Mainely,Bob

Getting my youngest son(mid 20`s)into the craft.That way I`ll have someone to push me. While Joe was up for the holidays he kept talking about a bladesmith who sells thru the shop he works at.Seems he`s quite taken with his custom work.I reminded him of the do it yourself approach to getting what you want and was surprised to find him open to the idea. We pulled and reworked old hammer heads he liked and rehandled them to fit him using local wood,buffed up some tools I had doubles of and even roughed out an anvil from some heavy rail I had out in the yard.I`ve since found a small electric blower that will work well on a brake drum forge and will bring that and the other prefabbed forge parts down to PA when I deliver the anvil. With any luck SWMBO won`t have to worry about selling all the tools when I finally decide to cross over.

Change is always tough on everyone involved. The members want their old familiar forum back and the admin folks want a forum that runs more smoothly and doesn`t require as much time away from their other responsibilities (like family for one). Members will adjust to the changes,we always do. Admin will make the needed adjustments to carry the old into the new.They`ve worked long hours during an already trying season to make this happen for all of us.Try putting whatever initial disappointment you may feel aside and see this for what it is,a way to move this great forum forward. I want to thank Glen and the rest of the crew for the time and trouble they`ve gone through in order to let us kick back and enjoy this new site going into the new year.It`s become such a part of our day to day lives that we take it for granted sometimes and forget how much work it must be to keep it running and moving forward. Take a break guys and enjoy what`s left of the holiday season.We`re in good hands here as we`ve always been.Things will get fixed and before you know it the forum will be back,only better. Might be a good idea to thank all those people who make it happen for us every day and put the criticism aside in light of what they`ve accomplished while we were all enjoying time with the family. Thanks again Glen and crew!

As stated above,in shipyards this is called "slugging" and if you`re caught at it then you get to gouge the whole weld out and start over.Not up to any standards other than farm standards or oilfield work(when nobody`s looking). If you need strength then use a backer or better yet,learn to fit properly. For junk work there are no rules so do what you like.Just don`t think techniques like this are acceptable for anything but junk.

The good news is that rust rings dissipate over time.Soon you won`t even know it`s there. At least they didn`t have to drill or use a hypo needle like an ice cream scoop to dig the FOD out.Been there,done that. I also have spare eye protection and ear plugs available for anyone in the general vicinity of where I`m working.They either put them on or the work stops till they leave. I`ve always been very conscious and careful about my eyes.I became more careful about other`s eyes after an industrial accident that cost a co-worker an eye. One of the machinists in the plant had come to the maintenance area to look at an assembly we had pulled from a press.We were in the process of driving a large gear off a shaft and he needed to make a new shaft so we could get the press up and running again. He took his safety glasses off and was cleaning them while standing about 10 feet away when a bad hit from the sledge bounced off the shaft and hit the edge of the gear(cast of course) and took a small bit of one tooth out.The piece lodged deep in Al`s eye,too deep to retrieve so he lost the eye.He was in the process of putting his cleaned glasses back on when it happened.Since then I`m much more aware of what other folks around me are doing and where they are in relation to the work.

Just one example of a "free" job that more than paid for itself. A contractor(carpentry) that I had worked with at the yacht yard I was working at found out I did motorcycle work on the side.He wanted an old sidecar mated up to a mid size Jap bike.I told him I only work on Harleys and Brits.He`s a real card and talked me into just coming by and looking at the job.Long story short I did the job for him at his place using his gear and really enjoyed both his company and the challenge the job presented.Pretty much every nite he sent me home with something I could use.Came time to settle up and I told him he didn`t owe me a dime. 2 years go by with him constantly dropping off "little bits of steel"(wrought iron to heavy structural and none less than 8' long,great stuff)at the yard for me. He found out we were building a new house and asked if there was any work I might throw his way.I asked him for an estimate to do the framing of the walk out basement for the modular house.He just showed up with his crew,did the job in one day and refused to accept a dime from me. I finally got him back though.His son thought he`d like to try smithing.I dropped off a forge w/blower,leg vise,about 10 sets of tongs and various other tools and hammers I had doubles of(he already had an anvil). He sold the rice burner,bought a Harley(from me) and we ride together when we can.

The other side of the coin is that we throw away an incredible amount of still usable equipment and material. one of my side projects is periodically going to the dump and rescuing machines that have been cast off.I`m to the point now where I can`t house anymore machines or electric motors.Most of these machines are woodworking related and thrown away just because they are rusty.I clean them,oil them,tune them and then give them away to my woodworking buddies who can`t afford to buy power tools period,never mind the sweet old iron of the past. In return they bring back things like wrought iron chain, bronze prop shafts from boats,bronze fittings,tool steel.stainless.I beams and channel and anything they feel I may remotely need.I can`t remember when the last time I had to buy stock for a personal project. Being a poorboy pretty much all my life I know that if you don`t have a lot of money then you usually have more time than others.Take your skills,do what you do best on what you can find that helps others and it usually comes back around. You don`t always need a lot of money to get what you want or need.

I try not to loan out my electric tools.Too many have come back being held by the cord and smoking.:^( I have yet to have some hamfisted dub kill one of my air tools.The best part about air is that when you overload or hang up they just stop. Believe me, air tools are several steps up from electric.Lighter to work with,usually smaller for the same or better power,the air going thru keeps it cooler than any fan,quick and easy to rebuild,the list goes on. That being said,I have been able to find used electric tools at flea markets and garage sales(ALWAYS test run B4 buying). 5" angle grinders usually go for about $10 up here.7/9" less than $30 if you look around.Look for ones that have at least a metal gearcase assembly.Some of the ones I have had luck with are Dewalt,Milwaukee,Sioux,Black&Decker(early ones,Their Wildcat 9" is a top notch tool) and Makita has proven to be a a rugged grinder too. At these prices there`s no need to just have one and overheat it or have to stop work and change wheels from grinding to sanding. If an electric tool is smoking then I keep in running and hit it with compressed air till it`s cool.I`ve never had brushes seize to the commutator using this method.The stop and rest after smoke has seized more than one of my lender grinders. YMMV. Hope this has helped.

Daniel, On counterweight setup,did you put it all in in one weight opposite the hammer or divide it in two and place each about a third of the way around the wheel? Just wondering if dividing the counter weight in two might help performance.

Can`t be of much help with your metal box forge but if you Google simple forge or torch forge you should be able to come up with pics of forges/furnaces made with stacked firebrick and a torch that maybe would be helpful as far as burner placement goes. Good luck with it.

Dave,I`d just try bolting or riveting the pieces of the forge together if I was planning on lining it.Welding cast is tricky and near impossible w/flux core. To clean parts I`ve used both white vinegar and pool type acid in plastic tubs or buckets to good effect.If you decide to use acid then get long gloves(acid proof) and wear a faceshield.You WILL drop something and splash,DAMHIKT. The parts will come out of the vinegar or acid black,brush/rinse the black off and then dry and IMMEDIATELY spray with oil, WD40,etc or it will be rusty again in the morning. I`ve had good luck freeing up hopelessly rusted assemblies and nuts and bolts with the vinegar.It is not as aggressive and takes longer than acid but it`s safer too. You can always Google electrolosis if you`re in a hurry and have a battery charger around.

How does this explain the common practice of "packing the edge" done at a dull red heat? I`ve also dealt with stonecarvers who swear that the tools forged to sharp and packed far outlast those just ground to refresh the edge.They refer to these tools as "firesharps".

What looks like a "boadaxe" with a metal handle may be in fact either a hot cutting tool or a deck caulking tool for wooden boats.Hard to tell without a close pic of the edge. The reason for the offset handle is to put your hands above the work and the end of the handle and the square to round section of the actual tool is so you can turn the tool to be either inline or 90 degrees to the handle.

Thanks for the prompt to the profile.Figured out how to post my info there. This forum is alittle different than the others I`ve been to but I`m sure even an old dog like me can figure it out. Wait till I try to post pics and you`ll find out just how computer illiterate I really am.That`s bound to be a wake up call,especially for yours truly. Mainely,Bob

Just found this forum while looking for power hammer plans and decided to join. Been a metal worker all my life in everything from factories to shipyards.I have strong backgrounds in welding,machining,forging,fab work,etc and have a small fab/machine shop of my own.I enjoy making or modifying tools and machines and rehabbing old iron. Hope to pick up some tips here and maybe be of some help in any way I can,hopefully you won`t pick up any of my bad habits.;^) Mainely,Bob