Iron Clad

Spent much time blacksmithing with Don at the Oregon Steam-Up and other events. Don was a great Smith with much knowledge and a great man to boot. This is a big loss to the blacksmithing community and he will be missed by many, including myself. God Bless Don! See you on the other side!!

God knows, and I'm not sticking my hand down there to find out......

So you are blacksmithing stuff for your classic car, cool. I thought you might. One of my classic trucks is a 1966 C60 2 ton, it's going to be my blacksmith shop truck when I build my new shop. I'm thinking of stuff to make for this truck. Nothing fancy, more tools and hardware. But for my other "show" trucks, I don't know??? Maybe detail stuff like cool shift stick handles or something......... Do you have any pictures of the knuckles you just made?

OMG!!!!!!!!! I haven't been on the net for awhile due to work. I just found out tonight........OMG!!!!!! This is so sad. This is a terrible loss!!!! I will pray for him and his family. Rest in peace Grant.

Hey Jesse, glad to see you work hot metal....... I don't care for motorcycles much, classic trucks are more my speed. Hey, to each their own...... Hmmm, I never thought of adding blacksmith details to one of my classic trucks, I should explore this idea. Maybe custom door handles or something. What do you think?????

Okay, I give.........Looks like it WAS designed this way. LOL....

Nice Wag! I guess this is possible. Still, something just isn't right with this anvil. Unless it had an intended purpose to be raked, I just don't believe it came from the factory in this manner. Makes for an interesting research topic......

So, in essence what this boils down to is man's instinct to survive? Or, to prevent market saturation to enable survival in this profession? This would mean that being "stingy" about our knowledge may be out of our control due to this instinct, that is unless we consciously take steps to overcome this instinct. Perhaps some people are being "stingy" and don't even know it,while others are more aware!! Oooh, we are getting deep...

That's my point, so if what I'm seeing in the picture is some kind of demarcation line at the waist, could this be a repair gone wrong, causing the raked anvil??

I recommend to line it evenly as well, easier to move the coal around. Cracks are common in these small forges.

Look at the picture again......Is that a CRACK or a demarcation line all the way around the waist?? Could this be a repair job gone wrong??? Also, look at each side of the anvil. The side profile curve is more extended on one side verses the other. I really believe this anvil has been through a really bad repair.

This last weekend while I was at my ghosttown blacksmith shop a guy came in and asked for lessons and how much I would charge. After listening to his story, no charge will be applied. This guy is building his own house on property in the middle of nowhere, a farmstead. He and his family will be living off the land with no electricity, a brave person. This young family is well known in the area, they already live with no T.V., no internet, and grow their own food. All they want to be is selfsufficient. How can I possibly charge this person, or be "stingy" with the little knowledge I have??? I will pass along as much info. as I can and help this family achieve their goals.......Besides, in the future, perhaps he will teach me a thing or two about a skill he has obtained!

I replaced the roadside mail box with a P.O. Box, no more problems !!!!

Mark, I agree with you. Once I put the word out for an item it usually takes no time. After awhile, people contact me out of the blue because they know I may be game to buy.....Also, part of the fun for me is the search.

Thanks Ian. Thanks also David for the advice. I did come to realize the condition you mentioned and what I did was pull off the bearings and sanded the ash away until the wood was clean then re-heated the bearings, but not enough to burn the wood and finished the job. As soon as the bearings were on I poured water over them to shrink the axle to the wood for a tight fit. The dark / burnt wood you see in the pictures I just haven't sanded yet to clean up, but I will....... Oh, also there is an 8" lag bolt holding the bearings tight up on the tapered axle as well. I use Foxfire as picture reference only, I do have the carrage books you refered to.