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.

So, here is an update on the wagon project including some pictures. I have the front wheels bolted on and everything looks okay. I have the rear axle started, and in the pictures you will see the rear wheels bolted on, but this is only temporary to align things up and take some measurements in order to start on the rear hounds. I had a problem with one of the rear wheels in that the hub wasn't wide enough for the bearing leaving a gap between the hub and the wheel nut. I fixed this problem by forge welding a ring out of 1.5" flat stock, then tapered this ring making a sleeve that fits the bearing and taking up the slack. I don't have pictures yet of the sleeve, I will include them later. These pictures are taken at my other (small) blacksmith shop from this last weekend........ http://ironclad.shutterfly.com/69#69 http://ironclad.shutterfly.com/69#68 http://ironclad.shutterfly.com/69#67 http://ironclad.shutterfly.com/69#66 I hope to have the rear axle completed by this weekend so that I may start on the bed and box.....

Hey Mark, that's neat. I really like that idea. Your house was built in the mid 1700's?? Wow, any pictures?

I haven't shaved in 10+ years. Too lazy I guess. I hated shaving anyway.... I do have a strop though, great for the pocket knife after sharpening on the stone.

Great topic. I would add this: Clean up and take out all of the hammer marks from one forging sequence before starting the next forging sequence. Peter Ross taught me this one.....I like to make every sequence of the forging process look like it's finished before putting it back into the fire to start the next forging processes.

Often refered to as the machinest Bible. The 1914 edition has sections on forging/blacksmithing including the anvil and it's set-up, dimensions for tongs, forge welding, steam hammer ratings, forging presses, air pressures and pipe sizes for forges, machinery and hammer foundations, etc. These sections are small but good useful information. These sections are no longer in the modern editions of the Machinery's Handbook. For those into antique machinery it has sections such as leather belt specifications for over head drive shaft systems, rope transmission, clutches and couplings, etc... A fun book for the machinest, blacksmith, or anyone into the history of American industry. Machinery's Handbook 1914 First Edition (2008 Collector's Edition Replica) The Industrial Press, New York ISBN: 978-0-8311-3370-2

Thanks for the book list David! I will look into them... I did buy the book "Practical Carriage Building" by M.T. Richardson. Also, I found a great article in Foxfire 9 titled "The Jud Nelson Wagon" in which the whole wagon building process from start to end was documented. It was good luck that I found a cheap broken down wagon where enough was there for patterns, also. Speaking of books, I just received by mail the 1914 first edition (Special edition reprint) of Machinery's Handbook. It has a section on forging, forge welding, and standard tong sizes amongst other blacksmith related sections. Also, it has the info. I needed for standard square nuts and bolts dimensions. It was also fun to read the section on leather belt standards for over head shaft drive systems.

The front assembly is now done and the wheels are on. I didn't have time to take pictures yet, I will in the next couple of days and post. I started on the rear axle today. Something interesting, while tearing down the old rear axle to get dimensions I found that the original manufacturer of the old wagon didn't seat one of the rear axle bearings on all the way. They missed the mark by about 3/4". Well, it worked all these years until it rotted beyond use. It's amazing how much blacksmith work there is on this project. Mostly all hardware, braces, and brackets. Towards the end of the project will be the real blacksmith challenge I believe, the seat springs and the brake assembly. The old wagon is missing both and I will have to research to find dimensions to go on. Part of the fun!!

I wish David. That's one thing I haven't learned YET....The broken down wagon I bought had four good, all iron wheels that I'm going to use. (Real heavy duty). You may be able to see them in the background of the pictures in my messy shop. This week when I finish up the front assembly I will bolt on the front wheels and take some pictures to post. I would like to take a wheelwright class someday.......

Thanks Guys. I'll keep you posted. I made some more progress today, just one more bracket and two small bolts and the front assembly will be done! Then I can start working on the rear axle, once I purchase the hardwood lumber that is....(Hardwood is really expensive, especially in large sizes.).