JerryCarroll

My Son came by to make the video and we didn't have time to build a fire in the forge so I used a piece of hickory left over from making some handles to pound on--it didn't last long!

My hawks start at $40 with the hickory handle--plain. Polishing--piercing--engraving can run them up to over a hundred. I built the rifle several years ago when I was a partner in a buckskinning shop. It's a .50 cal green mountain barrel--Siler lock--homemade single set trigger and all the trimmings, carved and engraved with silver wire inlay in the maple stock. I estimated the building time of the parts and carving/finishing the stock at about 500 hours.

I'm still amazed at the interest in things made from RR spikes. I am pleased with the tool funds they bring in . Here's one I did Saturday with a hickory handle. Not fancy--just functional.

Like Marc, most of the stuff I do is small--not little--but small compared to big blades and such. Lots of RR spikes lately. It took me over a year to finally get my 30 lb. hammer setup running well enough to say "I got it"!! The tire and drive pulley arrangement and several adjustments for travel--distance between dies and now finally some tooling make it nice to have. And the fact I have invested only about $100 by being a good scrounger makes it nice too! It's based on the rusty hammer except for the drive.

Even with being pretty good at forge welding I always enjoy reading a good article on it--this is one great metal working site!!

James--you wanna trade for some of our blood thirsty skeeters and black flies?? We got some healthy black gnats that like to drink outta the corner of eyes too just when you got a hot piece lined up for punching on the anvil! These ain't no-see-ums like around the chicken house "down home in Harlan".

I use my name because I've been nicknamed "Birdlegs" too long My Martial arts nickname, "Assassin" don't sound friendly enough. My smithy is "Border Towne Forge".

KYBOY--Another welcome to IFI. Where in the eastern part of Ky.? My hometown is Harlan. I live in Il. now--heading home for a reunion first week in June. Usta bring all my coal from there.

My small vise (4" jaws) is on a heavy bench mounted to one of the heavy beams of my pole barn--24" from back to front It's to the right of the forge about 6'. To the left about 5', set in the fine gravel floor on a mulberry post is the bigger vise (6" jaws). Except for the forge there is at least 10' clearance in the rest of the area. I probably use the smaller vise twice as much as the other.

Ed, ditto on Ted's posting! He's good with words. Prayer and Faith can be a powerful balm. May God Bless you with healing and strength. Jerry

It's a growth that was on an oak tree next to where a limb has been broken off--it's woody but was probably caused by a fungus. It looks like a snail so I dressed it up a little more with the eyes on stems (pop rivet nails)--smoothing and linseed oiling the surface and giving it a smiley mouth. The figured grain is really nice.

I found this guy by our big oak. That's my smithy in the background :)

Here's the die pictures I promised. I am enjoying learning to use a power hammer--especially since I built it!

Finn, matched pair of combo dies--4" longx1 3/4" wide. fuller part is a little under 1/2 the length of the die. The steel used was guide bars of medium grade used in a die for making plastic moldings. pieces are 1 3/4" square.

Jayco----shoes???

I finally got around to making a combination fuller/flatter die for my homemade hammer. What a time saver!! I'm learning more of what can be done quicker even with a 30 lb. hammer hitting 300+ hits flat-out. Pictures will be posted soon.

I have a bunch of tie plates--some are twice the size of the regular ones you see. I'm thinking tho welding enough together to make a table would be a chore to keep flat enough to be a decent table--for me anyway I've used one on the edge of my forge for a forge welding plate for light stuff for a long time to save heat losing time-- Got a big block now that's even better.

Cross your long handle fire tools over the fire pot after putting out the fire for the day to keep the devil out of your forge.

Happy Easter to all :)

There's a picture of my rusty type hammer in the gallery. Scrounging took more time than building. I have about one hundred dollars cash invested. A 1 1/2 hp 3500 rpm motor from a damaged air compressor runs it. I made the drive pully by using a flange bought from the local farm supply and fitted with a 3" round oak drive wheel 2 1/2" thick bolted to the flange--turned true after getting it bolted together. I use a counter balance on the inside of the tire rim that smoothed out the running real nice. The ram and dies weigh out to 30 lbs. and hits a little over 300 hpm. No brake--it stops when I get of the lever. Several adjustment points make it adaptable to different operations. I kept it as simple as possible yet easy to use. I'm pleased with the way it works.

Sabastion, Hoopeston is not too far from Kankakee if I remember right. I know some of my gun buddies go to Hoopeston for their gun shows. There is some dealers on the north side of Kankakee on rt. 50--Belson being the biggest & costing more. I have been fortunate enough to be able to scrounge sheet metal from old combines--belt covers mostly. Tie rods--shifting rods etc. is good round stock. Local cemeteries usually have a pile of easels for flowers that are a good source of smaller round thrown off to the back of the yard just waiting to be asked for. Got any fabricating shops close by?? Truck repair buddy is a good supply of heavy springs and truck axles. Look around--ask and you can be suprised how much will be "donated" when you tell them you're blacksmithing. Good luck.

Jr., Cookie and you are on our Prayer list for healing and strength to get on with living. Trusting in God and his promises sure do a lot toward both. God Bless both of you.

I have broke rail by scoring across the top and some on the sides with a chisel and smacking with a 9 lb. sledge. It will not always break straight but it can be broken.

I've made a bunch of wood working hand chisels from different sizes of masonary nails--the ones that some folks call horse shoe nails. Using Frosty's heat treating process they will be quality tools. I turn hickory handles for them using spent large caliber brass shells for ferrules. For draw knives I've used trailer leaf springs and auto coil springs.