Sukellos

I work with a youth group from church. This year I have 5 guys and only one girl, Hannah. She turns 17 this week so....

Thanks Piglet. I've printed the whole thing.

WOW! Okay, so give out with the technical info, already!

I'm in Arizona, but I 'll be going to Garden Grove first week of July to deposit 2 nieces with their Grandmama. Go to my page and leave me a private message. Maybe we can make contact. I'm not as good as most of these other fellas but I've been trying longer than most.

Sorry about the size on those pics. I haven't the tech savvy to know how to change that.

It's tomorrow. Don't ask when or where I bought these. I've had them over 20 years. I lived in Panama for about 5 years. I probably got them there. The hammer I use for all of my smoothing out work. The large, slightly convex faces are great for removing other hammer marks etc. These axes take some getting used to as there is no poll to balance the blade. The Embera people of the Darien jungle like them because they can switch handles quickly, thus turning an axe into a hatchett or removing the handle altogether and using the head as a plane/scraper.

Oh yeah, and thats the bike my wife bought me for Father's Day!

I'd love to meet a girl built like THAT!

I'm reading this at work, now, (sssshhhhhhhh!) I'll try to get some pics posted tomorrow.

Before you get too wild with hammer and fire, check to see if the any of the nippers are still serviceable as nippers. You may want to use the best preserved pair as a "hot cut" for small work. I have a pair I use to help cut and bend such small details as dragon's horns, tiny leaves and such. They will also serve "as is" for holding onto small work such as leaves, small blades or small springs. For such work, you may want to dull the cutting edge a bit so they don't bite into the metal too much. I use them that way for making small v or leaf springs for old style firearms.

Self wedging handles are the best way to go. I have a hammer (about 2 lbs) and and axe I bought years ago in Central America. The handles have NEVER loosened up.

How did you know I had an Uncle Bob?

Thanks Penca. He's done with the concrete and brick work now. Just the ironwork left. I sent him the pics anyway, Quien sabe?

My anvil is only 200# but I had to get it up on the stump alone. I had to give up on "lift" because of a weak ceiling. Instead of "lift" I tried "slide" I built a ramp out of scrap lumber and "walked" the anvil up the long slope and onto the stump. With 325# maybe two persons could do the same.

Dang Craig! When I saw the pic in the heading gallery and before I read the post, I took it for a scrolling wrench! Ya can keep that one behind the bar in case a fight breaks out. Good work!

I have made a lot of squirrel cookers and seen a lot that have been made by other smiths. That is absolutely unique!! Never seen one like that. Great job!!

Yeah, you should see some of the nightmares I have!:D

You guys eat squirrels?

Yes, but they are often disguised as Italian sausages!

A friend requested I make him a squirrel cooker. I tried to make it a bit more interesting than the ones for sale at Rendezvous. The dragon head was forged from a piece of 1/2 square bar and the stake from 3/8" rebar. The fork is from a bit of box mattress frame. The welds are arc as my little forge won't get to welding heat. I'll be remedying that as soon as my insu-wool and Satanite get here from Ellis Knife.

Getting that small of a hole (less than 1/4") punched straight through the head was harder than I thought. Next time, if there IS a next time, I'll end drill the bar on the drill press first, then forge out the dragon head. I punched this one then reamed it out with a hand drill. If you squash the hole you can always drift it open again.

Count yourselves lucky you don't have to say "tuyere" on a regular basis!

I used to belong to a Mountain Man/Muzzleloader club along with a Frenchman. I have had more coaching on the correct pronounciation of "tuyere" than any man ought to have to endure. :lol:

We had one of those on our farm when I was a kid. I tried to adapt it to grind swords when I was a teenager. Limited success! :D

Often heard around MY shop. "Where the *^&%% did I put that *$#@& (insert missing tool or material here ) ?"


My kids just gave me a Birthday card. On the cover was a row of cheerleaders and the old
"Dad, Dad, he's our man ! If he can't do it..."
Then open the card and read,
Then watch out, 'cuz the tools and swear words are gonna fly!

When I was dumb kid, I trapped fur so I could have money to buy gas and hamburgers. I used to soak walnut hulls in water for a week then bring it to a boil, add some paraffin wax, and heat the traps just enough to burn off the factory oils. Then I dipped them in the mix a couple of times allowing the wax to cool in between. I can't remember any of my traps ever showing rust and over half were in the water for muskrat and beaver.

We must have been dumb kids about the same time. It's been awhile since I've seen any kid make enough trapping to pay for gas 'n' burgers. Of course I had to take on a construction job to be able to afford to take a girl out.

As for metal finishes, you can heat the metal to a black heat and dip in any good carbonaceous material, liquid or powder. Then reheat till it quits smoking. I've used leather scraps, old oil and even dried horse or cow dung. Not sure I'd do that to any food handling gear.:blink:

It's a masonry bit for a HILTI hammer-drill. We have dozens of them here in our shop. That one has seen a heap of use and/or abuse. I can't find the camera or I'd send you a pic of some newer ones.

I forged a socketed spear head out of one about 20 or so years ago. I still have it and it still has the stamped part number showing on it. Every so often I take it out and peg it at the palm tree in my back yard just to keep my aim sharp. You never know when you might see a want ad for an accomplished spearman.;)

Coat with a good clear polymer finish. That will keep the joints dry and the metals from rust and/or corrosion. Or for a more traditional finish, bees wax.

You could try to forge a Mark Aspery-type spring fuller out of a length of threaded rod.