[TheForge] Upsetting the middle of a bar

[Walter L. Mullett]

I've got several tire shrinkers that would probably do this but I have yet 
to try any of them.  The one that would probably have worked great is a Star 
tire upsetter/axel welder.  This was used to weld stub axels to the main 
axel.  It has two tables with dogs that lock the stock in place with the 
heated section in-between.  Then with what looks like a ship's wheel that 
you turn, you compress the two tables together.  I still have not got this 
machine fully freed up and working.

Walt
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen McGehee" <irony at epowerc.net>
To: "The Forge" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 10:40 PM
Subject: [TheForge] Upsetting the middle of a bar


> Y'all:
> I have a stair and a parapet railing to make with about 60 balusters,
> each having a long leaf forge welded near the middle of each bar.  My
> stock is 5/8 square.  I am looking for a simple way to upset each bar
> for the weld and am not having much luck.  I have used my coal forge
> with a fairly narrow fire on some and on others, a rosebud to make the
> heated area shorter.  I have been using a 2-1/2" depression in a swage
> block as a base and either a 4# hand hammer or a special tool for my air
> chisel that is a cup about 3" deep.  Either way the process seems far
> too slow.  If I use the air chisel and keep the rosebud on the stock
> constantly at almost a welding heat it barely upsets the metal even
> after 5 heat/upset/straighten distortion cycles.  Using the hand hammer
> seems to be the fastest way, but even that way it still takes 5 heats or
> so.  Is there something basic I'm not seeing here?
>
> Stephen McGehee
> Publisher of
> Irony, the sketchbook of an apprentice blacksmith
> P. O. Box 9822  Pine Bluff, AR 71611
> irony at epowerc.net
> (870) 540-0142
> (479) 643-3299 (farm)
> You can see a sample of IRONY magazine here:
>
>  http://lametalsmiths.org/news/page4.htm  )
>
>
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