Finnr

Well done. Both the hook and video.

Very clever indeed!

Go to "internet archive. Pull up Practical Blacksmithing. It is a book from the late 1800's early 1900's. There are several very good [pieces obout how folks tinkered together blowers for forges in that era. All low tech and quite simple.

So far I haven't figured out how to get vinegar to tie my boots. That's about it.

Thanks Thomas. I hadn't seen that. Just happen to know where I can scrounge one of those darn cheap (free)

Gotta have more space. I have to step outside to change my mind.

Got a short hunk of trolly rail waiting to become a stump anvil. Sort of a large double horned bick. Seems to be good quality stuff and as I will be using it for light work I have no pland to harden and temper it.

Nicely made! Keep at it!

A whole lot of getting started depends on the quality of your coal. I have run into some that nearly needed a nuclear blast to get started. With decent coal I can fire up in no time with a handful of shavings from the wood lathe and a few small scraps of pine cutoff split down to tinder size.

Check this link out. It may show you where you can improve your firepot. http://www.blksmth.com/mild_steel_firepot.htm

Once you tune your scrounging technique a bit they seem to pop up all over the place. Sadly most should have stayed up popped. Vulcans missing half the face and what not. The last one I picked up was a Lakeside (Hay Budden for I think it was Monkey Ward) I literally tripped over going into my favorite antique shop. 125 for an 86 pounder was too good to pass up.

Having seen and handled this piece I have to say it is a beautiful bit of forge work!

I have a whole rack of hammers and need to build another rack. The one I use depends on what I am doing at the time.

Photo bucket has a application for cropping and resizing pictures. Also most any photo program like Kodak Easy Share will let you resize.

Very sweet looking shop.

I have made a lot of hardy tools from old pry bars picked up at yard sales and junk yards. None too sure of the carbon content but, my cut off is still going strong after years of use.

Toner is a great resist for salt water etching. I use it to decorate up my old tobacco tins.

Extraordinary work . You have done those axes proud!

Look just fine to me. How well do they do the job?

Looking pretty darn good!

Starting out I used some cheap Harbor Freight hammers that I reground to get the peen I wanted. After that I started making my own. Get the best you can possibly afford and you will save yourself a huge amount of frustration.

Down right NEAT!

All depends on where you are as to what you will have to pay. My most recent four inch was 25 bucks. It was complete and useable. Other fellows I have talked to from other parts of the country claimed I should have had a mask and gun while making that deal.

Nicely done!

I just keep an old metal 5 gal bucket in the shop. It is plenty of water for anything I would quench. Mostly it goes to moisten coal while it cokes out.