SLAG

Anach., I much prefer haruspication to chicken bones. It worked for the Romans, (I think), and it sometimes works for me. Thank you for posting information on this most vexatious problem. Regards, SLAG.

IFI Citizens, I have recently encountered loss of the refresh "circle" button. For example, when I am reading the one or two posts of page two, I can no longer bring up page one. This bug has only arisen in the last two or three days. What am I doing wrong. HELP !!! SLAG.

JHCC, Condolences for them. SLAG.

Glenn, There is a kindred craft that is distantly related to such engraving. And that is gun checkering and hand carving in/of gun stocks. Also, as Mr. Geist mentioned, the engraving of gun barrels and other gun parts. I would be very surprised if there were few such skilled tradesmen here in North America. We have enormous number of firearms here, and many of them have at least a little checkering in their gunstocks. High end rifles and shotguns probably have hand checkering. A little googling should result in web articles and groups dedicated to those trades. SLAG.

Mr. Farmall, Allow me to make a suggestion for possible source that may help with an identification of the tool you purchased. There is a department in the Smithsonian Institution, (in Washington), that identifies and also tries to identify tools. They display tools that they have not elucidated yet, and invite the public to help do so. They are also interested in helping people identify their mysterious tools. Check them out via the internet and. Get their specific address or, if necessary, telephone them. A Google search is usually availing. But not always. Good luck. SLAG.

S-Crow, Suggest you partially grind a real edge instead of a false edge. It could then be used for a back cut if the initial slash is not "productive" enough or the blade handler wants to inflict more damage. Just a sanguinary thought. Regards, SLAG.

Steve, Your sage observation, namely, "I have noticed over the years, most posting the simple questions don't look, the ones that have looked don't have to post". bears a little suspicious relationship to the Latin, phrase "Reductio Ad Absurdum". Taken literally is there no need to post, no need for the forum? Somehow I do NOT think so. Regards, SLAG.

BLFF, I am a big fan of high sulfur cutting oil. I have been using it for many years and I highly recommend it. It lasts forever if you are not running a production shop. I use a eye dropper or syringe to apply it to the bit. It cools the drill bit, and washes out the cuttings and other crudd. Muscling up on a drill bit and/or running it at top speed is ineffective, wasteful, often breaks drill bits and will dull them in quick time. It's a poor practice most of the time. (except in a pinch where you have one bit and no back up, & are in too much of a rush to go out & get one at that moment). Just my two cents. SLAG.

JPLS, The edit button disappears after one hour from posting time. Hopefully one of the moderators will clean it up soon. regards, SLAG.

Hammer Man, That is all Greek to me. SLAG.

Real knowledge is when one knows the extent of one's ignorance. Confucious.

With some action movies, you're more likely to find a plot in a cemetery. Just sayin. SLAG. Put the galvanized metal in a bath of vinegar. Give it time and the vinegar (acetic acid), should turn the zinc coating into zinc acetate which dissolves zinc in the vinegar solution.

Would not a magnet determine whether the piece is aluminum or steel. Soaking in vinegar should remove the zinc form the galvanized surface. Several sessions in fresh vinegar should react with the zinc to convert it to soluble zinc acetate. SLAG.

I D, Burning hydrogen and oxygen gives water. 4H + O2 gives two H2O. Provided, that these two gases react, solely. Carbon has to be introduced into such a reaction to give carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide or other hydrocarbon compounds. Regards, SLAG.

Mr. Williams, Thank you very much for the citation for Moxon's hand book. Best regards, SLAG.

Joshua, Great to have you on the site. The F A O series of 3 books is great. Also, Check out Abana.com for their course on basic blacksmith skills. The narrative and drawings are excellent. And the overall price for both series cannot be beat. SLAG.

Put some coats on a coat rack and play with the distance separating them. You may want to use winter coats for this exercise as they take up more room. the coats or business suits, or ladies dresses should not be jammed to closed together in order to enhance ease of use. And avoiding wrinkling. SLAG.

Dave, If you do not get much success searching, (hopefully not)., there is an unlikely source of information, that usually does not come to mind. That is the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. They have many experts and staffers working in divers areas of life. There is even a sub-group that identifies tools of unknown function. SLAG.

Backyard Blacksmith, Lorelei Sims (you can get a new remaindered hardbound copy for ten dollars or less) The Complete Modern Blacksmith, Alex. Weygers. New Edge of the Anvil Jack Andrews The Complete Modern Blacksmith Bealer Blacksmithing Basics For The Homestead Joe DeLaRond Practical Blacksmithing and Metalworking Percy Blandford Country Blacksmithing Charles Mc.Raven SLAG.

Aus, There should be some rural all purpose hardware stores located in farming communities to suit your needs. That is the kind of establishment that would carry, items like lye, muriatic acid, fencing supplies farming and building equipment etc. Ace Hardware, Loews. et al are general hardware stores that might carry such things in the U.S.A. But companies like Tractor Supply stores are more likely to have what you want to acquire. Yes these companies are probably not in Australia. But there should be counterpart stores that cater to that niche. I think you already know that. (so please suffer me being a little pedantic.) Perhaps that helps. SLAG. Hope you are enjoying the high summer.

Procrastination is the great thief of time. Anonymous. I know from personal experience. SLAG.

Vaughn, Have you considered switching from the use of Phillips screws (cross head screws) to Robertson (Square slotted heads) screws? I think that they are better looking, less obtrusive, and smaller than the large Phillips cross heads. Check for a picture on the net. They are readily available in Canada, but some specialty wood working stores carry them here. For example, I have bought them at the local Woodcraft Tool store. Other such shops and web stores should carry them, too). The Robertson screws are far superior to the Phillips screws. Thy screw driver does not readily slip out of the screw head and that head does not deform like Phillips and straight slot screws. (incidentally, straight slot screws are rarely used in Canada, anymore). Regards to all. SLAG. Down by the mighty Mississippi River.

Will W. sir. Baking soda will work. But the supermarket stuff would be expensive should you wish to neutralize a lot of acid. Limestone is cheaper. And crushed limestone will work faster. Any of the three will neutralize the acid. Be careful do it outside keep yourself away from the reacting chemicals and do not breathe any fumes or vapor. They are corrosive. The reaction will continue as add the chemical but will eventually stop and the acid is neutralized. The neutralized solution can then be disposed of. (if the acid was muriatic acid or acetic acid (vinegar), or other organic acid (like oxalic acid), it can be disposed in the sewage water. If the acid was a more exotic metal acid (like chromium) evaporation will get rid of the water portion and if you wish to be scrupulous, mix the metallic residue with cement and use the resultant product for paving stones door stops etc.(all right I'm kidding). But why would you be resorting to a chromic or hydrofluoric acid? A basic chemical like sodium hydroxide (lye) would work even faster but could very well be explosive. So please stay away from using it. The pH of the solution will rise with the treatment of the neutralizing chemicals mentioned above. Neutral is about 7.0 pH lower than 7.0 is acidic and above 7.0 is basic. Have fun with it. But please do not put untreated spent acidic etching solution down the toilet. It will chew xxxx out of the pipes. Hope that helps. Regards to, Tout La Gangue. Salut, SLAG.

Dave, Would searching in the archives of a period farming magazine help. A net search should turn up such a publication. And you may be able to do your search on the net. Some of those magazines were nation wide. And there were publications in the nineteenth century too. (not your time frame of interest). Also, a search of more local newspaper would result in an advertisement of a more local magazine or even newspaper. If that doesn't pan out. Someone at a local agricultural school or farming museum might suggest a good avenue for search. They might even have a copy of a price sheet for such a service. Good luck. SLAG

USArmy201, Thank you for your service. Welcome to the club. SLAG.