I always get mightily confuddled by various steel grades and types. Oh, I have the basics from 304 to 316 down pat, but when our Steve at Steel Strip mentioned to me that he’d started selling small quantities of spring steel I had to scurry off to Wikipedia to find out what spring steel actually was. All we get is this paltry stub:

Spring steel is a low alloy, medium carbon steel with a very high yield strength. This allows objects made of spring steel to return to their original shape despite significant bending or twisting.

Silicon is the key component to most spring steel alloys. An example of a spring steel used for cars would be AISI 9255 (DIN and UNI: 55Si7, AFNOR 55S7), containing 1.50%-1.80% silicon, 0.70%-1.00% manganese and 0.52%-0.60% carbon.

Most spring steels (as used in cars) are hardened and then tempered to about 45 on the Rockwell C-Scale.

According to Machinery’s Handbook, “The spring materials most commonly used include high-carbon spring steels, alloy spring steels, stainless spring steels, copper-base spring alloys, and nickel-base spring alloys.” According to the same, the most widely used spring steel is ASTM A228 (0.80–0.95% carbon) known as “music wire”.

I presume we’re not talking about slinky spring steel?

It makes a change to hear of somebody prepared to service the little guy…..as it were. Here’s Steve’s raison d’etre and combined mission statement:

Whilst steel mills regularly insist on minimum order quantities of up to 5 tons, and stockholders upwards of a ton, we have recognised the need of smaller engineering companies who may require as little as a single sheet to complete a project, or to replace a part in an aging piece of plant.

It can be frustrating and time consuming for an engineer to spend hours on the telephone trying to source small quantities of spring steel, only to find the supplier loses interest the moment he realises the small quantity involved. To be honest it’s as a big a problem often for the supplier as for the customer! Not for us.

So, if you’re looking to buy spring steel in small quantities I’d recommend you go and have a word with Steve over at Steel Strip as he’s a top bloke. Or, you can give him a bell on +44 1952 290313. (Yes, he can ship worldwide.)

Oh, and I can assure you I’m not on any commission. I just like it when people aren’t trying to stiff smaller companies - especially when they happen to be a mate.

I’m awfully fond of the idea of a Doomsday Ark:

IF civilisation is wiped out on Earth, salvation may come from space. Plans are being drawn up for a “Doomsday ark” on the moon containing the essentials of life and civilisation, to be activated in the event of earth being devastated by a giant asteroid or nuclear war.

Construction of a lunar information bank, discussed at a conference in Strasbourg last month, would provide survivors on Earth with a remote-access toolkit to rebuild the human race.

A basic version of the ark would contain hard discs holding information such as DNA sequences and instructions for metal smelting or planting crops. It would be buried in a vault just under the lunar surface and transmitters would send the data to heavily protected receivers on earth. If no receivers survived, the ark would continue transmitting the information until new ones could be built.

You’ve also got to be quite keen on the idea that should we be wiped out, we’d not only learn the important stuff such as splicing our DNA with cockroaches and how to set up an allotment, but making sure we can still make things out of metal.

However, I’ve always been one for believing that prevention is infinitely better than the cure; and I’m especially worried about the dregs of mankind struggling to build new receivers because they didn’t have the sufficient smelting knowledge as the ark was falling on deaf ears.

Thankfully, The Tinbasher is at hand to help educate anybody in the ways of smelting prior to any unforeseen cataclysmic event.

Of course you could read the metal smelting page on Wikipedia, but you know that’s not hard core DIY info.

Build a similar metal smelting furnace.

You need something far more survivalist, and we obviously have it in the above charcoal powered metal casting furnace. (You’ll have to scroll down the page.)

After an asteroid hit or nuclear devastation there’ll be more charcoal than you can shake a stick at, so fuel for your smelt furnace shouldn’t be a problem.

So, for the sake of humanity - read and inwardly digest.

*Next week: How to arc weld your way through Armageddon.

Desperate to find out what should be coming to ITV 2 at some low-point in your not-too-distant future?

I bet you are:

On “The Salt ‘N Pepa Show,” VH1 will follow the ladies as they attempt to reunite on and off the stage in this funny, often touching reality series. They soon discover however, that achieving this is easier said than done since most of their past issues are still unresolved. Salt is angry about being unappreciated when they were together and Pepa blames Salt for breaking up the group. Their lifestyles are also polar opposites: Salt has indeed found God and is living a quiet life in Long Island with her husband while Pepa is still the party girl and up for anything. Can they overcome their differences long enough to heal their friendship and perform again?

To my eternal shame, I have yet to tune in to find out.

But not only am I bringing you what you’d wish for in your Christmas TV schedule, it wouldn’t be a Tinbasher Christmas if I didn’t tell you what to buy for that sheet metal worker or DIY enthusiast in your life. Ladies and gentlefolk, I give you the nut bolt and screw salt and pepper shakers:

These Salt and Pepper shakers are definitely something different. Pick them up, turn them whatever way and shake them, and….. nothing…. Bend then shake them however, and the Salt or Pepper will be sprinkled from the gaps that will have appeared between the coils. Once you are finished the shaker will return to it’s original form.

Designed to look like a hex-head-bolt and a countersunk head bolt these innovative devices bring a new dimension to your salt and pepper.

Features:

* Innovatively designed Salt and Pepper Shakers
* ‘S’ or ‘P’ to identify contents of the shaker
* Available in Stainless Steel or Black

Aye, I know; there are some of you thinking what a great thing these are to get your husband, and the husband half thinking they’ll only get lost in your toolbox.

Me? I’m off to push it good.

Here’s a message left by a certain fella called Ron looking for help with the following:

Nice information!
In the past I have built my own hydraulic press brake 60 Ton X 4 ft wide. I utilized dual ram’s salvaged from a catipiller, I utilized hydraulic dual selonoid valves to allow balance and stop control, not fancy but served the purpose up to 1/2″ plate and more.

I am looking for drawings of a similar press but with a professional touch. Are there professional drawings available?
The previous home built press handled only 4 Ft. width, my intentions are to build a six or eight foot press brake this time around! Is their any one out there that can help me with drawings of such?
I will share pictures if any one is interested!
Thank you for any help I receive from other like minded individuals!

You can email Ron at snyder[@]wispnet[dot]net - don’t forget to remove the brackets and change the dor to an actual dot as in period/full stop .

It appears as though he’s looking for something a bit more substantial than the last press brake project I posted.

I’m obviously something of a visionary. Well, when I say visionary, I mean I’ve found another blog post about stainless steel pocket cups after I’d touted a return to the vest-pocket ashtray.

Anyway, the above fella somehow got somebody at Boing Boing all excited because he’d made his own - wait for it - stainless steel pocket protector.

“The first thing I noticed when I met Dan is that he was wearing a aluminum stainless steel pocket protector. He said he made it himself after realizing that he was tearing through at least one plastic pocket protector a week. The side seams are sewn with copper wire and coated with cellophane tape so it doesn’t snag his shirt. I think it’s a real beaut.”

Well I suggest popping round to a see a seasoned sheet metal place that knows how to weld stainless steel if you’re having to cover the seams with sellotape. I also expect you’d come across quite a few other handy contraptions they may have rustled together whilst there’s a lull.

Anybody else care to share some little project they’ve completed to make their life easier round the workshop?