right away.
      c) Don't snap chips using a shop towel.  Use a brush or air.
      d) Don't mess with long chips curling off a turning.  If you get build
         up, stop the machine and remove the chips wearing leather gloves and
         using pliers.
      e) Keep power transmission belts of any kind isolated and guarded.  Flat
         leather belts are especially hazardous because they tend to be
         unguarded on crowned cone pulleys.

     If in doubt, add more clamps.  If in doubt, chuck more deeply or use a
     collet.  A turning that comes adrift can damage both the lathe and you.
     A workpiece that shifts can damage both the mill and you.

     Stuff gets hot when cut.  Let it cool before picking it up.

     Metal cutting generally leaves a sharp burr.  Break the edges with a
     file or a de-burring tool before you release the work for general
     handling.

     Don't let kids, wives, husbands, girlfriends, or boyfriends close to
     metalworking operations without training or close supervision.

     Chips are extremely sharp.  Long, curled chips from lathe turnings are
     especially dangerous because kids, wives, husbands, girlfriends, or
     boyfriends see only how pretty they are.  You can get a very deep cut
     by handling such chips with your hands.  Have a system for removing
     and storing chips.  Use it regularly.

     Use eye protection - ALWAYS.

     Beware of fascination.  Metal cutting tools flash and glint as they spin.
     An unwary person may reach toward the pretty, shiny tool.  This is
     no joke.  It happens.  Then you take a trip to the local ER.

     Don't watch welding without adequate dark glass filters.

     You can get a tan in 2 minutes and a burn in five on any exposed
     skin close to arc welding.  It doesn't hurt for about 3 hours, but
     then it hurts for days.  Cover up.

     Don't play with air.  Not only can it inject chips (by blowing them)
     into your body, but it can inject oily air as well.  Sometimes right
     through the skin.  Air is no joke.

     In general, no horseplay in the shop.  Banish anybody who can't
     understand this simple rule.  This is one place where absolute
     dictatorship is better than democracy.

     Take your time.  You'll save on rework time, machine repair, and
     medical costs.


From jimkirk@news.uwyo.edu Mon Oct  3 21:41:46 EDT 1994
From: jimkirk@news.uwyo.edu (Jim Kirkpatrick)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: FAQ part 3 of 8
Date: 3 Oct 94 03:14:07 MDT
Summary: Metalworking FAQ part 3
Keywords: FAQ
Expires: 31 Oct 94 03:14:07 MDT
Organization: University of Wyoming - Laramie, WY
Lines: 597

This is the FAQ for rec.crafts.metalworking.  It is in several pieces
to keep the overall size of each part below the limits imposed by
some news systems.  This is part 3 of 8.

Generally, units below are United States dollars, degrees Fahrenheit,
and all the other silly backwards units we Americans still use.  Sorry.


The questions being answered in part 1:

0.  Where is this FAQ kept, and where are archives of the newsgroup?
1.  The original rec.crafts.metalworking charter.
2.  The CLOCKS bitnet mailing list, and other related lists.
3.  What are some good books and/or video tapes on metalworking?
4.  Who makes good lathes/mills/etc?
5.  Where do I buy a machine?

The questions being answered in part 2:

6.  What are good magazines to subscribe to?
7.  Where might one take classes or get instruction?
8.  Where can I get raw material for my projects?
9.  Where can I get tools, drill bits, etc.?
10. What are some of the related professional/hobby associations?
11. How do I harden/temper metal?
12  How do I wire up this strange motor?
13. How do I deal with mail-order suppliers?
14. How to sharpen knives, chisels, and other tools?
15. Some safety reminders.

The questions being answered in part 3:

16. How do I drill round holes?
17. What's TIG and MIG?
18. MIG welding technique.
19. Which MIG welder should I buy?
20. Books on welding.
21. Soldering/brazing topics.

The questions being answered in part 4:

22. What are bolt grades?
23. What is XYZ made of?
24. How do I build a furnace or forge?
25. What is Damascus steel?
26. How do I repair/replace this old leather belt?

The questions being answered in part 5:

27. Can I use a drill press as a cheap vertical mill?
28. What is involved in building a steam engine?
29. How do I anodize aluminum?
30. Rust!  How do I deal with rust?

The questions being answered in part 6:

31. Are there any machinery museums?
32. How do I cut metal?
33. What kind of oil should I use on my lathe/mill?
34. What are the various tapers (Morse, JT, R8, etc.)?

The questions being answered in parts 7 and 8:

35. What is Electric Discharge Machining (EDM)?
99. Names and addresses of publishers and suppliers
    (OK, so I got tired of re-numbering it every time a new
    question was added!)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

16.  How do I drill round holes?

     In May 1993 the following question was posted. This brought a lot of
     useful suggestions for a problem often seen ...

     Subject: I can't drill round holes

       I am trying to drill 1/4" holes in 3/32" mild steel with a H/S twist
       bit in a 12" Delta bench press.  The holes are not round.  They tend
       towards the triangular.  The piece I am drilling has a 1 1/4" square
       cross section.  The distortion is worst in the exit hole through the
       bottom of the member.  What is going on? Is there anything I can do
       to correct the problem?

     Morgan Hall gave the following shot as to how a simple twist drill
     manages to create a non-circular hole:

       Hint -- look at the rotor and housing of a Mazda rotary engine

       You can model the working end of a drill bit as a single straight line
       of finite length. If you fix one end and try to rotate it, the opposite
       end of the line sweeps out an arc.  (the drill flexes)  After about 1/3
       revolution, the stuck end breaks free and sweeps out another arc while
       the formerly free end sticks.  With alternate ends sticking, then
       breaking free, the arcs will form a kind of polygon with arcs of radius
       equal to the drill's diameter.  After the first cuts, the "corners" of
       the polygon tend to stop the sweeping cut for each drill flute.  The
       most common I've seen is the triangular hole, but other polygons are
       definitely possible.  I suspect that this occurrence is related to some
       sort of resonance in the drilling setup.

     The suggestions that followed may be useful to anyone trying to drill
     holes.  Some of them may qualify as 'obvious' but they're still worth
     bearing in mind...

     * Ensure the drill is sharp.
     * Make sure the work is firmly clamped
     * Don't try and run the bit too fast for the drill size and work material.
     * Don't force the feed rate; as with *any* cutting process, let the
       cutter do the cutting.
     * Keep as much of the drill in the chuck as possible. The more flexibility
       there is in the drill, the more likely you are to have problems.
     * When drilling thin material, it is often useful to provide some form of
       backing clamped to the work. This has the added advantage of keeping the
       burrs to a minimum.
     * The drill tip may need to be ground to a different angle, depending on
       the material being worked.
     * An undersize pilot hole is often a good idea. If you are drilling using
       a mark made with a centre punch and the tip of the drill is larger than
       the mark, you are unlikely to get accurate placement.
     * Don't forget to use a cutting lubricant
     * The quality of the hole is only going to be as good as the machine you
       are using will allow. If the drill spindle is sloppy, there may be
       nothing you can do about it.

     As a final comment, if you really want a round, accurately sized hole,
     you are unlikely to get it with a twist drill. Drill undersize and use
     a reamer if it's important.

17.  What's TIG and MIG?

     TIG - Tungsten Inert Gas

     A small torch with a tungsten electrode is used to make the arc inside
     an envelope of an inert gas, usually argon or some argon mixture.  A
     filler rod is manually introduced to complete the weld.  The resulting
     weld is very pretty and usually requires no further finish.  It is
     used mostly for welding sheets of mild steel, stainless steel or
     aluminum.  The better machines have a foot control and a high frequency
     arc starter.  Any sizable stick welder can be retro-fitted to do TIG
     welding, but without the foot control.

     MIG - Metal Inert Gas

     MIG and wire feed are the same thing.  In this process, a consumable
     wire electrode is fed from a spool to the torch where the weld occurs
     inside an envelop of pure carbon dioxide, pure argon or a mixture of
     both.  The weld continues as long as the operator has the trigger
     depressed and there is something to weld.  This process is very fast,
     easy to learn and results in fairly good looking (better with argon)
     and strong welds.  Most production welding of mild steel is now done
     with MIG welding.  There is no slag to chip, but there is a slight
     thin coating of a glassy material that probably should be wire brushed
     off before painting.  MIG welding can be used for thin or thick
     materials and is commonly used on mild steel, stainless and aluminum.
     Some common features of MIG machines are spot welding and stitch
     welding of sheet metal.

     There is a special wire called flux core that can be used in a MIG
     welder without the shielding gas.  This process leaves a slag coating
     that must be chipped off.  For most people on this group there isn't
     much use for flux core, as it was developed to reduce cost for large-
     scale welding where the cost of Argon starts piling up.

     There are fairly cheap 120 volt MIG welders that will only weld thin
     sheet metal.  A more practical 240 volt machine that will weld up to
     about .25 inch is about $1500-$2000 new, $800-$1200 used.  The machine
     I have will do MIG welding and stick welding, but most are MIG only.
     A machine that will weld .25 inch in a single pass will still weld
     thicker materials with multiple passes.

18.  MIG welding technique.

     (The following was submitted by James Swonger on May 4, 1993)

      The quality of a MIG weld is controlled by gas flow, the qualities of
     that gas, the "heat" and feed rate settings.  While getting a quality weld
     is less dependent on "touch" than gas or arc welding, it does depend on
     the right combination of the settable machine parameters.

      There are three modes of material transfer in a wire feed machine.  One
     is "blob mode", where the wire sticks, then melts locally, then breaks.
     This occurs at the lower end of the heat/wire feed range.  I say heat/feed
     rate as a ratio, because this pretty much determines which deposition mode
     you will see.  Blob mode welds are the lowest penetration and lowest
     transferre heat, because there's almost no real arc action, just mostly
     resistive heating of the wire and contact point.

      The second mode as you move up the range is a soft arc with the metal
     being pushed through it.  You'll recognize this mode when it happens;
     there's no more "wire push", the sound changes from a random snapping to a
     more uniform sizzle and everything just gets smooth.  This is what I
     consider the ideal mode.  The arc is stable but most of its energy is
     transferred into melting the fed wire and a localized area of the
     workpiece.  In this mode I see about 1/4" of heat affected zone around
     the weld (automotive sheet metal thickness), and by proper setting I can
     get perfect penetration which I define to be some backside protrusion but
     no sag or burn-through.  The handpiece ("gun") in this mode may have a
     buzzing feel to it but none of the bucking you get in blob mode.

      The third mode is when heat is much higher than the wire feed rate needs.
     This mode is akin to traditional arc welding, except with a fed wire.  The
     arc energy now is biased more into the workpiece, with attendant heating
     and penetration.  The wire still adds filler but there is more tendency to
     undercut, eat back and blow through especially on thin pieces.  In this
     high heat/feed mode the buzzing/sizzling sound is replaced by a more
     purely electrical arc sound (whispering/crackling).  This mode is
     desirable when welding pieces much thicker than the wire, especially when
     you haven't taken the bother of grinding proper chamfers and need to get
     penetration.

      Gas flow provides an important cooling effect. This is one reason why
     flux cored wire is harder to use on sheet metal; there's no place for the
     weld heat to go except the workpiece.  Argon, A75 and CO2 have different
     welding characteristics.  Argon will make the weld "sit up" higher, CO2
     gives the most penetration and A75 is in the middle somewhere.  Only Argon
     is suitable for aluminum; A75 is sort of marginal for stainless (leaves
     some carbon) but pretty ideal for general mild steel use.

      An adjustable regulator provides more latitude in balancing arc heat/feed
     and cooling.  A high flow of gas can reduce warpage while allowing faster
     material transfer.  I have a cheap preset flow regulator which is a
     compromise setting, compromise price type deal.

      To minimize panel warpage you must apply some technique as well.  The MIG
     machine does not eliminate the need for skill; it just lets you apply your
     attention to more important things and lets you slide on some of the
     basics.  Warping results from too much differential heating and expansion
     in the workpiece.  By understanding the material and equipment you can
     keep this from being a problem.

      Duty cycle is one simple way of further reducing overall heat input.  By
     welding in short, spaced beads you can join panels without overheating
     any large areas.  First the piece should be "tacked" every few inches,
     with bead lengths of 1/2" or so.  Make several passes after that, filling
     in the gaps bit by bit and not working any one region for long.  The
     workpiece's thermal spreading will cool the small HAZ (*) pretty quickly
     if the total heat deposited remains small.  A spot cools much more rapidly
     than a line.

      The edge of a thin metal piece presents a special case, a "boundary
     condition" which behaves differently than the bulk.  With half the heat
     dissipation ability of the bulk, the edge will tend to burn back, distort
     and so on.  This can be addressed by reducing heat (although this may
     force you into running blob mode), by different choice of metal overlap
     configuration and by carefully running the arc.

      A true butt joint in thin material is difficult to make.  A -perfect-
     butting is hard to do on formed sheet metal, and any gaps will tend to
     enlarge in the welding process.  For this reason a lapped weld is often
     preferred.  A panel can be flanged to let the two pieces overlap but
     keep the final surface flush.  The flange provides a backup as well in
     case of erosion of the edge on the top piece.

       =========\\W++++++++++++
                 \\====

     A second sort of joint is a butted-V which protects the edges as the weld
     hits the sidewalls without necessarily reaching the bottom of the groove.

     --------\WW+++++++++
                    \+

      Places like Eastwood sell specialty tools for making both types of
     flanges on sheet metal.  Of course, you need to be careful not to cause
     deformation from the flanging process itself.  I have made my own flanging
     tool for the first form out of an extra pair of Channel-Loks with extra
     jaw material brazed in and ground to shape.  The Eastwood tool is
     Vise-Grip based and looks like it's a bit better as far as force required
     to make the flange due to the compound action.  I think a pair of beat up
     sheet metal shears might be a better basis for making a new one.


     (*) HAZ = Heat Affected Zone; the area where you see thermally-induced
     material changes in the workpiece.  This is basically the extent of any
     visible surface discoloration when using the MIG, although if you run the
     gas after stopping the arc you may not even be able to see anything
     because oxygen is excluded.  If you remove the gas and arc together you
     will get the normal thin oxidation layer like you see when grinding or
     heating to temper.  The outside of the blue oxide region is the periphery
     of the HAZ, although the material effects there are probably negligible.

     --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The following was submitted by mrehmus@cup.portal.com

      Use of MIG for body work.  A bad idea fostered on us amateurs by our
      ignorance.  If you look at the available wire for MIG, you don't find
      anything much softer than S60 or higher wire.  In general, the higher
      the yield strength of metal, the harder it is to work.  (Try forming
      tool-steel as a test).  The weld bead left by a MIG is very hard
      relative to the body sheet metal and is almost impossible to work.
      It also cracks very easily even if one trys to anneal the metal in
      the weld.  In restoring a 1967 Mercury Cougar I finally had to teach
      myself hammer welding using a welding torch.  The results were much
      better!!
        1.  The seam is the same thickness as the parent sheet metal.
        2.  The seam is as soft or softer than the parent sheet metal.
        3.  The seam and the surrounding sheet metal are easily worked to
            remove any defects caused by the welding process.
      Should anyone want to equal the hammer welding process but with an
      electric source of heat, TIG is the only way to go.  The filler metal
      selection is much, much wider and the TIG can be run way down to 10 amps
      or so which would probably let you weld aluminum foil if you wished.
      Oh yea, in the professional welder's world, the common opinion is that
      a TIG weld is superior to MIG.

      So why do the professional body shops like the MIG?  It is necessary for
      the welding of high-strength steel that is commonly used in the
      structural parts of the modern automobile.  Not, I repeat, NOT for the
      external sheet metal.  The external sheet metal (the part we can see) is
      still mild steel because of the expense and difficulty of making sheet
      metal forming dies that would last and give good results with
      high-strength steel.  Remember that body shops replace whole panels,
      they rarely "patch" a panel.  The high-quality restoration shops use
      TIG or (usually) a torch and hammer welding.

      GOOD video tapes to know about:

      "Learning MIG Welding" by SIP
      "Hammerwelding Techniques" by Car Guy Videotapes
      "Patch Panel Installation" by Car Guy Videotapes

      I have watched these tapes many times, always learning more at every
      session.

      The tape on MIG welding uses a good visual filter technique to show every
      type of weld puddle.  After viewing the tape, my MIG welding has been
      much better.

19.  We frequently see "What should I buy" questions; one example
     is "What MIG welder should I buy?"  There is no definite answer,
     and the prospective buyer should read the other entries in this
     FAQ regarding welding.  What follows is an example of such a
     question and the answers received (June, 1993).  We claim no
     responsibility for correctness or liability for your money!

     Keith King asked:

      I'm looking at the purchase of a MIG welder for auto body repair and
      other light welding jobs around the homestead and I don't have much
      background on this type of equipment.

      The models I'm looking at are the Lincoln SP-100 and the Miller 130.
      Both models are 110v portables.  The Miller has a higher rating but
      I'm not sure if that's critical for my applications.  The Lincoln has
      the advantage of having infinitely variable power output vs. stepped
      output for the Miller and the salesman said the gun on the Lincoln
      was a "Tweako?" whatever that means.  Both units are similarly
      priced/warranted etc.

      Century has a bunch of lower priced, shorter warranty, cheaper looking,
      MIG welders.

      Does anyone have any experience/opinions on these welders or other MIGs
      to help me make a more informed purchase.

     Jim Narem answered/asked:

      I'm also interested in MIG welders for sheet metal and roll bar
      work.  I've used the Italian made SIP 110V MIG unit.  It works; it was
      worth $100 (purchased at some close-out sale) but not the $350 that
      places want retail.  It's tough to get parts; even the tips have to be
      ordered.  The wire feed mechanism sucks.

      I've seen some new Lincoln's on the market; both are wire feed
      welders with optional MIG kits as opposed to the SP-100 and SP-130
      which are purpose build MIG units.

      Lincoln Weld-Pak 100, 88 amp, 18V @ 20% duty, 110V, $354 w/MIG kit.
      Lincoln Weld-Pak 125, 130 amp, 20v @ 30% duty, 220V, $556 w/MIG kit.
      (Prices are Connecticut Home Depot, tax bandit not included)

      The MIG kits are about $80 each, they have a gas flow regulator,
      solenoid and (I think) a different gun.

      Does anyone have any experience with these welders?  They seem cost
      effective compared to the SP-100 and SP-130 but I'm nervous since
      Lincoln seems to be releasing some home/consumer grade equipment (like
      their new AC arc welder with the cheezy variable amperage control).

      There are also several Century MIG units commonly available at large
      home improvement shops (yup, WELD on that new addition).  I've used
      their AC/DC arc welder and was impressed with its cost/performance.
      Has anyone used any of the Century MIGs?

     Ken Clarke answered:

      I took an evening welding class at a technical high school (10 weeks)
      and got to try various types of welding (stick, MIG, TIG, and
      oxy/acetylene.  Also got some good tips on safety, and on how to by a
      MIG welder.

      The instructor spoke of the "big three" in the welding business
      (Miller, Lincoln, and Hobart). He was a confirmed "Miller" man, but
      we used Lincoln (and Airco) welders in the tech. school. I now think
      that it makes sense to buy whatever you decide to buy at your
      favorite welding supply store. The guys there have lots of good
      advice and if you go with one of the big three, you will not have any
      problem getting parts and consumables for your welder.

      I looked around for a while and compared the 110v portable welders by
      Lincoln and Miller and Hobart. My favorite welding supply house was
      having a "package deal" that included the Hobart Handler 120.
      Included in the package was the welder, a 2 lb. spool of .024 wire, a
      Jackson welders mask with the 4x5 face plate (get a number 10 shade),
      a *good* pair of welders gloves, a 55 cu. ft. tank of shielding gas
      (C25 which is 25 percent CO2 and 75 percent Argon), a dual-gauge
      regulator and connecting hose. This was about 1.5 years ago and I
      believe I paid $625 for the package.

      The Hobart has been great. It works fine on auto body panels and I
      have also done work on exhaust systems, mailbox posts, minibike
      mufflers, lawnmower parts, and am finishing up a trailer axle for a
      friend this weekend.

      So, I guess I'm advocating the Hobart, but if you can get a good deal
      on the Miller or the Lincoln, those would probably be fine, too.

      A few of the features on the Hobart that I liked were:

      1. A "purge" feature, that allows you to set the flow rate on the
         shielding gas without spooling out wire.

      2. The wire feed mechanism that lets you set the tension on the drive
         wheel but also lets you change wire spools without moving the
         setting.

      3. The ergonomics of the unit, the way the wire spool goes in, the
         way the lid hinges down (not up like the others).

      4. Five year warranty on power diodes and SCRs, three years on major
         components and one year on parts and labor.

      I would stay away from the Century welder. I don't think it has the
      quality of the "big three". I think you would have trouble getting
      parts, probably would have to order them. All parts for the big three
      can be had at local welding supply houses, in-stock. Also, the
      "Tweeko" comment is referring to the gun end of the welder. I hear
      that it's supposed to be a very common industry-standard type of part.
      Parts for the Tweeko handle/gun should be available at any welding
      supply house.

     Jim Swonger answered:

      "Tweako" is actually Tweco, a manufacturer of MIG and TIG handpieces
      and such.  What this means is that parts are pretty readily available;
      they're everywhere.

      For sheet metal welding you'll run nowhere near the maximum heat setting
      on any machine.  On my 160 I'm down on "2" for heat.  The higher current
      machines of some of the cheaper brands need to be looked at carefully;
      some of them have -very- low duty cycles, leading me to believe that the
      critical parts are not much, if any, better than the cheaper models.

      The "purge" feature is good to have; however if you do not find a machine
      with it you can add it pretty simply. An auxiliary control switch for the
      solenoid valve is all it takes, in parallel with the relay that runs off
      the gun trigger.

      For serious sheet metal work spot and stitch modes are very nice
      amenities, allowing you to tack up a large piece with spaced short
      beads, minimizing distortion and allowing a fast, even hand motion.
      You can get by without it, but if it comes free or cheap...

     Quite a while later (26-Sep-1993), mrehmus@cup.portal.com wrote --

      I've owned a Century 90 amp MIG welder for 4 or 5 years now.  Never a
      problem with the unit and I've put three large reels of 0.024" wire
      through it.  The one time I thought I had a problem the people at
      Century were very helpful.  Century may not be one of the "big three"
      but they have been around for a very long time (mainly they make many
      of the professional battery chargers sold in this country, so I'm told).

     ------------
     Other comments that have come up from various sources,
     especially Ken Clarke:

     Arc welders are often rated for a particular duty cycle, such as 30%.
     This means you can weld for about 3 minutes at full power, then you
     have to let the welder cool off for 7 minutes.  The cheap units are
     typically low duty cycle, where the professional units have a high
     duty cycle.  Also, units are often rated at a certain lower amperage
     where they can safely be operated at a higher percentage; for example,
     a 200 amp unit might be rated at 50 amps @ 100%, 100 amps at @ 60%,
     and 200 amps at 30%.  Look for some sort of automatic cutoff to
     protect your investment in case you get carried away.

     DC systems are nicer than AC systems, especially if you can reverse
     polarity.  AC systems splatter a bit more.  DC doesn't as much, and
     makes a nicer weld as a result.  Reversing polarity apparently can
     direct heat away from, or to, the workpiece; directing it away from
     a sheet metal weld can reduce warpage.

     Inverter models run off DC, or rectified line current.  Their
     portability is the main selling point, for field welding where 220V
     isn't available.  For the home or small shop, they are probably
     overkill.

     Large spools of wire, or other welding supplies, may corrode before
     they get used up in a hobby environment.  Dry storage is important
     to preserve them.

20.  Books on welding.  Courtesy of kenm@daffy.cac.washington.edu
     Here's a source of good and inexpensive welding books.
     A catalog is available from:

         Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation
         PO Box 17035
         Cleveland, OH 44117

     They list a couple of dozen titles. Here are nutshell reviews of
     the ones I've seen:

     Metals and How to Weld Them, 400 pg, $5.00

        A great book on the metallurgy of welding.  It's not a how-to-weld
        book, but instead answered the Why? type questions I've had for years.

     Principles of Industrial Welding, 384 pg, $6.50

        Your run-of-the-mill textbook.

     Design of Weldments, 464 pg, $7.00

        A text on the design of welded machinery etc.  There is a different
        book on welded structures.  Well worth it it you are designing
        your own projects.

     New Lessons in Arc Welding, 528 pg, $5.00

        Hard to describe - kind of a lab manual for a welding tips.
        Certainly worth the $5.

     Arc Welded Projects Vol 2, 272 pg, $5.00
     Arc Welded Projects Vol 3, 170 pg, $4.50

        Full of short (couple of page) descriptions of all kinds of
        rather ambitious projects - a tractor snowblower, log splitter,
        chariot, sailboat, woodstove, ....

     These are good books at any price, and great books at these prices.

21.  Soldering/brazing topics.

     There sometimes seems a fine line between soldering (several types,
     at that), brazing, and welding.  Here we try to shed some light on
     soldering and brazing.

     The following was contributed by Tim Kirby around 3/3/93 when the
     newsgroup was discussing the "true meaning" of silver soldering and
     the distinction between hard and soft solder.

     : Can anyone remember the "official" difference between
     : Hard & Soft solders ?

     While browsing for something else entirely, I found my copy of

     'Model Locomotive and Marine Boilers'
     [Argus Press, 1988, ISBN 0-85242-923-1]

     by Martin Evans (well known in the Model Engineering field, at least in
     the UK) from which I have gratuitously (and without prejudice) stolen the
     following extract for your contemplation.  As an aside, this is a useful
     book for those interested in designing and building boilers.

     Chapter 3, page 55: Silver Soldering and Brazing

     Soldering and brazing are processes which involve the joining of metals
     by the addition of molten filler metal of substantially different
     composition, at temperatures well below their melting point.  An important
     difference between silver-soldering and brazing or welding is that the
     brazing alloy or filler material must be drawn by capillary forces right
     through the mating joint surfaces, and not merely deposited at the edges.

     Soft Solders are generally accepted as including the alloys of low melting
     point up to about 400 deg. C.  They are usually based on Tin or Lead with
     small additions of antimony and sometimes silver.

     Hard solders, or silver-solders, are those alloys suitable for soldering
     which have melting points from 400 deg. C. up to about 800 deg. C. (see
     BSI 1845/1964)

     [for those who don't understand that reference, BSI is the British
     Standards Institute, similar in function to (for example) ANSI.
     BSI 1845 probably details this stuff in excruciating detail ;-) ... Tim.]

     Brazing alloys are alloys suitable for brazing (sic) which have melting
     points from about 800 deg. C. up to about 1000 deg. C.

     It should however be understood that there is no definite line of
     demarcation between silver-solders and brazing alloys.  The former always
     contain a proportion of silver, while the brazing alloys generally contain
     copper, zinc and sometimes tin.  Brazing alloys containing copper and
     phosphorus are also available but these are not recommended for boiler
     work.


From jimkirk@news.uwyo.edu Mon Oct  3 21:41:51 EDT 1994
From: jimkirk@news.uwyo.edu (Jim Kirkpatrick)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: FAQ part 4 of 8
Date: 3 Oct 94 03:14:11 MDT
Summary: Metalworking FAQ part 4
Keywords: FAQ
Organization: University of Wyoming - Laramie, WY
Lines: 602

This is the FAQ for rec.crafts.metalworking.  It is in several pieces
to keep the overall size of each part below the limits imposed by
some news systems.  This is part 4 of 8.

Generally, units below are United States dollars, degrees Fahrenheit,
and all the other silly backwards units we Americans still use.  Sorry.


The questions being answered in part 1:

0.  Where is this FAQ kept, and where are archives of the newsgroup?
1.  The original rec.crafts.metalworking charter.
2.  The CLOCKS bitnet mailing list, and other related lists.
3.  What are some good books and/or video tapes on metalworking?
4.  Who makes good lathes/mills/etc?
5.  Where do I buy a machine?

The questions being answered in part 2:

6.  What are good magazines to subscribe to?
7.  Where might one take classes or get instruction?
8.  Where can I get raw material for my projects?
9.  Where can I get tools, drill bits, etc.?
10. What are some of the related professional/hobby associations?
11. How do I harden/temper metal?
12  How do I wire up this strange motor?
13. How do I deal with mail-order suppliers?
14. How to sharpen knives, chisels, and other tools?
15. Some safety reminders.

The questions being answered in part 3:

16. How do I drill round holes?
17. What's TIG and MIG?
18. MIG welding technique.
19. Which MIG welder should I buy?
20. Books on welding.
21. Soldering/brazing topics.

The questions being answered in part 4:

22. What are bolt grades?
23. What is XYZ made of?
24. How do I build a furnace or forge?
25. What is Damascus steel?
26. How do I repair/replace this old leather belt?

The questions being answered in part 5:

27. Can I use a drill press as a cheap vertical mill?
28. What is involved in building a steam engine?
29. How do I anodize aluminum?
30. Rust!  How do I deal with rust?

The questions being answered in part 6:

31. Are there any machinery museums?
32. How do I cut metal?
33. What kind of oil should I use on my lathe/mill?
34. What are the various tapers (Morse, JT, R8, etc.)?

The questions being answered in parts 7 and 8:

35. What is Electric Discharge Machining (EDM)?
99. Names and addresses of publishers and suppliers
    (OK, so I got tired of re-numbering it every time a new
    question was added!)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

22.  What are bolt grades?

     We frequently see questions regarding bolt grades, so here's a partial
     list.  Please note that just because a bolt is grade 2 does not mean
     it will break easily.  Grading only refers to the minimum strength,
     not the maximum.  Thus, if a machine uses a soft bolt as a safety
     shear pin, and you happen to replace it with a grade 2 bolt that was
     actually manufactured to grade 8 specs (but was marked down because
     too many of the bolts in the lot failed, so the whole lot was marked down)
     you could create some serious problems.  Replace safety-related items
     with proper stuff!  Also beware of improperly-marked forgeries.  If
     your application is critical, test some samples or get certified
     hardware (not that readers of rec.crafts.metalworking are likely to
     be building interstate bridges or spacecraft, but it's worth saying).

     A note on "strength" which is actually a complex subject.  First,
     note that there is a maximum "dry" tightening torque, and that
     part of this torque goes to overcoming friction.  Thus, a lubricated
     bolt should be tightened to a lesser torque, as much as 1/2 the
     dry torque.  Note too that bolts are rated as to their minimum
     tensile strength (presumably before breaking) and also their
     "proof" load, which is I believe the maximum load they can be
     subjected to as proof of their being grade "n", but this load
     is higher than the maximum suggested operating load.  Thus, like
     automobile mileage figures, use these numbers for comparison only.
     I suggest reading the below-listed references before building any
     life-critical contraption.  And remember that tensile strength
     is not the same as shearing strength.  And note that there have been
     many scandals over the years involving manufacturers or distributors
     who certify hardware as high grade, incorrectly.

     John M. Peterson kindly typed this in on July 20, 1993, and I
     have added a few strength figures (jk):

     Taken from  Machinery's Handbook 23 , page 1286.
     Torque: see Pocket Ref, by Thomas Glover, page 250.
     Strength: Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, 7th ed.,
        page 8-35.  This also has a table of safe loads, as well
        as tensile and shearing strengths.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTM and SAE Grade Markings for Steel Bolts and Screws
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grade Marking           Spec.                Material
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        SAE - Grade 1        Low or Medium Carbon Steel
       No               ASTM - A 307         Low Carbon Steel
      Mark              SAE - Grade 2        Low or Medium Carbon Steel

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


     --  --             SAE - Grade 3        Medium Carbon Steel


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
        |               SAE - Grade 5        Medium Carbon Steel
                                               Quenched and Tempered
                        ASTM - A 409
     /     \
                        Min Tensile Strength: 105,000 to 120,000 psi
                        Proof load: 74,000 to 85,000 psi
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
        |               SAE - Grade 5.2      Low Carbon Martensite Steel
     \     /                                   Quenched and Tempered


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
        |
      -- --             SAE - Grade 6        Medium Carbon Steel
        |                                      Tempered

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
        |               ASTM - A 325         Medium Carbon Steel
                          Type 1               Quenched and Tempered
      A 325                                    Radial dashes optional
     /     \

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
        |               ASTM - A 325         Low Carbon Martensite Steel
     \     /              Type 2               Quenched and Tempered
      A 325


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        ASTM - A 325        Atmospheric Corrosion (Weathering)
                          Type 3               Steel, Quenched and Tempered
      A 325
      -----

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        ASTM - A 354         Alloy Steel,
                          Grade BC             Quenched and Tempered
       BC


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
        |               SAE - Grade 7        Medium Carbon Alloy Steel
                                               Quenched and Tempered,
    --     --                                  Roll Threaded After Heat
     /     \                                   Treatment
                        Min Tensile Strength: 133,000 psi
                        Proof load: 105,000 psi
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
        |               SAE - Grade 8        Medium Carbon Alloy Steel
     \     /                                   Quenched and Tempered
                        ASTM - A 354         Alloy Steel,
     /     \              Grade BD             Quenched and Tempered
        |               Min Tensile Strength: 150,000 psi
                        Proof load: 120,000 psi
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
       \/               SAE - Grade 8.2      Low Carbon Martensite Steel
     \    /                                    Quenched and Tempered
    \      /


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        ASTM - A 490         Alloy Steel,
                          Type 1               Quenched and Tempered
      A 490


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        ASTM - A 490        Atmospheric Corrosion (Weathering)
                          Type 3               Steel, Quenched and Tempered
      A 490
      -----


23.  What is XYZ made of?

     Metals

     1. What is Brass made of?
        Brass is a combination of copper and zinc, in approximately the
        ratio of 2/3 to 1/3, respectively.  Sometimes lead (about 3%) is
        added to improve machinability.

     2. What is Bronze made of?
        Bronze is usually made of copper and tin.  However bronze
        describes any bronze colored alloy even if it doesn't have any
        tin.  Various bronze alloys include silicon, manganese or
        phosphorus.  Mostly bronze is used for bearings.

     3. Steels
        Steel is a refined iron where the impurities carbon, silicon,
        sulphur and phosphorus are removed and then the iron is
        combined with carbon and/or chromium and/or nickel.  Various
        other metals may be added to create a nearly infinite variety of
        steel and steel alloys.  A few common steels are discussed
        below.

        a. What is CRS?  Cold Rolled Steel.

        b. What is HRS?  Hot Rolled Steel.

        c. What is HSS?  High Speed Steel.

        d. What is stainless steel?
           Stainless steel is low in carbon but has about 20%
           chromium.  Stainless has a beautiful finish but it is
           very hard to machine.

        Both CRS and HRS are mild steels.  Mild steels have a low carbon
        (<.3%) content and therefore can't be hardened.  CRS is formed
        (into bars, rods or angles ...) "cold" and therefore has
        internal stresses inside.  Because of these stresses, an
        intricate part, like a one piece crankshaft, or a heat treated
        part may distort.  CRS has a smooth surface, which requires no
        additional finishing.  The steel stock found in the hardware
        store or home improvement center is usually CRS.  HRS is formed
        hot so it does not have any internal stresses but it has a
        rough black scale surface.  HRS is a little cheaper, but CRS is
        easier to find.  HRS is used for welding, so a welding shop with
        steel stock would be a good source for HRS.  HSS is a carbon steel
        (0.3%<carbon<1.7%) that also contains tungsten.  HSS is used to
        make tool cutters (drills, taps, dies...).  HSS cannot be easily
        hardened or annealed in the home shop.  Drill rod and tool steel
        are also carbon steels that can be hardened and annealed in the
        home shop to machine custom tools.  But they cannot take the
        heat of, nor do they wear as well as HSS.

24.  How do I build a furnace or forge?

     Geoffrey Keyes posted this on August 26 1993, and it looked good enough
     to include in the FAQ.  JK

     Ok boys and girls, I'm going to attempt to put together what I know about
     propane forges/furnaces.  This may be somewhat rough since I am doing
     this extempore.  I'll be happy to answer any specific questions people
     may have.

     A disclaimer up front.  I am not an expert on these beasts and I am not
     responsible for any injuries, deaths, fires, unexplained explosions, or
     irate neighbors.  The following is what I have tried or seen tried.

     A little history.  I first saw one of these in operation at a North West
     Blacksmith Association (NWBA) novice class about six years ago.  Since
     then I have built three versions, Mk III is operating just fine today.
     I hope to be operating, part time at least, officially as Ravens Forge by
     the first of the year.

     Gas furnaces are commonly called forges.  In fact, a forge is open topped
     and a furnace is closed.  In my opinion an open topped version would lose
     too much heat to be valuable.  The two basic types I've seen have been
     1) The brick pile,
     2) The pipe or box.

     Basically, the furnace is a closed space, open at one or both ends, lined
     with insulation, with an inlet for air and gas to enter.

     THE BRICK PILE
     Just what the name suggests, is a pile bricks with a pipe stuffed in one
     side.  The bricks are stacked to provide an open space and the air inlet
     is inserted into the space.  A fan is attached to the end of the pipe
     and the gas line enters between the fan and the box.  The opening is
     covered by a stack of bricks which can be moved around to provide an
     opening big enough for whatever stock is being used.  Since I haven't
     mentioned it until now, these bricks are fire or refractory brick.
     Normal red brick will explode under the thermal stress and even fire
     brick will break down over time.

     The first brick pile I saw is still in use.  The problems with them are
     they leak flame and unburned gas though all of the joints and they
     generally lose too much heat for welding.

     THE PIPE
     This is what I am using today.  Same basic form, a closed box, insulated,
     with a pipe for the air and gas to enter.

     My furnace is a piece of 1/4 steel pipe, 16 in long, with a 1/4 plate
     welded on the back.  About half way down one side a piece of 1 1/2 in
     pipe is welded to the body.  There are two pieces of angle iron welded
     to the bottom of the case to keep it from rolling over and a shelf welded
     to the opposite side of the case from the inlet pipe.  I use the shelf to
     preheat steel and to keep my tea cup hot.

     Attached to the end of the pipe is a fan, in this case an old hair dryer.
     About midway between the fan and the case there is a hole drilled for the
     gas inlet.  I use two inches of insulation (on which more later) in the
     case and a pile of fire brick to close up the open end, with just enough
     space for my stock to enter.  The gas source is a 5lb propane bottle.
     The whole thing sits on the end of 55 gal drum.

     The air/gas inlet can be as simple as a piece of pipe or a complicated
     as you like, basically you're going to have to experiment with the size
     of the outlet end.  I put a twisted piece of steel in the end of mine
     to impart some swirl to the gas as it enters the furnace.  This works,
     but not as well as I would like.  Don't push the end of the tube to far
     into the furnace, since it will just burn off.  This is a sort of self
     correcting problem since if it is too far into the fire it will just
     disappear over time.

     I've got a valve on mine, between the fan and the gas inlet.  However,
     my fan is too wimpy for me to use the valve much.  The fan is blowing
     its heart out just keeping up.  My next modification will be a burlier
     fan.

     INSULATION
     The insulation used by most of the smiths I know is called KAOWOOL, which
     is a Johns-Manville product.  There is also INSWOOL made by A.P. Green.
     Both of these are spun ceramic blankets.  WARNING The ceramic fibers are
     fairly friable when the blanket is new and unheated.  I suspect that
     breathing them is a bad idea, so use a filter mask when building your
     furnace and during the first firing.  After that the surface gets hard
     and crusty and the problem seems to go away.

     Some smiths I read about have used castable refractory cements to build
     furnace bodies, but I don't have any direct experience with them.  Fire
     brick, KAOWOOL, and the like can be found under "Refractories" in the
     yellow pages or try ceramic supply houses.  I bought my first KAOWOOL
     from a ceramic supply.

     LIGHTING UP
     This is an exciting process.  First insert a burning piece of paper into
     the fire box, turn on the fan, then turn on the gas.  There should be a
     whump and then a burst of flame.  Now adjust the gas so that fire is not
     streaming out of every crack.  Give it enough time for the box to heat
     up (2-5 min) and off you go.

     SAFETY
     Propane is a flammable, heavier than air gas.  It will accumulate on the
     floor until it gets a spark.  Then it burns very fast.  If enclosed at
     all it will explode.  Check all of your valves and connections frequently.

     A regulator AND a blowback valve are a good idea.

     I got most of this info word of mouth and by trying it out myself.
     However, there are some publications that may be helpful.

     The summer 1991 Vol 5 Num 3 of Knives Illustrated has a pair of good
     articles on gas forges.

     ABANA
     P.O. Box 1181
     Nashville Indiana 47448

     This is the largest blacksmiths association in the US and is a source
     for all kinds of good stuff.  In particular they sell plans for a furnace.

     "A recuperative gas fired forge furnace"
     Sandia National Labs.

     I don't know what they charge for these plans anymore.

     W.L. Goddard
     473 Durham Ave.
     Eugene OR 97404

     Wayne writes a column for BLADE magazine and is an ABS Master Smith.
     He also used to sell a pamphlet of basic bladesmthing info including
     a section on gas furnaces.  I don't know if these are still available.

     As I said above, I am not an expert and am not responsible for any
     problems, injuries, or unexplained fires that might result from any of
     the above info.  On the other hand, I have used a furnace described above
     to forge and heat treat approximately a dozen knives with good results
     and no injuries or other accidents.  If there are questions or if things
     are not clear (almost a certainty) please feel free to contact me at

                keyes@monitor.wa.com

     Good forging

     Geoff Keyes
     Ravens Forge

     ----------------------------------------------

     Another recommended book is "The Complete Bladesmith" subtitled
     "Forging Your Way to Perfection", by Jim Hrisoulas.  ISBN
     0-87364-430-1, published by Paladin Press.

25.  What is Damascus steel?

     We often see the question "what is Damascus steel" and the next
     question, "how do I make it" or "where do I get it".  In an attempt
     to answer this question, I've put together several responses that
     have shown up in the past.

     ---------------------------
     From: johnri@saturn.wwc.edu (RICHARD ALLAN JOHNSON)
     "Damascus" steel is usually created nowadays when 2 materials with
     differing carbon content or differing properties such as high and low
     carbon or high carbon and nickel are forge welded together to form
     one solid billet.  My experience is that in general, Damascus does
     not stay shaving-sharp as long as straight carbon steel but when it
     dulls it leaves a microscopic saw edge that will cut flesh like
     nothing else.
     ---------------------------
     From: sfm1@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (SCOTT F. MASTROIANNI)
     Simply speaking, Damascus steel is an antiquated term popularly used
     to describe various pattern welded steels.  The term was originally
     used to describe steel from Damascus which had intricate and subtle
     patterns in it due to the way the steel was made and wrought -- the
     pattern was a by-product rather than a set goal.  These steels
     contain alternate layers of differing alloy steels that have been
     forge welded together into a single laminated billet.  Frequently
     these billets are then twisted or physically manipulated in some
     other manner and/or rewelded to other similar billets.  After this
     laminate steel has been formed into the final shape for which it
     had been destined, i.e. a knife, object d'art, etc. it is usually
     etched with some strong acid solution.  The etching process will
     affect the different alloys in different ways; some will etch deeper,
     producing a noticeable topography, and some will turn darker.  The
     effect is to produce a pattern in the steel of great contrast and
     beauty.

     A Damascus or pattern welded steel blade does not have to be any
     weaker than single alloy, and frequently it is as good if not better
     in all properties: edge holding, toughness, cutting ability,
     sharpenability.  It is usual practice to use a high carbon and a low
     carbon alloy as the constituents of a Damascus blade.  This unites
     the best of both worlds:  The high carbon steel grants the blade its
     cutting ability while the low carbon alloy adds to the toughness and
     shock resistance.  It is not necessary to use low carbon alloys at
     all.  Two high carbon steels with greatly differing trace element
     profiles can be welded to show patterns.  I have even read of 440C
     stainless being forge welded to tool steel -- this can't be an easy
     process though.  In addition, if the pattern in the blade is complex,
     and many of the laminations cross perpendicular to the edge of the
     blade, micro-serrations are formed which add to the cutting ability
     of a well-made Damascus blade.

     Wayne Goddard, a Master Bladesmith of the ABA and a colleague of
     Jim Hrisoulas (whose book I recommend for a much better treatise on
     this subject than I have given here), has a continuing program of
     testing the properties and performance of forged blades.  He has
     tested hundreds of blades, and found that well made pattern welded
     blades cut and hold their edges just as well as single alloy blades.
     The Damascus blades are usually much tougher than all but the
     strongest (52100 or 5160) single alloy blades.

     In addition to _The Complete Bladesmith_, I heartily recommend
     "The Blade" magazine to anyone interested in the latest developments
     in Pattern welded steel and knifemaking in general.
     ---------------------------------
     Robert Allen, rja@sun.com, wrote:

     I've had the opportunity to discuss Damascus manufacturing with
     Jerry Fisk and John Smith, two makers who do excellent Damascus.
     Let's see if I can remember the basics:

     "Damascus" as used by most makers today means a layered material made
     from a mixture of high and low carbon steels.  Makers differ the mix
     according to their pet mixes.  A billet of alternating layers is forge
     welded, then folded and re-folded to the desired number of layers.  I've
     been told that more than 200-300 layers is counter-productive, as at
     that point you start to get too much carbon migration between the layers
     and you end up with a homogeneous medium carbon steel.  The point of
     Damascus, I've been told, is that the high carbon component gives up
     a bit of carbon to the low carbon component.  When the blade is hardened,
     the high carbon component gets fairly tough, which gives you good edge
     holding, and the low carbon component gets a little harder.  The point
     of all this is that damascus is supposed to have a "micro-serrated"
     edge, which lasts a long time.  The theory as I understand it is that
     the low carbon component wears faster than the high carbon component,
     giving you an "aggressive" edge that can't be beat.  The two Damascus
     blades I have seem to bear this out, beyond what merely varying the
     the grit on a sharpening stone would do.

     After forging a Damascus blade, it is etched in one of several acid
     mixtures, which causes the pattern caused by the layering to emerge.
     Typically damascus is then blued to bring out the contrast between
     the layers.  Damascus is often modified by forming to create specific
     patterns in the steel.  Some makers have produced small American flags
     in the pattern.  Note that such patterns are produced strictly for
     the sake of art, not for performance.  Popular performance oriented
     patterns are ladder pattern (has ladder "rungs" the length of the blade),
     San Mai (various makers wrap a carbon steel layer between two damascus
     layers), random pattern, etc.  Some makers claim the different patterns
     offer different structural or cutting advantages.  The patterns are
     made by machining the billet or blade with the pattern, then re-heating
     and the material and hammering it flat, etc.  There is also cable Damascus
     which is forge welded cable.  Most makers I've spoken with told me their
     cable Damascus looked good, but wasn't as strong as the other Damascus.
     Cable Damascus has a unique reptile-scale type pattern.

     A good Damascus should OUT-perform straight carbon steel in most areas,
     but particularly in edge holding.  Some makers say their Damascus is
     not as springlike, and so the blades will not spring back as close to
     true as a carbon steel blade will, under a vise-bending test.  I've found
     that most famous makers are honest about their Damascus.  Tim (?) Winkler
     told me he makes Damascus strictly because it looks nice.  Wayne
     Valakovich (sp?) told me that his normal Damascus isn't as good as his
     carbon steel, but that his high-density Damascus is better.  Fisk and
     Smith both say their Damascus is better than their carbon steel in most
     regards, although it still is not as springlike as their high carbon
     blades.

     I've cut down small trees with a Fisk Damascus blade, with no apparent
     wear on the edge.  I have a Smith bowie which cuts through blue jeans
     with zero apparent effort.

     -------------------
     jschmidt@netcom.com suggests that knife blanks may be available from
     K & G Finishing Supplies, (602) 537-8877.  Also everything else you
     might need to finish a knife.

     Books that discuss Damascus steel, either historically or how-to:

      Custom Knifemaking
      10 Projects from a Master Craftsman
      Tim McCreight
      Stackpole Books 1985  ISBN 0-8117-2175-2
      7 1/4" x 9 1/4" 222 pg. paperbound  ($14.95, $20.50 in Ca. when I got it)

      A History of Metallography:
      The development of ideas on the structure of metals before 1890
      by Cyril Stanley Smith
      1960 -- The University of Chicago
      Library of Congress Catalog Number: 60-7243

      "DAMASCUS-USA" distributes a catalog.  It says on the cover
      "World leader in hand made forged-to-shape Damascus Cutlery Steel.
      More of our knives are in use world-wide than anyone else's."
      It looks like they mostly sell ready-made Damascus knives but there
      is a page where you can order Damascus Billets (Bar stock) in any
      size or pattern.  This apparently is a one-man operation, by
      Dr. Robert Charlton 919 482 4992.

      The book "The Complete Bladesmith" by Jim Hrisoulas has also
      been recommended.

26.  How do I repair/replace this old leather belt?

     A big problem with some lathes is that the drive belt, or
     one/some of the belts, are assembled with the lathe and are
     not meant to be replaced without disassembling the headstock.
     This is a task that is difficult at best.  Older South Bend
     and others use a flat leather belt, glued or stitched.  Newer
     lathes sometimes use a V-belt in the headstock to transfer
     power from one set of pulleys to a set of pulleys on the
     spindle.

     For V-belts, there is at least one linked replacement.
     Gates Rubber Company makes "Nu-T-Link" belting that can
     be cut to length, threaded into position, and joined with
     special T-pins.  The pins might get in the way, depending
     on the application, so be careful to check out clearances
     before you buy.  (ref: HSM Jan/Feb 1992 pg 6-7).  You might
     look in the yellow pages in your area for bearing/belting
     or other mechanical suppliers.

     Flat leather belts sometimes just start slipping well before
     they break.  One suggested fix was to apply "friction tape"
     to the pulleys, especially if they are polished.  It needs
     occasional replacement, but is cheap and easy.  Another fix
     is to apply some sort of belt dressing; one person suggested
     contacting New England Belting in Springfield MA.  They may
     also be able to supply a replacement.  Also try Hudson Belting
     in Worcester Massachussets at (508) 756-0090.  A non-leather
     replacement is called Texalon, made by J.E. Roads & Sons,
     2100 West 11th street, Wilmington DE 19899 (phone (302) 655-6513).
     It is sold through Hermance Machine Company, 178 Campbell Street,
     Williamsport PA 17701, phone (717) 326-9157, and possibly others.
     (ref: HSM March/April 1993, pg 8-9).  Texalon is cut to length,
     the ends prepared, and then glued.

     At least for Logan lathes, there is the manufacturer:
          Logan Actuator Co.
          4956 N. Elston Ave
          Chicago, IL 60630
          (312) 736-7500, (312) 736-6854 (FAX)

     I have also heard of stitching a brass cabinet hinge onto a
     leather belt, then assembling in place (as long as the hinge
     pin can be secured from dropping out!).

     Also, per a post 5/17/94, try Page Belting in Concord, New Hampshire.


From jimkirk@news.uwyo.edu Mon Oct  3 21:41:55 EDT 1994
From: jimkirk@news.uwyo.edu (Jim Kirkpatrick)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: FAQ part 5 of 8
Date: 3 Oct 94 03:14:15 MDT
Summary: Metalworking FAQ part 5
Keywords: FAQ
Organization: University of Wyoming - Laramie, WY
Lines: 581

This is the FAQ for rec.crafts.metalworking.  It is in several pieces
to keep the overall size of each part below the limits imposed by
some news systems.  This is part 5 of 8.

Generally, units below are United States dollars, degrees Fahrenheit,
and all the other silly backwards units we Americans still use.  Sorry.


The questions being answered in part 1:

0.  Where is this FAQ kept, and where are archives of the newsgroup?
1.  The original rec.crafts.metalworking charter.
2.  The CLOCKS bitnet mailing list, and other related lists.
3.  What are some good books and/or video tapes on metalworking?
4.  Who makes good lathes/mills/etc?
5.  Where do I buy a machine?

The questions being answered in part 2:

6.  What are good magazines to subscribe to?
7.  Where might one take classes or get instruction?
8.  Where can I get raw material for my projects?
9.  Where can I get tools, drill bits, etc.?
10. What are some of the related professional/hobby associations?
11. How do I harden/temper metal?
12  How do I wire up this strange motor?
13. How do I deal with mail-order suppliers?
14. How to sharpen knives, chisels, and other tools?
15. Some safety reminders.

The questions being answered in part 3:

16. How do I drill round holes?
17. What's TIG and MIG?
18. MIG welding technique.
19. Which MIG welder should I buy?
20. Books on welding.
21. Soldering/brazing topics.

The questions being answered in part 4:

22. What are bolt grades?
23. What is XYZ made of?
24. How do I build a furnace or forge?
25. What is Damascus steel?
26. How do I repair/replace this old leather belt?

The questions being answered in part 5:

27. Can I use a drill press as a cheap vertical mill?
28. What is involved in building a steam engine?
29. How do I anodize aluminum?
30. Rust!  How do I deal with rust?

The questions being answered in part 6:

31. Are there any machinery museums?
32. How do I cut metal?
33. What kind of oil should I use on my lathe/mill?
34. What are the various tapers (Morse, JT, R8, etc.)?

The questions being answered in parts 7 and 8:

35. What is Electric Discharge Machining (EDM)?
99. Names and addresses of publishers and suppliers
    (OK, so I got tired of re-numbering it every time a new
    question was added!)


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27.  Can I use a drill press as a cheap vertical mill?

     Sometimes people want to use a drill press with an X/Y table attached
     as a cheap vertical mill.  Will this work?

     Generally, yes, but you should not do this.  The bearings in a drill
     press are not designed for side loads.  This may cause premature failure
     of the bearings, and may also cause significant sideways deflection
     and wandering (if you must do this, don't expect finish-quality cuts).
     If you extend the spindle down very far towards the work, the deflection
     could be quite severe.  Mill spindles are more stout than drill spindles.

     In some presses, the chuck is held in only by a taper.  Side pressure
     could cause the chuck to fall out.  Some milling tools are not designed
     to be held by a drill chuck, or if your spindle does have a taper, the
     taper will be wrong (mills usually use either a Morse or "R" taper
     while drills often use a Jacobs taper; check this out before buying
     any tools).

     An X/Y table often does not come with finely-marked dials, and may in
     fact be quite inaccurate.  For coarse cuts this may be OK.  Note too
     that a real mill will have controlled Z-axis feed, while on a drill
     press this too will be quite rough to control.

     As for how big a cut you can make, or how accurate your setup will be,
     there is no consensus.  You'll have to set it up and try it.  Considering
     the bearing/deflection problems, moderately light cuts would be
     recommended.

     Speculation:  use end mills, not fly cutters (or at least avoid fly
     cutters, or be careful).  Depending on the setup, a cutter may enter
     the work, then due to the deflection the cutter might be driven into
     the work farther, jam, and break itself or the work.  An end mill cuts
     more or less continuously and might not have the same problem.

     Paul Amaranth <amaranth@vela.acs.oakland.edu> volunteered his experience:
       ---
       I have only machined soft materials (copper, plexiglass and other
       plastics).  I would not recommend using anything but very light cuts
       (if at all) in anything harder.

       As you would expect, I had a number of problems.  Fine vertical depth
       adjustments are difficult.  I set the quill stop at the desired depth
       and held it in place by hand.  You could move the table up, but most
       drill presses seem to use a fairly coarse rack and pinion for the table.

       I used an endmill, which worked fairly well.

       Any backlash in your x/y table will get you into a load of trouble.
       This may not be too serious if you're facing off a surface, but will
       cause lots of problems if you want to make slots or cutouts with any
       precision.  Backlash may also cause chatter.

       In summary: this works if it's absolutely the only way you can do it,
       you don't need a lot of precision and you're working with soft
       materials.  I got around these limitations by buying a real mill.
       ---
     Alternatives:  If you have a lathe, consider buying/making a milling
     attachment, if your work size and lathe will allow.  Consider buying
     an inexpensive mill/drill machine if you can't quite afford a mill.

     In general, some of the same comments apply to buying a mill/drill or
     other combined unit as opposed to a dedicated machine for each purpose.
     Mill/drill machines are not as rigid for milling as a pure milling
     machine, but may be the only alternative before the money runs out.
     Combinations seem to work adequately for many woodworking applications
     but metalworking generally requires a lot more force.

28.  What is involved in building a steam engine?

     NOTE: see also the FAQ entry in rec.railroad.models on live steam
     railroad modeling.

     (with thanks to Tim Kirby and Ian Kirby (no relation))

     The creation of working steam engines, be they stationary engines, road
     engines, marine or rail locomotives, is quite a common hobby throughout
     the world.  Many people who would like to get involved in such modelling
     are, however, frequently at a loss as to how to start.  What follows is a
     set of simple pointers to get you on board.

     - Magazines and Journals

      There are four (English language) magazines that specifically deal with
      this subject:
        "Model Engineer" and "Engineering in Miniature" from the UK
        "Modeltec" and "Live Steam" from the USA
        (they may be available from a local worthwhile model store;
        alternatively, check the FAQ book list for the publishers)

      Reading any of these magazines will quickly give a feel for the hobby.

     - Clubs and Associations

      They are all over the world.  Look through the magazines listed above for
      club addresses; most if not all of them have the names and addresses of
      clubs all over the world.  If you can't find a club remotely near you,
      here are a couple of suggestions:

       Try posting a request on the net!  It can be a remarkable resource.
       Try writing to the editor of one of the magazines.

     - Scales and sizes

      Stationary engines are most often tabletop sizes; they can be very
      decorative and interesting exercises in machining but are not often
      "used" once built.

      Marine engines are often built as decorative or "stationary" models,
      however you may also find some installed in model boats.  Some of the
      suppliers in the magazines listed above may provide more information
      about marine engines.

      Road locomotives are usually referred to purely by scale, most often
      somewhere in the range of 3/4" scale (3/4 inch to the foot) to 4" scale
      (4":1') A farm traction engine in 3/4" scale will probably be around 12"
      or 14" long - quite handleable by most people.  A 4" scale model is 1/3
      full size - big, heavy and arguably no longer "Model Engineering", at
      least with respect to the resources available to the average mortal.

      Rail locomotive scales can be a little more confusing because of a
      tendency to refer to them by the rail gauge that they run on.
      Unfortunately the gauges are not completely standardized for some scales
      (although one might expect that they would be.) The following table lists
      the most common "larger scales" and the gauge lines they run on (based on
      a nominal 4' 8.5" so-called standard (USA) gauge track):

      3/4" scale (0.75":1') =   3.5" gauge
      1" scale   (1.00":1') =   4.75" or 5" gauge
      1.5" scale (1.50":1') =   7.25" or 7.5" gauge

      There are 10.25" and 15" lines as well as smaller (2.5" gauge, Gauge 1)
      that are modelled in live steam.  Availability of land, track and
      facilities will often affect a builders choice of scale.  Note that the
      modelling of narrow or broad gauge models introduces another confusion
      factor - a 1.5":1' scale model of a prototype that ran on 3'6" gauge
      track in real life would result in a track gauge of 5.25".  This would
      commonly be adjusted to fit on a 5" or 4.75" gauge line.

     - It must cost a fortune and take forever

      Not necessarily.  There are many suppliers in this hobby who can provide
    