SLAG

Senior Stevens, Would you please do me a favor. Please inform Mr. Powers that a hammer is used for pounding metal on the anvil, the head should better be utilized for aiming said hammer. And the concrete floor looks just fine as it is. It does not redecorating, yet. Thank you, SLAG.

Mr. Hammer, Your Sifu, (a.k.a. Sensai) was a wise man. Medieval beheading swords are surprisingly blunt. Sharp ones would not work very well. SLAG.

T. P. Thank you for defining the acronym. I appreciate the response. I strongly suggest adding a little turmeric to your diet. (i.e. the yellow stuff found in curry powder. But you know that stuff). Also, some cinnamon, occasionally. Both spices are neuro-protective. If you don't care for turmeric's taste hide it in spaghetti sauce. No one will notice. And you do not need much of it, for it to work. SLAG.

T. P. Get well soon, sport. I.F.I. needs you. SLAG. P.S. what does M T B I stand for? I remember that m t b stands for motor torpedo boat, in navy parlance. But I do not think that is the meaning in your post.

Nate, I strongly suggest that you consult with or talk to a medical practitioner about this medical condition. Rest assured that my posts are well researched, before I "send" them. Also, my science sources are air tight. (often front line journals). I had to do so when I was a research scientist and then in my patent law practice. And I am still reading after my recent retirement. I do not write replies just to make readers feel good. It is unfortunate what happened to your friend. But, I suspect that he may be in a decided minority population of patients. Also the majority of glaucoma patients have not contracted the condition because of heredity. Yes, certain minorities have a higher chance of getting it (for example, Orientals, Inuit , (a.k.a. Eskimos,), and African Americans). Being overweight, or suffering from high blood pressure, or aged, can raise the possibility of contracting the condition. To summarize, do not take my word for it. Confirm what I am suggesting. The sooner that you do so the sooner you will have some piece of mind, and devoting more time to hammering iron Glaucoma is a serious business and should not be taken lightly. Regards, SLAG.

This article got me to thinking. I remembered an old martial arts display stunt that had a practitioner drive a samurai sword, (a.k.a. katana), through a substantial and very hard & thick material. I do not remember what it consisted of but it was impressive. Then the fellow sliced a piece of fabric floating in the air. There was a trick involved. The end of the sword was very sharp and that part cleaved the fabric. (probably thin silk). But the rest of the sword was not sharp at all. the sword and edge was robust enough to cut the hard material. Which may have been chain link iron. I wonder if anyone inspected the sword's edge to check its consistency. I am not suggesting that the fellow was pranking the audience. But there is a remote possibility that that might have been the case. It would go some way to explaining why the smith, cum knife maker, took his "steel treating secret" to the grave. SLAG.

Three million Americans have glaucoma. Glaucoma is NOT a one-way trip to blindness. It is, in most cases, treatable by; 1) medication, (there are 6 different classes of medication that treat glaucoma, each class works on a uniquely different physical pathway of treatment.) And each pathway has more than one different drug. that does the job. 2) Laser treatment.There are four different types of such treatment And/Or 3) Surgical methods. There are four different types of surgical procedures available for use by the ophthalmological specialist. There is a bright side to the crummy news you just got. Only one eye is affected, and your condition was discovered early. Which means that the damage to the optic nerve is probably minimal. I strongly suggest that you consult with the best ophthalmologist in your area. Get a thorough examination, and work up done. And learn as much about the condition, as possible, from your specialist and from reading. (thank the Lord for the internet). Treatment is usually lifelong, but often it consists of taking regular eye drops. Glaucoma is a serious business. Stopping treatment, or not adhering to its requirements can lead to vision loss and sometimes blindness. I hope that the preceding information is of some assistance and somewhat reassuring. SLAG.

Frosty, You pointed out a real problem in materials disposal, and its potential to cause environmental havoc. But newly reported discoveries may help lessen this particular problem. Recent chemical and technical developments have been made to treat and allow the reuse of ground up asphalt as a major constituent of reconstituted paving material. (that is new asphalt). Much of the removed asphalt will, shortly, not be disposed of, but reused. The current spent oxidized material has the potential to contaminate ground water after it is disposed of. Many of the hydrocarbon chemicals leaching from that asphalt residue are carcinogenic. (i.e. cancer causing) when they get into the ground water and people drink that water or come into physical contact with it. Hence today's disposal problems and cost in treating the material. Which is a headache and an expensive nuisance. . Hopefully, these new developments will divert the sludge back into the new pavement. ( where the asphalt is functionally and essentially chemically inert). SLAG.

Got it! He IS the Mister, and you are the Matto. Sorrreee. SLAG

Mr. Matto, Yes, I think you are correct. Senor T.. I appreciate your response and candor. Thanks, SLAG. You can see French style hammers in action in the video forging a Biscayne axe posted two weeks ago. Made by Les Forgerons de Montreal

Senor Turley, Why is the French style of hammer called a lock maker's hammer? I have not figured that one out. Was it because lock makers first designed and used it? The French pattern hammer is also popular in Quebec province too. (in Canada that is). SLAG.

The following reference is to one of the blacksmith puzzles, "the captive heart". Check out http://www.blacksmithing.org/CB-Archive/1992/1992-02-cb.pdf There was a series of advertisements in the Florida Artist Blacksmith Association journal, the Clinker Breaker, which ran for about 4 years in the early 1990's. It was for instructions for making several puzzles complete with dimensions. (then again it may have run in the Southern Ohio Blacksmith journal.) I would love to get a hold of a copy of that product. Hopefully, someone, here, has the reference. SLAG.

I just came across a 2015 article describing a new development, in iron-aluminum alloys that are just as strong and as light as titanium alloys. The new discovery is a method to make such alloys non brittle. The new process is brilliant and should allow metallurgists to formulate even better alloys in the near future. Titanium is extremely abundant but is notoriously difficult to purify and hard to work. Therefor, it is expensive. Try this reference. http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/news/a13919/new-steel-alloy-titanium/ And enjoy. SLAG.

Tonym, It is not a stupid question at all. I had thought the same also. But I read somewhere on this site that the anvil prices were similar there, quad state, as elsewhere. I do not remember where on this site I saw it but it was about 9 or 10 weeks ago. (which is no help to you, I am sure.) Sorry. Perhaps, someone on i.f.i. can tell me I am wrong, (I hope), or confirm what I saw. The anvil prices are high, perhaps because of the recent "reality" television shows. Some "vintage" used mediocre anvils are costing more per pound than good new ones. We both deserve an answer. SLAG.

Nate, A doctor can determine all sorts of things by careful examination of our eyes. The eye is the only place where a doctor can see a nerve and an artery without cutting us open. A careful eye study can detect certain types of kidney cancer, hardening of the arteries and a host of other diseases. That is why he spent time peering into your eyes. You can actually little beads of plaque on the artery wall.(they are kinda cute). The optic nerve is a large one and abnormalities show up prominently there. Glaucoma can be treated by medication to get the pressure down. (e.g. beta blockers) and, also, other medical procedures. (e.g. eye drops, and oral medication). Sometimes, but not often, surgery . It sounds like he caught the problems in good time. (regular medical check-ups really do pay off). Stick with this guy, he sounds very capable Regards, SLAG.

"Fatwood" makes a very hot fire. it is usually made of pine, bark that has underlying resin that has been subject to an environmental insult. For example a lightning strike, severe insect or fungus infestation, or serious mechanical damage. The tree develops copious resin deposits to kill the bug or to prevent "bugs" from invading the plant. The wood is loaded with resin and burns fiercely, and very hot. It serves as a super fire starter, and one can buy it for that purpose. I would not put the resultant smoke up a flue, as creosote will quickly be deposited and a creosote fire is Hades on Earth. The smithy or home will go up like an express train. I imagine that smithing with the stuff would give great heat, little ash, and negligible clinker (probably none). It would be cool if you can get a tree that had a great amount of such resin. SLAG.

If there was any creosote on the spike it would burn off in the forge. Don't inhale the fumes. I do not think there would be much on them. Unless you can see the gunk on the spikes. If so, use a solvent to dissolve the substance or use other spikes. SLAG.

Mr. Taylor, Please do not take my post too vexingly. I was just trying to bring this admittedly arcane subject matter to a minority of our fraternity who would find it of interest. The phenomena (there is more than one), is responsible for some wonderful effects in nature. For example, the spectacular color of many butterflies, and birds are not due to pigment chemicals but to optical effects of skin, or cell wall microlayers of light interfering structures. Nanotechnology is just now allowing us to create these substances, for all manner of new purposes. In this one example, substituting catalytic gold to iron oxide particles. (a lot cheaper, & it will save gold for more important uses such as our spouses' jewelry ). This new area of scientific and technological enquiry will be an extraordinary leap for all of us. It is very nearly impossible to predict where it will lead in the next five years. For example, who would have predicted that one of the major uses for lasers was in optical scanners for the checkout counter. Anachronist 58 I like your style and vast breadth of interests. I wish California was not so far away. Regards, SLAG.

And delights the undertakers. SLAG.

Das, Turpentine is insecticidal, anti-bacterial, AND, anti-people. SLAG.

Das, OOOPPPSS! Sorry! I misunderstood. Regards, SLAG.

Das, Are you using a turpentine based salve for skin application? I suspect that turpentine is not the best substance for skin. Some organic solvents can be absorbed through the skin into the blood stream. For example formaldehyde. I am not certain that turpentine is so absorbed. But it's worth a look. O.S.H.A. would probably have that information, at their website. I'm in the middle of something, or I would look it up. Sorry about that. A "cheap" compounding and heating set-up could be a used can, that food came in. placed in a double boiler. container with water. The ingredients would be placed in the can. (That way the ingredients would not catch fire.). SLAG.

I just came across this article, concerning a new development in nanoscale catalysts. It's an interesting read in nano-catalysts. http://phys.org/news/2016-09-reveal-magnetic-rust-gold-nanoscale.html Enjoy, SLAG.

Das, You'll find the plants considered in a botany course. The plants can be found in marshy areas. Some species prefer clayey soil, others like sandy areas. They are common & can easily be found in Pennsylvania if you look a little. most people pass them by without a notice. Sorry, the primary schools and most high schools serve as a custodial service. Their main function seems to be keeping children off the streets, and out of the job market. They take oceans of time teaching that which can be taught in a quarter the time. I spent years of incarceration in that system that caters to the lowest common denominator, and subjects so many to insufferable boredom. Pole lathes are one solution for ancient turning technology. The potters' kick wheel is another (invented well before 500 B.C.), and the bow fire drill is yet a third method for speeding up sanding and polishing and still being authentic for your period reconstruction demonstrations. The treadle is o.k. too as it stems from the crank that was invented around the year 1.000 years A.D. (that late). CMS thanks for the reference concerning sandpaper. I checked my notes and found that the first mention of the use of sandpaper is 100 A.D. (in China, where else !?), Its use is referenced in an English book concerning furniture finishing from ca. 1688. Crushed glass frit was used. (beach sand is not suitable as the grains are rounded). And a patent for such paper was issued in 1833, in England. So using sand paper is o.k. if you are portraying technology after circa 1600. Must get back to work, Regards, SLAG.

Colonial people used the scouring rush to clean pots, pans, and other eating utensils. The stems are full of silicon dioxide, (a.k.a. silica), which is an excellent abrasive .Equisetum hymnale is a primitive plant found in the horsetail family, and was around long before the evergreens, (Gymnosperms), and flowering plants, (Angiosperms). It propagates by spores and runners. The plant grows in America, Europe, Asia, and, now, Australia and Africa. Japanese artisans use this powder to this day. They include cutlers, and knife makers. They still boil and grind the stems to a powder for use as a an abrasive. Pumice stone is another form of silicon oxide that has been used for millennia. It is an aerated volcanic rock, and the powder is still used. Another denser variety, called scoria, yields even finer abrasive powder. Both have been used for thousands of years. Yet another silicon containing substance is rottenstone, or Tripoli . It is a limestone rock containing crystalline, or amorphous, silica or diatomaceous mineral. You can buy it at the hardware store. Garnet powders have also been used for cutting and polishing, for ever. They are metallo-silicon oxide minerals and are widely found. They are more expensive than many other abrasive substances that were used in the past. And for those period re-enactors that have an unlimited budget, diamond powder may be utilized for your demonstrations. Diamond powder has been so used for hundreds of years. Jeweler's rouge has been used as an abrasive and polishing compound since before recorded history. It is iron oxide, Fe2O3. and is the main ore of iron manufacture. It is still used by jewelers, today. The powder can be mixed with wax or fat and used for light grinding & polishing. You could use it on a cloth or wheel. A modified pole lathe would make a fine polishing wheel period-piece statement. There are other long-used abrasives that can be resorted to that are traditional. Pick and choose and enjoy. SLAG