jayco

I just realized that my charcoal scraps and wood ashes would be good for my garden!

You young whippersnappers are just so FAST! It took me 8 months to get to 100 posts! ( and that included a lot of 'word game' posts as well!)

Mike, if it doesn't look cross threaded, I might suspect that some foreign object (a sliver of steel) perhaps has gotten stuck to the greasy screw threads and accidentaly got mashed between the threads of the nut & screw. I've had this happen several times with ordinary bolts and nuts. If this is the case, it would still be hard to get loose, but the threads might not be ruined after all. Also, the handle could have been bent by some one else trying to free it up. Good Luck!

I had to think about it a little bit, but I think a straight track(think mini railroad track) with chair attached might be a way for a wheelchair confined smith to work. The chair would be mounted sideways on the track and the smith pull himself left and right to access his tools. Using his arms, the smith could grab the track rail(or an overhead rail) and, under his own power,travel along his work area. This track could be as long or short as the smith needed. In this way, the smith could have access to ox-ac, arc welder, gas forge,coal forge, bench grinders,post vice, etc. Of course, the track and also the chair must be securely mounted to the track for the whole system to work. There would need to be a brake, but that's not a problem, something as simple as an oil filter wrench acts as a band brake. A cable/friction brake( like on a bicycle) would do. Placing the post vise and anvil on offset pivots(an arm that swings outward......think 'crank shaft') ,would allow the smith to pull out those tools and lock them in the position he wanted for a particular job. The smith could work from either side of anvil or post vise as he chooses. The simple 'drop pin' system used on farm tractor grader blades makes this possible. something like this could be made with common materials from the steel yard and hardware store. Just an idea........

easilyconfused......I can't say about hemlock as a handle, since I've never tried it. But you can use oak.Hickory and maple are a little harder woods, and might last longer, but they are also harder to work down with hand tools. I've made a lot of handles from red oak. Chestnut oak and white oak are tougher than red oak,but red oak just naturally has a straighter grain in this area,(eastern kentucky)so it wins out due to availability and workability. Last fall,while splitting firewood, I noticed some particularly straight-grained pieces of red oak in the stack. Long enough for hammer handles..........so I took a froe and split out some handle 'blanks'. 2x2 inch square(more or less) So I've got about a dozen handles seasoning in the back of the shop. I once made an axe handle from elm, and it lasted several years. Right at this moment, my main smithing hammer has a sassafras handle. Sassafras is not a strong wood, but very light,.......This is just an experiment I'm trying. these are just some of the local woods I've tried because they are available. You may have local woods available to you that will suit your purposes.

Finnr, the rose is quite nice! What finish did you use?

I have a slightly bad back.....so I prefer the gravel type floor. Stand ing on concrete makes my back ache after an hour or so. One of the most important tools I keep in my shop is a magnet with a string attached: which I keep hanging near the forge.

I totally missed a heat once.......waiting for the finale of "Freebird". It sounded so good I just had to stop and listen......

SaintJohn......I like how you extended the forge table with the sheet metal. Clever idea! I might have to steal(I mean borrow) that idea myself!

White Bear......I often leave my main forging hammer on the anvil. It just seems to be where I need it most often. Never thought about the 'bad luck' aspect of it much. As messy as my shop usually stays, if I didn't put it on the anvil........I'd probably lose it! Now that would be bad luck!

Chuck,here's a picture of my lean-to smithy......and mine actually DOES lean! This is how it looked one day last summer........cluttered! I built this 35 years ago and it has seen better days.......though it never was quite straight or organized. There's a 4 lb. hammer in there somewhere that I can't find.....lost it years ago! Don't let this happen to you!! Any way.......enjoy your smithy. I certainly enjoy mine. James

This guy has discovered the usefulness of the 55 gal. barrel I see. I'd never tried sitting down forging,but he makes it work for himself.

Welcome to IFI Chuck! There are other blacksmith/machinists that are members here. You'll fit right in! Enjoy!

Sometimes bandsaw blades are discarded because of tiny 'hairline' fractures in the blade. These fractures are just the result of the band being rotated thousands of times. A pallet mill near my home throws away lots of blades........some have wornout teeth........many have stress cracks which make them unsafe.

This thread reminds me of elementary school science class.......and discovering that you could use a magnifying glass(and sunlight) to catch a piece of paper on fire. My uncle told of using a magnifying glass to light cigarettes when he was out of matches.. I guess if you could multiply the effect by 100, or 1000 times, you might be on to something. I suspect there might be some kind of physical limits on how mush heat can actually be generated this way.....but I'm no scientist and occasionally I am wrong( well......more than just occasionally). If the idea really works, it could supply a lot of the world's energy needs. Who knows.

I don't have a forge like the one in the picture,but it looks like a nice forge to me. I'm curious about those two holes in the back: Are they for mounting a blower? or perhaps a forge hood? If they're not used for anything, you might make a little sheet metal fence, a semi-circle .....standing on edge.....and use a couple screws or small bolts to secure it to the back of the forge utilizing those two holes that are already there. Just 3 or 4 inches tall. Should keep heaped coal from falling off the backside.

This tip is similar to what metalmangeler said, I have noticed all kinds of wood tool handles feeling slick at times. Hoes,axes, and hammers. If your hands are dry, and the handle is shiny slick, you may be gripping really hard just to hold on to the hammer. If you feel the urge to spit on your palm to improve grip, you might wrap a bit of old fashioned 'friction tape' around the butt of the handle. Friction tape is sticky stuff and you don't have to use a lot. I usually just put a double wrap around the last 1/2 in. of the handle. You can still get it at hardware stores.

Larry,hammering requires a little conditioning and getting the muscles 'limbered up'. I have problems with soreness and stiffness if I don't do much hammering for a week or so,.......then suddenly do a lot. I have also had pinched nerves a few times over the years......nothing serious......but mighty bothersome. You might check out these links; I Forge Iron - Blacksmithing and Metalworking* BP0344 Hammer Technique* BP1001 Hofi Hammer Technique*-*I Forge Iron - Blacksmithing and Metalworking BP1002 Hofi Hammer Technique*-*I Forge Iron - Blacksmithing and Metalworking

For those that are interested in the process of charcoal making,there's a film that airs periodically on the 'documentary' channel called "The Charcoal People of Brazil" (Sorry, you'll have to check your t v listings for dates and times) Although the focus of the film is on the plight of the workers, there is ample footage which demonstrates how to make charcoal ,....using primitive methods. Shows the cutting of wood,how it's stacked in large mud/brick kilns, monitoring the burn, even how they sack it up for use by the Brazilian Steel industry.

If the situation becomes desperate,install rubber tires and a hitch to the work table. When the accumulation reaches 'critical mass', tow the work table to the nearest scrapyard/recycling center. Be sure they have a big electromagnet. Place work table underthe electromagnet. Their magnet will overcome any static charges/magnetic fields your table may have developed. Also, while you are there, look at the hundreds of tons of iron and steel the scrapyard has accumulated. You will then realize that they have a much worse problem than you do! You will feel better! As this is merely a treatment and not a cure,.....repeat as needed.

Happy New Year to you , Rusty Iron! And.....Happy New Year to all! A year is a great gift........You can get a lot done in a year. And it's new!........meaning that it can be even greater than last year! WOW! James

It's always sad to lose someone. You have my sympathy.

My wife has one of those plastic pool/fountain things in the front yard. Since it's late december, and the water is beginning to freeze more solidly each day,we(she) decided that we(I) should drain all the water, put away the pump, etc. So this morning,I get a bucket and begin to dip the several bucketfulls of leaves, sticks, and water out of the pool. About the 9th or 10th bucket full,......I happen to look down and see,,,,,,, A SNAKE!!!!...........IN THE BUCKET!!!!!!!!!!! It didn't take me long to throw the bucket down! Just for an instant,,,,,,,I imagined I was being attacked by an anaconda. (There are no anacondas in Kentucky,........but at that moment i was imagining pretty good!) I'll have to tell my grandson that I found that *RUBBER* snake he lost last summer.............. Or better yet, maybe I should SURPRISE him!!!! Does anyone else have things like this happen to them?....Or is it just me?