Everything Else

Hey guys and gals, I have an opportunity to get a car that I have always liked, but it is near Quebec, Sorel-Tracy to be exact. I have a guy who can bring it to me for a very reasonable price, if I can get it across the border to Buffalo NY. He will be coming my way in Aug/Sept. I am working on the paperwork, and figured I'd check here before contacting auto carrier companies. It will need to be trailered, not road ready at this time.

I'm curious what the burnt orange deposit is that I get on my steel in addition to scale. I did a search here, so if this topic has been beaten to death in the past I apologize.

How many of you have used the wood and how many have access to the tree but never realized what the wood has to offer? I'll talk about it a little in hopes of generating interest amongest those that might be unfamilar but I suggest doing a search. Most blacksmiths around here prefered the stump over other species for anvil stands. Google doesn't tell you that wood is soft while green. I've had sawmills refuse working it until I showed them it's no harder while green than oak. Few documents mention caracter of wood but it can be sanded to a nice finish. IMO it's a natural for knife handles. It will never break nor rot when used as a handle in hammer,hatchet or ax.

I've been collecting quite a collection of scale, and, being the hoarder I am, I wondered if anyone had horticultural uses for it. Would it give iron to my plants if I crush it up and sprinkle it in the garden?

About ten years ago my wife and I had the bright idea to plant some bamboo to act as a screen to hide an ugly hillside where we removed a lot of dirt & rocks to use when our 1/2 mile steep driveway washed out during a monsoon. We had our neighbor who had a nursery that specialized in exotic bamboo put it in. He is basically an expert in bamboo horticulture. To address our concerns about bamboo taking over an area, he said this strain of bamboo doesn't spread much especially how he would plant it in our rocky ground. He used his back hoe to dig a trench about two feet deep, three feet wide and thirty feet long, which he filled with good dirt & compost. The rocky gr…

I was curious how a small magnet could effect the resonance of a large anvil. I took a bell I made and stripped it of the handle and striker and hung it from a piece of wire. It rang quite nicely. I then stick a relatively large neodymium magnet to various spots on the bell to observe the results. You can see the progression of the magnet as I moved it down the bell Magnet on top, no effect on the ringing. Magnet in the middle, little change in volume, pitch and duration of ring. Magnet on lower edge, more reduction in volume, pitch changed and ringing duration shortened. Magnet on the end of the bell, almost complet…

Does anyone know what this thing hanging off the axle of an old caboose I came across is? I will join some railfan groups and ask there (even more user names and p-words) but thought I would ask here. A kindly IFI member already ruled out the hub of dually caboose. I repaired railcars back in the day but have never seen one. I have photo of other angles if helpful. Pure curiosity....

Looking for any knowledge on these units. Have you used them or seen them used. What are their pitfalls or do they pretty much do the job. Clearing for the shop left enough trees to build a heavy bench and is fueling ideas for a new dining table but I'm too cheap to haul it to get it milled professionally. Thanks for any input.

My wife showed me a video last night thinking I would be interested. It was about a person "testing" a siege crossbow, 1000# pull to see if it lived up to it's "hype" in earlier writings on it. She was surprised at my screaming at the screen as the fellow made mistake after mistake and then ascribed the results he got to the weapon... It had been stated that it's range was reported to be 200 to 250 yards; but he only got about 130 yards. Of course he was firing into the wind---nicely shown by the flag he posted as his starting point. He was also shooting on the flat where the siege crossbow is STRICTLY designed to be used from atop a fortifications wall. The st…

I was taking a stroll down some old RR tracks the other day (rail is marked 1920s I believe) and came across several quite sizable (pic is of the smallest one) blobs of what looks to me like molten iron that was poured on the ground many moons ago. My best guess is that they were from an intermediate stage of the iron industry, being transported for further melting/casting and rolled off the train, sealing their fate as useless but historically intriguing blobs of iron. Anyone familiar (or clueless) with the old (actually pretty new) iron-making processes want to weigh in?

We had our typical start of the week meeting at work today (I work at an electrical supplies distributor for those who don't know) and the topic of soaring prices came up. 2 years ago we could sell a 500' spool of 12 gauge THHN for roughly $100US, however with todays pricing, that same spool is now over $200US. Market projects are stating that with this drastic upward trend in copper price, it is entirely feasible that within a few years copper could be as much as $14 per pound! That means that same exact spool we sold in 2019 for ~$100, will be closer to $600! Now imagine that price hike on Romex wire for houses. a 250' coil could be close to $200. That plus the co…

this is a bottle opener from a company in Chicago that made and distributed cigars. I'd like to know if anyone can tell me what the opposite end, which has two tools, was used for? thank you. Jmalle 4220E819-71CA-48A0-9B7C-03F58E7612CC.heic

I saw a quote attributed to H.L, Mencken recently that really resonated with me. "For every complex problem, there is a solution that is clear, simple, and wrong." Indeed we live in a time where it's relatively easy to amass "proof" of whichever side of an issue one might choose. Objective truth is buried in, well... stuff that isn't objective truth. I think there are a lot of people who see that as a feature, not a bug. Some of them strike me as being smart, reasonable and decent people in other respects, so why is this happening? The Greek Philosopher Plato, may have the answer with his "Allegory of the cave". It goes like this. Imagine a cave in w…

What was the first project that you have ever attempted that turned out to either take way too long or became way more complicated than you thought? Give details! example: after watching forging videos on YouTube for 5 years I attempted tongs on a steel ASO as a first project. 1 1/4” x 1/4” steel stock as material and a harbor freight 2.5 lb hammer with a 7” handle. The video took 40 minutes to watch. I spent 4 days on them and they sucked sooooo bad. I have them hidden in my garage to this day.

Was at the parents house with the kids this weekend, and they were watching some movie with Reese Witherspoon and during one scene they were firing anvils out of cannon and large ones at that. My first thought was how in the world do you design a cannon to fire something as oddly shaped as an anvil? Secondly, how much dang gun powder would you need to launch something 100+ pounds like 50 yards? lol. I think the movie was Sweet Home Alabama, but who knows. Just thought the scene was funny. Also, not gonna lie, it seems like something Thomas or Frosty would try to do.

My plan after school was to go into the service... I didn't want to go right after high school, so I worked and a couple years later my mom got real sick... Sorta changed my course, during that same period, this elderly couple that I met a month before graduating high school, started to depend more and more on me.. 10 years later, they are still around, and I do everything for them, grocery's, Dr appointments, medicine, everything... I even deal with his attorney who recently started to handle things for them because of his dementia the wife being from Greece and not speaking good english. I just turned 28, i've done good, have about $60,000 saved up, a huge collection …

I've been forging for well over a year, only just made the jump to ferrous but I was using exactly the same kit for silver and bronze. I've always been conscious it makes noise and stuck to one hour stints. The set up is on the opposite side of the house from the character I'm about to introduce and I have a tiny anvil. Not being able to drive I'm kinda limited on venues. The neighbour has suddenly started objecting. After having a go at my wife a few weeks ago I agreed to keep it between 4&6pm, I've only fired up the forge five times since then - and limited it to half an hour sessions no more than twice a day (which is frustrating but at least the oversized bu…

Confirmed today that my wife is pregnant with our third each. I have two with previous and she has two with previous. Hopefully it’s a boy because I am the end of the branch on this side of the family. 0 for two so far. I love my girls though.

Just seen a report of an earthquake in Alaska yesterday. Hoping Frosty will announce his well being soon.

Dear All, Here in the US it is the start of Memorial Day weekend. I think I am the senior veteran here and will make my annual request: Please remember that Memorial Day is not just the first long weekend of the summer but remember the occasion for it and remember all the men and women who didn't get a chance to come home from America's Wars. I was fortunate enough to make it home and live a full life, grow old, and, amongst many other things, become a blacksmith. Too many never had that chance and crossed over the rainbow bridge way too early. Thoughtfully, George Monsson Lt. Col., Army of the United States (ret.) late of 1/C/1/12 Cav., 1 Cav…

While searching on something I ran across FeltMagnet a site for crafters they had a post on smithing that said: "Coal is the most historically accurate forging fuel, and creating a forge that uses coal is very easy, but requires a bit of creativity. Coal is smoky, especially when first lighting, but will clear up a bit as it gains temperature. Anthracite coal is considered the best, but bituminous coal will work very well too, and is more commonly available (also less expensive)." Lets break that down: "Coal is the most historically accurate forging fuel": Coal has been used for smithing since the High to Late Middle Ages; (Gies & Gies "Cathedr…

How does one go about starting a ABANA affiliated group? I live in an area with lots of hobby smiths but no groups within reasonable driving distance. I tried looking at the ABANA website, but it appears to be down.

My kid was complaining about how "group assignments" always seem to involve a member that doesn't do their share of the work. I'm sure most of us can relate. In my case, I got to thinking of some co-workers/colleagues in a new/different light. For example, one of our distributors has an administrator who handles all project material orders, warranty replacements, shipping, etc. The materials are not only trade-specific, they're often involved in complex assemblies. As a result, the manufacturers will have their agents asking lots of very technical questions. All of this is funneled through the distributors administrator who possesses zero technical knowledge, an…

What's the going price for WI wagon wheels? I know a guy has some for $40 each. Looks to be around 36" or so. I know it depends on how bad you want them but I don't want to pay for decorations.

old anvil.msg Found this in an old dresser I was restoring, coincidentally I am a bottling supervisor in the bourbon indusry here in Kentucky. Thought you all might enjoy it.