ThomasPowers

Might want to check out how others in limited spaces work; Japan, Europe, etc. I once built a single soft firebrick forge run by a cheap plumbing torch so I could forge in my basement during the winter. Did the nails for a Mastermyr tool chest and a lot of hack silver.

Cost is tricky; example: which is cheaper over the long run: a free car that gets 10mpg and uses premium gas or a US$2000 car that gets 30 mpg and uses regular unleaded gas? I've noticed that professional tennis players used to go back to wooden rackets when they get tennis elbow issues...

Out here; Perlite comes by the mountain! They mine it just west of town....

This reads like: "My vehicle is having engine trouble tell me what is wrong?" What would you need to know to actually answer this question?

Trenton and a few Arm and Hammer anvils, (NOT Vulcan), had the caplet indentations here in the USA.

For "Ancient" we generally consider Greek and Roman era and earlier. May I commend to your attention: "Egyptian Metalworking and Tools", Bernd Scheel, Shire Egyptology ISBN 0 7478 0001 4 copy right 1989 The Berlin Foundry Cup, early 5th century BC, also has a number of metal working tools shown on it but mainly bronze casting stuff.

And will cook the bird!

Got any friends at a good University MechE or MatSci department? The power needed is usually based on the cross sectional area and how much deformation is needed. For a commercial system you really do need "official" answers.

Back in OH I had a small welding shop half a block from my smithy. They were very fond of a six pack of "brown pop" around 5pm on a hot summer day. Always made sure it was only 1 cold bottle per worker and could "trade" for a substantial amount of welding to a much better skill level than I had...

Not a problem; I just hadn't expected a terminal brain tumor to show up after I retired last year..."life is what happens when you are making other plans."

I will ring an anvil today 87 times in his honor.

My cane tip is rubber? and held on with a stainless steel pipe clamp currently. I did cast a tip from a deer's hoof in brass once; thought it would look appropriate to have a series of cloven hoofprints paralleling my footprints....

Round; caplet, hourglass...?

Not much weather out here; some temps in the 70's degF and a bunch of wind with gusts in the 70's mph.....I get to press my nose to the window and pant...

You have some biased preconceptions: why would the size of the bolt indicate carbon content? Why is free vegetable oil from a fast food fryer more expensive than motor oil? I have a book on Hunting Weapons from the middle ages to the 20th century. My local FREE public library will ILL books they do not have locally; have you tried? Scrapyard Rules: test all "found" metal BEFORE using for carbon content and heat treating requirements---only takes a few "oopses" to see that this is the fast and cheap way to get good results with found metal. Good Luck!

Any depression in the bottom?

Some friends at church have a little woodstove cleaning tool they have been taking back and forth from Cornwall UK to Socorro NM USA. I duplicated it for them and now they have retired to the UK for good. (Taking my version as it was "nicer" than the commercial version from the UK---twist in the handle and a square tenon.)

As for "Grandmotherly Kindness" I commend to your attention "Zen Flesh Zen Bones" where it is explained....

My first "main smithing hammer" had a red handle and so I had to color the replacements so I'd grab the right one. I remember using a red sharpie one time.

Why do you think all gloves are made from leather?

My sister graduated with a Chemistry Degree and got a job with a large multinational company. To celebrate they took a vacation in the Caribbean where she contracted Hepatitis from eating shellfish. She was told to tell her company that she needed to avoid chemicals for several years....they put her as supervisor on one of the lines that was having some issues. She identified it as several workers not working. When she talked with them they told her that they couldn't be fired due to the complexity of the firing process. After the third one was fired; her nickname was "the axe lady" and the line was running better and morale was higher! Turns out the rest of the folk wanted to do a good job; but the dead weights had been dragging them down...

All those nice holes in the bender arm look ready for a few pegs for bending fork work.

And to have several different ones so that visitors/students can find the *right* one for their use too. As I "de-accession" my kit I have been giving away stuff along with selling and the more they buy the more I load them up as well...an old family friend is due to come over soon. I hope his back is stout!

Note that "high grade stainless steel" is pretty much a worthless description. High grade for WHAT? Can be unforgeable alloys to good for knifemaking to good for cookware. I have a high grade vehicle; is it good for hauling gravel; or taking 10 people on a road trip and would one be good for the other/

It's a blacksmith's post vise, AKA a leg vise. Many if not most are not stamped by the manufacturer; luckily it doesn't matter who made it if it's in good working order.