Glenn

Wrap those handles in yellow or bright red duct tape, so you can see it coming at you :)

Makoz, I included the circular bellows photos twice, one at origin size and one enlarged. Click on the right hand thumbnail to see the enlarged version. By clicking on the thumbnails at the bottom of the post, you get a much larger version of the same image. The thumbnails (and click to enlarge) are used for the folks with slow modems. This way they do not have to wait for large images to load each time they view the topic.

A quick search found the following. BP0215 Belt Grinder BP0354 Grinder BP0327 Belt Grinder related materials BP0235 Knife Finishing

May I suggest you start on the front page of the site Iforgeiron.com > Lessons in Metalworking > Blacksmithing This section designed to answer your questions on how to get stated in blacksmithing. It changes often as new material is added to make the lessons more informative. From there, read the rest of site. And don't forget the forum archives (button is at the bottom of the forum page). Pack a lunch before you enter that one. (grin)

Do you wear earplugs? When is time to use them? When you use the anvil that rings, the power hammer, heavy noise from motors, etc. Do you use them when welding? Are some styles better than others?

There is a discussion on how to stay warm in cold weather going on in the blacksmithing section. How do you keep a lathe in tolerance from summer to winter in a building that is not temperature controlled? Say the lathe is in adjustment, will a part made in the heat of August be the same size as a part made in the cold of January?

BP0052 AWS Welding Rod Classification I like Jr's better :)

Will you get the same heat exchange from a vertical configuration as you get from the horizontal configuration in the stove? Another question, is radiant heat any better than trying to warm all the air in the shop?

In defense of Mig, there is mig and there is MIG. The 110v units the size of a bread box will not do what a 220v unit, or self contained (motor) unit the size of a small car will do. It is much like comparing a 2 pound hand hammer to a nazel 3b. We need to ask the welders what is the specific difference in the welding rod/wire, and given the best weld from each unit, the difference in the actual weld strength. The welding industry uses mig for a reason, and the welds have to meet a standard now matter how they were applied.

When I was looking for a welder, the fellow told me a 20% duty cycle was 2 minutes welding and 8 minutes letting the fan run to cool down the machine. Do not shut it off just cause your finished, as the heat has not dissipated. It needs to run the full 8 minutes before shut-down. I am not a welder but I have welded things as thin as auto exhaust pipe up to materials 1/2 inch or so, all from the same stick welder (buzz box). My mig unit can not do that.

My pleasure Dan. The blacksmithing community has been about helping each other, and the exchange of information. IForgeIron is translated into several foreign languages, and is visited by over 50 world wide countries each month. As we reach out to help others they in turn help us.

Our condolences to you and your family. To loose a family member and mentor is tough, but take comfort in the good times you had, and the knowledge he has has tried to pass on to you.

I have run coal with almost no smoke under shelters, and in eddy areas. A headache is an indication something is not right. Fresh air has been the answer. I now listen to my body, but I do wish it would speak a bit louder sometimes. I suspect CO or CO2.

Don't try to hide it. She is going to find out anyway so tell her, and think of it as a preemptive strike. What Dodge said.

I heard from Ed Friday night and they are taking him back to the hospital due to swelling in one of his legs. Prayers would be appreciated.

Actual anvil weight = 148 pounds (wife's bathroom scales). I tried forging on it tonight, and it works for me (pun intended). If I can get some time this weekend, maybe the two of us can get acquainted.

Thomas Powers can find an anvil by sniffing the air, or so it is rumored. ---> The short version <--- TPAAAT is nothing more than asking everyone if they know where you can find a item. The ladies in church, the person that runs the cash register at the check out, the people at the gas station, the baggers at the grocery store, your family, your friends, the next person you happen across, that is to say ask EVERYONE if they know where you can find a item. It adds to help jog their memory if you give them a bit more information such as you need that item and will ACTUALLY USE the item. ------------------------ So, Saturday of last week I put the Thomas Powers Applied Anvil Acquisition Technique (TPAAAT) to the test. I went to the flea market. But not before stopping at the bank to get some pocket money, a TPAAAT *must* when making a deal for tools. At the flea market, there is a fellow there that sells nuts, bolts, and assorted hardware along with some other useful items. I ask if he ever had any blacksmithing equipment. No, but there was a fellow on the other side of the flea market that had some from time to time. Other side of the flea market and there was a little 6x12 foot *hole in the wall* booth that was dimly lit, and grayish with dust, dirt, and rust. Only thing he had was 3 pair of tongs for $25 each that were, after a hard life, rusted shut from lack of use. Ever get any anvils? No, ok, let me leave my number with you. I stopped back in as I was leaving and reminded him I was still looking for an anvil, but one to use, not to put in a flower bed. We talked a bit about blacksmithing and old tools and as I was leaving the second time, he said he might have something in the barn back at his place, to stop in Friday next week. A phone call confirmed our meeting and we did get together today to look at an anvil. The rest of the story? The wife noticed the car sitting a bit low as I drove up the driveway. By the time I put a notebook in the house, passed her in the hall, and got a glass of tea, she some how knew I have driven exactly 50.0 miles and something about an anvil, hidden under a towel, in the trunk of HER CAR. Now I need y'alls help. The Thomas Powers Applied Anvil Acquisition Technique (TPAAAT) does work. From a cold start, it took two contacts, and 6 days to get an 143 pound anvil using the TPAAAT method of sniffing the air. The anvil is marked 1 - 1 - 3 or 143 pounds. actual anvil weight on the bathroom scales 148# It has an arm holding a hammer, SUNK IN logo, and a tool steel face, no other markings I can find. Can you provide any additional information on this anvil? The wife? I told her to thank Thomas as he provided me the Blueprint on how on how to find anvils, and now they just seem to show up in the trunks of cars. Thomas - thank you !! The Thomas Powers Applied Anvil Acquisition Technique (TPAAAT) does work. From another post: TPAAAT is nothing more than asking everyone if they know where you can find a item. The ladies in church, the person that runs the cash register at the check out, the people at the gas station, the stockers at the grocery store, your family, your friends, the next person you happen across, that is to say ask EVERYONE if they know where you can find a item. It adds to help jog their memory if you give them a bit more information such as you need that item and will ACTUALLY USE the item. TPAAAT does not produce immediate results, as it takes a while for people think about your question and then to remember where they say or heard about the item. Thank the people for each suggestion and follow up and chase down every referral. You may not hit that item, but you will hit information and history. Thank them for the secondary referral and then chase down it down. If you have a pick up truck use it. If offered a second item try to include it into the deal. ALWAYS carry cash because the item will not be available if you have to return.

A family in the neighborhood was moving and ask if I wanted any old metal. Sure. Well come get what you want the night before the trash runs. Aluminum lawn chairs are not what I consider heavy metal but I grabbed the one that was usable. You never know when you want to sit for a spell. Then there is this thing. It is not metal, but it followed me home anyway. :)

When I went out last week I was not looking for anything to bring home, but when I stopped at the local garage, the fellow said you still want these? Yea, sure, I will find some use for them. (Grin).

The vise / anvil combo comes apart into the vise and rail section and the anvil section as shown. You have the anvil section only. Click here vise / anvil combo to see the thread on the IForgeIron Forum discussing this object.

Carbonite is also a fictional ionic compound in the Star Wars universe. In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo is frozen in carbonite. The procedure leaves him in suspended animation. Carbonite is an explosive made from such ingredients as nitroglycerin, wood meal, and some other stuff. Sorry, but no experience with either one.

Congratulations !! Give Momma our best wishes.

If you run a gasser, do you have a carbon monoxide detector in your blacksmith shop? If not, why not?

What do you do to make things comfortable for forging in cold weather? Make a EMT pipe frame, attach a tarp and create a easily to set up wind break to be able to work outdoors when it gets cold. This can be a 2 panel wedge shape, or a 3 panel open box Having a shop with walls is nice but how do you allow enough air into the shop to replace what goes out the chimney (solid fuels). Where do you place the gasser so you do not get a build up of Carbon Monoxide in the shop? Wool socks and long johns are standard equipment so give us some other ideas so we can still be comfortable and forge when the cold weather sets in.

Same questions but now the poll is Europe/ UK vs USA tools. 50 or so votes and we will then compare the two numbers.