Archie Zietman

In am pretty sure that it is a leatherworker's press. You would probabl;y soak the leather, then form it into a compound curve shape, such as a saddle with that, almost like an english wheel, except a lot less time consuming.

Thanks! Right now my "Kitty-Litter and Wood Shaving Refractory" is drying. It came out far more gravelly than I had hoped for, so I might replace it in future. It says on the side of the bag that you can use it as a bed for coals in a barbecue, so I am using it as a bed of charcoal for a forge. The sides are tightly wedged-in bricks, soI will only have to replace the bottom inch or so. I may also have to widen the holes in my tuyere which runs lengthwise across the box. This thing weighs about 40 lbs all together, so I mounted it on a big prism shaped chunk of lumber, and then into a big red radio flyer cart, so I can tootle around with it now when it dries (probably by tommorow) I will take pics of it's first light.

Thank you for pointing it out Glenn, it was a very good thing of you to do, thank you.

I have just baught a bag of hardwood charcoal, 20# for $6 it smells amazing, and is beautiful, not a speck of ash, and charcoal all the way through. It doesn't just rub off and crumble onto my hand, it holds together very well. I also lined my big wooden box with crushed fuller's earth kitty litter, a handful of wood shavings, some plaster and sand, mixed into a refractory, and packed my forge. I am using a sink pulg as my ash grate, with a bean can (again), as the tuyere/ash collector. The only problem now is an air supply big enough to handle the thing, so I will use, I think, a hair dryer for now, and make a large bellows for it. Pictures Soon :D

okay, I am very sorry about that, I should have thought befor I posted, it won't happen again. I misinterpreted the non blacksmithing. I have also deleted the request. I have changed the project to a more shel silverstein level, with chinldren who get tangled up in string, or who chew gum, and get their hands stuck to their shoes, and such things. Sorry again, Archie

okay, I have deleted the request, as I now see it is completely not suitable for the forum. The book is not going to be for children, though. It is not a manual of any kind either, it is a form of very black humor, but I agree that this is not the place. I apologise, I should have known better. Edited: Post deleted by Archie Zietman. Comment added by Az.

Thanks all! I live in Salem Masachusetts, so the only blacksmith I know of lives an hour away, but I will definately keep my eyes and ears open. my goodness! everyone is being so wonderfully helpful, I love this place! :D

I haven't, don't worry, I am still doing that, so that I can pound metal right here and now, and also, I will still use my forge. I don't even have an anvil yet, so... :D

I would probably get the forge on sale but I need to ask my parents first.

i have a big 3-4 foot by i foot inner dimesions box, with no bottom, and 1 inch thick wood. Should I line it with refractory, put a bottom, and a bellows on it? It'd make a nice big forge. :D

Thanks! I will try and pick up this book as soon as possible. I agree Strine, that my choice of stock was not very good. I will use more fitting stock in future. I also picked up an extra tank of propane for my torch, which I will hook up to a small can-forge (I heated up some nails to a perfect cherry red in seconds with that thing 8) But I am going to use charcoal for most of my work. Lighting the forge is not as easy as it seemed, and it took me severl tries, but with the newspaper and sticks method, I started it, and then I kept it alight for 2 hours, fooling around with it :D

I didn't get round to bellows-ing today :cry: but I did do some lighting of my forge. UNfortunately, I couldn't get the steel to heat up enough, I wanted to heat a railroad spike I have, but it never got quite hot enough. The forge, lights and functions beautifully, apart from the heat problem, though :D

Thanks! I am only going to make a small set, because my forge is minuscule, but it's a forge. in a few weeks, once I build a much larger forge, I will build a much larger bellows. :D

It's working!!!! It's working!!!!! Tommorow I'm gonna tweak it, and make a better bellows for m'self, because the fireplace one a) should go to the fireplace, and it's got a few leaks, and anyways I want one specifically built for my forge, and c) I want to have built the whole setup, 100% archieforge (also I'll take some pics tommorow, but I'm going to bed now, splitting headache)

Hello. Just watched 2 amazing films, First: Garden State, with Natalie Portman and Zach Braff, kinda art-film/chickflic. Slow moving but one of those films that you sit back and say, "My god, that was a good film, I am content now." It's about a guy played by Zach Braff whose parents live in New Jersey, and he hasn't seen them in 9 years, but comes back when his mother dies, but stands back at the funeral. His dad is his psychiatrist and is convinced that he is "angry". The guy meets Natalie Portman, and they just become really good friends, and it's about their relationship. Fine, fine film. Vera Drake is one of the most brilliant pieces of acting I have ever seen. About a sweet old lady in the 50s in London, who is very much a mother hen, and does everything to help others that she can, including backstreet abortions, for no pay, out of the goodness of her heart. It's mostly about her life while she is abortioning, but then the police take her away. It's an amazing, and depressing story. see it. now. I mean it.

Ok, this is an attempt at image host url-ing : http://www.yourimg.com/?page=05/149/18/BlacksmithsDay.jpg edit:photo included in post

Thanks a lot! this is completely off topic, but, I just watched the film Garden State, with Natalie Portman and Zach Braff, it is a VERY good film, and you should see it.

How do you post pictures? Not from a website, though.

I will pray for you and the family tonight.

Thanks Jim! I did all of the stuff you said, and found an old hand bellows, which I hooked up to the bean-can, set the firepan up ready for a match, and then I went in search of "man's red flower". I found matches, all right, but not a single striker in the house, so I went down to the corner store to buy some, but the guy behind the counter said no. So I might not be able to light it up today, unless I ask my neighbors for a lighter, and they will probably say yes, so fingers crossed! :D

My forge is almost done. I spent the morning in the basement hacking away. I went through several variations, and have settled on a small forge, with woden sides, and a steel bottom. The ash is cought in a bean can which has a hole for a pipe to the air supply (I'm unsure what it's gonna be) The bottom of the can is going to be some kind of trapdoor thingy. All of this will be attached to a small table (about 1 foot by 1 foot top) so it can be stood up.

oh, is carcoal a misspelling of charcoal? The stove and car were guesses as to what this mysterious CAR-coal could be. sorry :oops: I understand now.

What's a Carcoal? a woodburning stove? A 3-wheeled car? :?:

Thank you, this has been wonderfully helpful!! :D

The turkey pan had a ceramic tile layed on the bottom so it wouldn't melt through, but it was only a temporry forge.