ianinsa

310 is 'furnace grade' just don't try to hand forge it, it's fairly common in the petrochemical and pulp industries just get shed 80 and stick it in the lathe to cut a flare.

We have plenty of shenanigans down here in Africa but thankfully 'They' haven't started cutting the kiln wash.

Aha necessity, I 'need' zippy looking burners and have access to lots of s/s offcuts so s/s it is the trick however is to use 310 for the flare .

Which one? If you mean ALL ? then me I'm a sucker for escapism

I believe you can move a 250 pound anvil faster the second time if you placed it on your foot the first time!

This idea might involve a 'bit' of effort Set up a central shaft with rotational bearings and a thrust bearing, add a small gearbox and motor to the side and you will have a nice rotating platform to display things like cars(or powerhamers) on.

All this debate has been very interesting, however I think if you break the law no matter how "unjust or wrong" it may be you should expect "punishment" . Those in power seem to have a belief that "their views and ways "are the only "right" ones. Reality means the "golden rule " applies the guys with the "gold" make the rules! Power corrupts. After all 'honest Abe' imprisoned his political opponents without trial in the basement of the naval guard house on Alcatraz and Gitmo is still used by numerous governments to imprison folk that might otherwise(rightly or wrongly) be free. So be aware that most countries have people in powerful positions that will 'do what it takes' to ensure that 'their' view prevails. You may have 'rights ' but your 'opponents ' may feel 'might is right' . Many folk see the same thing in different ways for example in the attached photograph the participants considered themselves to be participating in a lawful and peaceful demonstration(work tools and self defense weapons only)

Sorry, spellcheck! "fixed" it for me Changing language options are a no, no for me as I once accidentally changed a mobile to Arabic not so easy to revert if you can't read the screen!

Ò9öóõōœô my options on shift o on my Microsoft surface tablet! Complements of the season to all Ric certainly does have an impressive selection of the 'less than common' books

Ray, my wife played around with inclusions of copper leaf/foil and fine copper mesh both of which worked but the color changes due to oxidization lost the impact, we also mucked about misting the glass (while hot) with ferric chloride and it gave the glass an iridescent sheen.

Ö on a windows tablet just hold the o learnt something new .... thanks Alan! Now I have to find the diameter symbol...... Anyone?

Is that a pink Anvil? Nice shop!

I'm far from "around these parts" so your "fame" has spread! And is that a die,der or das umlaut? I'm not really clued up on the "special book library loan system" that you folks have in the US though I believe that its brilliant. The OP lives in NY so he has access to it, so for his benefit and probably for many other would someone please set it out in a tutorial and possibly post it in the book reviews section.

I'd guess it's a very corrosive process, that's why I didn't Ask and yes ...Where are the crosses??? Mid 30's Celsius here too, less than ideal forging weather. P.S. why is the process secret? And do you have to wear a pointy hat and funny cloak whilst doing it?

Hi Ray, welcome to the site! Both my wife and I have dabbled with glass blowing and it was great fun. We then tried mixing the mediums and had limited success with copper . I'm sure one can get the annealing right with either time and/or luck on your side(we had neither) we tended to get things that looked great going into the kiln......... Good luck and post pictures!

Frosty , have you heard anything like this on a plane? Er.. Miss, the fellow napping that black stuff got some chips in my coffee, could I please get a fresh cup. Excuse me Sir, could I please borrow your necklace to carve my chicken, I should have taken the fish I think?

Virtually any wood will make usable charcoal even MDF. a word of caution though. In many places commercial 'Christmas trees ' are sprayed with insecticides and/or fire retardants it might be worth checking out.

Nate, it's good to see guys that want lessons! They are invaluable! However don't be too obsessed with 'environment ' . I've done lots and lots of traveling to see and visit blacksmiths worldwide and you will often find that in the 'orderly well set out ' shops the owners are often too busy to spend enough time with beginners where enthusiastic 'part timers' are prepared to invest more time with beginners. I'm obviously not referring to schools but to guys who may offer to teach you. You live in a country that abounds with blacksmiths that are very talented yet do it as a hobby. Were I in your shoes, I would research your local blacksmithing association (someone's likely to post the info here ) and go to a hammer in or meeting, you'll be amazed at just how hospitable these folk can be. Then work from there. Good luck Ian

Fortunately you have no dog in the fight eh. Mikey just kidding and BTW. Its great to see guys that share ! Ivan, it's deemed marketing the morality aside people very rarely show a competitors product that works as well as or better than theirs! It's a case of "Buyer Beware" Personally I prefer not to use Klingspor products not because their product is inferior but because they laterally collude with their distributors to keep prices and profits artificially high to the universal detriment of their customers. Alas, Hilti as a corporation also qualifies as spawn of unmarried parents.

"perfect forge" for what? Jup my induction is just the biscuit most of the time! It's fantastic to think I need to taper this , flick the switches and seconds later be whacking hot steel. Then end of the month comes and the bill arrives, "jeepers I've got to finish that woodgas powered genset" thought floods my mind! I recon the setting up of the forge related to 'your' work can usually get you close to the 'ideal' forge . For hammer production(multiples) a larger forge with a ribbon burner is IMHO is more efficient but on 1/2" round bar not at all etc. You've just got to collect a number of forges! That said, I believe I have a fantastic charcoal retort that makes beautiful charcoal that I now use for terra preta as I can't remember when I last used charcoal to forge with? I've been asked about selling my charcoal forge but alas 'nostalgia ' has prevented me from doing so.

It will most likely burn off slowly over time, thereby giving you plenty of opportunity to inhale the noxious fumes! Rather soak it in vinegar overnight , the vinegar will dissolve the galvanized coating.

You could? But you shouldn't! as the tank empties the pressure changes , the 'tap' on the tank gives adjustment on volume and its not designed to be used as a regulator it'll work but reduce tank life and if it wears the seals through improper use possibly yours so it should be quite simple to buy a regulator locally, but rather than buying from a big box store it's preferable to go to a 'gas shop/welding supply ' place so you can get a regulator that has a greater 'range' than the 'cheapies'

I think the 'problem' isn't new! The the end of building Khufu's pyramid some stone masons possibly over a beer complained about no one really knowing how to work marble and granite anymore! Then at the end of the Byzantine empire after building the cisterns of Constantinople some stone masons said something similar! Then etc. Etc. Today one struggles to find workers of granite and marble? Yet Sheik Zayed's grand mosque(with stonework reminiscent of the Taj Mahal) in Abu Dhabi is testament to the fact that it can still be done.

Ethan, this might be a think outside the box moment! a very capable type of sander is a stroke sander, typically used for wood work. However most are intended for industrial type use. You may be able to source an older one cheap most are intended to use 4" or wider belts , these are usually quite easy to modify . Do a bit of research(google) and see what I'm getting at. Good luck on this quest.