SLAG

Welcome, There are a lot of Sawicki's in Nova Scotia. (like Halifax). Are you related to any one of them? You are off to a good start. Keep at it, and enjoy. SLAG.

Fifteen years old no problem. Check out littleblacksmith. He puts many of us to shame. SLAG.

Pancho, A picture is worth a thousand words. Can you post one? SLAG.

Calcite's (= calcium carbonate, = limestone) formula, is Ca(CO3). Dolomite's formula is Ca Mg (CO3)2. They are two different chemicals with different properties as Frosty has cogently stated. SLAG.

Herr Frosty, Wet sandpaper will not raise up dust. But the wood dust-water slurry should be cleaned up before it dries. Wetting wood brings up some wood grain. It's an old trick that woodworkers use. They wet the wood let it dry and, then ,dry sand the raised grain to get a super smooth finish. The clouds of wood dust that electric sanders throw up, is the problem. Auf wieder sehen alles, SLAG.

James, a.k.a., Stormcrow, Thank you for your response. Hopefully I will get to see your Forged In Fire work. Regards, SLAG.

Stormcrow, Would you please post a picture, (pictures?), of the blades that you made during the competition? Some members, here, do not have televisions, and others do not normally watch television. Thanks and congratulations. SLAG.

58er, Thank you for the information. it is appreciated. SLAG.

Check out sliver tweezers. Several of the specialty wood tool sellers sell them. They work great. SLAG.

A recent research report stated that flux core wire welding produced the highest levels of manganese fumes in the air. I came across that reference earlier this year and posted it on Jock's website. SLAG.

Laburnum is a direct toxin, Work the handle outside, upwind and wear a respirator. And if possible blow it downwind away from people/pets. Dust can settle on the floor and on the equipment in the shop or smithy, and fly up when an air current hits it. SLAG. p.s. I just looked up the wood in wiki for more information, try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laburnum p.p.s. Are you in Reykyavik or Akureyri? (sorry about the spelling). Iceland looks like a lovely place.

You gentlemen got me really intrigued. So. I did a search for lead test strips and came up a winner. I will post only one of a raft of hits for such test kits. http://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-LeadCheck-Instant-Lead-Test-Swabs-2-Pack-LC-2SDC6/203313743 Glenn if this is not o.k. for the site please remove the reference. "lead test kits" was a great search phrase. Regards, SLAG. I prefer cast iron skillets to Teflon coated cooking pans. They are great as soon as you learn how to season them and keep them seasoned. YouTube has many references for that procedure.

Welcome aboard, You'll like it here, & fit in fine. SLAG.

T.P, Thanks I forgot about that one. SLAG.

Excuse my ignorance but is the floor matting fire resistant? Please let me know. I may resort to it myself. SLAG.

There is another reason that birds should be discouraged from nesting or setting up shop in a smithy. Especially in an indoor one. That extra reason is some very nasty fungal diseases, that are found in bird feces (xxxx). San Joaquin Valley fever is found throughout the American southwest. It is a rare but very serious systemic disease. That fungus disease is Coccidioidomycosis. Histoplasmosis is another very serious systemic fungal disease. It is found in bird feces, especially pigeon dung. That disease is common in the Mississippi River and St. Lawrence River valleys The fungus can remain as viable infectious spores in dust, for decades. None of us needs bird dung build up in our work shops. (there are other nasty fungus diseases like Blastomyces, Nocardia, Aspergillus etc., but I've made the point.) Permit me to be a little clearer. One bird and one nest should not be a problem. Many roosting birds and their poop is. SLAG.

Star drills are wacked with a hemmer and then the drill is turned a quarter turn and wacked again. And so on. It will produce a hole in the stone and further hammering will deepen that hole. They are still used, today, and can be acquired in larger hardware stores. They are used for percussive drilling. These tools gave way to pneumatic hammers that had a rifle bar that did the turning. That is in industrial settings. They are most commonly found in mining, tunneling and construction sites. SLAG.

Speaking of log tongs, the device resembles tongs for handling ice blocks. In the days before electric refrigerators ice was cut from river surfaces in winter. They are still fairly common in Eastern Canada. (& probably other areas). SLAG.

Box sections usually have telescoping members with, usually, holes for height adjustability. SLAG.

It looks like bocote to me too. SLAG.

Thanks T. P., I know bocote well, & have used it often. SLAG. Here is a good site for information on the wood if anyone is interested. http://www.wood-database.com/bocote/