Glenn

Use the 6" piece as a cutting block when cutting things with the chisel.

Bruce, I like the idea. Who said the flue had to be round? Why not square or rectangular ?

Earlier I suggested to Bruce that he make 50 of any one item and use it as shelf stock. I may need to reconsider that approach. My dear sweet darling wife is in the planting mode. She made a deal with the local farmers market to take the seasons left overs of flowers and load them into her van rather than the trash dumpster. She them took the money saved on the plants and bought hanging baskets, dirt, peat moss, fertilizer, etc. etc. It seems that with all these new hanging baskets they need hung around the porch, the breezeway, and other areas of the house. She ask if I would make her some s-hooks. I said that I had some in the garage, no she had used them. I said that I had a few in the truck that I carry with me to have handy, no she used them. I said I have the shelf stock that I try to keep for demos, and there was a pause, then she said no she used them also, and unless I had some more somewhere, she still needed about 7 or 8 more s-hooks to hang the remaining baskets. She prefers the short ones as it "looks" better to have a daisy chain of 3 or 4 s-hooks holding each basket - so it will be pretty. Oh yes, she also got the 2 matching shepard crooks that I had powder coated for display. I ask why those two and she said cause they were the pretty ones. New advice: You may be better off renting a small building to store your 50 pieces and your shelf stock, in order to protect it till you can get it to the demo.

It depends on how your going to use the spring. I often see it as flatbar with a slight bend in the stock rather than a spring. Made a "V" brace to hold an axle under a small garden wagon from spring stock using it where you would normally use flatbar. It is used a lot here for hardie plates, the flat piece where the hardie post is attached to one side, and the anvil tool to the other side. Anneal any part where you want to drill a hole.

Jerry Carroll suggested that I use heavy steel corrigated pipe as a smoke stack. 12" ran about $100 for 20 feet at the time. Check the building codes in your area.

Before you go out and spend a lot of money, try to make some of the forges talked about here and pictured on IForgeIron and other sites. The 55 Forge can be made for little or no cost and works, as does the break drum forge and Archie's Little Red Wagon Forge. If you have trouble building a forge, then you will have more trouble when it comes to building a gate, or any large project. It takes the same mindset to make both work. If you build a forge with a small investment, you will still have the forge AND most of your money if you decide blacksmithing is not your cup of tea. Besides, you can use the money for steel, coal, tools, and a bunch of other things if you want to continue in the craft. Do what is right for you.

When your hair starts to hurt from study, take a break and let the mind absorb the knowledge. Move over the the forge and try it out to see if it works. Adjust the technique as needed to get it to work for you. When the arm gets tired from all the work, it is time to study again. :wink:

Set up a big fan to act as a wind shear. Aim it so it does not interfeer with the forge or chill the hot metal on the anvil. That why when you are at the forge, you can step back into the wind shear and get some relief. I have found that although it is sexy to take the shirt off and show the 6 pack abs, it is cooler to leave a cotton t-shirt on and let it soak up the sweat. As the sweat evaporates from the shirt it cools the body. Otherwise the sweat just runs down and into your belt loops and you loose any cooling effect.

First time that rusted metal goes into the fire, the rust pops off where it gets hot. Now if your going to use rusty metal for curves, bends, etc., clean it while it is straqight first, as it is a real pain to clean a curved surface later. You may want to consider a wire brush for cleaning rust as it is much more aggressive.

Galvanneal Steel is produced on a continuous hot-dipped galvanized steel line. As the steel emerges from the molten zinc bath all excess zinc is removed from the surface using heated air knives. From there the steel continues through an annealing furnace converting the zinc into a zinc-iron alloy coating (galvanneal). The coating is spangle free, dull grey in appearance and offers exceptional protection to corrosion as both the inside and the outside are properly protected. In addition Galvanneal Steel also provides an excellent surface for finish painting. Galvanneal Steel is similar to other hot-dipped galvanized products with trade names such as Redi-Kote, Jal-Zinc, Zincgrip-Paintgrip, Wipecoat and Satincoat, all of which conform to ASTM A-525, A526 specifications with A25 (.25 ounces both sides) coating classification. Source Baron Metal Industries You may want to do a search on galvanized, galvaneel and galvalume also.

Archie, metal can come from the strangest places. As Strine says, keep your eyes open. Make friends with the local mechanic. I just got two tie rods last time I stopped in 1/2 x 12" made from some good steel. But he has been a source for leaf spring, coil spring, sway bars, and many other things in the past. Alleys, junk yards, neighbors are good sources also. And don't forget the machines that are being thrown out on trash day. That washing machine may have developed a transmission or water problem and still have a good motor, the dryer may have burned out a heating element and have a good blower, or motor, or other parts. Keep looking as the stuff is out there. And most can be obtained just by asking

Good thing your first project was not door hinges, or you would have had to build a building to use them. :roll: Keep the stake turner as it is your first project. It will bring back many memories as your blacksmithing continues. Keep us informed as to your progress (projects). And if you have questions, ask.

Pick one item you like to make. Make 50 good ones and put it on your shelf as stock. Move on to item #2 and make 50 of those, etc. You have to get hammer time invested in each product to find out how the metal moves and now to make it most efficently. If the piece has a bend, do the bend by hand till you develop the skill and feel for the bend, then move to the bending jig or machine to do the work faster. This hands on learning will serve you well at your first demo as you will know how to work without the jig and machine. This would be a good time to start a notebook on how to make the item, length of stock, bends, etc. Later when you need more you will NOT remember all the details. Besides, if you send your notes and some photos, we can use them for a Blueprint. :wink: Then you don't have to remember where you put your notes, just go to the Blueprints Section of IForgeIron.com :D

Bill is back home in Mesquite, TX.

Great Article Quenchcrack. Bill is still in business as a blacksmith. He also sells educational tapes on blacksmithing Forged Animal Heads, Bugs and Birds, Leaves and Flowers, and just came out with a new book on how to make things from iron (critters from angle iron as I recall). Bill Epps web site

Decide what you want to do, and then make the things you enjoy. One type of sales will not support your challenge. You will have to use every method available to get your product out and in front of the public.

Archie At rest, the bottom chamber is filled with air. When activated, this air is squeezed and pushed into the top chamber which starts flat and now has expanded with the air from the bottom chamber. The bottom chamber is opened to again to fill with air and the top chamber now, by gravity, pushes top chamber air into the fire. Repete as necessary. Flaps of leather, rubber etc. act as one way valves to keep air flowing toward the fire. These things have been in use for many years and work. Build an existing design first to see how and why things work and then you have a base line of knowledge to work from for further modifications. Or go in search for a small squirrel cage blower and be happy with all the air you can use, and no sore arm muscles. Big squirrel cage blowers work also, you just have to vent the excess air.

Ed did that rum cup holder come from Tony, a fellow that lives on the east coast of England hear an air force base?

Hello Everybody, I just want to let everyone know that Ralph's surgery today went very well. They removed an area under his arm about the size of a hot dog bun and grafted muscle and skin harvested from his back. He had two surgeons, and both said it couldn't have gone better. He'll be in the hospital for a few days. We've already got a hospital bed set up for him at home, so he should be comfortable when he gets here. In the meantime, just a lot of pain medication and sleep. His mother is here, too. Between the two of us, we'll take good care of him. Thank you for all your prayers and good wishes!! Love, Dawn

With the summer heat upon us, how can you tell when you are getting too much heat and into trouble ? How do you stay cool ? Wearing sunglasses and hanging out with the dog, cause he knows all the "cool spots", is not the advice I am looking for here. :wink:

HELEN (Mrs. Sandpile) goes back tomorrow find out when the surgery is to be. We now know that she has an orange size cyst on her right ovary.. We now know that all the trouble in the past month are symptoms of Ovaryian Cancer. We are not borrowing trouble but are gearing up for the strength it might take to get through this, if it is. We are by nature, optimistic. We will make use of the best medical practices and keep praying.

Someone jump in real quick and mention flash back supressors. Some new torches (Victor I think) have them built into the torch. Get a set and use them.

The Lincoln Ac-225 compact stick welder has a broad welding amperage range of 40-225 amps. It produces an extremely smooth AC arc for welding a wide variety of materials including carbon, low alloy, and stainless steels as well as cast iron. Metals 16 gauge and heavier can be easily arc welded with the AC-225. Applications include: repair and maintenance welding, fabricating or modifying equipment, building tools or fixtures, build-up welding on worn parts or dies, and hardfacing new or worn parts for longer service life. Also for cutting and piercing holes in steel. Information Source: http://www.lincolnelectric.com Lincoln has produced a bunch of the AC-225 welders, produced them for many years, and continues to produce them. By the time you out grow the welder, it will have paid for itself, and most likely paid for the new welder also. A Lincoln 250 amp AC/DC welder came available and I grabbed it. It seems to want to work from 1/8 inch thickness to what ever I have ask it to do. I am sure it is a better machine than I am a welder. I purchased a 110v mig welder to work on my truck. It did not take long to figure out it was a thin-tin welder only and did not work well as it approached the 1/8 inch thickness. A Lincoln AC-225 became available, and was in very rough shape, but I got it anyway. With little money invested, I tore it apart, chasing out wasp nests and an old snake skin, and cleaned the inside. I purchased new welding leads from the welding supplier and plugged it in. Whitesmith mentioned that he had a birthday in a couple of months before the first rod was consumed. At least I got one rod burned for the price I paid. Talk to the welding supplier and ask which welders last longer and which require more repairs. Ask the welder that is using the machine, the old welders, and get their opinions. Ask the welding supplier is he has any used machines that are still servicable. Many times he will take them in on trade for new ones being sold. Miller, and Hobart make good welders also. Look at all that are available on the market, NEW AND USED, and make the choice that is best for you. Till then, what is wrong with forge welding, using rivets, bolts, or other ways of fastening things together? And do not overlook Ox/Ac welding. It has fallen out of fashion with Mig, Tig, Arc, and other methods available, but is still a very servicable welding method. Learning Curve: Whitesmith burned up 10 pound or more of old junk rod playing with his "new" Lincoln AC-225. He then spent 4 hours with a Nuc Welder. I learned as much as he did by watching them. When he came back home, I suggested that he burn the remainder of the junk rod, but no, that was junk and did not work right. He poped open a new package of rod to practice with. He reasoned that if he was going to learn he should learn the right way, and with a rod that worked properly. I will have to have a talk with his teacher, and real soon, about his attitude. :wink:

Pardon me if I get a little off topic for a moment. --------------------------------------------------------- From Lincoln Welding web site on Storing welding rod and exposure limits. SMAW electrodes with low hydrogen coatings, such as E7018 and E8018-C3, must be kept very dry since hydrogen induced cracking can easily occur. Purchase these electrodes in hermetically sealed containers, which provide excellent protection against moisture pickup. *Do not open the hermetically sealed containers until the electrode is needed for use. *When the cans are opened, electrodes that will not be immediately used should be placed in a cabinet at 250 degrees to 300 degrees (120

Ralph, You have a great attitude about this and it will serve you well. Best of luck and we will keep you on your thoughts and prayers.