horse

Yep a slip scraper in my part of the world. It took a darn good horse and a good operator to get anything done with them. A rock or a root could get you launched pretty quick a good horse could feel a dead stop and quit before things got real bad. They are a dime a dozen here. 20 bucks as a yard ornament is about right. We always have a few at our auction and 10 to 20 is about what they bring.

Glad you posted the Mennonite thing caught my eye. Grew up Amish then Mennonite. Would love to see that village one day.

Why is it that this thread makes me laugh even though I have no idea what y'all are talking about.

Rest assured you will not make a fool of yourself. Really nice bunch of guys. Many of them have known each other for a long time and spend more time barking at each other than than do in the forge. Best thing is to bring a project no matter how elementary and ask for some guidance. Most curmudgeons understand that this craft needs new people that want to learn. I wish I could spend more time with them. Come spend some time in my forge this winter I am guessing we could both benefit. I am a trinket maker that has so much to learn.

I use a hundred in Colorado and so far no issues with freeze ups. Smaller ones have been an issue. There I a 500 gallon outside that we use to heat the shop but teeing off of that heater line does not have adequate flow. Need a higher pressure regulator on the tank for the forge?????? Not sure how that works.

David Norrie have not yet taken lessons from him but his home/shop is about 3 miles from me. I lived in Peyton for a few years a hundred years ago. David did give me a tour of his shop some time ago he is truly a master. There is an open forge up here in Berthoud once a month you can find the dates on the Rocky Mountain smiths website. I know it is a bit of a drive for you but some real good guys show up and provide a lot of help and of course criticism curmudgeons seem to come with the territory. I have been hitting ste for a few years when I can, but still have so much to learn. Wish I had more time.

Will check with a magnet but pretty sure it is all brass. Should have thought about the magnet before. That bull head is very cool.

I a a actually have more luck with copper. I have a nice piece of copper about 6x 6 x 1/4 and just when the steel gets black I go to a wire wheel and hold the copper above the steel on which I am putting the color. .sometimes it takes a moment or two but it will take color fairly quickly. Thanks Ausfire that is exactly the tip I was looking for. Brass patina has frustrated me for some time. I have seen smiths make it look easy, not for me for some reason. I know it is the temperature of the steel. The window for temp must be fairly narrow.

With respect to this topic I struggle to find the correct temp for getting The steel to take color. Is there a tried and true technique? I have tried Applying a drop or two of water and allowing to cool just after I no longer get a sizzle but even that seems inconsistent for me. Any wisdom I could apply to get a more consistent color?

Check out rockymountsinsmiths.org. I am not a member but live quite near you and there are a bunch of smiths in our area. Loveland has a hammer in every summer and there is a gentleman in Berthoud that does an open forge very regularly. No shortage of opportunities to start hitting some steel with some assistance in our neck of the woods. Stay patient learn some real basics before you start asking about advanced things I.E. Sword making knife making, Damascus and so forth. Check out the site I indicated.

I am not a master smith by any stretch but I do have a Hay Budden anvil with some similar chips. There is one area in particular that has a rather large chip that can be quite useful for some some bottom fullering I took the advise of one of my mentors and touched that area very lightly a bit at a time and took out a sharp edge or two so it became a "go to spot" for some applications. I did not touch that spot for at least six months until I was certain it would be a good choice. Even then I would just touch it and use it for a bit until I was certain I wanted another softening. Look for those special spots on that anvil and use them to your advantage. I really believe a brand new anvil would tempt me more in terms of grinding than would an old one that over time has developed some areas that are useful. Your Hay Budden is a great anvil.

I have caught more than one shirt on fire while grinding without an apron. While forging it can save a hole in a shirt here or there from flying slag or cutoffs. There are a lot of things in the shop that can be either hot or sharp. Love my apron. Still waiting for it to get fully broken in. I envy seeing the old aprons that have been around for years and years mine is still a bit stiff after hundreds of hours of use. My son bought it for me as a gift and he went "heavy".

I think that is called a stall jack. Often used by farriers to make minor adjustments cold??? Someone may know a different term.

Thanks finally. I was thinking something a little less obvious. Just for arguments sake a pristine Peter Wright or Hay Budden would also qualify yes? Thanks again I have been seeing this for sometime and must have missed it originally. I think my brain was more in Halphwit's place

off topic I know but I would sure love to know what an ASO is. Cant find it anywhere. even checked urban dictionary

I would need some sort of protection for that piece that did not "Work out" and was somehow "flung" against the nearest wall in frustration. I understand that not everyone needs that buffer but I sure do.

I can be of no assistance but can offer sympathy. I could have written the same story with the same response. I can stick about half of them in a solid fuel forge but the gasser has me baffled

Nope didn't read it and if I had there seems to be little useful information regarding the vise. Will try to be more dutiful in the future in terms of checking threads before seeking further information. Nope didn't read it and if I had there seems to be little useful information regarding the vise. Will try to be more dutiful in the future in terms of checking threads before seeking further information. Mostly saw some remarks regarding the Chicago fire

I sort of assumed as much, but there are times I wish I had a stronger bite on thinner stock. Anyone seen this brand before? The serrated teeth seem nearly untouched so assuming it had very light use before I bought it. Thanks Thomas, I certainly value your opinion.

I recently acquired a post vise. It appears to be in good condition. 75 dollars at auction. When closed the vise has about a gtr inch gap at bottom of the bite when closed at the top. Considering some grinding so it meets with a full bite any thoughts?

It has been a while but after a call to the folks that manufacture the forge I did the alignment and felt like all was good. I am going to use Frosty's advice and use some oil and make sure I am as clean as I can be.. I will then find a way to reduce the chamber size and see what happens Very conceivable that I simiply cant weld in the xxxx thing. I am guessing others can. I will keep trying thanks all

One more thing. frosty are you saying u use 3 - 1 oil when steel is stone cold? Could sure be the case I am fluxing too hot.

Thanks for the replies. I have access to a solid fuel forge but needs work and would simply prefer to work in the gasser if I can. I failed to mention that this forge is open on both ends to handle long stock. I did close one end once and it seemed to warp that end of the forge. That troubled me a bit. I am aware it is a Ferrier forge bought it a long time ago when I was young enough to nail shoes onto my Belgian horses. I am now too old and smart enough to leave that to the Youngsters. I think I will try blocking the port again. I do not recall the flux I have used but some high dollar stuff from a local ferried supply house. I have stuck some welds in solid fuel. I certainly confess I am not a seasoned welded in a solid fuel either

I have a three burner NC big daddy whisperer. It is about 15 years old and still in good condition. I cannot forge weld in it. I believe it does not get hot enough. It will bring steel to white heat but have never had it burn up a piece. I called the company to see if there is some kind of modification for my elevation. He tells me that there is not. Very nice and helpful but said some can weld in these and others can't. He did not have any info about high altitude performance. I am at 5200 ft. North of Denver. I have cleaned jets and aligned burners still not as hot as I think it should be. I run about 12lbs on the regulator. Higher than that and I get tremendous dragon breath and feel like I can smell I burned gas. Any ideas about how to beat this thing up. I have just found a somewhat unlimited source for big band saw blades and would like to start fooling with some layers.

+1 for considering myself one that blacksmith's