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JOCK D.
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Welcome Tannis, Doing his first iForge Demo. A very unusual S-Hook, made from cable.
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TANNIS
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Okay, if I goof please forgive me, I am a bit nervous, I have lectured college classes for 3 years now, and have never had a problem, this is to be my first on line demo and I actually have butterflies.
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Figure 00 |
Figure 07 |
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TANNIS
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Tonight's demo is on what I have dubbed the "flexy hook"
This piece is made from a "wire rope" as the locals call it.
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Figure 01 |
Start out with a piece of 3/8 cable cut at least 10" long.
what ever length you use, the two inches at either end are the ones that will be worked, the rest is just left as is.
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TANNIS
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I cut the cable hot over my hardy with a small hammer and wiggle it till it breaks off, I then flux the end I am to weld shut.
I place it in a CLEAN fire and get it bright red, remove it, clean by slinging the excess flux off, running over it with a wire brush, then flux it again with 20 Mule team Borax.
Now it is ready to weld, I use shaded saftey glasses and SLOWLY bring the metal to the point where I can see it become molten, then I remove it and sling off the excess flux again, then tap it LIGHTLY with the hammer, repeat this till you have drawn it out to a point that will suit your hook, make sure that each time you work it that it is at welding heat, it is not usually necessary to reflux it.
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Figure 02 |
Now finish it as you would a regular "S" hook
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Figure 03 |
Figure 04 |
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TANNIS
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Give it a small bend to make sure there are no pointy edges, and an larger bend for the hook in the oposite direction.
And repeat the same for the other side.
Now, whenever you do this, almost always the cable will try to "open" up just before the weld.
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Figure 05 |
Simply bring it to a good heat, place it in a vice and twist it shut, but not to the point where it is twisted more than the center of the cable.
I finish it by brushing it clean and silver color, and melt bee's wax into it by heating it to about 200 degrees. You now have a hook that will dazzle and work.! I even lifted the rear of my truck off the ground with it. Questions?
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RALPH, JIM-C
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Nice Hook Tannis.
Professor Tannis: thanks; nice demo.
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JOSH
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How much does one of your "s" hooks usualy sell for?
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JERRY
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How do you get the silver color??
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PIGSMITH
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Does the flux pretty much clean out the inside of the wire rope? The ones I've seen have a lot of grease inside them.
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MAGAUU
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Is there any way to do this without a forge, I use torches to heat my steel , im just starting out.
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PIERDeVRIES
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Will 304 stainless weld?
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TANNIS
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Pig, I used to try to clean oils out, but my solvent is still there, I now just burn it all off, it even works with rusty old cable fron the oil wells.
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PIGSMITH
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The cables I'm thinking of are used to drill water wells, but don't keep much crud in them for long. Nice demo Tannis!
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JOSH
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You said that you put a silver color on the hook and i was wondering how you did that?
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TANNIS
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The cable when polished will be silver, and the bee's wax will keep it that way for along time
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JOCK-D
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Stainless can be welded but requires the addition of Flourite (5%) to your flux.
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JIM-C
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This could be bad for your health if you do it with galvanized or plated cable. Stick to plain or bare steel.
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JOCK-D
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Flourite (or flourspar) is a mineral containing flourine, a very reactive substance. It is available as a powder from ceramics suppliers. It is necessary for welding many chrome alloys.
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JOCK-D
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Great demo Tannis. Dis you "invent" this hokk? I've never seen one like it.
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TANNIS
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This works for making eye hooks too, and if you have both hooks on the same side, it will serve as a pot handle or a cauldren handle.
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TORIN
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You can get it (Flourite) from some pottery supply places, but not many that I'm aware of.
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TANNIS
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Yes, this is the second thing I have invented.
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JOSH
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What is the first thing you invented?
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TANNIS
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I also make a claydon knot that is welded and hooked at the top, but the bottom ones are left un welded and turned into "S" hooks, great for the cooks.
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JOCK-D
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Magauu, This type of welding is almost impossible with a torch. You may be able to do it using a rosebud and a small fire brick stack to make a mini-forge.
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MAGAUU
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Thanks Jock , I'm gettin a brake drum from a bus to try and make myself a forge.
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TANNIS
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I really reccomend using shaded glasses when welding, life is eaiser when you can see to find your coffee cup!
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