BIGGUNDOCTOR

I wouldn't use foam, or be very careful using it. It can create a lot of pressure as it expands, and could crack your horns. If I was to do a horned helmet I would do a metal frame with leather inserts, and the horn mounted into the metal framework. It could look cool, but it wouldn't be very authentic Viking. I believe it was their forefathers that used antlers, horns on their helmets. Now if ya want to get all retro techie you could install some LEDs in the horns so they light up.

To make it look right I would say a roller die should be used. Have you seen the repros that SARCO sells?

OK, he made a faux pas for posting the link. What do you want LW to do, ban him, or would you prefer a lynching with a braided rawhide rope? Maybe 40 lashings with a flogger made by one of the members. Hmmmm, numerous possibilities here. I feel that the original discussion is about so called custom handmade work that is not very professional in design, nor execution. Anyone can make something and put it out for sale at any price that they want because they live in this great country called America, well that is as long as the feds don't find a way to regulate,tax, or permit what you do Some will actually sell something. Why do they make sales? They talk a good game, the customer is uneducated, or it is priced so low that the quality doesn't matter for the purpose. I also do some blacksmithing, as well as ceramics, drawing, photography, lapidary, and other hobbies. I am not what I consider to be a master in any of these , but I have been told that I do some great work. I am my own worst critic. I look at my work from the craftsman's eye, not a consumer's view. I see my little mistakes, and what I consider flaws. Others who look at my items see something different. Why is that? I believe that it boils down to the fact that for those who do not possess any hand skills, what we do is somewhat magical. We can take chunks of leather, lumps of clay, rocks,or even old rusty metal, and make beautiful , and usable items from it. Yes I do sense some wonderment as I look at cheesy handicrafts with big price tags that are selling at fairs. But who is to blame for ME not selling better items? ME that's who. I choose not to do my hobbies for profit. I use, or give away what I make. So, it doesn't matter if you think someone else's stuff is low quality if you are unwilling to jump into the market yourself. Just like voting.......if you don't vote, you can't bitch about the way things are going. If you think you can do a better quality product, do it, but don't blame anyone else for trying, and making money.

Damascus is an improperly used term nowadays, more correctly it should be called pattern welded. On my blacksmithing forum this material is covered quite extensively. In the case of the Tandy knives I feel that it is just for marketing, as the blades are made in China-at least the one I checked out. The fit,and finish wasn't that good either for that price. As Knipper mentioned what is in the blade, and how it was heat treated is the most important aspect of a good knife. Take 1095 for example. With 95 points of carbon it can be heat treated to a brittle hard condition for use as a file, or tempered to a blue condition for making a spring. Same material with different heat treatments resulting in great differences in qualities. I like regular carbon steels for blades, although materials like ATS34 may have changed my reluctance for stainless. I picked up a couple of used head knives, and need to work on my technique,as I find them difficult to use. Razor knives are what i have used in the past.

You may not have damaged it enough to worry about. We had some Boxers who worked over a couple of bones from the kitchen,and they held up as long as the dogs did. Beef bones are much stronger than pork bones which will splinter, that is why my brother the veterinarian suggests beef bones for dog chews. My neighbor down the road used to bleach bones, and skulls on her roof. Since you have the bones, make some tools, and try them out. The ones Tandy sells may be chemically treated. I would think that once the meat, and marrow was removed that a good sun bleaching, or even a good scrubbing with soap,Clorox, or Lysol would do it if you are worried about cooties.

Boning tools are a given. I would say anything that is used without a hammer; modeling tools, burnishers, etc.

You would be better off using an oven, stove top, or toaster oven as you could control the heat better. You can melt the magnesium with a propane torch. I have TIG welded plenty of magnesium, but those plates might warp if a stud was welded on. How big are your stamps? The ones we used at the Jelly Belly Candy Co were around 4" square. The plates were taped onto an aluminum plate that had the heating elements, and it also added thermal mass to the plate allowing it to stamp more efficiently. A large soldering iron could work for your application. With the plate taped to a full sized backer that was made to fit the soldering iron it should do fine.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=bomber+hat+pattern

Brass is easy to machine, and doesn't rust. Probably why it is used. Steel costs a LOT less than brass does, and folks also complain about how uncoated steel stains leather. The chrome wasn't for hardness, it was for corrosion resistance. I don't see a problem, it should work fine. Even if it did stain, you will be punching holes, threading , and staining over any possible marks anyway. It doesn't have to be fancy to press a mark into cased leather., use it.

Damascus is a location, and it should be called pattern welded steel. It isn't always medium, and high carbon steel. I know of some billets that are high carbon and pure nickel for contrast. I would say that these knives are using "Damascus steel" as a marketing ploy-look where they are made. One of the top knife makers in the USA lives down the road from me in Henderson NV. He makes his own billets of pattern welded steel, and creates beautiful , and fully functional, blades with them.

Amuckart, I definitely know about feet swelling. I always tried boots on in the evening hours after my feet had swelled. My wristwatch had a velcro strap that I would loosen throughout the day as my wrists grew. Art, by your response I would think in those tough cases a casting would be a good starting point. Now I am not talking about a casing out of something soft like silicone, but a much harder material such as a high Durometer urethane, or some other stiff material that extra material could be added to to make up for the sock , swelling, etc allowances. As I was driving from work today-I have a 103 mile drive home, so I have time to think, I was thinking that a casting over a release agent soaked sock would be even better to start with. Hmmmm, I will have to do some research into this whole last making business to see what goes into making a traditional last. Don't mind me, as I have always been one to ask WHY? Like in this case, why does it have to be done that way? No intentional pot stirring, or trolling being done, just some natural inquisitiveness.

Yeah, with Memorial day this week I figured I would let Gov. Brewer have a much needed rest, and pop this one up. Have one for Canada too, so I may use that for Some Canuk holiday.

Gagh, if I could locate it I would measure it for you. As I remember it was just right for the Swiss Army knife model Companion? Basic 2 blade Victornox w/screwdrivers, and awl. Somewhere around .500" high inside dimension. I remember that it fit pretty well, and I would have to push up some from the bottom to grab the top, as it didn't flop around inside the sheath.

Thanks for your input Frank, I think I do understand some, as I have a diffiucult foot to fit. Short ,wide, and with a high arch. I always have to try shoes on before buying unlike some who can order off a rack without doing so. I cannot wear most pull on boots due to my instep, and usually end up buying 1/2-1 size larger to get the width needed. Make the replica, build up where needed for allowances, and make the footwear. Being a machinist I know about allowances for fitting parts, and that a perfect fit isn't always wanted. I also know that in some cases things are done in a certain way, just because that is how it has always been done, good or bad. New technologies, and materials have made some processes far simpler than how they used to be done. A last is still needed because you cannot hammer nails into someone's foot. It is just a form to configure the material to. I see that you are in Polson, and I have a friend who grew up there. Heard on the news coming home that there is some flooding in MT. Hope it isn't affecting you any. A side not on lasts. Inexpensive shoes came about as a side development of the firearms industry. Before stock making duplicators were adapted to make lasts, they were made by hand, and were relatively expensive. The stock duplicators allowed lasts to be mass produced which brought the cost of shoes down.

I have yet to have a piece of pre colored leather take a good impression, probably due to the fact that the leather cannot be properly cased with a finish applied.

Hey Skald, when I was teaching the leather working merit badge at Scout camp we used the basic Tandy folding knife sheath kit. That size covered a lot of the knives carried by the Scouts. I used one for the Swiss Army knife I carried at the time. I rarely wear a belt now, so my Schrade pocketknife resides appropriately in my pocket. I would think that if you covered the basic sizes of knives like the basic multi-bladed Swiss Army models, and the larger single blade knives such as the Buck 110 that you could cover most of what people carry on a daily basis. Of course with this approach there will always be some compromises that will have to be made.

http://www.atsko.com/products/waterproofing/sno-seal.html Here is their link. They should also list a local supplier on there too.

For something like this I would suggest trying Sno-Seal. It will darken the leather, but it is snow, and waterproof. I use it on my leather hiking boots.

I see Cobray made Deringers with the same quality as their MAC 10's and Street Sweepers. The holster looks good.

Your mate at MOTAT should be able to help out, as I am sure that they have dealt with their fair share of stuck hardware. I have read on the blacksmithing forum that "tinnies" are a universal currency in OZ, and NZ. I like the fact that you are not afraid to tackle a job like this. Knowing how things work can come in very handy at times. Yep, on the C-clamp. With the brake drum puller the screw is pushing against the axle, and the arms are bolted to the drum. As you run the screw down it tensions the drum outwards. When you whack the end of the screw it it sends the shock against the axle, and hopefully popping the drum off. I have never done it, but a way to pop tie rod ends is to whack opposing sides with a couple of ball peen hammers. The impact ovals the hole enough to pop the tapered pin out. You might want to check out www.iforgeiron.com too , lots of folks down your way are registered up, and they are pretty active too.

OK, if I am reading it correctly, the problem child is the main pivot pin for the upper truss beam. I would be surprised to hear that that pin is a taper pin. You usually don't see pivot pins tapered, as the working action could pop them out. You will definitely need good back up, and watch out if there is side clearance on the frame to the beam. Too much clearance will allow the side ears to flex if stuck to the pin, and possibly lead to cracking. If there is a gap over say .003" wide I would stuff some shim stock in the gaps before attempting to drive the pin out. The shims will essentially make the assembly solid, and direct more force where it is needed instead of where you don't want it to go. I would suspect that the pins are tight on the frame, and the operating clearance is in the beam. Too bad about the Kroil being $$$$$. Yep, there are tons of home remedies. I would suspect that the acetone in the ATF mix would evaporate fairly quickly, whereas the Kroil stays wet. I do know how well Kroil works though, as it has saved me some busted knuckles. I have over a gallon here at the house. Interesting that yu mentioned bore cleaning, as I have seen it at the gun shows here to loosen copper, and lead fouling in the barrels. Spray it in, let it sit, then use a tight fitting patch to push the fouling out. I also like the smell of Kroil. Yet another method you might explore is one used to pop brake drums off of the old tapered axles. Put quite a bit compression on the end of the pin with a C-clamp type device that has room for the pin to move opposite the screw, then belt the end of the clamp screw with a hammer. Make sure that the C-clamp is backed up with your rail. The shock may pop it lose, then just press it out. I have some C-clamps made by Armstrong that are extremely beefy for their size, I don't think that a regular home use one would be stout enough though. You don't mention your skill level, or tools available to you. Being a machinist I tend to look at making tools as something easy to do, sorry if this is not an option for you. If not, do you have any friends who do machining?

http://phoenix.craig...2399838354.html Found this , and thought the title was odd, then laughed when I read the post itself.

Good job on the ones out so far. Don't know if you can get it where you live, but I have a penetrating oil here that is called Kroil, and it is amazing stuff. It is advertised as penetrating gaps as small as 1,000,000th of an inch, and I believe it. You may have to take a break from this project, and let some type of penetrant do some of the work while you do something else, especially if you have gunked, or rusted parts. Glad the wood worked, but even wood will not stop all of the impact, even your eucalyptus. My bench block is made of steel. Another thing that you need if the backer is hand held is weight, Sometimes I have had to have a friend hold a big block of steel behind what I was driving. It acts like an anvil would, and will stop the inertia of the hammer blow solidly. You will see bucks being used in old movies of bridge riveting, and aircraft production. If the buck bounces on the back side it is too light. If you do need to apply some heat to get the parts separated the outer part will need to be heated quickly to expand it before everything else gets heated too. You shouldn't have to get much more than 300F to do it, unless someone Loc-Tited the pins in, then you will need to get up around 400F to loosen them up. Again, good job so far, just don't get impatient, and you should be fine.

It wouldn't be the first time I did some long distance repairs. I did some weld repairs to an out of production magnesium rear hub for an RD400 dirt bike for a guy in Ohio. I have a head for a Honda that he wants a mechanical drive installed for a tach, the USA models were all electronic. The arbor press mods would be fairly simple to do. For inexpensive work check with your high schools, or community college (if they haven't sold of the shop tools yet ), There are also a lot of home machinists out there.

Score! that one worked, just didn't show what I was hoping for, and exploded view that shows the relationship of each part to the other. From the other comments it sounds like you have the direction correct, but may not have a solid backing to drive against. Take you time, so you don't damage anything. Can you post a pic of what you are dealing with?