Daryl

The problem may be the shaft itself. Because Buffalo Forge wasn't in the habit of using off-breed sizes for shafts, the fix may be as simple as replacing the shaft with a new piece of cold-rolled bar. Do check to ensure the bore of the gear is not bell-mouthed. In the past, I tried repairing one by drilling and pinning the gear to the shaft... that resulted in a spare parts blower. Make sure that the blower doesn't require anything else to make a good repair; worn bushings or bores that are no longer round can make life difficult.

I have found the biggest contributions to fatigue in the shop are poor foot-wear, unsuitable floor, and an unsuitable height for work items. The poor footwear should be a no-brainer, adjusting the work height is a little more touchy, though can be done with a little patience, an unsuitable floor may be somewhat more difficult to solve. There are many ways to help you with your floor, anything from a gravel floor, shale, etc.. It is important to make only one change at a time.

There are chop-saws that use a metal (non-abrasive) saw blade. However, the ones I have seen are made for those type of blades, as the speed at which they rotate is much slower. Over ten years ago, I purchased a 4 1/2" capacity bandsaw on sale at Princess Auto (probably be the same style at Harbour Freight), I spent about two hours making small adjustments and smoothing things off with a hand file. Since then, all I have to do is replace the odd blade. I invested $175 and got my money's worth out of it.

As far a patterns for scroll jigs... If I require many scrolls of a particular finished size (by many, I mean more than ten), I make a new scrolling jig and either mount it on the vise or make it fit the hardie hole on my anvil. I currently have over ten different scrolling jigs from over the years, all are different in some way or another. When it comes down to where you are making jigs for your scrolling, it's not time to be a purist and spend hours making it the same way a blacksmith would have done two hundred years ago, just form it from out of the fire, make sure it's going to be right and then weld a piece to the bottom of it so it can be mounted in the anvil or the vise.

My family's hopes are with you.

What is the problem with using a proper helmet? Even tack welding deserves a lens. Glenn has it right when he says the cab ride costs more than a helmet. Safety equipment is meant to be replaceable because the parts they are protecting aren't. The picture should actually show the latest contestant for a Darwin Award.

After looking at the pictures on the link and thinking that you are manufacturing your own anvil rather than spend the money on one... have you considered the fact that you will definitely spend more money on rods, grinding wheels and electricity than what a decent used one is worth? I am including the fact that the base material is free! I am probrably just as 'thrifty' as the next guy, though we should still be pragmatic.

Look up the website angele.de An aquaintance of mine used to deal with them when he lived in Europe and speaks highly of them. They deal only in new equipment, though their pricing may provide more insight.

Looking through the ABANA website, I can find no affiliates. As well, there are no apparent smiths on the blacksmith location map in the state of Wyoming. I believe these smiths simply may not be aware of each other. Any help yet?

Having difficulty finding what you are listing, what is it?

I agree with HWooldridge. First, get rid of the green paint and let it turn its natural dark golden brown....... that'll double it's value ;)

The majority of my tools are formed from broken manure tines from out of a feed lot. However, it can only be formed at bright yellow to yellow heat, and only requires hardening at a low heat and a standard straw temper. Everything from punches to my nail and rivet headers are made from this material.

I have been contacted by a fellow in Wyoming who shows keen interest in learning the Craft of the Blacksmith. Through my conversation with him, he shows that he does have the patience to see it through the learning process. My problem is that I live in West-Central Saskatchewan and he lives in the Big Horn Basin of Wyoming. Anyone close by this fellow and willing to help?

I spoke with a salesman at one of the local hardware stores regarding this sawstop; the replacement cartridges are about $180Cdn (I can stand correction on the price, though if I remember, it's close) plus a new saw blade - I think that's super cheap considering. I hear that the technical schools in Saskatoon are buying them up.

I know this may not be blacksmithing, though this is still safety-related. I encourage anyone who does woodworking, or knows someone who does, to check out SawStop and watch the demo video. A product such as this is a godsend.

After looking at the photograph you posted, I have some questions: 1. Are there any plugs or parts on the underside sticking out? 2. Is this the same side that is bolted down? 3. Do you know if the relief valve was closed off? Ensure when bolting down any valve that there is no uneven pressure on the valve block. Such strain may cause weakening and/or enough pressure to not allow a valve to relieve pressure. Hydraulics is not the place to 'think it's okay', it must be perfect or don't even start.

Does the fitting itself have the leak? Is the fitting ORB (o-ring base seal), JIC, NPT, flange seal or ORFS (o-ring face seal)? If it was indeed an o-ring, check to ensure that doesn't display damage from installation. What is the normal operating and maximum allowable pressure of the system? There is an extremely large difference between some thing that operates at 2800 and 3500 psi. If the failure is from over-pressure, verify the other components are functioning correctly. Let me know as hydraulics are something that HAS to be perfect. Make sure that if you only need to replace the o-ring(s), don't cheap out... the difference between a one dollar o-ring and a three dollar o-ring is about fourty gallons of oil.

You still aren't clear as to the layout of the staircase. Whatever the case, do the math, make certain the math is correct, take into account everything, make the jigs for the treads perfect as to the math (this is critical), do not deviate from the the math because while something might look awry while it is going together - it will be right when it is done (it will look screwy if you 'make adjustments' to it while it is half done. Anything else?