ThomasPowers

And those types of things generally are easy to source on as needed basis. My Mechanic has offered me *tons* on a just show up basis.

I have been told that Medical Staff dislike pulling melted plastic out of people's burns due to the "noise levels". As it is a goal of mine to NOT annoy such staff.....(though while I was in the ICU; a through regime of "chocolate bribery" was instituted; as working over the holidays deserves a touch of recognition.)

It is such a gift to be home, warm and well fed. Probably fire up Hospice with the new year...

Very quiet Christmas. My major "gift" was a lunch with friends at their house. Posole and pork loin; home made shortcake, caroling around the table...hot mulled cider. Pain was NOT a flavor involved.

High of 56 for today. I will be escorted to the shop to bring in a load of fire starters.

I only woke up "restrained" once in the hospital. Figured it was a "plus" to the story. Future episodes are likely as well. Here in he passive solar "great room" it's in the 80's even without the woodstove. My shop tour decided that it was too cold for me right now.

Hot cocoa; the hoped for high octane eggnog seems to have fled the stores ahead of us; so hot cocoa and a tot of rum will have to do. First *real* shower; HOT water and our "regular" fixings is a wonderful thing. Luckily we are not getting the polar bomb our kids are seeing in the midwest. Signs of a beneficent deity indeed! A friend is supposed to escort me to the shop tomorrow.

OTOH having a *seriously* dressed hammer can be a good thing starting out! I have found so many hammer heads at the scrapyard and fleamarkets, (including in Europe!) that the idea of buying one "new" to modify makes me shiver... Actually there are 3 pictures for each of these racks and then the "non-ferrous" rack on the wall of my shop as well. Extreme weather is a good time to dress hammers; but generally not the time to reset handles and soak them in BLO. (After 15 years it's about time for me to reset and BLO; getting ready for the estate sale---gotta hide "frenchy"; my most coveted hammer by my friends, forge buddies and minions!)

I have one old handmade set that is perfect for hot firebricks once I forged the bows out.

Shhhhhhhh she's a bit annoyed at my taking the escape clause after 38 years of marriage.....

US$1 is my buy point for nippers. Good "hand outs" for beginner bladesmiths....

And we are so happy that they never need to suffer as "Normal"!

They is a-worrying about me big time. We had a church member who wandered off and it was months before the found his remains...

So "I'm going to damage my hammers; will this damage my hammers?" Now "Will it improve them for your use?" As HF hammers I would not be worried...

All systems are fairly "by fiat"; so I try to not get upset by them; poods per arpet works for me!

Tomorrow we are talking about an escorted visit to my shop. Of course my daughters are discussing adding a "radio collar" to my outfit.

We get "adiabatic" winds in the mornings when the cold air sinks down the mountainsides.

I realized the true meaning of Dane Brammage.

I like to invite the LEOs and VFD folk to the forge myself. Far fewer negative interactions! (And some positive ones too; like my neighbor who used to call me in to the FD all the time till they mentioned a US$1000 fine for "false" alerts..."

With a cup of tea/coffee/hot cocoa.....very nice! Anvil/tools don't see "wind chill"; just ambient. An old electric iron can preheat the anvil nicely while you are setting up to work. And remember trying to stay warm and CO production are often a BAD mix!

Part of the thermo cycling of wootz is to make a decarb layer on the outside of the puck to "hold" the puck together while doing lower temp forging on it. A weird "too high C to forge reliably" enclosed in a layer low enough to forge. Or to put it a different way: "Wootz is a weirdness!"

Mashed potatoes and gravy; beef brisquitte

Blue Brittle temps.

No shop time today; but we did talk with Hospice; turns out they don't supply strikers for smithing---a grave disappointment.

No reason to leaved the warm sunny solar collector.