Free sources of materials.?

[ronan walshParticipant @ronanwalsh98054]

Sash weights were recommended for making valve guides for some old motorcycle engines that wouldn't have had much (or any) lubrication apart from an odd squirt from a grease gun. The theory was the weights with the most graphite were also the most porous and the grease collected in the pores.

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

This:

"Good scrap yards are very hard to find, but once you do find one, make friends with the chaps that work there, and if they do a bit of gas cutting or guillotine work for you, don't just walk away, at least give them enough for a pint or two, and when you come back, they will remember, and if you ask them nicely, they will hide choice bits of metal for when you come in again."

I have a terrific place down the road a ways. I just drop stuff off, the odd motor, coil, box of non-ferrous swarf and of course plenty of lead. The owner lets me wander about and pick up whatever I want. I pay him whatever he asks as it is always scrap value plus a pound or two. I have walked out with some really nice pieces. I have found a box of donuts works well too because then everyone gets a bit of something, not just the owner.

graham.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Neighbour gave me a couple of brake discs from a small sports car. Hope to be able to cut small flat bits out of the rim which is only about 1.25 in. Not sure if it will be plain cast or heat treated. Might just try a wallop with a sledge and see how easy it breaks. I guess lorry discs might give better sized sections.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I'v used disc brakes for making piston rings, good fine grained metal. Ian S C

[Ian WelfordParticipant @ianwelford58739]

always worth talking to computer repair shops as old hard drives have great rare earth magnets in, also good bearings etc.

But when at MCDonalds, Kentuky fried etc always stock up on those free coffee stiring stick- great for epoxy and some are nice and long so you can get in places .

Never had any luck with sash weights- just bunted a bandsaw blade ! Car tyre shops often have old valves which strill work and the truck inner tubes make great slide covers / draft excluders.

Ian

[WorkshopPeteParticipant @workshoppete]

Hi All A few years back after I purchased my Emco Super 11 I needed to make several chuck back Plates. The training weights purchased at ASDA and Tesco are a good source of cast iron a couple were so hard it was impossible to machine them but most turned up quite nicely once under the skin. I second the dust mask recommendation the dust does go every where if you do not wish to upset SWMBO it is worth showering after a big cast Iron machining session.

Peter

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

Two halves of a single sash weight, one still in the "raw" and one cleaned up and ready for use. Each one yielding a 10" long by 1.5" diameter length of silky smooth seasoned CI………..

…………and another small selection of brass and CI ready for re-cycling.

Acquiring materials like these for next to nothing puts a big smile on my face.

Rik (somewhat filthy after turning that bit down)

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Did you mean 0602 John? 0206 didn't google very well but 0602 came up with round ones on ebay which look interesting.

This wet bank holiday has come up with umpteen rusty pairs of garden shears that will never get used. I assume they are high carbon steel. Perhaps too awkward a shape to get used and just become clutter in a different shed. The handles will do nicely for files though. There are some modern ones too that might be a more specialised steel.

[Rich2502Participant @rich2502]

Anyone know what steel rebar is, I have a load of big thick offcuts I found under a motorway bridge, is it any use for anything , or hardenable ?

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

It's handy for holding motorway bridges up.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

The Americans love rebar, especially knife makers – apparently it forges really nicely and tempers beautifully and holds an edge really well.

Neil

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

Wos rebar then?

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Rik,

It's that twisted steel or stamped knobby edged material they cast inside concrete to make it re- enforced concrete hence re-bar.

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

Thanks for the enlightenment John. Whilst on the subject, I dug up (literally) a bit of ancient old gas pipe which I turned a bush from some days ago. I used my best sharp knife tool and the stuff came of as ragged as a witch's knickers. I fully expected such old stuff to turn quite nicely so was surprised. Never can tell can you?

Rik

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

The old gas pipe will be like water pipe, quite soft to allow the pipe to be bent easily, it will cut not too bad with sharp tools. Sometimes if you'r unlucky the weld will pop, I'v had that happen when I bored the inside, I rewelded it from the outside, and it's still in use as the power cylinder of a hot air engine built in 1992. Ian S C

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

Ian – I think we might be talking about two different things. You'd never bend this stuff as the walls are to thick and its seamless as well. My best knife tool will slice through tool steel a treat but not this stuff.
As far as I know, gas pipe over here does not get bent – it is threaded and then fitted with a cast iron bend. If I'm wrong I'm sure someone will take me to task. (Thinking about it, this might not be gas pipe at all – but it's still c**p stuff to machine.)
Rik
27mm dia.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Looks exactly like the overflow pipe I pulled out of our bathroom. Galvanised and until I got it ought I thought it was lead. I did manage to bend it, just. I haven't tried machining it yet.

Neil

[“Bill Hancox”Participant @billhancox]

All blindfolded darts at the bull. It is definitely the barrel from a Model 1847 Congolese Monkey Musket.

[Ian HewsonParticipant @ianhewson99641]

Hi

You need to get some of the modern yellow plastic coated gas pipe if you can, that machines beautifully.

Never seen a weld in it, got some short lengths when they were doing repairs around here, wish i had more.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

When they first started making and distributing coal gas for lighting purposes they used musket barrels joined up and sealed to carry the gas, obviously a bit hit and miss but cheaper that specially made gas tube. The way they keep digging up the roads to replace gas tubes I think they are still using the old musket piping!

Clive

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Mmm That looks like a handy bit of tube.

One of the tele co firms in Christchurch bought up the redundant gas supply pipes in the city, left them in place, and fed the optic fiber cables through them. Ian S C

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

The company I work for is Italian and we make very large to small industrial washing machines, these are made such that each machine was come in parts that will fit through a standard door and then assembled inside the room where they are required, certain sub assemblies arrive with bracing, all of the machines are made of high grade 306/316 stainless and when we have built the machines the bracing pieces are skipped, usually into the back of my van, as they are no longer needed. The biggest piece to date I have acquired was 6' long 6" wide and 1/4" thick with two small holes at each end, there are usually smaller pieces as well, we also throw away castors made of stainless with nylon wheels fitted with sealed bearing which I either pass on to friends to make skates with to move stuff around or I strip for the bearings etc, all of the above would otherwise be scrapped.

Martin P

[mick70Participant @mick70]

picked up job lot of stuff from auction that included 3 electric tile cutters, used nvr switches of two, one on my ml6 myford and one to repair my belt sander.

guy at club took motor of one to make tool post grinder.

always take brushes out of motors.

microwaves are good for strong magnets.

[egaParticipant @ega]

I have just dismantled a 12' long window blind consisting of vertical slats that can be moved laterally and swivelled about their long axes. I was curious as to how when you pull the control cord the slats space themselves out automatically like so many squaddies taking up their dressing. It turns out that each slat has a length of spring steel attached with a hook at each end which connects to the adjoining slat – the same idea as the telescopic swarf guards one sometimes sees.

Anyway, I now have twenty or so lengths of spring steel c 4" long x 1/4" wide x 0.008" thick which seemed too good to throw away without first asking whether they are of any use to someone.

Incidentally, the swivelling is achieved by a very neat piece of engineering: a tri-lobed rod runs the length of the blind and engages in the bore of a tiny worm which in turn rotates a gear attached to each slat – rather like the feed rod on a lathe.

[davebParticipant @daveb17630]

Posted by Clive Hartland on 28/05/2014 09:35:59:

When they first started making and distributing coal gas for lighting purposes they used musket barrels joined up and sealed to carry the gas, obviously a bit hit and miss but cheaper that specially made gas tube. The way they keep digging up the roads to replace gas tubes I think they are still using the old musket piping!

Clive

I grew up in the east end of London, they still had gas lights (gas fed through musket barrels?) and bollards made from cannon from the Crimea.

Dave

[Author]

Posts