Glenn

Todays modeling clay (store bought) is high tech stuff. There are products (silly puddy) that will flow like cold syrup but will fracture or shatter when hit. Others are designed with properties that make them special as a marketing tool for the kids. Like anything else, choose what works best for your application.

Day 3 entries 3 pair of tongs 3 punches punching (of H13 by the way) 3 swage blocks No definite winner so we will go with swage blocks. 4 (your entry here) 3 swage blocks 2 pair of tongs An anvil that weighed more then me.

BP0052 AWS Welding Rod Classification 6011 Welding Electrodes An all-purpose stick electrode for use in all positions on carbon and galvanized steel. 60,000 PSI tensile strength. Deep penetrating, ideal for welding through light to medium amounts of dirty, rusty or painted materials. Runs on AC or DCEP (reverse) polarity. 6013 A light to medium penetrating all-purpose stick electrode for use in all positions, on carbon steel. Runs on AC or DCEP (reverse) polarity or DCEN (straight) polarity. 60,000 PSI tensile strength. Good for general, all-purpose applications and joints with poor fit-up. 7014 For high-deposition requirements, this stick electrode is ideal for applications requiring light penetration and faster travel speeds. It runs in all positions on AC or DCEN (straight) or DCEP (reverse) polarity. 70,000 PSI tensile strength. 7018 A low-hydrogen electrode for use in all positions on low, medium and high-carbon steels. 70,000 PSI tensile strength. Ideal for out-of-position welding and tacking. Runs on AC or DCEP (reverse) polarity. Not recommended for low-voltage AC welders.

The black walnuts are a little tough to crack by hand, but the English walnuts can be cracked faster by hand than by using a nut cracker. Save the shells. The shells are an excellent material for starting a fire in the forge.

Some clays are designed for being baked to harden. Others are oil based and never harden.

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me... An anvil that weighed more then me.Day 2 entires were 2 pair of tongs.. 2 sets of tongs 2 Champion Blowers 2 Damascus hammers 2 welding gloves (rhymes with 2 turtle doves) 2 pair of tongs has the most votes, so they win. On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me... 3 (your entry here) 2 pair of tongs An anvil that weighed more then me.

BP0164 Short Pry Bar

3rd day of Christmas starts on Dec 3 and 4. I know it is difficult to wait Today is still the 2nd of Dec so entries are incouraged.

Any other suggestions on day 2 ?

When was the last time you checked the smoke detector and/or replaced the battery?

It would be fun to continue this through December '07. 2nd day of Christmas on Dec 1 and 2. The 2nd day of Christmas is 2 things + the one thing.... 3rd day of Christmas on Dec 3 and 4. The 3rd day of Christmas is 3 things + the 2 things ..... 4th day of Christmas on Dec 5 and 6. The 4th day of Christmas is 4 things + the 3 things.....etc Post your entry with the previous "days" entry you thought was the best. For instance if there are several replies to day 5, when you post your entry for day 6, followed by the day 5 entry, we understand that day 5 entry was the one you thought was the best of the day 5 group. Let me get it started with the following. On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me... An anvil that weighed more then me. On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me... What would you suggest for the second day? You have Midnight Dec 3 to post your entry

Double the measurements, all the measurements

Woodsmith's kick vise

Did you do anything since the nail in the fire that would cause the headaches? Do you have a forge hood to get the smoke out of your work area? Breathing the fumes (not heavy smoke, but the clear exhaust from the fire) is a good way to get carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into your system. Firefighters help out here. What are the symptoms of co and co2 exposure and how long to recover?

I have merged the thread and the poll as they are the same subject. Results of the poll will be posted on this thread later.

IForgeIron.com > Poll On the right hand side of the opening (home) page.

Results will be posted at the end of the poll. Place your vote to the poll is posted on the opening page of IForgeIron.com Which best describes your shop. Inside and climate controlled Indide, heat available in cold weather Inside, unheated in cold weather Outside no roof, set up each time Outside no roof (one set location) Outside with only a roof (carport, roof on poles etc) Outside with roof and some permanent walls (attached to a building etc) Outside with roof and tarps or temporary walls Other

Respectfully, I refer you to another thread on packing. The whole thread on reducing grain growth is interesting.

Eliminate waste Design or redesign projects to use multiples of the total length of the stock size. For instance 20 feet of steel can be cut to 5 feet (4 pieces) 4 feet (5 pieces) 40 inches (6 pieces) 30 inches (8 pieces) 24 inches (10 pieces) 20 inches (12 pieces) 16 inches (15 pieces) 12 inches (20 pieces) etc. When you cut multiples, there is no waste. This has the advantage that if you need a 12 inch piece you can use a 24 inch cut, or a 4 foot cut and still have no waste. If you need a 16inch piece, cut a 4 footer and get 3 each 16's. If you need a 15 inch piece, cut a 30 and get 2 each 15's. If you need a 8 inch piece, cut a 16 and get 2 each 8's. If you need a 36 inch piece, cut a 5 foot piece and get a 36 and a 24 Combinations of cuts should cover most lengths you need, with zero waste. Make life easier Clean off the work table so there IS a place to work. Put the tools back where they belong. Build storage racks for hammers, tongs, etc, build a point of use holding table for tools or whatever that gets in the way on the work table. Turn on some music, the kind of music you enjoy.

What do you do to keep your cost affordable? How do you run your smithy in order to keep costs under control? Take your next project, what ever is next in line, and track every item that is used in making that project. 1. Time on the computer finding the idea for the project you want to build, (30 minutes), 2. Design time figuring out how you want to build it (the sketch etc), the materials needed, etc (60 minutes at least) 3. The trip to town to get the materials ($0.50 a mile) 4. The cost of the materials 5. The time on the road and the time to unload the truck and put the materials in the shop. Now comes the actual labor part. 7. The time you worked on the project, from when you opened the door to the shop until you closed the door of the shop (lights on to lights off). This may be several days so keep count. 8. The cost of the consumables you used, welding rod, sand paper, grinding wheels, abrasive belts, all the consumables. Estimate the cost of each item and write it down. (welding rod at $2/pound so $2, grinding wheel $1 each, etc.) Use the cost total replacement cost of that one item, and yes I know you did not use all of the abrasive wheel but still count it as if you did. 9. The trip back to town to get something you need or forgot, the cost of the item, the time and the mileage. 10. What ever you used to finish the project, paint, wax, oils, etc and the cost of the rag or brush you used to apply the finish. For our purposes, purchase the roll of paper towels, box of rags, etc. and use that cost. 11. Now that we have the project finished, add the cost of packaging, shipping, and the time involved in getting it ready to ship (lights on to lights off). Add the cost of the roll of sealing tape, the cost of the box, the cost of the foam peanuts, etc. 12. Add the cost of the trip to town to mail or send the package out, mileage at $0.50 per mile and your time. (No you can not count the time you have to wait till you receive the check in the mail) Minimum wage is about $6.00 per hour so multiply your total time by 6. Now all up all the numbers. Calculate the mileage cost, miles times $0.50 per mile. Calculate the total time, drive time and actual shop time, times $6 per hour. Total up all coats on the project. Your total for this project is ? (enter your total here) Sit down for this one, the total you just calculated is the COST of the project. You have not paid rent on the building, the electric bill, the phone bill, the computer internet bill and a whole bunch of other bills that you will receive in 30 days. This does not include the cost of the tools, replacements for anything broken etc. That cost will have to be added in also. What do you mean "You can not charge that much for that item, or people will not pay that much". Sit down again as that is YOUR COST, you are not making any money, just paying costs, and not even breaking even as most likely we have overlooked something in the process. IF you only charge the amount calculated, you are taking money out of your wallet and giving it to the fellow buying the item. Now that we know the true cost of that one item (project) we come back to the original question. What can we do to keep your cost affordable. How do you run your smithy in order to keep costs under control? .

You may want to contact Bob Alexander (636) 586-6938 DeSoto, Mo). He should be able to direct you to blacksmithing coal via BAM Blacksmith Assoc of MO.

Go to IForgeIron.com > Blacksmithing Groups (left column) for a list of the blacksmithing groups US and world wide that we know about. If we missed any, please let us know. Contact a group neat you and they can help you locate blacksmithing supplies, fuel, tools, etc.

Your hammer could be used for texturing and other uses. The straight / cross peen combination has many uses. Who cares what it is called, how can you use it to your advantage?

Photo is now attached to the post for all to view. This is one reason we request that you use the attachment feature of the forum. First post the image to the IForgeIron Gallery. The gallery will automatically resize the image to the format that best fits in the forum. When you make a post to the forum, copy the URL under the photo and place it directly in the forum. It is that simple.

Is now It was unstuck to update the post and I forgot to stick it back. It is now at the top again. Thanks for the heads up.