quick60

Like has been said start with simple projects to get warmed up. On larger projects begin with the end in mind. Before you put the each piece in the fire picture what you want it to do, get the correct tools laid out in your work area to meet that objective, take the piece as if you have just pulled it from the fire and walk you way throguh what you want to do. Heat it up and do it. Drawing it on paper or dry erase board or even on the floor with chalk often helps. If something is not working out right for me I will often cut it off/ cut it short and put a leaf on it maybe some twists in it form a scroll on the end and hand it up. People come over and see my set up and ask questions I use them as examples and give those out as trinkets and stuff.

I contacted them but the person that handles replacement parts had yet to call me back. In the meantime thought Id ask around here for some ideas. I do have a commercial truck place nearby I will check it out. Thanks for the help!!!!

I need a replacement spring for a Roper Whitney Shear. I have contacted them but if I can find one cheaper then thats good for me. Photo attached. Thanks!!!!

We have been on The Original Ghost of Willimasburg candlelight tour (link below). It was a lot of fun, quite a bit of walking. Younger kids may find it a little boring since you walk the streets to various houses and cemetaries and your guide tells you tales of reported sightings and history behind the hauntings. Its more like a walking history tour where the subject is ghosts and hauntings. I have not done the Extreme Ghost Tour. To answer your question yes my wife and I thought it was a good time and lot of fun and we do reccomend it. Again you learn a lot of history that is not found in text books so makes it worth the trip for kids to learn. http://theghosttour.com/

I highly suggest you sign up for some of the tours and demonstrations. You will learn a lot of inside information about the history not found in history books. Also the ghost tours at night are a lot of fun. Call early to set up your ghost tour time as they fill up. I am fortunate to be about 45 minutes aways and we enjoy going there very much.

Wow looks awsome!!! I have never seen anyone just clear the grass and pour a slab right on top of the ground. Of course we have a frost line in Va and the ground is soggy just two feet under in some areas so poured foundations are the norm. Looks great look forward to seing it finished out. Looks like plenty of room for a garden to.

67 GMC 3/4 ton, 250 Inline 6, 3 speed on the column.

LOl When I first looked at the photos I had not read the content. I thought it was made from copper and hanging near the anvil as decoration. Nice apron I like it.

Makers Mark is a smooth blend too LOL!!!! I need to restock myself!!!! Nice touch mark you have there. Do you have plans for a smaller version?

Thanks for posting that is amazing. Imagine the man hours that went into making/forging some of the pieces of the most massive structures of the industrial revolution.

FWIW, my house has lightning rods (we live in the middle of farmland on a coastal plain) and the house has been hit multiple times in just the past 10 years. Maybe lightning rods attract lightning? :unsure: lol Lightning can and will strike wherever it chooses to but usually the highest point in a given area where conditions are right for it to occur. In an open plain a house will be highest with or without rods. In my area we ahve lots of trees so usually we see the tree get struck and the current arc over to the house closest to the tree. In the last month I have been to three houses struck by lightning (im a firefighter) only one was struck directly the other two was through a tree close by. in a local nearby city the roof was burned off a house that was struck. Lightening rods in our area (coastal virginia) are seldom seen except on much older houses.

Good stuff thanks for sharing. That blacksmith in the Buster Keaton movie is a sizeable fellow.

Just for looks? I would think if you mounted a metal rod on your roof in a vertical position that at some point in time lightning might strike it. Why not set it up so it works and does its job which is to carry the voltage to ground and not to your house? I would think there would be more liability concern to put a metal rod on your roof and not ground it.

Awsome shop!!!! However I cant get over the wood in the ground pole barn concept. Wood + moisture will = rot at some point in time. What if anything is done to prevent this from occuring? In SE Virginia the water table in some place is only a few feet below the surface so I dont think that concept ever stayed as a viable building option.

I think this may meet your description of a nice shop. There are something like six parts to this series. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5NzeVPrtMI

Looks great!!!! Nice work. Not sure what the handle in the movie chest looks like but that is some nice work you have put out there.

Nice work!!! I like the swivel. But...... how does it work as a lamp?

"Hell of a thing to get into a hobby/craft in a country where the hobby/craft doesnt exist." Sounds like the start of possibly an excellent business model. What better outlook could one have for a new business, no competition. As long as the economy can support customers buying what you are making it looks like it has potential.

Had a great time at The Gathering!!!! Seeing Phil Heath forge a very nice boot scraper, and demonstrate some joinery was a treat. Clay Smith made forging a tomahawk look as easy as tieing your shoes. His hammer control was phenominal. The blade was true and straight right off the anvil, no filing necessary except for sharpening the edge. Thanks TBG for hosting this wonderful event!!!

The gate by Claudio Bottero on the cover the of the Spring issue of The anvil's Ring is absolutely phenominal. I have studied it for about an hour and keep finding new details and am just amazed at the craftsmanship that went into that project. My hat is off to claudio and his family for their ability to craft such an intricate piece.

Found this link to the super sucker side draft hood. Looks like the key to clean shop air. http://www.alexbealer.org/datas/users/super_sucker_side-draft_chimney_v_1_5.pdf

Sounds like a good day!!!!

Definitely a cleco. I hope you've got the pliers that come with it. I don't use mine much but when I do they are indispensible. Not having the pliers is just a reason to fire up the forge and make them.

Looks like maybe an early design for a cleco? Used for holding two pieces of sheet metal together in a lap joint so they can be welded securely.