u/Marvin_Conman

Hello

I'm making brass scales for my butterfly knife and I'd like to solder some brass pieces onto the base, but I've never done it and my only practice attempt ended up with hard solder rolling up into a ball and the brass piece ended up melting :P I can guess what I did wrong - wrong flux (used a paste made of borax instead of a specific flux, or I made it wrong) or I forgot to completely clean the brass pieces I tried to join. I'll attempt a test piece again but before that I want to ask how should I solder this piece:

https://preview.redd.it/v3z3lu8yh4kh1.jpg?width=4160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a2d41db2c5574bb9923105b5b33ad5920013b1d

As you can see the plates I want to solder are fastened in place with screws. Thing is, where the screws are I want to put brass pins (made from the brass rod above) but I don't know if I should do this before or after soldering. If I rivet the pieces before, the solder should flow into the spaces between the river and plate reinforcing the joint even further.

But then... Just how do I do this? Do I need to put the flux paste between the plate and base? I don't know if it'd work well since after doing that I have to pin them. I really need a step by step process because I'm a little slow and I need to visualize every step.

For materials, I have:

- silver hard solder (2% silver)

- flux paste (Brazing paste AMASAN HS)

- handheld torch (one where you screw on a butane bottle, before you say it's too weak please consider that it IS capable of melting brass :P )

Here's how I see it:

1. Sand down the parts that will be joined together to increase surface where the solder will flow (ps what grade sandpaper will be best? 240? Higher/lower grit?)

2. Clean the surfaces with acetone to remove any grease

3. Smear the surfaces with flux paste

X) Now this is applicable only to this case - rivet the two plates together while wearing rubber gloves being careful no debris gets between them

4. Heat up the metal by moving the flame back and forth, and touch the solder to the gap when it's hot enough. If done right the solder should flow into the space.

5. Wait a few seconds and dunk the piece in cold water to harden the flux

Do I have this right? Please help, I really don't want to mess this up...

Hello

After today's maintenance I keep getting this error:

"Couldn't find the entry point of SetThreadDescription procedure in C:\Blackdesert\bin64\sl.interposer.dll"

I tried looking it up on Google and I think it means my OS is too old? But when I checked patch notes I saw that the support for Win 7/DX 9 is discountinued, but my OS is Win 8.1/DX 11.

What is happening and how do I fix this?

Hello

I'm making my first handforged damascus (15N20 + O2) and I'm nearing the completion, but I'd like to heat treat it myself for once (I always handed it over to heat treatment plant so far). What I'm wondering is what should I use to quench it:

oil - lower hardness but gives the metal more durability (I think, I always worked with 5160 but the idea is the same, no? Oil is more viscuous so the steel cools slower)

water - higher hardness but the steel may crack

What do you think? Should I go safe route (oil) or high risk high reward (water)?

By the way, it's not gonna be a big blade. I want to make a gravity knife so the blade will be 15-20 cm tops.

Hello

It has been two years since I last played Lost Ark, and I want to come back to relive the game. Thing is though, I prefer playing solo as much as possible, and since I last played some new classes came out I'd like some advice on what to pick.

What I'm looking for, if possible:

- [important] middle to long range (I hate melee and I'm very bad at it)

- good at both AoE and single target/boss

- [QoL] has some sort of self heal

- [optional] is a female class

My original main is/was the Artist, which basically has all of the above, unless they were nerfed to the ground. I'm eyeing Aeromancer, because I saw the preview skills and I like what I see (that solar lazer beam looks DOPE XD) and I dropped the game before it came out.

Hello

Yesterday I finally made my own pattern welded steel, no one helping me, no using someone else's hydraulic press, just me, my jank forge, hammer and a few stacks of 15N20 and O2 welded together (ok that last one wasn't by me but I'm too scared of a machine that can either zap me or explode gas, that's why I use a coal forge :P ).

Now why do I say "few" stacks - I made four 30x30x16mm (6 layers each) stacks so it'll be easier to forge weld them - less volume to heat up > easier welds. I did so because my coal forge doesn't produce enough heat to reach forge welding temperatures - or so I thought because I didn't know how long should I soak the first billet in the heat before like a quarter of it MELTED XD Turns out it WILL melt if I keep it there long enough XD PS no worries I managed to salvage it, though that one part will have a very different pattern :3

Anyhow here's the crux of my problem - I don't have any machine that'd make forging easier so it was just me, my arm and a 1,5 kg hammer - I used that one to set the welds but anything lighter felt like it wasn't moving metal at all. Annnnnd... I don't exercise much. Like at all. My only experience with a forge was taking a long billet and forging a curve on it to make a katana, saber etc and then it goes to the grinder. And the silly me decided I'll forge weld and draw out ALL FOUR STACKS ON THE SAME DAY. I did take a half hour break between each stack and I kept doing arm exercises to relax my arm while waiting for the steel to heat up again, but at one point I couldn't even really swing the hammer anymore, I relied mainly on gravity. And now I suffer the consequences because I was hammering from 11 AM to 9 PM and during the night my forearm was in so much pain I couldn't sleep. It's better now as I can at least move it but it still aches and I have a bunch of blisters on my right palm. And I kinda dread the next part because I still have 4 billets to weld and forge again, and I REALLY am not looking forward to that at the moment.

So my question is, how should I pace myself when forging by hand? When is the point where I should stop working? When my arm starts aching, how long a break should I take before I start again? Or when I can't swing the hammer anymore, should I just call it a day?

Hello

I want to make some brass trinkets but they require soldering, which I have never done before. I'll list the stuff I have and I'd like to know if I can solder brass with these:

- brass (duh :P)

- brass solder stick

- Borax (I heard that you can use this as a flux if you mix it with distilled water, forgot the ratio though, so I don't know if I have to make a paste or a liquid, need more info on this)

- Gas torch, one where you can twist the burner onto a can of butane gas. According to the label it can achieve flame temperature up to 1200C.

I tried looking up tutorials on YouTube and from what I found I assume this is the process:

1. Scratch the brass parts with sandpaper on where they're supposed to be connected so there will be more surface for solder to adhere to.
2. Place the parts on a non-flammable, heat resistant surface (I have a chamotte brick, the one you line a fireplace with, withstands over 1000C)
3. Put the borax solution on the parts and heat up till the metal starts to change color
4. Melt the solder between the parts so it flows in between them
5. Wait a bit till it cools of a little and then quench in water

Am I getting this right? Is this how you solder brass?

Hello

Really hyped for Tales of Eternia as it is one of my favorite Tales titles, but I'm wondering - will the remaster be only visual (so upscaled graphics + new voicelines) or will there be some new additional content? Or is it too early to tell? Did other remasters have new content? (never played any of these cuz I care only about Eternia and Abyss)

Little sparrow was flying south, running away from winter. Unfortunately it was so cold, that the bird froze and fell onto a pasture. A cow was passing by and took a dump on the bird. Because the turd was warm, it thawed the sparrow and it started feeling better. He sat in the turd, and soon he felt so happy that it started chirping. But a cat was passing nearby, who heard the bird's song, then pulled it out of the turd and ate it.

The moral:

1. Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
2. Not everyone who pulls you out of shit is your friend.
3. If you're in deep shit, don't tweet about it.

Hello

I just finished Brothership and wanted to know what the community considers their favorite M&L game. I played (almost) all games and wanted to share my opinions on them in a list, from my least to most favorite :)

(unranked) Paper Jam - maybe my mistake was playing it after I finished Dream Team but PJ didn't feel like my cup of tea. It rather was giving me major Partners in Time vibes. That's why I kinda dropped it after two hours of gameplay and it's just sitting in my library. Haven't completed it, hence I leave it unranked. Also, what weirded me out is even though the game came out after DT, it graphics were somehow downgraded compared to DT.

Lowest - Partners in Time: To me this game is just BORING. The plot is mushroom aliens start messing with time, M&L meet their baby counterparts and have to stop the invaders. That's the plot. Sounds interesting? Well, it isn't. I always felt this game is somewhat unfocused. The plot starts out of nowhere, dropping it straight on us, and the world is just uninteresting. The battles feel meh. Sticking extra bros into the fray makes it feel cluttered cuz you have to manage 4 of them instead of 2, felt like I played DDR in some battles with all XABY buttons. Sorry but this is my least liked M&L game.

Low - Brothership: this is the lowest of the GOOD ones so don't lynch me, kay? XD The good parts is the visuals are stunning, the battles are great and bosses with their gimmicks. The bad? Suffering from PiT syndrome, the story starts out of nowhere, sucking M&L into the world of Concordia. No rhyme, no reason, just like that, they get pink tornadoe'd. Even better, it starts by Luigi running away from DA BEES. IMO it's just ridiculous and feels like it was done just to get it over with and get straight to the game. The story also feels a little tedious - YEET onto an island, solve it's problem, connect to the ship, rinse & repeat, and you have 20 ISLANDS TO CONNECT. Yeesh. And that's the whole game. The only really bad part I'd point out is collecting essence towards the end of the game, that was SO BORING and tedious. Overall the game's great, but I think others are better.

Mid - Superstar Saga: I had a tough time deciding on the top three but I decided with this order. The OG title sets the bar and does it right. I played both GBA and 3DS versions, and I really loved the upgraded graphics and soundtrack. The story is solid with good pacing, and the gameplay is great too. I have nothing to pick at in this game. The golden standard.

Good - Bowser's Inside Story: Also played both DS/3DS versions and the only reason I put this game in 2nd place is because you get to play as BOWSER, how freaking fun is that. Otherwise the beginning feels a bit rushed (PiT syndrome again). Aside from that the rest of the game feels solid until late game when it feels like it's dragging a bit (yeah, the last two or so hours felt kinda slow to me). But the battles are fun, especially Bowser ones, and the ones where you get to cooperate between bros and Bowser XD Also Starlow acting as the big B's conscience was just hilarious XD

Best - Dream Team: This is my top pick. I feel that everything about this game is PERFECT. The pacing, the story, the battles, the puzzles, the fact that Weegee isn't just a sidekick this time and is equally as important as Mario to the story, the motion controls that make the game more immersive and fun - to me it was all amazing. There's not a single thing I didn't like in this game, hence why I give it the 1st place.