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Question: "Just how stupid do you think I am?

Answer: "I don't know. I don't think you've been challenged to your full potential."
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Question: "What kind of fool do you think I am?"

Answer: "I'm sorry, I didn't know that there was more than one kind."

A very good beginng and intermediate book is "A Blacksmithing Primer" by Randy McDaniel. It is very well written and illustrated. It is spiral bound so it lays flat in the shop so that you can refer to it easily. It is available from many online book sellers.

I'd like to read about all of your designs for rings made from horseshoe nails. The ones I've seen run from very crude (and ugly) to quite nice. Please post your favorite design/technique.

Elk Doc,

I put a set of Helwig overload springs on my 1/2 ton and they work great. I bought them from (gulp) J.C. Whitney for around $180. As I remember, they were no problem to install and went on in less than an hour. They really make a difference when I pull a gooseneck trailer.

I use soft coal as my primary heat source. Two reasons: (1) It get HOT and (2) it's what I learned to use when I first started smithing.

I have a one burner propane forge that I use fairly regularly, particularly when I need a quick fire for a small job. It's a neat, useful tool, but no match for the coal fire when I want to get serious work done.

Here's a site with good drawings/text of a set of double acting bellows:

http://www.emainc.com/radnor/bellows.htm

Also, Lindsay Publications sells a VERY detailed booklet entitled"How to Make a Blacksmith's Bellows" by Robert M. Heath. The book describes the disassembly, restoration and re-assembly of a bellows in a museum in Mississippi. It's the real deal and it's only 5 or 6 bucks.

You might also do a Google search for forge bellows. You'll get a few hits including the site I listed above.

My wife and I have raised purebred Angus cattle for years, so when it came time to name the smithing operation, "Black Bull Forge" seemed to fit.

We pretty well all agree that it is critical to drink plenty of liquids (preferably water). The key to this is to remember to keep the body hydrated more or less evenly. To do this, you must drink fluids regularly, not just when your body heat/thirst tell you to drink. The rule is, if you get "dry and thirsty" you may have waited too late and your body has already started to dehydrate.