Dogsoldat

Would it be something a steel mill may still have in circulation? Maybe a call or two to maintenance might get you a lucky break

Thanks for the quick help. She's living in Kelowna, lots of things grow well in the Okanagan

We stopped at the mother in laws new rental place and there was an interesting tree out back. First though was osage orange with the round seed balls. But a quick google kinda says it's something else. Unfortunately no new leaves just yet. Does anyone know off hand what it might be. Sorta had my hopes up it was osage and I could steal a few pieces for bow wood

Made no claims to being a great knife. Just found the process rather interesting

I knew aluminum was forgeable, but forge welding not so much, interesting video just the same

somewhere on the bladesmith forums there are a few tools guys have come up with

Whats your heat source. May need a few rotations in the forge. If one side is a little hotter, deeper than the other it moves easier. guess the other thing might be are you moving around the anvil while striking? Tend to pull or push a little on the strike and by moving around it tends to average out

Glad to know alls well

Cool little vise, almost looks like a lock washer on the screw

I'm thinking keep the profiles that are there for now and if you need something different it's easy to modify later. Depending on how nicked or dinged the faces are they may or may not need a little cleanup. My hammer that is similar has one face slightly rounded, think the face of a pocket watch and the other is flat with nicely radiused corners for making tapers nice and flat.

Please do post more. Always interesting to see just whats out there

https://www.kencove.com/fence/Wire-Twisting+Tool_detail_TWTL.php heres a link to a similar tool.

makes me think of a wire fence splicing tool. just not sure where or when I may have seen something similar.

A local guy does all sorts of mine exploration. He recently went on a trip to Mexico. This particular video has all sorts of old foundry, smelting and a peek at a blacksmith shop.

there was a show on history or discovery a few years back about coastal tree fallers. they would climb the tree with spurs and a belt limbing as they went. top, tie off and throw a small grapple and rope over to the next tree lower themselves and pull over to the next tree and rinse and repeat. can't remember what the show may have been called. but they were only touching the ground at the beginning and end of day.

But it would have to be an African swallow as they are larger correct?

Flower on the end of a garden stake. http://machinesmedia.com/blacksmithing-forging-a-flower-stake/

A friend shared this link with me. thought some else might enjoy it as well. https://yakut-knives.com/2018/01/18/dear-reader/

Cool concept. I have seen a video of an Italian ? bladesmith working out of his back room making very large folding knives where the blade folded once as well. I believe the interview was in Italian as well. Not sure that I could find the it again if I tried but you may want to try out your google fu for a few more ideas to refine your idea

I don't remember a tube in the candle loop. there is a little steel brush and it was held in via spring tension.

Forgot I had these pictures from a few weeks back. A few mining displays at the local fall fair. A little different way of making a candle holder, Round for the hook flattened at the candle, octagon for the loop and then square for the spike. Thinking the hardest part would be getting the material spread just so for the holder and ensuring the ends alternate just right to overlap.

do a few searches on traditional Japanese sword making. I believe they use straw ash and fine clay slurry for much of the welding to make a billet. may or may not be able to get it to work for your application

Not sure what configurations the trucks you work on are but if any are set up with bunks for logging. The stake springs uncoil to 20' feet of 1/4 round and it's simple to do stand a pipe or rod in the vise drop the heated spring over it and pull hard on the end and it just unwinds. Same with the short springs in mudflap hangers

I've wondered much the same Frosty. Read of that trick in some old gunsmithing book years ago for drilling holes for scope mounts on a receivers.

what kind of musket parts were you thinking of making. Track of the Wolf has many little books on everything the barrel to the stock and all bit in between.