eander4

I know that Ken Scharabok (Tennessee smith) has done this on a number of occassions, using square tubing for the shank, so it is definately do-able and seems to hold up pretty well. I would think that if you wrap the cutting end with a wet towel prior to welding, you should be able to avoid the heat transferance that would require rehardening. Of course, that assumes you don't need to anneal the piece to cut it in the first place. You might want to ask Ken how he goes about it. He's a very accessible fella who posts over on anvilfire fairly often. He also has an eBay store "Poor Boy Balcksmithing tools" with "scharabo" as his seller ID. Good Luck! Eric

HW, I seem to recall from a discussion sometime back that baling wire is 1008. I don't remember the entire gist of the conversation, but I do remember someone commenting that it was really easy to forge weld the stuff. Bear in mind, this information is seeping from the depths of my increasingly feeble brain, so may not be entirely accurate. Eric

Steve, Thanks for posting the pics. That arch is exactly the type of thing I had in mind. I especially like the cross on the top. That's a nice touch. Eric

Archie, In your description, you didn't mention an air supply. If you're going to get up to forging heat, you gonna need to put some air into the mix. To light my forge, I use a couple of sheets of loosely wadded newspaper, build the coal up around and above it, light the paper and apply a slow steady flow of air, which comes in from the bottom. With charcoal, once it's lit, it tends to keep burning till it's gone, unlike coal, which needs air to keep going. However, the application of air is what brings both up to heat, and air is what you need to maintain a good forging temperature. Eric

Steve, If you could post some pictures, that would be great! I've recently purchased an old 19th Century farm house, and way out back, at the edge of my property is the family cemetary. It only gets a few visitors a year, and some of the fencing, as well as the gates have fallen into disrepair. Out of respect for the history of the land, and it's families, I've offered to fix up and replace the iron work, but I'm in search of ideas for the new gate. Could you help a brother out? Eric "eander4" Anderson

Glenn, Sounds like an excellent idea! I'm in. Eric

Ralph is going to need tissue grafts to repair damage left from his recent cancer surgery and radiation treatments. He's not sure when the surgery will occur, but he's slated to see a specialist on the 18th. Please pray for a quick recovery for Ralph and peace of mind for Dawn and the kids.

Jock Dempsey posted over on the CSI forum that Jim is on machine ventilation for the next few days in an induced coma. They are hoping they can get him past the pnemonia and stabilized, but won't know anything for a few days. Pray hard people. We need that old war horse back with us. Eric

All, Paw Paw's address at the hospital was posted over on the CSI forum. I'm copying it to here so folks will have it. Jim Wilson c/o Hoots Mermorial Hospital 624 W. Main Street Yadkinville, NC 27055 336-679-2041 Room 114 Let's pray he gets home soon! Eric