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My first blow with @6lbs of charcol could only maintain 1200*F for a couple of minutes. I don't see a way to melt aluminum with that temp using about a two pound crucible.

I needed to make an elaborate test setup for an LED project I am working on when I needed a small straight slot screwdriver to get deep into a test lead housing. Just before I ground down a kitchen knife to a meer splinter, I saw this wire feeler gauge set and my paradigm of screw driver...

I have had Dave Gingery's book on charcoal furnace construction for some time now and I recently re-read it for foundry information. Building a charcoal furnace sounds like a rather simple affair but I am struggling to find materials locally. After racking my brain for a while, I remembered my...

Checking on the pot of hammer heads and carbon flakes before leaving them to carbonize overnight. Makes me want a pizza!

This project tested all my first quarter skills. Five steps of varying width and height. A 1/8" groove between steps. Final tolerance was 0.005 for four of the steps. Knurling one step and finally single point threading four of the steps. I performed all that on an American Pacemaker, that...

I have the pleasure if using a Simonds file on the lathe to remove tooling marks and finish my work. The school had them in the tool room hid away. The closest thing I can compare is cutting with a sharp knife. This file is a beauty. Light pressure and you can gently dress a piece. Put more...

I have a broken flashlight that begs for understanding.

Springs...Today I was pondering a project in the shop which required a spring. I have read from various post that piano wire makes good spring metal. I did not have piano wire but I did have .034 MIG wire from my welder. I spent the next couple of hours making jigs to turn and measure the...

Hello everyone, I am new to the site. I recently started a machining program at the local tech college and am excited with the possibility to venture into the world of steam engines. I was bitten when exposed to one of the steam vessels on Lake Whatcom this summer. I love the "mechanicalness" of...