habu68

You don't need a fancy lathe to turn simple shapes like a bender template. A jig set up on a drill press can be used to form the die.
House of Tools -Canwood Drill Press Lathe Attachment

Lindsay books puts out a book on a simple pipe bender. The illistrations on the web site give a pretty good picture on how it is built.

Gingery's Pipe Bending Machine

Wyoming stoaker Anthracite coal that goes through my home town in Colorado to the big power plants is sometimes high in sulfur. This makes it hard on steel and smell bad when burning. It is lower in btu than a good Bituminous like pocahontas #3. It just means you have to use more of it and hold your nose.:(

Take some closeup photos of his hands, and his hammer in them.. at rest and working.

6 sides of the cube flatten each of the 8 corners of the cube would give you 14 flats. I guess i never counted them. And I still don't know what to call it...

tho if you did not strike 2 of the points you would have 12 flats and a work in progress.


Cuboctahedron I looked it up.........:p

Shure I knew that..... :rolleyes:

Gretna Green
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gretna Green is a small village on the west coast in the south of Scotland.[1] It is in Dumfries and Galloway, near the mouth of the River Esk, and has a railway station serving both Gretna Green and Gretna.[1] The Quintinshill rail crash, with 227 deaths the worst rail crash in Britain, occurred near Gretna Green in 1915. Another interesting fact about Gretna green is that one of the telluric ley lines that traverses Scotland known as the "Rose Line" begins there at the border and continues up through the center of Scotland. It also passes through Rosslyn Chapel. Gretna Green is a wonderful, rich, cultural treasure that features often in folklore and history.

Gretna Green is distinct from the larger nearby town of Gretna.[1] Both are alongside the M74 and both are very near to the border of Scotland with England.[1]

Gretna is the home of the football team Gretna F.C..

[edit] Marriage

Its main claim to fame are the Blacksmith's Shops, where many runaway marriages were performed. These began in 1753 when an Act of Parliament, Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act, was passed in England, which stated that if both parties to a marriage were not at least 21 years old, then consent to the marriage had to be given by the parents. This Act did not apply in Scotland where it was possible for boys to get married at 14 and girls at 12 years old with or without parental consent. Since 1929 both parties have had to be at least 16 years old but there is still no consent needed. In England and Wales the ages are now 16 with consent and 18 without. In addition, English law required the "asking of the banns" (periodic announcements of an impending marriage, with an invitation for anybody who knew of a reason the parties could not marry to state the reason) or, later, the advance issuance of a license for a marriage to be legal; this allowed people who opposed a marriage—even one that could be performed legally—to know that it was planned, and thus possibly to prevent it.

This led to many elopers fleeing England and making for the first Scottish village they came to — Gretna Green. The Old blacksmith's shop, built around 1712, and Gretna Hall Blacksmiths Shop 1710 became, in popular folklore at least, the focal point for the marriage trade. The Old Blacksmiths opened to the public as a visitor attraction as early as 1887.

The local blacksmith and his anvil have become the lasting symbols of Gretna Green weddings. Scottish law allowed for 'irregular marriages', meaning that, so long as a declaration was made, in front of two witnesses, almost anybody had the authority to conduct the marriage ceremony. The local blacksmiths in Gretna became known as 'anvil priests'. As a "forger", the blacksmith marries hot metal to metal over the anvil, in the same way the anvil priests forged a union between couples who had eloped in love.

Gretna's two Blacksmiths shops and countless Inns and smallholding became the backdrops for hundreds of thousands of weddings. Today, Gretna Green remains one of the most popular wedding venues in the world, and thousands of couples still come from all over the world to be married 'over the anvil' at Gretna Green.

In law, Gretna Green marriage came to mean a marriage transacted in a jurisdiction that was not the residence of the parties being married, in order to avoid restrictions or procedures imposed by the parties' home jurisdiction. A famous Gretna marriage was the second marriage in 1826 of Edward Gibbon Wakefield to the young heiress Ellen Turner, the Shrigley Abduction.

In 1856 Scottish law was changed to require 21 days residence for marriage, and a further law change was made in 1940. Other Scottish Border villages previously used for these marriages were Coldstream Bridge, Lamberton, Mordington and Paxton Toll.

But today, possibly as many as one of every six Scottish weddings still take place at Gretna Green or in the town of Gretna.

Try opening up the twist enough to put a ball bearing inside the twist and retwist, then, you can tell the kids you used 4 elvin smiths to form the ball after it was made. Put a cube in one, 12 sided (what's it called) cube in the next and a ball bearing in the third to show the steps the elves have to use to get to the finished ball. It will leave them scratching their heads.:)

Let's start a string of blacksmith phrases, history, traditions and stories. It could be as simple as "striking while the iron is hot" or "too many irons in the fire", luck of the horse shoe, loosing ones temper or Blacksmith weddings.

some thoughts on the hammer and gavel to "Strike a deal" , "hammer out a deal"

These are good subjects to hold a crowd when doing a demo and add to the fun of our trade.

my 8th grade earth science teacher in a much less PC time explained Stalactites and stalagmites. " think of a ballerina and bugs, when the mites go up the tights (tites) go down". Some things you never forget.

Here is the blower and saw that I picked up in the last week

The blower turns with the finger tips and will run several turns after you let go. It needs a wooden handle for the crank and I had to remove the mouse nest from the blower. I went to with my wife to her chemo apointment last week and was talking to a gentleman who was also there for treatment, we got to talking about blacksmithing and he said he had a old blower in the garage that he was going to get rid of and that I could have it if I would use it. He hated to see it used as yard art.

The saw required a belt and some adjustments but runs like a charm, it uses standard 12" hack saw blades. It came from Craigslist also, $25 and a $7 belt.

75# unnamed vise found on Craigslist.com for $25.


All it needed was a new thrust bearing that I was able to coble together from a 2x1 1/4 black pipe bushing and an old timpkin bearing. Someone had welded a farriers rasp to the jaws so I had to grind those smooth and dress the edges.

Also in the works a old power hack saw $25
and a hand cranked forge blower. Free

will post pics later

Word of warning, the bubbles given off by the anode and cathode are oxygen and hydrogen the same fuel used by the space shuttle. It is explosive in an enclosed enviroment.:o

Ted

Amen and God Bless

As my Great Grandmother said. "Too soon old, Too late wise"

Tyler,

Nice hawk. A question, how did you forge the hawk? Is it welded only at the eye, like a froe, or did you weld it the full length of the blade , like you would if you were going to weld in a bit in a low carbon hatchet?

Also, how did you lay out the burning on the handle? It was a nice touch.

Before you heat galvanized material (zink) please read: Link removed at the request of anvilfire

I'am sorry if I offend for sending traffic to the "other guys" but that demo was the last by a friend to many smiths and someone I have never met in person, but helped me get started in smithing.

mild acid, viniger,muratic will work but then you have toxic acid. A better choice would be black iron, and skip the galvanized material. IMHO

Put a piece of round stock in the square tubing to support the walls of the tubing at the bend, heat and bend. This will also work for twists in tubing.

I am Trying to help repair a horse drawn corn binder for a local historical display.
We have a worn binder arm, it is the part that pulls the shock of corn into the area that ties the shock together. The arm rotates around a 1" shaft at low speed and is made of cast iron . I figured that the best way to repair this would be a babbit bearing, but I am having a hard time getting the babbit to stick to the surface.

1. I am using new babbitt
2. preheating the part untill a pine stick chars
3. I have tinned the part with tin solder(I bright sanded and fluxed the part and still only got 80% coverage with the solder)
4. I have fluxed the part and the Babbitt with rosen (lightly)
5. I have removed the dross
6. I have been careful not to overheat the Babbitt ( smoldering pine stick)
7. babbitt damming and removal of the mandril have been no problem
8. the !@#$%%^^&$ thing falls out.

9. the next thing i'll try is to drill some small holes in the part surface to provide a grip for the babbitt.

any sugestions?

Hammer tongs, the prongs fit into the hammer eye while working the hammer

I found this handmade hammer head today in the weeds behind my Great Grandfather's blacksmith shop. It appears to be shop made because the eye is not quite centered side to side. My Great Grandfather ran the shop from 1871 untill his death in 1929 when his sons took over the shop untill World War II. After that it became an auto repair business and then a small junk yard. I don't know if it was "his" hammer, but I will put a handle on it and use it as if it was his.

my Great Grandfather striking for his apprentice in his shop between 1910 and 1920.

larger copys of the pics in the gallery

heater fans and a car battery for 12volt forge blowers. Good for those "primitive" hammer-ins

Engine blocks, spare tires and rear ends have been used for Power Hammer anvils and power trains.

Full engine to run a Jack shaft system.

Back in my day you could use an auto bumper for an armorers anvil, but those days are gone:(

And last but not least, propane storage

Oh yea and switch arms make good hangers for baskets.....big baskets for our toys.

That small dot in the sky above the right hand leg is a 14lb bowling ball on it's way to the loch ness monster 650 feet away.

for scale the squirel cages are 5' dia. 24' arm and 1200 to 2000 lbs of counter weight (RR tie plates).

For more Mad Splatter I'm the father-in-law and inabilier for this addiction.

Been there done that....and made anvil devils out of spikes for bottom fullers by forming the heads to fit the hardie hole and bending 90*. Spikes for punches and drifts. The nut and bolt combination makes a stable base for the mushroom stake if you screw it on before shaping the treads square for the hardie hole. The short sections of track make great hardies and hot cuts when the web is cut in half and can be formed for hammers. I'm trying to think how to use a 18" section of track for a treadle hammer but I haven't worked out the guides.

Give-ya $.12/lb for it delivered. BOG

I don't know but here is the e-mail

Black-smith Demonstrator

(seasonal)



Clear Creek History Park seeks a high-energy individual to help bring frontier history to life in Golden, CO. Candidates must know how to black-smith, love sharing blacksmithing with the public, enjoy Colorado history, and like wearing historic clothing. This individual will work with the public on a daily basis to facilitate their fun experience. Occasionally this position will be called on to assist with grounds maintenance and facility projects, to feed our chickens, cut wood; and assist with special events or programs. Requires engaging public speaking skills and blacksmithing abilities (nails, hooks, handles – nothing too advanced required). Applicants need to be able to lift fifty pounds and start forge fires while wearing historic period clothing in Colorado heat. A working knowledge of Colorado history is a plus! At least one year of talking with the public, preferably in a living history setting. Depending on pool of candidates, this position could be 6 hrs – 30hrs/week summer position. Our core season is June – August, Tuesday – Sunday 10-4:30. Some May weekend hours may also be needed.



Pay range is $8 - $9/hour, depending on experience. This position does not offer health benefits. The Astor House Museum and Clear Creek History Park is an equal opportunity employer. Materials are due March 21, 2007. Email a cover letter, resume, and list of three professional reference to frontdesk@astorhousemuseum.org Email only, no calls please or regular mail. Please label each electronic file with your first initial and last name.

For more information about the Clear Creek History Park , visit clearcreekhistorypark.org

Angie's phone is 303-278-3557

This is begining to sound like a chat room, Grin I can be reached at habu68z@yahoo.com or 720-312-4939 (metro denver)