ianinsa

Welcome William!

The 'spike with wings' is the head of a harpoon of sorts, I've always known the 'hooked beak ' pliers as upholstery pliers and the 'L' shaped tool with the groove in the bottom is for closing seams in sheet metal. I have one of those vices too and I was led to believe that they are used in tensioning overhead wires on railway lines

Planning a big lunch?

What a laugh.............. I chirped (a whole State) to see if would be narrowed down! New England is a cluster of states approximately as long as it is from Lands end to John o' groats give or take a couple of miles . Virtually the same as you giving your location as UK! Not just England but adding the possibility of Scotland and Wales too.

Well suppose Smoggy had recommended that he pop around to my place and use my kiln for his heat treat? Or that Frosty or Thomas Powers was just the man to help him? It wasn't being rude, it was a constructive comment which was acted upon by the OP. (even though it's still quite vague ,a whole state?) I would suggest that this would be a great item to take to a local blacksmithing meet/hammer inn and I'm sure that you'll get it sorted in a jiffy along with meeting some great guys and possibly learning some neat stuff.

But it 'looks' like a versatile vice....ie. A 'vice versa?' seems like I must have got it backwards

Huh? It looked like a vice to me? Have I got this all wrong?

Oh ye of little faith! Frosty, he just has to be wealthy how else would he be able to afford such an old "collectable" mobile phone? And as for the rest of you , Did you miss the bit where he was 'guided' by celestial beings? See all you need is LSD and imagination and 'anything' is possible!

Hi Jim , guessed as much , but then you may have neglected to use your reading glasses

To get back on topic! I've enjoyed reading this thread and it has raised some interesting views. However in reference to the arbitrary 1875 date , well its quite recent so we have a 'fair' understanding of what was used and how? Well in truth much of the how is debatable as much was 'lore and trade secrets' and when we go further back it gets even more murky. For instance we still don't know how they made a 'Saracen sword' , recent discoveries have shown that some ancient armor used laminations of differing metals that improve penetration resistance, recent discoveries in India show iron workings much older than previously thought. Similarly it is now believed that the Romans had armored knights. We still don't know how the ancient Egyptians and Inca could cut basalt and granite in ways that we can't replicate. Now they have found ancient Chinese ships that were iron clad .... well way before the civil war(American)

Look folks, any Lady(artist or no) brandishing a 2 stroke portable cut off saw in my proximity(whatever the attire) Will have my Undivided attention!

That is a really good looking piece! And your Banana leaf backdrop is very effective. Congratulations!

At the risk of sounding like a heretic,....... I had a similar problem on a vice that I needed to use in a hurry and some chaps were busy on my other vices so I just stuck in a jaw with 'hot melt glue ' as a 'quick fix' that was a few years ago and it's still there. Melts a bit when you stick in hot metal but it hasn't slipped yet.

I believe that it would be less time in NYC than in Florida right now!

And remember never to wear loose clothing whilst operating rotational machinery!

Terry you may not know , but Frosty got hit on the head by a tree. Sorry Jerry it was just too easy Terry life is too short not to make light of it sometimes! Lots of the folk here like good banter, this thread is somewhat tongue in cheek as 1875 is sort of like a line in the sand (on a beach with the tide coming in)

Ok , at first I couldn't spot the problem? I finally figured it out! No one had on any safety boots? great pictures!

As a precursor, ask your parents to call their insurance broker to ask ? Accepting money for a lesson/goods may just void your folks insurance . Their policy may only cover the 'private' residential use and not a business. There are more risks than just the personal liability. Someone might accidentally burn down your place etc. Often the cover has no additional charge you just have to make them aware! There are quite a few blacksmiths that make a comfortable living teaching others so don't discount the idea, just do it wisely. Good luck.

That looks unused, probably worth a few bucks to the right guy! So before you duff it stick it on your local equivalent of fleabay! But I'm sure it'll make a good hotcut.

Hi Adrien, I'm back at my place in Johannesburg. And would once again like to extend the invitation! I'm located at 69 pine Rd Kyalami . Cnr. Zinnia. If you wish to Google Earth it just type "69 pine road, Midrand" on your google screen to see the location. Its right across the road from the Kyalami castle. My e-mail address in ian214(at)live.com I thought I had a e-mail address for you but I seem to have mislaid it. Regards Ian

Alan, common now what caught your attention most? The Loader or the hydraulic one?

Manual, mechanical(hydraulic, electrical)?

Not only did you waste time, fuel etc. You also ruined a fine chainsaw chain. The upside is... in the University of life you got another credit, only a few thousand more to go!

Mikey, I don't know where you are( USA obviously) but the country is riddled with oil and trees so there must be refineries and paper pulp plants all over? You only need to find one crowd that does maintenance! That sounds so easy doesn't it! even the recycling of paper? P.S. if you get some it works a bit like 304 and it's not free cutting like 303 so deep cuts as it likes to work harden.

Reminds me of the two blacksmiths(insert other if necessary ) asking his friend, if you claim off insurance is it better to claim for theft from your shop or cause your shop burnt down? Friend answers" Theft logically ?" Why Theft? Well says the friend "if they repudiate your claim, at least you still have your stuff"