Glenn

blacksmithtech
Depending on how much coke you have, you may want dump the coke in the drive way, fire up that humongous SUV and use it as a crusher. Just sweep up the remains and the fines.

Don't laugh, we use a pickup this way to crush aluminum cans for recycling, and to remove the hulls from walnuts in the fall.

Katrina Photos by Genia

Tom Stovall
Out of harm's way for storm surge, not too cool on wind and rain. No problem with flooding, but tree limbs are a real possibility.

Bill Epps
is located outside Dallas, well inland.
Bill says should be Ok but will get wet

It looks hurricane Rita is going to hit the Texas Gulf coast. We need to identify the blacksmiths in that area and ask them to keep us updated.

Our thoughts are with you as you deal with Mother Nature and this storm.

This is the material I got from Pa. that was called industrial coke. It burns well but requires a depth of 1-1/2 times that of coal and a constant air blast to keep it going.



This is good blacksmithing coal. Crumbles easily, light easy and burns hot. Once it is burning, it will continue to burn (my forge) for 3-4 hours with no air blast.

There is a blueprint in progress called "Coal, Coke and Rocks". It should be posted shortly.

Hoillis,
I was a safety co-ordinator for a fitting warehouse and pipe yard. I gave the standard talk to the prople on placement of hands in non-pinch areas when handling a lift of pipe. Use the whole hand as a mitten not the fingers to hold or direct the pipe. And DO NOT stand under or to the side of the lift, but at the end when directing the load.

Saturday crew had a sling fail and a full bundle of pipe hit the ground on one end breaking the steel band holding it together and letting the pipe flare out in both diredtions.

When the dust settled, the pipe handler was a basket case of raw nerves. He was standing at the end of the pipe that hit the ground and was unharmed by the failure. He usually walked beside the pipe and had no problems walking under the lift to get to the other side of the pipe to push it into position. Both actions could have resulted in his death that day.

When anything is in the air, always position yourself so that if it falls, you will not get hurt. If there is a question, attach a rope to the object and use the rope to direct it from a safe distance.

No matter how careful you are, there is always someone that doesn't know how to be safe or doesn't care, and can get someone hurt or killed. The person that is even more dangerous is the fellow that "thinks" he knows how to be safe but does things in an unsafe way.

I have started watching for unsafe situations or practices and found the following.
* the person that gets a splashed when they dump/throw frozen fries into hot grease.
* the fellow on the scaffold with out a fall harness and safety rope.
* the construction worker having a beer and sandwwich at the deli for lunch.
* the fellow cutting a tree without a falling rope to pull the tree in the right direction.


Have you seen any dumb things or accidents waiting to happen? Let us know so we can avoid them.

What are you using for fuel, and if solid fuel can you explain the firepot arrangment in detail.

I am told that this is a "CLIP" and not a collar.

The difference is that the collar encircles and holds 2 or more pieces of matal. A clip is attached to a flat surface to hold a piece of metal or other object in place.

BP0020 Spark Testing


This is a reference you may find useful.

This is the finished product needed. What are different ways to get this accomplished.

How would YOU go about making a dozen of the items?

RFD TV

Buddy is ok. house got some damage to it and shop did to. but they are ok.

Source a friend of Buddys over in Louisiana, by Garey Ford.

BP0119 Rose Hair Stick





From the illistrations this is already all one piece of matal. You could heat the base of the rose a bit and depress the stem into the flower if you wanted. You could even work the rose to be a little more realistic by using the Russian rose pattern as Josh mentioned.

Josh just handed us the cat, the rest is up to the individual smith to get it skinned - his way.

How would you improve on the design? If you have a different design for a hairstick, let me know and we can make it into a blueprint and start a series on hairsticks. Don't laugh, they sell. Give a lady with long hair one 3-4 choices of different designs for hairsticks, and she will most likely buy one just to get the hair off the back of her neck during the hot weather.

Here are a few pics we took while delivering in New Orleans to the Army.
Mike and Genia



Edit: photos moved to a photo page

Newlad, when suggesting links, please use IForgeIron.com as that is the primary site and covers all the information related to blacksmithing. The blacksmithforum.com is but a part of IForgeIron.com

Thank you for thinking of IForgeIron.com and suggesting it as a link for information on blacksmithing.

Strine, tools like this are always the result of problem solving.

While solving the main problem, discoveries or connections are made that can be used in other areas. Many times the comments after a blueprint presentation refer not to the subject at hand but to a tool or object in the background of a photo.

The answers given here is problem solving in progress. Please keep challanging us, as turning our imaginations loose and letting them run unteathered is great exercise. :!:

Ok, close enough





The item depicted is a "Chain Grip". It's a Surveying relic from the days before the modern electronic/laser gismos. Sadly, days which I remember but remember fondly. Surely the tool could not hold/grip a chain you ask."Chain" refers to an even earlier measuring device called a Chain or Gunters Chain (See attached) made up of 100 links ( 1 link = 7.92 inches). They were generally 1 chain, or 22 yards, or 8 furlongs etc long.



The more modern "Chain" was actually a steel band about 3/16 x 1/16 and sometimes 300m long. The name was retained, possibly colloquially, as a link to the past. Being high tensile steel it was hard to hold once the required tension was applied. It would cut into the back of your little finger. You couldn't bend it around your hand either as it would kink and stuff up the accuracy of the thing.

The little tool just slipped over the chain (steel band) and made life so much easier. So did the electronic/laser gismos

I often come across antique tool shows and the like and always test the stall holders knowledge with the chain grip. (It lives with my car keys). No one has ever got it right with out a lot of coaxing and I thought it would give fellows a run for their money even though I already know what it is.

Cheers
Strine from Oz

Well those workshops in Maine (on the calendar section) are too far then


try:
Tannehill State Park is located approximately 25 southwest of
Birmingham, Alabama. They are going to try to have a conference in Dec last I heard. Alabama Forge Council

MISSISSIPPI FORGE COUNCIL will normally meet on the second Saturday of each month at 9:00am at the Agricultural Museum, on Lakeland Drive, in Jackson, Miss. This may be canceled due to the hurricane.

$0.20 per pound is what the steel yard charges for drops in the dumpster (new material). Scrap yard is $100.00 per ton for processed steel (4 foot lengths or less) or $0.05 per pound, rust included. That price changes each week depending on how the market fluxuates. Just a few weeks ago it was as low as $60.00 per ton.

One scrap yard uses a short ton and the other scrap yard in the area uses a long ton. That is some 200 pounds difference. You need to ask which ton is being measured.

Jeanette is doing fine removed spleen today,,was larger than a football.. should be about 3 to 4 inches in size platlets over 95,000 tonight great news thanks for the prayers. JWolfe

Two french fries and a pickle short of a happy meal.
Photographic menory but no film.

Rich, how far are you willing to travel to a show one way?

Can you explain that ? I don't follow as to how, but it has been a long day and I may not be hitting on all cylinders at the moment.

Buck, as long as your honest with your customer is the main concern.

If you are not sure of traditional methods of joinery that can or should be used, show us drawings of the project or ask questions in the forum. There will be folks that offer their advice and opinions of how to solve the problem. The rest of us can learn by following the conversation. Take good notes and photos of the construction and turn it into a blueprint when you finish. :wink: