Everything Else

Went to the pancake supper last night. I was moderate but still had terrible BG numbers until in the middle of the night I figured out it wasn't the pancakes it was a misinserted set for my insulin pump, (done right before the dinner). Had a decade of doing it manually with NO issues; but now they have a spring loaded gadget to do it for you and with a failure rate above 1% in my sample. So changed it out for another one and didn't have to wake my wife to take me to the ER again. My co-pay was only a couple of thousand the last time I had ketoacidosis. I was up about every 1.25 hours to check though. Really dragging today; but the woodstove was fed all night long!

Popov, A. “Consecration Ritual for a Blacksmith Novice among the Yakuts.” The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 46, no. 181, 1933, pp. 257–271. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/535717.

I'm not sure if this is really appropriate or not but I'm sure there's some members and lurkers who are struggling with substance abuse issues and maybe this can show them a different life is possible. Today I have been clean for seven years. I remember a time when I couldn't imagine this being possible. I surely didn't think so on Feb 2nd 2013. I just wanted to let everyone know how much this site, Glenn, and the members here have helped me in ways that are impossible to put in to words. Thank you all so much. Hopefully I will be able to post again next year on Feb 2nd celebrating another year but I'm getting ahead of myself and am just thankful to be celebr…

Hi all, Been a while since I've posted on the forums. I'm a total beginner who opened shop last summer. Grad school and family emergencies had me out of action since October. I'm just getting back into it now. I have to downsize my shop at my landlord's request (he was totally fair about it and I knew it could happen). For the next few years at least, it looks like I'll still be able to do some forging, if the grad school gods are feeling merciful. I've got a ton of broken equipment to fix before that though haha

Best way to celebrate Australia day, watching the Australian open. Ozy Ozy Ozy, Oy Oy Oy Happy Australia day to all !

Wasnt sure where to put this so everything else it is. Does anyone have an idea of what this is. Cast iron measures almost 3 foot from top to bottom.

No blacksmithing in this one, but some interesting info if you’ve ever wondered what to do with industrial quantities of mill scale or how to cut a submerged shipwreck in half.

Below some atmospheric impressions of the demos, exhibitions, events and vernissages in which "F&F Tumulus" participated in 2019. Highlights include, for example, the Demo-forging in Tongeren under the feet of Ambiorix, a three-day event in a castle transformed into an art oasis, and an underground event in the heart of Liège in the catacombs next to the river Maas. The result for the necessary use of "blood, sweat and tears" was a lot of attention, many positive reactions and above all a lot of interaction with the audience present . A number of interesting leads, invitations for 2020, and a broadening of our network resulted from this. Portfolios of the various …

Was once again watching PBS and Craft in America had a segment on Tom Joyce. It was pretty good if you love scrap art and sculpture. https://www.craftinamerica.org/artist/tom-joyce Pnut

I find a lot of products on the web advertised as "impact" sockets or drivers, made of "drop forged heat treated chrome vanadium steel." Some of these are expensive tools. I always thought that chrome vanadium is brittle and not good for impact drivers, but chrome moly is used instead. Does the fact that they are drop forged and or heat treated (and probably thicker walled) qualify them to be impact grade? Or is this misleading advertising?

Looking at the local FB marketplace I saw this old 34” saw blade for $100. Assuming it’s good steel, how much would you pay for it?

I saw this double pulley from a power rack (i.e. a home gym station) on the Internet. I want to attach such a system to my power rack. Does anyone know what the following pulley is named? Can I buy that kind of pulley online? Thanks in advance.

I'm needing to glue a silicone gasket to Acrylic. Can't seem to find any adhesive that will do that. Any suggestions?

I ordered hammer, VFD and couple of other items from famaga almost 2 weeks ago. Their web site says they ship in 2-3 days. Every time I call I get a different story. The first time, the items were sitting in their warehouse floor waiting for the carrier to pick it up. Would be shipped that day. Next time, their computer was down and they couldn't get in touch with the vendors. HD didn't have the item. It was to be shipped direct from the manufacturer. Next call, they would expedite my order. It was ordered on the 2rd and here it is the 10th and according to their website, it's still being "processed".

I have unable to get in my shop due to a surgery to repair my menisicus from football. I was just about to be able to get back in but it seems like I might have retorn it. My question is are there anyways to get better and learn outside my shop. Any plans I could follow when I finally can get back to swinging the hammer?

Merry Christmas to all! On the site. Have a happy and safe holiday. Also, Chanukah greetings to all Jewish members, lurkers, and guests. SLAG. & Marg

So how many of you saw that video clip of the 1918 wreck above Niagara Falls and started to wonder how much real wrought iron might be in it? Note how much of it is left after 101 years of exposure to a lot of moisture. I was trying to dig up when it was built; but all they mention was when it was wrecked. One article kept mentioning that it was "steel" but I don't think the author even knows the difference... I do know that real wrought iron was once preferentially used for ship/boat construction due to it's resistance to corrosion. Just like the water tank at the old Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus was wrought iron and the structure holding it was steel…

Any other southern hemisphere smiths feeling the heat? Nice to get away from the forge for a day or two to visit Townsville where our grandson has just turned one year old. Very hot there. Even the wallabies joined the party and found a cool spot in the shade of a tree in the yard. Can you spot the Joey?

Not sure where else i could post this.. Went on the weekly charity shopping rounds at the weekend and struck it lucky with a few leather jackets that even still had the retail labels, One was extremely expensive RRP and fit perfect so its safe for now but the other i just brought for the material. Its a XXL calfskin leather coat, it wears pretty much like a knee length gown on me when buttoned up but the shoulders are far to wide to work with so it would need modifying at the very least. With that i figured i'd go the whole mile and make a much better apron than the current silverline one i own now but i'm not so sure about the material. Would it be enough to resist the o…

I'm trying to find the best 3D cad software for ornamental ironwork. I have tried the free version of SketchUp and it doesn't do it for me. Has anyone had experience with any programs like TurboCad or others?

Hi all, I have a wood pellet stove for heating my house and stumbled upon this site while trying to solve a problem with my stove. The pellets dropping into the firepot are very loud, and I’m also sensitive to noise and easily annoyed lol. So since it’s a clanking noise from the pellets hitting the metal firepot I’ve been attempting to line the firepot with something softer. first attempt was using ceramic fiber board with gasket cement. Initially worked but became brittle soon and flaked off with minimal pressure. second attempt was using ceramic fiber insulation with sodium silicate. This also worked well but only for about a day. There is one spot in the fire…

Just wondering how many enjoy, or used to enjoy riding and what manner of conveyance you have. Been riding since 1993, quit for a couple years after an accident in 2000. Always looking for a road trip or destination to tour through. Sizing up a run through the Smokey Mountains, down to Asheville NC and back next fall if work doesn't get in the way. 2008 Kawasaki Concours14

Hello, First of all, I hold in high respect all those who have dedication in DIY, Metallurgy and Smithing. Im currently working on some short stories, and its getting hard to find non-standard info on this craft thru Google. "Unusual metals" shows "best metals" results etc. I would be very grateful for any info on to say "non-mainstream" smithing. From techniques like watering your anvil (to remove scales (saw it on show Forged in Fire) to unusual metals and their properties in blades, armour, crossbows and other medieval-themed weaponry. Anything that could make non-educated person think "wow, never heard of this" or "magical" even such stupid things…

SLAG, and Marg, (the marvelous), Wish all the members of I.F.I.* a happy, warm, and safe Thanks giving. SLAG. *and, also, all visitors and lurkers.

I like to put labels on the things we drag out of our scrap piles. Does anyone know what this thing is? It has quite an attractive casting: GAR- WOOD, Detroit. Part of a GM truck perhaps? We stood it up as an ornamental piece, but 'twould be nice to know what it is.