Here's my pics of the bit I finished on the weekend. Norm-I included a close up of my method of welding the slobber chain connectors-they are also riveted, I just thought the weld was kind of a neat touch.
I should have inlayed a line around the tapered hole-next one maybe! To taper the hole, I found an set of tools in an old garage, that I think were for re grinding the valve seats on cylinder heads. They worked real slick.
As always,your thought's are very much appreciated!

very, very nice. thanks for sharing. James

Richard,
Nice looking bit! Just wondering how much time do you have in a bit like this?
Jerry

Howdy Brooks,

Awesome bit! I really like the welding. TIG?

Thanks for showing the bit.

Glad you stuck around!

D.C.

_________________
The best thing for the inside of a man is the outside of a horse.

Really nice looking spade bit. I really like the attention to detail I see in all your work.

Wish I could weld better your slobber chain hangers look real neat and clean.

Larry

Fantastic!!! What do you call that cheek?
Jim

Richard,
Well done. I really, and I mean really like this bit.

Stewart

Good lookin bit. Are you making your chains?

Jerry- I have to admit, I'm terrible at keeping track of time on most of my stuff-I always have several pieces on my bench and work on them for a few minutes here and there, when ever I get a chance (or feel like it). I would guess that if I was to just go at it and build a bit like this 30 hours?(that's a real shot in the dark and probably not eaven close) I'm still learning so much and usually try something new on almost every piece so I waste alot of time just trying to figure things out.
TLD- I'd love to say that I could Tig weld like that, but actually that's done with an arc welder- this bit is 4 1/2 feet tall (the pic is deceiving)
(Just kidding-another tool I get to play with is a laser welder-it also works great for filling pits when tig welding)
Jim-I suppose I'd call it a Santa Barbara Kissing Bird? I just kind of took the top half of a Santa Barbara pattern and added the birds. Worked out quite well (balance is great-should work like it's supposed to).
Willey- The chains are from the hardware store-found some nicely made stuff and burnt the gold crap off. So much of this stuff is so poorly made that it is useless for what we want to do with it, but I found this stuff at ACE Hardware in Great Falls.

Mr. Brooks

I must tell you I really like your bit. It has just the right amount of gun engraving coupled with the silver. The touchs to the edges with the wheat engraving beautiful, the chain hanger welded very neat and clean (need to talk about that welding procedure), I would like to learn more about it.
I have one question about the Rein Rings at the bottom of the bit, in the picture they appear to have been heated and turned and you can still see the twist in them. I'm I mistaken or is there a reason, still looks great I am just curious.

Great work. Keep them coming.

_________________
Norm Harris, Jr.
"The outside of a Horse is good for the inside of a Man"

Thanks Norm.

I think the "twist" your looking at is simply to avoid having to weld that ring onto the bottom of the bit. I cut my cheeks so that piece is still attached and simply heat and turn-no clean up or mess.

As for the laser welder- it's like looking through a microscope(with crosshairs like a rifle scope). Push the foot petal and it shoots a laser beam where your aiming. The laser blast is from 1/2 to 16 millionths of a second long (pretty darn quick!) and the voltage is adjustable. Steel/brass/nickel/gold and titanium all weld good with it. Silver is the toughest to weld-it's so reflective that the beam will deflect off it. In theory you could weld fairly heavy stuff (multiple passes) but not really designed for that. We have a guy here(rents space in the shop) that does lots of gold and titanium jewelery and uses it lots.(fixes lots of eyeglasses,repairs gold chains,etc) It eliminates the need for binding wire when soldering-just tack with the laser and solder away (no good for overlays though-the "tack" will hold your overlay up and you would have to flow a bunch of solder under the piece.

I though I might have seen that cheek called a Carmel. But I could be mistaken.
Jim

Jim- Your right -I have seen similar styled called a Carmel as well. I ususally don't get too hung up on names, as so many of them have similar characteristics-where do you draw the line ? (would my bit with the heart at the bottom truely be a Santa Barbara?) I have run into the same situation with mouthpieces- some of them have fairly standard accepted names, but when I build a bit, I always get detailed description and measurements of the cheeks and mouthpiece- I built a bit once without this info-customer wanted a spade bit so that's what I built. His version of a spade (which he got out of an old catalogue or magazine), was what I think most of us would call a frog mouth(I've also seen them called polo mouth in some catalogues).

I love all the old names, but like you say, everyone has a different idea of what different styles are called. I have books were they call the same cheek two different names in the same book. That is why I always ask, to see what someone calls a cheek my be diffrent from me, but maybe I'm wrong. No thats not possible.
Jim

Richard,
VERY good point about getting all the info from the customer. We are just the maker and can make it just about any way the customer wants it made. I think it is their responsability to know what they want or need and we can sure help them with suggestions. There sure are alot of different names and terms out there for the same thing.

Larry