Rick Barter

Very cool! Congratulations and good luck with the new job.

I made a horse head hoof pick this weekend. This is my third or fourth attempt. I think it came out pretty good.

Congratulations, Elkdoc! May I ask what your 'training' is?

I like those rebar scrolls!

Thank you all. I am very grateful for your thoughts on her behalf.

I am very close to my aunt and uncle. My aunt, Pam, just found out she has colon cancer. She goes in for surgery on August 21st to remove the tumor and find out if it has spread and how badly.

I would appreciate it very much if you could hold her in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Rick Barter

Jerry,

That'd be great to get some interior pictures. I'll drop you an email as soon as I can. I've been working like a wildman this week and have had no time to get to it.

rvb

This may be a stupid question, but what does 'passivate it' mean?

rvb
 

Now that I look at it, it's obvious. It's an ear-piercing device for giants! :)

You know, I see all these suggestions in books and on-line for different finishes for ironwork. However, they're all things that need to be re-applied and, therefore, not for outdoor use.

I know you can primer and paint or powdercoat, etc. for outdoor work. But, I want to know what can be used to finish metal for outdoor use, but still preserve the look of the metal itself without covering it up?

rvb

Like Woody sez: heating and AC people handle or as in my case, make larger sizes. Mine is 12" with a turbin= no smoke in the shop.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=394&stc=1&d=1153623242

Hey, Jerry. Got any other pictures of that from the inside? I've got the same type of barn and was thinking of penetrating straight up through the roof and trying to figure out how to flash it. Oh, and what'd you use to cut your hole? I have the same material and reciprocating saw almost vibrated the panels off the barn!

Also, how does the turbine work; just from wind or does the convection current drive it?

Sorry for so many questions, but your setup looks very similar to my situation (e.g. metal building, metal roof).

Thanks,

rvb

rvb

It looks to me like an old-time bolt cutter.

Thanks, Nick. I will keep that in mind for the future. It didn't occur to me. I probably should have sought out someone with experience fixing high-end pens and the like before I just took a crack at it myself. But, you know what they say...Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Or is that lost in this case ;)

Well, I'm still using my Harbor Freight 110 pounder. So you can't have that. :)

ApprenticeMan, I like your outlook.

Now I feel bad for the few hammers I don't use all the time. Every time I go in the barn now I'll hear them saying, "Pick me! Pick me!" :,(

I'll try to do a better job spreading the work around. :)

HA! I'm laughing very hard at the thought of that!

Thanks, jwb. That sounds great!

Great advice, everyone. And great story, HW! I plan to see if I can't get out there as the weather cools down a bit this year. In the meantime I have more reading to do!

I just want to say that it's really nice to buy books on blacksmithing, the outdoors, etc. instead of buying all the computer books like I have been through the years! It's nice to shift gears. :D

Thanks for the links and information y'all! I've found a bunch of useful stuff out there. I LOVE this forum!

In particular:
http://www.coon-n-crockett.org (thanks Jerry)
http://www.ragweedforge.com/buckskin.html
http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/amm/index.html

Well, it is too late.
However, it is very much appreciated.

Some pics of the pen and a hoof pick I made are here: http://69.64.3.31/~rvb01/blacksmith/pics/dropbox/

The hoof pic is a bit too long and too pointy for the intended user. Also, it doesn't really look like a horse head. But, I think I did pretty good for the first try just using a small hold-down on my anvil. I'll try and rework it.

A very wise man once said
I dont hunt to kill
I hunt to have hunted.
The enjoyment of any persuit is the preperation.
At least half of the enjoyment derived from camping is the preperation of getting ready to camp
The shopping/purchasing the equipment , clothes , food, planning the route or trail learning to read a compass cook over an open fire etc.

Hey, Mike. Thanks for chiming in. BTW, I've still got those forge sketches you sent me awhile ago and am very close to building my own modified version. I am also in the process of figuring out how much stovepipe I need for my chimney and will order it soon. I'll get some sketches and pictures up showing the process. I'll probably make a couple of blueprints.

I really liked the pictures you posted of your anvil stands. I like the 3 sided design. I will probably be doing something like that too.

Thanks for the help everyone. I wish I could have taken the pen totally apart without destroying it. Alas, it had pressed in ferrules at each end and no way to unscrew them. So, you can probably guess what's coming next.

Yup. I destroyed it. Well, systematically demolished it. I'll try and get some pictures, but there were plenty of plastic parts in it that would have melted in the oven. They do still make the pen, but it's very expensive and was a gift.

It's too bad, really. I loved that pen.

Thanks!

What's this business about 'your response is too short'? If I have only a little to say, why am I made to type more, Glenn?!

Thanks for the reply. I don't necessarily just want to hunt or fish. Heck, I'll just take pictures for all I care. I just want to learn how to be competant outdoors and, quite frankly, I think it's important to learn how to be self-sufficient.

That means knowing how to start a fire, knowing how to hunt and dress and cook game, knowing how to live outdoors. I guess I should have been in the boy scouts or gone into the military or something, but I just never did.

You mention 'moutain men' type organizations. What do you mean? It sounds like what I'm describing alright; Jerimiah Johnson and all that. Interesting to see the differences between the movie and the 'real' Johnson. I just read the book Crow Killer. Interesting.

I also saw a book at the store _How to sxxx in the Woods_. I may pick that up. Looks entertaining and fun.

rvb