The Armour Archive

I bet you were all wondering how long it would be before I posted with a "how do I work my shear?" post?

Got my Central Forge Throatless mounted today and after I read the instructions (both of them) I began to see if I could work it.

One thing I noticed is that the bottom blade, when looked at from the side, doesn't lay even close to flat to the base. The curve of the base is much more severe than the blade. If I positioned the back of the blade into the slot, the front wouldn't reach the clamp (#10). If I pushed the front down so the clamp would hold, the back would pop up when I tried to cut anything.

After several times of trying to tighten the clamp (#10) using a 3/8" socket wrench, the bolt broke off in the base. No more #10 clamp.

Should I try and drill the bolt out and try again, or is the blade curvature the problem?

Or, should I return this one and spend an extra $346 on a B1? (not really an option )

I'd appreciate any advice.

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Becky Lovins

I tried to find the page that lists some of the modifications and adjustmenst that are more common for the knock off shear. But the page doesn't seem to exist anymore. If anyone else knows where I can find it I would be very appreciative.
Anyways. You will probably have to grind down the pocket where the blade sits. It would help immensely if you could show pictures so the rest of us can tell whether it is the blade or the shear that needs adjustment.
Tightening that clamp is a pain no matter what. The best thing to do is to drill a hole through it and weld a rod to the base of the shear that passes through the hole in the clamp. This prevents the clamp from twisting and drawing the blade out of alignment while tightening (thanks to Pathfinder for this idea).
You may want to see about switching it for another one if you broke the bolt off since it serves a function If you can afford a Beverly then definitely go for one. If you can't then the HF model is the next best thing in my opinion.
Sasuke

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www.oaksarmoury.com

Is your shear a Harbor Freight?
If it is, then that, is the problem, they seem to be plagued with different problems.
once you fix that, it will be something else. Scrimp and save for the Beverly B-2
Then you will know why the armours call her their mistress.
This is not meant to be sarcastic, just my opinion, we get what we pay for.
Good luck on your armouring. and keep us posted.
I struggled with snips, jig saw and electric shears for a long time. Now with my B-2, cutting things out, is the fastest and easiest part. My next favorite power tool is the 2"x42" belt sander, then the 2 hp. 8" buffing motor. It took over a year to save up for these tools. Now it will take about 10 years of armouring to make my investment back. LOL, This is only my hobby, so I realy never expect to recoup my expenses. Damn, what an addictive hobby, but I love it.
Hal.

Try here:

http://www.computer-god.com/shear/

Hate to say it but sounds like you got one of the bad ones. Contact Haror Freight and tell them you want customer satisfaction.

The page is gone now. From what I read, the author made 2 adjustments. First, he ground the bottom blade to match the profile of the top blade so that the 10 to 25% gap would be maintained throughout the stroke. He cautioned to not get the blade too hot so that you would screw up the temper, he frequently dipped the blade in water. Second. he drilled a 3/16 hole through the clamp and into the body and inserted a 3/16 rod that he upset a little on the end for a tight fit so that the clamp would stay put while you tightened it down. But from what I read from the original post it sounds like the bottom blade is too small for where it sits in the bottom frame. If you plan on keeping it, you might call HF and maybe they will send you another set of blades, or you could just shim the blade with a piece of sheet metal, of course you are going to have to extract the broken bolt with a screw extractor. Or you could return it. The fix doesn't look too tough besides drilling and extracting the bolt and a B1 costs about $400.

[This message has been edited by Willing Pell (edited 02-11-2002).]

The harbor freight shear sucks. I broke mine in little over a week. With my beverly shear, I've done almost no maintnence other than tightening up the bolts on the blade once and putting grease in the gears. And its a used shear. Deffinatly worth every penney you pay for it.

And I've had excellent results with mine. I've had it for a little over a year. We've cut out multiple gorgets, gauntlets, knees and elbows with no problems as long as the gap is adjusted a lot.

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Jean Paul de Sens (JP)

And Shepherds we shall be
for thee my lord for thee
power hath descended forth from thy hand
so that my feet may swiftly carry out thy command
And we shall flow a river forth unto thee
And teeming with souls shall it ever be
In nomini patriath, fili, espritus sancti.

-The Boondock Saints

(please note: all explatives have been deleted from the following post at great restraint from the author.)

Well, just got off the phone with Harbor Freight. They'll take it back, no questions asked, broken bolt and all.

However, it will take 7 days to get the shipping label to send it back and then another two weeks to get it back, process it and then another two weeks to ship me a new one.

So, it will be another 6 weeks or so before I can cut the stupid metal that's been sitting in my garage for 3 weeks already. I'll just keep reading and wait some more to get hammering.

Becky (who really wishes she could afford a Beverly right now)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by bexter12:
They'll take it back, no questions asked, broken bolt and all. However, ...it will be another 6 weeks or so before I can cut the stupid metal </font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Becky,
I suggest you don't put up with that kind of treatment from HF. Instead get a refund and use that money to bootstrap yourself into a Beverly.

How you do it is up to you, but here's a suggestion. Trace all the stuff you want to cut out onto your metal. While waiting for your refund, call local rental shops until you find one that has a shear (usually a Milwaukee electric hand shear. Maybe A-D & S Rentals in Portsmouth? That doesn't look very far from you)

Once you get your refund, load your metal, gloves, hearing and eye protection, tarp, kids, and whatever into the car/truck and go on safari to your chosen rental shop. Once there, rent the shear and an extension cord for the shortest possible time. Have them adjust the blade gap for the gauge of metal you will be cutting--it really mangles the steel to cut 18ga with a shear adjusted for 10ga, but adjusting it for 16ga works well for 18ga and 14ga too.

Then ask if you can plug in the extension cord there (Try this: "I only need it for a couple of minutes, so why even drive away? I can cut it in the parking lot and give you your shear right back"). Put down the tarp, don your protective gear, and quickly cut all your pre-traced shapes out. Be sure to catch all the shavings and scrap cuts in the tarp, as electric shears can create some really nasty micro-slivers and sharp bits of scrap.

Give the shop back their shear and cord. Your HF refund should give you enough for gas, rental, and a stop at McDonalds on the way home with enough left over for rivets.

Make armor from all the pieces you cut out, sell it to locals or on Ebay, and use the proceeds to buy your Beverly.

I used this method to buy my electric shear (at the time I didn't know what a B2 was, or I would have gotten one instead of the electric), and a somewhat similar method for paying for my welder.

Good luck, have fun, and as always your mileage may vary.

Konall beat me to it.

Also: no need to buy a new Beverly. Used ones turn up on ebay, and on the Archive for-sale board. One of our members [sorry, I forget who] deals in them, among other things.

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Gundobad,
Wise Ogre Armory

'Soylens viridis homines est.'

A position worth taking, is worth defending.

Konall,
That is some good advice. I'm currently working on a custom maille job and using the installments from it to fund my plate supplies. I have talked with my customer (yep only one) and he's trying to find me a used B1 or B2 to trade for the rest of the payment.

Hopefully, he can find me one soon. Then I can take the money from the Central Forge and maybe buy a ball stake and quit using the railroad spike in my vice to planish.

Actually, now that I think about it, I want that new pair of $200 boots for my outfit. Maybe I am going to have to sell some stuff after all....

Thanks to all for your advice. Once I determine that I don't stink and want to keep making armour, I plan to upgrade. Until then, I'm going to use your suggestions to make my cutting woes a little easier.

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Becky Lovins

If they still carry it Centaur Forge used to have Edwards Shears, not as easy to live with as a Beverly is, but a lot less expensive and can do about 90% of the work, leaving the remainder for sabre saw and file work (good for the soul). Also from my POV the one I own is a brute, that didn't really mind a afternoon cutting 1/8 mild.

I know you hate to go this route, but if you have a jigsaw and a quart of 10W30 to cool the blade, I'd suggest going ahead and using it for now. Better than waiting 6 weeks with your project laguishing. Just support the metal close to your cut and re-oil the blade frequently so it doesn't overheat. Keep a few extra blades around so when they inevitably break or lose teeth, you have a spare. It's not really as bad as it sounds; its just loud and a bit awkward. But very workable.

Becky,

A B1 should do you fine, I've been using one for 22 years, made over 200 helmets plus uncountable other stuff and it's just starting to get tired.

Alail/Scott

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by bexter12:
<B>Konall,
That is some good advice. I'm currently working on a custom maille job and using the installments from it to fund my plate supplies. I have talked with my customer (yep only one) and he's trying to find me a used B1 or B2 to trade for the rest of the payment.

Hopefully, he can find me one soon. Then I can take the money from the Central Forge and maybe buy a ball stake and quit using the railroad spike in my vice to planish.

Actually, now that I think about it, I want that new pair of $200 boots for my outfit. Maybe I am going to have to sell some stuff after all....

Thanks to all for your advice. Once I determine that I don't stink and want to keep making armour, I plan to upgrade. Until then, I'm going to use your suggestions to make my cutting woes a little easier.

</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Becky,

Here is the link to a B-1 for sale at present:

http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001516.html

Also, I suggest that you buy your ball stakes and/or dishing forms Ironmonger.

http://www.kingslayer.com/ironmonger/catalog/catalog.htm

I have some pictures of various ball stakes and forms from him on my website.

DO NOT buy the ball stakes that Centaur Forge carries in stock. They are crap and cost about 6 times too much for the quality. A friend of mine is the shop manager and I have been through their inventory with a fine tooth comb many times. Be careful as allot of stuff is very overpriced.

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Pheylin Quinn
Hammered Steel by Pheylin
Shire of Ravenslake, Midrealm