JerryCarroll

May God Bless you with healing Dan and strength for you and your family to get through this difficult time. Prayer is powerful when you believe.

Most of the places here that sell BBQ grills have brass cleaning brushes that are usable if you don't hit the hot metal with the (gasp) plastic handle.

Thanks to all the great friends here at IFI! I just got home (oct, 5) because of complications and it sure do feel good not to be hooked up to anything to trip over a tube when heading to the john! Looks like I'll be on the mend for a few more weeks before I can use the forge but I can have a lot of stuff ready--my Daughter is eager to learn more.

A note to let those that know me that I'm recovering from heart surgery 2 weeks ago. Prayers are appreciated!Everything seems to be OK now by the Grace of God. Jerry Carroll

The best I remember the blow torches used "white gas" for fuel. I don't know if that's available any more. I had a small Mercury outboard motor that was supposed to be run on white gas too--years ago <_<

I just did the required changes in my profile --- things look good so far :rolleyes: upgrades make me winch also but with trying to stay protected from jerks that mess with other peoples stuff we gotta have them. Thanks Andrew for your work.

I have a 1914 sears farm forge I use for demo's with a cast pan that I will not light a fire in without a couple of inches of ash from previous fires in the bottom. There has been several discussions about lining cast pans to protect them over time here and on other sites. Some folks have a special way of lining the pan but I just use the ash and mine hasn't cracked yet even with using a sprinkleing can.

Friendly neighborhood tree guy gave me some broken blades from his big chipper that are really hard material. Has anyone tried working something like this into pattern welded billets? Is it even workable?

Rich Heinicke of Michigan has one that I posted pictures a couple of years ago. I don't think they survived the upgrades of IFI. I still have the pics in my files but I'm not sure of how to post them now.

Glenns touch mark--dawg--is made from a piece of lug wrench. I wonder if it's holding up? It's probably 4 years old.

I make a slurry from fines and cap my fire leaving a cave door in the front when I weld. It's like a very big torch that you can't stand in front of when you add some air.

I've only been welding 'bout 50 years and have never seen this "extra rod" technic. 7018 rod is recommended with the flux removed. My book sez most common rods are mild steel and the flux composition is what makes the difference in how it works. If I use this method could I not use bailing wire for the filler? Just a thought :unsure:

Curly, I have a 1 1/2 3500 rpm motor with a drive wheel made from oak on my hammer. I got a hub from our local farm store to fit the shaft with threaded holes for bolting the wheel on. I got the idea of using the oak from an old line shaft drive in a shop in Southern Il. It's been working great for a couple of years now. There is a short video in the gallery of the hammer running.

My shop forge--oil furnace blower/injector for air with an air gate for positive air control.

Please Pray for strength and guidance for my family, especially my sister Nancy and her husband Ivan Rodriquez. Oct. 23/09 Just after midnight fri. morning my niece, Desere Thornton 38 and her 2 sons, Jerrod 16 yrs. & Anthony 9 yrs. were murdered and burned in their home in Pulaski Tenn. by some of Jerrods classmates over a girl. google "Desere Thornton" to read more. She was my sisters only child and the boys her only grandchildren.

To Jerry from another Jerry--pain hurts-Prayer works!! It has for me. We are Praying for a full recovery for you. God is good!

I have made several different size spring swages made from ball bearing races. I use a wafer blade on the 4 1/2" angle to cut the race into the lengths that work for me--heat them up and almost flatten the pieces- leaving a slight curve on the working side. I have some dies made for my smithing magician and some for the anvil as spring tools. Oh yeah--you gotta weld the race pieces to the tools facing each other.

Glenn--Dawg ain't worn out yet??

Stan, Thank God Clara could avoid a head-on! She is on our Prayer list here. I'm still recovering from a bad wreck in March so I can relate to the pain--it hurts!

Update on the healing process--God is good!!! Both arms and the upper back will be a long time healing. I can do things--carefully--and therapy has helped. Prayer is the best medicine tho! My left hand is not as ugly as it was and probably won't work as it did but it works! Thanks to all for the Prayers and concern, it really means a lot.

I got the drawings for Rusty in about 3 weeks. I don't think they are worth what they cost but the drawings and rough measurements gave me something to start with. Suggestions from Jeff Reinhart, (PTree) helped a lot. There is a video of my hammer running in the gallery. I used a drive wheel setup instead of a belt drive and enjoy the control. The hammer weight with the die is 32 lbs, hitting around 175 hits a minute-- maybe a little more. No accurate count yet. After getting things adjusted it runs great. By the way--with scrounging and bartering I spent less than $100 getting it built and running.

There's a picture of a couple of adzes I made for bowl and trencher making in the gallery at "Jerry Carroll". One is from a Dodge torsion bar and the other is chevy nova flat spring. It's surprising how well the flat spring adze works--I've made several different sizes--not having to punch an eye makes it a lot easier to make.

I thank everybody for their Prayers and emails. I'll be having more tests and possible surgery for awhile. Both arms and the left hand has tendon/ligament damage. I live just a couple of miles south of Jerry Rados but haven't been able to get over to his place after the tornado damage there. The pictures clearly show if he had been in the shop he would be beat up too. Seems like the devil has been after the Blacksmiths here! If God is with us who can be against us??

I've made bunches of throwers--large and small from leaf spring and haven't bothered tempering because of the possibility of a broken piece going off in a wrong direction. I've had to straighten a couple but none have broken and all have performed well as throwers--not whittlers. Good luck.

I've made a bunch of hand adzes from torsion bars and never had any complaints on not holding an edge. Also used leaf spring--picture in the gallery. Older torsion bars seem to be better.