ianinsa

Back "'in the days " when a Tender was what you used to get on and off ships, not a means of acquisition I suppose.

At 1500f you can slump glass into it but you are going to need a few hundred degrees more to 'blow into it the trick will be getting the glass and the metal to 'ramp' down at the same rate to prevent the glass from shattering.

Looks like it could have had a giant bath plug on it! "think far side cartoon" and Captain Wallace threatened to drain the river.

Good old fashioned hand cleaner(with or without grit both seem to work), there must be a rBazillion brands like flight etc. Works like a charm when drilling 'difficult' to drill metals like s/s and Damascus. It seems to knock spots off cutting fluids when it comes to it cheap and usually omnipresent, I buy mine in 5L buckets.

Letting the cat out of the bag again? Tut, tut , you gona git yourself tarred and feathered some day next you'll be telling them about using hand cleaner as a drilling aid too!

While I think Frosty has given you sterling advice bear in mind that most businesses have minimum charge setups so a single blade may be a non-starter.

I don't know so much, I was there a couple of years ago true but getting 2 or 3 anvils and 2 fly presses to strap onto a pallet would seem very doable but then I'm a glass half full type of guy!

But you possibly don't give them the furry handcuffs either in some circles leather aprons and no pants are quite the rage!

Just a thought here , is there a business near you that uses M2'properly? Then you can ask them to trade? Ie. You give them some of your blanks and they properly heat treat some of your 'homemade ' tools? That way you get the right thing at virtually no cost.

Stick small magnets to the underside of your pieces and create your own version of an early travelers chess set(if you want use lodestone for authentic 'feel')

Cool and it goes so well with 'Heritage 101'

The current 'to blame' is colonialism and or slavery with should be a good go to for everyone as virtually everyone's ancestors were colonized / enslaved at some point in history!

That's not a villain that's Jonny rotten and that chair is his 'lazy boy' for the retirement home? BTW. A few years ago the scrappy near Beth(who seems to have gone missing in the wash) had a pile of fly presses. With the 'Cheap' Pound?????

Good advice also note cheaper is usually lesser quality but the choice is yours!

So the council did not need a Ferrari? Ignorance is easily cured, stupid on the other hand is not so easy!

Videos ???? I made some of us using my induction about 2 odd years ago and still haven't figured out how to edit or post them! I only have one of these bits that was given to me by a friend that got it amongst other stuff in an auction, I suspect that it's a 'generic' but it works quite well.

And moving such a vast hoard to some islands on the other side of the world may just change the balance of the world as we know it er.... knew it????

Stunning! Here are you located?

These are definitely 'go to products ' but I've started using 'flowdrill' type product and that works like a dream.

Naw this is not political And what is meant is, Now is a good time to get Anvils and fly presses from the Uk. Due to the 'weak ' Pound compared to the $. Were I in the eastern side of the USA with a few surplus $ I would consider bringing some in! Contrary to popular belief one doesn't need to bring a container load, you can import a few strapped to a pallet in what's called 'break bulk' that shippers add into partially empty containers. One just needs to "Do A Deal" with one of our esteemed British members. Many scrapyards in the uk sell anvils and pressed cheaply . Most smiths have some form of 'strapping' kit and have access to a 'Man With A Van' should they not have suitable transport of their own Come to think of it! Some say , "A Volvo Station Wagon in the hands of an English blacksmith is equal to a Ford Pickup in the hands of a mere mortal "

A beautiful child your family is in our prayers.

There was a day when I had a couple of spare shepherds crooks so I rustled these up!

Pferd lies in the 'Ooh Yeah'( as does most of their products) category IMHO, pricey but you get bang for your buck.

There is a lot of good advice given here and opposing viewpoints too so yes you'll find it confusing! Yet you need to apply real world thinking to your plans/dreams ice.in the company you work for now has the 'top dog' spent much time personally teaching/grooming you for growth/advancement? in a successful blacksmiths shop it will be much the same . It is after all a business not a school? However if you have the aptitude and the mindset you can leant vast amounts by " stealing with your eyes" so some people learn in 2 weeks what others learn in 3 years. When one thinks of high paying 'out of office' jobs think more of seeing sand more than forest! 2 years in the gulf states = 10 elsewhere and on your 1 and a half days off you can afford to pay a local blacksmith to teach you. This makes for a very steep learning curve.