wassomeoneelse

Biggun, Yes, it is a 29k. I am already a member of leatherworker.net. Great site and tons of information. The vice is wrought iron. I am sorely tempted to forge weld it. I am in no immediate need to have it up and running. I already have two good ones that I am using. Thanks for the reply. Bryan

Well, the last few weeks have been really good to me. I have acquired an old Singer Leather Patch machine with stand. It really looks worn out, but works quite well. I just got it serviced and the guy was quite impressed with how the timing was. I just have to learn how to use it effectively now. Eventually, I will purchase a better leather sewing machine, but for now, it beats hand stitching. I also purchased two post vice. They are both complete. The screws and boxes on both are in excellent shape also. One of them has a bad forge weld on the leg. I am undecided if I should just get the stick welder after it or try to redo the weld. What do you guys think? I was also able to pick up two pair of Champion tongs. They are in good shape and should be of immediate use.

I will get pictures this weekend. I appreciate the information that some of you have given me.

No criticism from me on the blade. It looks better than my first knife I ever made. Your dong the right thing. Getting after it. The learning curve is great, but as long as your willing to make mistakes and learn from them, you will be fine. Congratulations on your first knife. Bryan

Well, I would be interested in knowing the difference between the two. But I do know, this anvil was shipped over in the early part of 08 from Britian. The stories anvils could tell.

Yeah, I did. But I do not have a scale that can realistically weigh something that large. Plus, I am not even trying to move that thing by myself. Plus, when it was shipped from up north, it went directly to my buddies house. So, for now....

The numbers are not stamped together. They are spaced out across the entire side of the anvil with several inches in between each of them. The only info that I have is that it is a German Trenton anvil. Not sure how true or correct that is.

Last May, I picked up a 430lb anvil. I really didnt look for any numbers on the side of it, I just figured it looked like it weighed that much. Today, I am at my friends house where the anvil is stored. He mentions that he can make out the numbers 4, 3, and 0 on the side. So, something just didnt seem right about the weight. I got online and looked up the English weight system, etc.... To make a long story short, correct me if I am wrong 4x112= 448 Already gained some weight 28x3=84 0x1=0 So my 430lb anvil really weighs 532lbs. Bryan

Over here in Baton Rouge, LA, I know where a Nazel 2B is just sitting in front of a shop on a concrete pad. The guy has no want to ever restore or use it. But it belonged to his dad. It is slowly rusting away. Plus, that thing is huge. If anybody is interested, I will get his contact info for ya. Someone may know how to connect with him.

Thank you for all the replies. Well, I believe I am leaning toward purchasing a 50lb Little Giant. The one thing I like about the 25lb is the size/weight. I guess that is what a forklift or tractor is for. I will discuss it with Sid in the next week or so. Thanks Bryan

I appreciate both replies. Bryan

Well, over the next six months, I will be able to earn a little extra money due to a couple of details I will be working though the local Sheriff's Office. I have spoken with Mr. Sid Suedmeier at Little Giant about purchasing a 25lb or a 50lb rebuilt Little Giant. I am really excited about the opportunity to own one of these hammers. I have heard nothing but "good" things about Mr. Suedmeier, his business, and his hammers. I want to make an informed decision about my purchase. I am soliciting information from individuals that have used or owned a hammer rebuilt by Mr. Suedmeier. I will be using the hammer for knife making and general blacksmithing. I do not see myself working 3" square or anything that big. I would like to make some tooling to use with the hammer. I am looking for opinions on size to purchase (either 25 or 50), foundation needed, how long the hammer "should" last, maintenance required, and general stuff that I should be aware of to operate these hammers. I am sure that I am missing something that I should ask about these hammers, but please feel free to educate me. I look forward to hearing from you guys. Thanks, Bryan

I can honestly say this all sounds very normal. It is everybody else who is crazy. Not us. Love hearing all these good stories. Keep them coming. Bryan

PM sent

I am at Ft. Dix, NJ for the next few weeks and have been missing my blacksmith shop at home. Are there any blacksmiths around this area that would like a visitor to stop by? I do not mind working and bringing some sodas or something with me for a chance to meet a few of the local blacksmiths around this area. Thanks for reading and hope to hear from a few of you. Take care, Bryan Arnold

Can we somehow get that advert bot deleted? Thanks Bryan

your talking about Nathan Robertson. That is one big ole boy. Nice as can be. Send me a message at wassomeoneelse at yahoo dot com. I will call you and give you the contact information to a couple of people in this area that can help you. Bryan

I use to take my bottle and exchange it. Went by the feed store and had them refill it one time. Only put two gallons into a five gallon bottle before it was full. Now, I never exchange. I just wait for the feed store to open and have them refill what I have used. Only ran me about 6$.

As you can see from the responses donkeyoaty... what you are asking for is probably going to be pricey and we would need to know a little more information. What size is a standard sports foil blade? Is this blade going to be used in competition or training? What is the expectations that you will have for this sword? There are several more questions that I cannot think of at the moment that I would say would be relevant to the discussion of your sword. From reading back over your post while typing this response, are you looking to have a handle, guard, or pommel made? What type of materials are acceptable to have it made out of? Or do you know what is available? Post your name and location and I am sure a knifemaker or swordsmith might speak up if they know you are near there location. Good luck with this. Thanks Bryan

Hey guys! Reading the posts on this and had to put my 2 cents in if possible. From my experience in Iraq, all roadside bombs that I encountered where of three types.... explosive mixtures like C-4 or some other "putty/plastic" type, shells "including mortars, hand grenades, artillery shells and bombs that come from airlplanes", and EFPs which are a plastic explosive located behind a copper disk that shoots it into our vehicles in a molten state. Besides the obvious danger of the explosion itself, non of them really have any harmful affects from just casual handling. Please be sure to wash your hands after use of course. Due to the handling, storage requirements, and standards that are in place for munitions, most explosive rounds, rockets, and shells are made out of a higher grade material than just plain ole mild steel. Larger shells are actually made out of tool steel. This does not include 500lb bombs dropped from airplanes. Those are usually poured, but not cast iron. Now, if you ask me what type, I have no idea. My training did not include any of that data. From being on the ground after IED attacks and actually handling shrapnel both large and small, most if not all of that metal is twisted, bent, contorted and comes in all sizes. I can see it being a big pain to work with. But I am sure the EOD guys will have some good stuff to choose from. Depleted Uranium rounds are usually not found in Iraq among the locals. It is mainly a US round used in 120mm tank rounds and 30mm chain gun on the Apache. Not to say, they cant get them, lol. If you are wanting to make sure that it is not contaminated, just contact your local Reserve/National Guard unit and get them to run a Geiger Counter over it for you. It will give them good practice and put your mind at ease. I hope this post is taken in the way that I mean it. I sure dont mean to step on anyones toes. And of course, I have to say, this is only my experience from overseas with a Transportation Company in the Army Reserve and as a Munitions Systems Apprentice in the US Air Force or bomb dump as most people call it. Good luck and I really hope you do this for them. Whatever you choose, send them my regards. Thanks Bryan Edit: Steve: I wouldnt count on what the Russians make as being anything good for making a knife at all. I know that most NATO countries have good standards. All I can say is good luck. It should be fun testing it though~!

DJ, that is a really nice picture that shows exactly how someone needs to test for wrought. Ecart, if it is not "refined", please do not let that discourage you in using it for knife fittings. A lot of knifemakers like the wrought iron that is not as refined. It tends to etch easily and you can see the pattern very nicely. I have not personally worked with any highly refined wrought. Good luck and good use of your iron. Hope it turns out to be wrought for you. Bryan

Thanks a lot guys for all the responses. I knew that there was a reason I felt I had to ask about it. I will take all the responses and information that was given to me and contact Sid about it. I am not in a hurry to buy anything as of yet. Thanks Bryan

Hey everyone. I just had a guy offer to sale me a power hammer for $2000.00 US dollars. I would Love to have a power hammer, but I do not have the facilities or equipment to do major repair work on one. I was able to take a few pictures of it while I was visiting and was looking for some feedback on what I consider to be major flaws in it. I admit I could be wrong. It is a 50lb Little Giant and everything seems to be in good shape except for the anvil part of it. On both sides of where the die seats in the anvil, both sides are broken off. Opposite sides of each other. I have included pictures of it. My question is... Can it be fixed and is it worth it? Thanks ahead of time for any responses. Bryan

Hey John, I may have explained it wrong. I took the tape measure and taped it to the rim and ran it around the rim till it touched again. Maybe the right word would be circumference or perimeter. Hopefully that will clear things up. Bryan

I talked to the gentleman that owns the farrier supply house that sales that anvil today. He stated that the anvil is made in Shreveport, LA. I didnt get into specifics with him like what company, etc. Figured if he wanted me to know, he would have told me. But now, I wish I had. He was in Covington at Buddy Leonard's shop. The Gulfcoast Blacksmith Association was having there annual meeting. Jim Batson was the guest demonstrator there. The gentleman that I am talking about was there tailgating. I forget his name. Thanks Bryan Edit: He had three styles of anvils (as far as size/weight is concerned)on display and for sale. They seem to be finished nicely and the pricing was not to bad at all compared to other companies that sale new anvils. He also had an assortment of firepots that were not outrageous in price. I will have to look up the guys business name.