Grundgedog

Roy says, "Don't try this at home!" And Peter says, "I am at home....." Gotta love it.

Looks GREAT !!! The sheath looks like it won't bounce around during riding and looks like a safe way to have a straight blade if the rider accidentally gets dumped too.

Alan Hale was the blacksmith when Clint Eastwood came to arrest him in Hang'em High, he looked the part but I can't remember what he was doing at the anvil now that I think of it.... The worst was the "new" Rambo, Stallone kept heating this bar, and beat on it once in a while.

Matto, Every 4th Friday, the blacksmith from the Stuhr museum in GI has a hammer in, if you want to carpool to go to one, I'd be happy to pick you up !! http://pba.abana-chapter.com/ I live thirty miles southwest of you, but I am always in Kearney doing something or another. I was thinking my cousin's son did some work at Trails and Rails, we need to get together and chat !!! Kevin

My daughter and son-in-law have a mailbox on a post that is about to fall apart, I am planning on a real nice stand for them. A little scroll work, maybe their last initial incorporated into the design. I better get to it!!

Wow, looks great! I have a Buffalo forge with a huge crack in the firepot, if I go to new one, something yours would definately work! Do you have a cover for the fan inlet? Around here if the forge sat idle for a while, I would wind up with a wasp nest in it !!!

The WPA built a dam for a farm pond in our pasture. It had a huge cement spillway. Granddad said you were paid a $1 a day OR if you brought a team of horses it was $1.50. There were so many WPA guys working on this and they were going everywhere, so G'pa would say, "2 a comin', 2 a goin', 2 a $hittin', 2 a mowin'...... The dam lasted very well, we had three large rainstorms in a row one time and a little water got under the concrete and it was gone overnight after being there for 60 years. There was a small building that workers could warm up in, but I can't remember what the hardware looked like.

Ding, Ding, Ding !!! Maillemaker won ! By the time me and my buddies stripped that thing down, there was hardly anything to haul away ! The glass was broken out, thus the interior was shot so not much value there, but I think we got the goodie out of it. Dad is just happy getting it off the place, I'll have to hammer out something for him...

I guess the valves are out then !!! He wants the vehicle out of the way more than anything, and if I can use some stuff, he's okay with that. :)

Well, I also thought about making the box into a trailer, then throwing what I can save into the box! I hope Dad wasn't planning on getting too much cash from the scrapper. Any engine components that could be hammered into something? Valves maybe?

My Dad is scrapping an S-10. He doesn't mind if I strip it before it goes. I thought about getting the springs and throwing them in a pile for future use. Are there other items I should snag that may come in handy for making something ?

We had the wind blow hard all one day, it was hot, too, at a flea market we were selling antiques at, what a pain and NOBODY was buying in that weather. But at least my EZup's still had the legs attached !! The next day was nice and we really did well. Looks like you have some very nice things on your table, good thing you weren't at the flea market I went to, my wife would be mad at me for hanging out at your booth !!!

As I am a newbie, could you explain more about this? There is a demonstration Saturday and Sunday, and a class Monday and Tuesday,right? Do I need to register for attending Saturday and Sunday? What is the cost? Do you have an agenda? What are the hours? I cannot get off work Monday or Tuesday, but if there is something fun happening Saturday and Sunday, I sure want to be part of it !! Thanks, Kevin

My doctor buddy says, "Drink water until you pee, then keep on drinking." Avoid sodas and alcohol, they might taste good, but they aren't good for you on a hot day. Get in the cool once in a while and take a break. To cool down faster, run a fan on yourself, even in an air-conditioned house, it helps me get back to work faster. I have been working on the west side of a house this week and the afternoons have been dang near unbearable..... I used to service irrigation engines, 454 Chevy's, 636 Jimmy's, 534 Fords etc. in the summertime. When I would first walk up to them the pipes would be hot enough to glow red and light your cigarette. Then I would change oil, do a tune up, replace parts, standing right next to them of course. No matter how hot it was, just being away from those things felt good. I was MUCH younger then....

Thanks guys, I will give the grinder a try, then when I round up the right tools, I will work on doing a hot cut.

Geez, I do have an angle grinder, I will pick up some of those thinner wheels and give it a try. Okay being a newbie, could you explain the how a hot cut would work for this? I have a cutoff hardie, or do I heat the whole thing up and use a chisel? (Just tryin to learn here guys!) Thanks for the welcome! I have been wanting to do this forever but just FINALLY put together enough tools to get into Blacksmithing. I was at a sale and a large wooden crate chuck full of tongs were going cheap so I bid like $7 and got the whole thing. That inspired me to buy a 127 lb Lakeside anvil, then got to talking to guys at work and one said he had a forge behind his shop he would give me!!! The rest of my tools were easy to round up. Now I can see I have a THOUSAND things I want to make!!

I am new to blacksmithing and have tons of questions, this site has been great for info !! Thanks, everybody !! I have been picking up large horse rasps whenever I come across one at auctions, flea markets, etc. I would like to use one for a project. How do I cut it lengthwise? I searched this site for "hot cut" but didn't see what I needed. I would like the rasp's pattern to still be prominent when I am done. Kevin

Congrats !!! I have a few tools my Granddad used, so I know how much you'll enjoy the anvil. Learning using books and the internet is great, but be sure to get to a local meeting when guys get together for a "Hammer In" or something. I am new to this and went to a meeting and everyone there was MORE than helpful, really gave me a good start !

I have just completed a "Cowboy Cookset", it is a tripod that converts to a horizontal bar with various sizes of S hooks. Your BBQ set would go perfectly with that, I'll have to give it a whirl. They look great !

If you really want lightning to strike your anvil, do like Ben Franklin. Tie it to a string, tie that to a kite and during a lightning storm............. The wind may need to be blowing pretty hard.