If you need parts welded, your local muffler repair shop will have mechanics who weld 4 hours a day for the past 40 years, and can usually perform minor welding work for very reasonable rates. Ie they can take your spot welds and run a bead around the joint leaving a smooth surface where the weld is no longer the weak point.
I just found this, but a few ideas came to mind after watching your youtube.
Bar stock is much stronger than tube stock, but is heavier. On way to address this is to work with stainless steel tube, then fill it with molten aluminum, this also removes the problem of the inner edge when you drill it abrading the edges of your string.
I assume that you have discovered cobalt drill bits and using oil when drilling, any oil works, be it 5w-30 or canola, certain oils have different benefits.
To remove all of the rough bits after working on your piece. toss it in a "vibratory tumbler". That may remove the need of having inserts.
Check out boafit.com They have a micro adjustment locking kevlar gizmo which is very compact, and may make you knot tying less annoying.
Also, tying knots is annoying, try crimping, maybe in addition to knots. It works wonders with steel cable.
Also in relation to this page, heat treating steel is much easier than you may imagine. It doesn't need to be perfect the first time. When I was 10, 3 hours a week for 2 years I helped out in a blacksmith shop. One day he made a forge in about 10 minutes with 5 fire bricks, a tank of propane and a weed burner. We then used that (low temp) forge to harden some chisels that we would use when making scroll work using the coal forge.
The heat treating was really simple. heat it up till it starts turning color then dunk it. If you get it wrong then try again. Start with some iron bar stock, not your work piece, then work up from there.
It is much easier to work on soft iron than harden it than to work on hardened iron. In the past you have probably ruined the temper on some drill bits and not realized it, so you have achieved those temperatures. This is just intentional.
For small parts you can get those temperatures with a drug store butane torch style lighter, though a torch that will take a 1 pound propane tank will be less frustrating.
If you need parts welded, your local muffler repair shop will have mechanics who weld 4 hours a day for the past 40 years, and can usually perform minor welding work for very reasonable rates. Ie they can take your spot welds and run a bead around the joint leaving a smooth surface where the weld is no longer the weak point.
Good idea, might have to give that a shot next time.
I just found this, but a few ideas came to mind after watching your youtube.
Bar stock is much stronger than tube stock, but is heavier. On way to address this is to work with stainless steel tube, then fill it with molten aluminum, this also removes the problem of the inner edge when you drill it abrading the edges of your string.
I assume that you have discovered cobalt drill bits and using oil when drilling, any oil works, be it 5w-30 or canola, certain oils have different benefits.
To remove all of the rough bits after working on your piece. toss it in a "vibratory tumbler". That may remove the need of having inserts.
Check out boafit.com They have a micro adjustment locking kevlar gizmo which is very compact, and may make you knot tying less annoying.
Also, tying knots is annoying, try crimping, maybe in addition to knots. It works wonders with steel cable.
Also in relation to this page, heat treating steel is much easier than you may imagine. It doesn't need to be perfect the first time. When I was 10, 3 hours a week for 2 years I helped out in a blacksmith shop. One day he made a forge in about 10 minutes with 5 fire bricks, a tank of propane and a weed burner. We then used that (low temp) forge to harden some chisels that we would use when making scroll work using the coal forge.
Moved on from a lot of these ideas by now, but thanks for the detailed thoughts!
I was using a solid lube for the drill bits, which was working well enough.
The inserts were more for creating a large radius (5*diameter of rope) rather than getting rid of the sharp edges.
Boafit is an interesting thought, I'll check it out.
For this type of rope, splicing is usually recommended by manufacturers.
I could certainly be doing more with heat treating, just a bit of an intimidating black art to me at the moment.
I got a pair of boafit wrist braces for under $4 at a CVS discontinued bin a year ago. I thought I might dismantle them someday.
The heat treating was really simple. heat it up till it starts turning color then dunk it. If you get it wrong then try again. Start with some iron bar stock, not your work piece, then work up from there.
It is much easier to work on soft iron than harden it than to work on hardened iron. In the past you have probably ruined the temper on some drill bits and not realized it, so you have achieved those temperatures. This is just intentional.
For small parts you can get those temperatures with a drug store butane torch style lighter, though a torch that will take a 1 pound propane tank will be less frustrating.