Marksnagel

Bart, while sitting at my desk I started searching in my junk drawer and found 8 new cut nails. I will try some knives this weekend.

Thanks again for the post.

Mark<><

Frosty, I hadn't heard it called the banana belt before.
Kodiak was nice. Nice in the summer and not snot freezin cold in the winter. Warm sea currents, Mmmmmmmm. I miss Kodiak :(

That looks like a great project. The video was good too.

If you want something to be idiot proof, let an idiot make it. (I'll let you know how I do).

Looks like something to try and make. I reckon I can use a store bought opener as a reference to get the distance and angle for the claw.
The smith that made those is in no harm of me taking over his market.

Thanks for posting it Tim.

Mark<><

Great response Jerry. You've summed it up nicely.

Mark<><

Bentiron mentioned the problem of the grounding rod and spattering copper when hit hot.

I picked up some grounding rods from the beach when the last hurricane brushed the Outter Banks of North Carolina. The power poles were trashed and the bent rods were discarded in the surf. To my surprise they make pretty good tongs. I haven't had the copper spatter yet. These rods are about 5/8" round.

I don't know how they got the copper to stick to the steel rods but I haven't beat it free yet. But then I am not a metalurgist and am in the beginning stages of blacksmithing.

Mark<><

Where is it written that a person has to have one label and one label only?

If a person is a machinest, can't they also be a blacksmith?

If they are a chef, can't they also be a painter?

Know what I mean? Like they say in the US Army, "Be all that you can be."

Mark<><

Hey Bart,

Thanks for sharing! Those look really great. I know what I need to add to my ever increasing list of things to learn to make.

Mark<><

I like it! Functionality (is that a word?). It will serve you well for many many years and I think it looks good. Not everything has to be "pretty".

I am working on a few knives that were old files and hopefully they will look as good. If not then at least I know they will be functional (I know that's a word).



Nice Job.
Mark<><

Websters Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, copyright 1966
working with iron, known as black metal; a smith who forges iron.

Do you work with black metal?
Do you forge iron?

If you have answered yes to both of these questions, than you are a blacksmith. I haven't been smithing long but I consider myself a blacksmith. I am sure that there are many who are of a high enough opinion of themselves that they would disagree with me. Get over it.
I am by no means in the same league as 99.9% of the blacksmiths out there, but in my heart I know I am a blacksmith.

I was once asked, "What do you call the person that graduates last in his class of physicians?" You call them 'Doctor'. Nobody said that all members of a given profession had to be good at what they do. None of us were born with a hammer in their hand. Except maybe Hofi and Brian B. and a few others.

I find that I am constantly thinking of ways to learn, improve and form what I want. I am constantly searching the side of the road for steel that has fallen off of anything. Tools have invaded my thought pattern.

My greatest passion was deer hunting. Now as I sit in my stand waiting for some stupid deer to walk past my deer stand and my thoughts are on what could I be doing at the forge right now and I should be there.

Is there some right of passage or nearly impossible feat that you must have to accomplish before you are dubbed a blacksmith? Let me know and I will do it. But until someone tells me what it is, I will continue to call myself a Blacksmith.

Nice job. Good luck with it.

Mark<><

Nice looking tongs.

You mentioned small knives out of masonry nails. Might we see one of them too?

Thanks for posting the pic of the tongs.

Stuart, I can help you by taking one of those horrid, addicting, enabling anvils away.

That would be step one of your ten step program. You're on your own after that. :D

Reckon you are right. Hate to cool off a set of tongs and hear them go "thunk" on top of the water.

Stay warm!

Realizing that this topic has taken a sharp turn to the side, Stew, would a bubbler system like in a fish tank work for your slack tub. Some marinas in cold areas have a bubler system around boats in the water that keeps the water stirred up.
You would still wind up with cold water just not frozen over.

This might work for someone in a little warmer climate than yours maybe.

Again, there goes my brain without any lubricant.

Mark<><

What was the origonal question that Zampilot raised?

"Might I destroy my anvil."?

Dave,

Great video! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and skills with us.

Traditional or modern doesn't matter to those of us that are just learning so long as we learn something. Later on in our travels we can pick and choose which we want to do.

I think it was great video and a great lesson.

Mark<><

It's ok Dave, We're all here for you and we can get through this together. :P

Leroy,
Nice lookin stand. We have one of those sorry plastic stands and I hate it. Good job!

Tim,
Banana bread is how bananas were meant to be eaten.

Jerry,
Mine usually don't last long enough to get to banana bread stage. :(

It is not an addiction . It is an obsession/passion . I could quit any time I wanted to but then I would be labled a "Quitter" and I'm no quitter!

I am of German decent and my last name is Rossnagel. Ross means 'horse' and 'nagel' means nail. So I reckon somewhere down the line there was a horse nailer (farrier)in the family. So I got it honestly.

I like the fact that it is the one past time that I have where the wife is actually happy to have me do it. It keeps me close to home and she says that she likes to hear me work outside. I may have to record some hammering and put it on a loop so I can sneak off and look for some deals on old tools and iron.

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." Confucius

Agita,

Your last pic of the bent hammer is like a hammer we used on a buoy tender in the CG way back when. It was a drift pin hammer for removing the pin on a large buoy chain shackle (2")that was rusted in place.

Nice stuff.

Mark <><
Eastern NC

Dave, that was a really great video. You are an excellent teacher and taught me a lot with it. I appreciate you taking your time to teach others.

Thank you,

Mark<><

At 19F below zero even brine will freeze unless it has a really really high salt content. Over time the salt will settle to the lower levels of the tank and the top level will freeze.

Mark<><

Nice looking pieces. Glad you got some forge time. Thanks for posting.

Mark<><

Here are some pics of my 55 forge. It works great and I'm really pleased. Using Coal.

It took me about 4 hours to build but if I had a decent sawzall blade it would have taken about 3. Easy to build, good plans on BP.

It's a brake drum forge with a 55 gal drum for size.

The pics are poor quality sorry. Cell phone.

If I knew how to make them bigger I would have.

Mark<><

I also remember on my inlaws mobile home that they had pipe heaters under the trailer. It was a strip that went on exposed pipes under the trailer. Kept them from freezing. Might look into that too. May work in a box cozy like Sam said. Instead of a light bulb maybe the pipe strips.

http://www.heatersplus.com/pipes.htm

I do not know about this company but a quick google search came up with these. Some just wrap around the pipe which could probably be used on an anvil.

It's a thought. Or not.

Mark<><