G'day folks,

I've been ruminating over a few DIY gadgets for a while, and seem to be having a 'run' of getting out to the shed early lately - before even the first coffee of the day!
Winter has long been my 'gettin 'er done' time, for mancave projects, anyway. Particularly the ones that involve 'hot work', like welding and forging techniques.

As I'd already taken the progress pics for write-ups on these, it occurred to me that they might be of interest to ODK'ers.
So here we go.
Lots of use of recycled materials here, BTW. A couple of them were done some time back, but have some connection to the recent 'builds'.

1. Universal floor stand

[Linked Image]

This is just a 'universal floor stand base' I chucked together from used bits, a while back.
The heavy base is an unserviceable Landcruiser 45 series brake drum, the rest is gal water pipe and fittings. Overall height from floor is ~650mm.

2. Oxy torch 'third hand' holder

This is a pretty simple one. When doing small forging jobs, it's much quicker and easier to use torch heating [oxy-LPG in my case] than to light up the charcoal fired forge [see pic later on]. But you really need three hands - one to hold the tongs, one to wield the hammer, and one to hold the torch.

So this is that 'third hand'.

The holder. Just a 1/2" bolt, with a stop collar and torch hook arc welded to it, and quick acting nut

[Linked Image]

As used, mounted in the base stand shown above.
[Linked Image]

3. Soil Probe

Here's another handy tool I made using a 1970s Holden boot spring.
It's a soil probe, useful for locating underground pipes etc. This one uses a full length Holden spring rod, with the bends at either end straightened out hot. This is made to a pattern much used by bottle collectors, when probing old dump sites to find bottles. Overall length 1250mm.

[Linked Image]


Just brazed a steel tube [piece of old lawn mower handle] T-handle to one end, and a ball out of a ball bearing to t'other. No post brazing quenching or heat treatment necessary; ball bearings use a Tungsten alloy steel that is 'air hardening'.

[Linked Image]

The important bit here, is that the ball needs to be slightly larger in diameter than the rod. Amazing how little effort this thing takes, in use.


4. Asparagus harvesting knife

Design Model

The aim of this project is to replicate a commercially available tool, shown below;

[Linked Image]

The maker's page is at http://ryset.com/ryset-asparagus-knife.html

While these are commercially available, they're not particularly easy to come by, unless you happen to live in an area where asparagus is grown commercially.

My 'build' will involve the use of some traditional blacksmithing tools and techniques, and use 'recycled/re-purposed' steel components.

I'm doing this one as a one-off, because my 88yo Mum can't bend down to harvest her asparagus any more!

And I have all of the necessary materials already on hand, to make her a better quality and lighter weight knife than the Ryset ones.

There's also, to be quite honest, an element of the 'because I can factor' here. grin


Major Equipment

I'll start this one off with a couple of equipment pics, dredged up from the depths of my 'puter.

Forge

[Linked Image]


This portable forge came into my hands with no 'fire tray', so I've made up two sizes of tray for it.
This is the 'small' version, a re-purposed cast iron car brake drum. Doesn't require/use a lot of fuel; ideal for small workpieces.

Full size fire tray

[Linked Image]

Forge in action

[Linked Image]

Anvil

[Linked Image]

Steel Components

The shaft is to be made from a length of 7mm spring steel rod, which started life as a 1970s Holden car boot spring.
Not much point in putting up a pic of that now - it looks just like any other piece of rod. laugh

The blade has been made from a separate piece of steel.

This was an old, unused hay mower 'knife segment' cutting blade. It's branded 'Bamfords, Uttoxeter, England' - who were a maker of hay machinery, which used to be imported to Australia by a firm called 'Mobilco Limited', who closed down in ~1976.
Very similar knife segments are used on grain headers to this day; new ones cost ~ $3 each.

[Linked Image]

Original and modified blades. The original measures ~76mm across. The modified one has been cut down [1mm thick angle grinder cutting disc] and the edge bevel rough ground, on my linisher/sander machine.

Another bit o' my kit which is very useful; the linisher/sander machine

[Linked Image]

150mm wide belt; 225mm diam disc.

Sold mainly as a woodworking machine, but extremely useful for metalwork too - the metal workpiece doesn’t cop nearly as much heat input as from a bench or angle grinder.

The disc backing plate has a Velcro 'hook' disc glued on to it, and the felt-backed discs are quickly and easily changed. Makes it supremely easy to change abrasive grit sizes.

Nearly there

Blade end of shaft forged, and blade side ground to 'flattish'. This will be a 'sweat brazed', not arc welded, joint.

[Linked Image]

End tang for wooden handle forged, and 'burnt in' to exactly fit it to the handle, before it cooled. So it looks a bit 'sooty' from this.

[Linked Image]


To Be Continued...

Quote
Note: This may seem a 'teaser', putting up the text of the article before adding the pics, but I don't want to lose the formatting, and I'm just not in the frame of mind, to undertake the sometimes frustrating process of adding embedded pics.

So I'm off to have a pre-prandial glass of port. cool

Tease interval now ended... devilchilli

Attachments
IMG_0911a.JPG (225.35 KB, 113 downloads)
Floor stand
IMG_0909a.JPG (96.51 KB, 114 downloads)
Torch Holder
IMG_0921a.JPG (82.34 KB, 112 downloads)
Torch holder 2
IMG_0892a.JPG (143.83 KB, 110 downloads)
Soil probe 2
Forge_MkII_ Brake_Drum01.JPG (132.3 KB, 112 downloads)
forge 1
Forge_MkI_Fire_Tray.JPG (111.21 KB, 112 downloads)
Full size forge fire tray
Forge_Flash_Pic.JPG (48.34 KB, 113 downloads)
Forge in action
image_92.jpg (12.71 KB, 112 downloads)
Ryset knife
IMG_0888a.JPG (155.26 KB, 112 downloads)
Blades
IMG_0902a.JPG (130.5 KB, 112 downloads)
Linisher
IMG_0925a.JPG (150.24 KB, 112 downloads)
AK shaft, blade end
IMG_0923a.JPG (187.72 KB, 112 downloads)
AK shaft, handle end
IMG_0891b.JPG (38.36 KB, 109 downloads)
soil probe 1

Cheers,
Gadge

"ODK Mods can explain it to you, but they can't understand it for you..."

"Crazy can be medicated, ignorance can be educated - but there is no cure for stupid..."