JerryCarroll

I agree with Cannon--Alexandr's work is outstanding!

Prayers work Randy! keep believing and GOD bless!!

Fantastic!

Great video! I could almost smell the cooking another Jerry

flint--chert--obsidian has been a part of my blacksmithing for a long time. Flint and steel fire starting used to be part of Boy scout training. I was born in eastern Ky. ---mining and limestone quarry's are still there but access to the areas where we could pick up good gray flint is not available anymore. I still find some chips and decent tips on the family property. Where I live now I can find some chert that makes decent striker stones. I used to build and shoot black powder arms---mostly flintlocks and use stuff I find for the locks after knapping. I bought a box of obsidian at the Friendship gathering in Southern Ind. back in the 70's and made some things for my buckskinning shop after learning to knapp from a couple from out west at a couple of the Friendship meets. Times have changed! Another Jerry

somewhere on IFI is some pictures of Billy Merrit's work that includes several items forged from meteorite. He was at Possums hammer-in held in southern Ind. Glenn was there.

In 2009 I had a bad car wreck with a drunk driver running a stop sign on a main highway. I got beat up kinda rough! Since then I've had my right shoulder rebuilt, left elbow repaired, 2 heart attacks, heart surgery and 6 months of back procedures with bunches of injections for pain that has had little effect. I went to a surgeon for back help to move some nerves and bone chips and disk damage and went to my heart doctor for an ok for surgery and was told to forget any type of surgery because of congestive heart failure--no surgeon will take the chance of finishing me off! Last week I went out to my shop to see if I could do anything. the worst problem was bending over and standing too long. I've been going to the shop now every day and feeling better every day. Weak and shaky but I've been there before. After reading these reports on others problems I gotta quit feeling like I'm finished with doing something I really like to do that I've been at for 60 years-- I'm 76.

Timber Ridge-- I'm about 70 miles south of you on the south bank of the Kankakee river out in the country and get the condensation in my pole barn shop also. Nothing seems to stop the sweating real good. I use Marvell mystery oil before it gets bad but right now is really damp. We are under a flood watch too. Jerry

I would bet most of the things like the Hugh anvil were grabbed up by collectors the way the way it is here not very far from Chicago.

Great video!! Thanks bunches.

I have used a blower/injector fan from an oil furnace with a built on air gate for years that I got for 5$ at a yard sell where the people switched over to electric heat and the fellow had enough thought to salvage some of the parts from the oil furnace. There were some pictures in the gallery long ago. I have a coal forge.

Out of curiosity I would like to know why most gas forges I see built on IFI are mostly round--like an air compressor tank and after watching the infamous FIF on tv a few times that the forges there are square ended and long and have 3 burners that look like they could melt about anything you stick in them . I have never used a gas forge--coal, and a few times charcoal that I made for about 60 years has been all I wanted. Jerry

My Dad's family is mostly in Virginia, western part. Visiting in the 50's always brought a stop at a farm that also made good whiskey and were blacksmiths-- wheel wrights mostly. It didn't take much to get me hooked on hammering. My first forge was my Dad's blow torch and a chunk of rr track made a serviceable anvil. Living in Chicago for a few years then working at a Ford stamping plant south of the city I still liked metal working so I gradually got together tools for blacksmithing then we moved to a small town south of the city out in the farm lands--on a farm and I've been enjoying life a bunch more doing things I enjoy. Having a loving Wife for 57 years don't hurt either! Jerry

I picked up a nice post vice at a garage sale in Kankakee, Il for ten dollars a while back. there is no markings on it. The only damage is the rear washer on the tightening bolt is split and open about a half inch. The washer is a half inch thick with a tapered inside. I don't have any trouble using the vice but still would like to fix or replace it. My question is if the washer is something I can weld after squeezing back in place without special welding rod. The jaws are 5 and a half inches. The vise is mounted on a mulberry log set about 30" in the clay floor of my shop that holds it good. I don't have any sendable pictures at the moment. Thanks in advance for any advice. Jerry