Bentiron1946

I don't think I have ever run down anybody for using RR spikes or even rebar or old car springs, each has a better use for some things others but in a pinch you can make do with just about any piece of steel. Also folks like to see forks, steak turners, spoon, bottle openers and such made out of unusual materials so why not. Of coarse if you aiming for a fine knife a piece of rebar ain't the best or if you making a bowl adz a RR spike is not the best but you can make a serviceable tool out of 'em, probably better than out of air so to speak but go ahead and use what you want, at least your making something and not just talking about it.

Hey, I've made an implement of destruction or two out of rebar, not he easiest thing to do but when it's what's handy it's what's handy. Did they last long, yea and nay. I have made art from rebar, it looks pretty good there. Sometimes we are less kind than we ought to be to the new kids on the block who are the next generation of smiths. This group of young folk that are a dumb as mud need to be led gently into the fraternity of smithing not made to feel like the dog poop stuck in the lugs of our work boots. A little kindness goes much further than a hammer up along side the head. Yes, there are times when you need to be harsh, grab the black end not the red end, but do we need to start off with tell them how stupid they are to want to make something out of something that is laying around everywhere like rebar. We are here foremost to educate one another not to throw boulders or flaming darts at those with less knowledge. I have over my years of doing casting taught young folk what I know about casting and they in turn as they advanced in it have come back and taught me. This should all be about advancing smithing,keep the unkindness to yourself. At least that's one thing Grant taught me, keep your crap to yourself on here and help other. Build up, do not tear down.

It was a sad sight to see the 19 go by at Carefree Highway and I-17 today on their way to Prescott. Many folks lined the side of the road with US flags and banners in their honor. We just happened to be on our way home from church so we were the second car back on the off ramp for east bound Carefree Highway. My wife and I prayed for the families of those 19 young men and for the one survivor, rough days ahead for them all. May they all feel the peace of God. Jerry & Eva

You can ask for all the tools in the world but if you have lost the ability to swing the hammer it ain't worth the breath of asking for it. I want my healthy spine back, I know, not asking for much am I but I sure miss forging steel.

Nice looking PW, have a good time forging with it.

It's a tough one for the kids but with an uncle like you around there will be lots of love to get them through. You didn't mention if there was a father or not, I hope there is, that will help too. You have our prayers for comfort and peace, may God be with you all, Jerry

Ian, Is Frosty trying to get you to lick the rail in January in Alaska? Yes, don't do it! You'll be there till June.
I think that the striking with a cold chisel sets up the internal crystallization of the metal for a clean break whereas just cutting a shallow grove may not have the same effect. What say you Frosty?

I was just thinking if that had been my firearms collection of 30 years ago folks would have accused me of being crazy and a danger to society but since it's anvils there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Strange how we look differently on what is collected and not that something is collected or as they call it now "hoarding" like it is some kind of mental illness to have an interest in something.

Yeah, they seem to be going for around $150 or perhaps as much as $250 for one in really nice condition. They seem to appeal to smiths that work armour or other small stuff and the also favor mounting them in stumps to get them at a convenient working height. I see them on occasion on eBay and the prices are all over the place there.

They're on my prayer list ever since I went out for the paper this morning and saw the headline, "TRAGEDY", I never did get to eat breakfast, it is a tragedy for the families of those men. I've been praying off and on all day. The West is burning for sure this year. Jerry

A Ford! Well, I guess you're welcome here but everyone know the only good trucks were Studebakers, now that was a reliable truck. It sure seems to be easy to get hooked on pounding hot iron so you can't be all bad even if you do like Fords, actually my first truck after my Studebaker was a Ford, gave me good service for five years and it had a 100K miles on it when I got so they ain't all bad, well I guess.

You use a "light" hammer on a "light" anvil to forge a "light" saber, now if you want a "heavy" saber go with "heavy" hammer and anvil.

I had one and used it as a hot cut on big steel, bigger than 1", came in handy a time or two for that but most of the time it just sat. I only payed $3 for it though.

The weight should be on one of the sweeps down to the feet, something like a 15, 20 or 30, look again for a number like that, OK?

I have some silversmithing stakes that are made from ductile iron and as long as I'm working well anneal copper or silver on them they are great but they will dent when I'm working brass or bronze on them and it is past time to anneal it. Even working soft steel on my stakes, like binding wire, will put a dent in the ductile iron. Working hot iron may be different on ductile iron but a miss with my hammer leaves a dent in the ductile iron. I don't think I would spend the money again for ductile iron silversmithing stakes, I save my money for quality steel stakes if I had it to do over.

Cute collectors item, I wouldn't use it for any heavy forging though, strictly light duty in nature.

When I realized that I would no longer be able to do heavy smithing anymore I sold my gear, I know my sons wouldn't respect my gear anymore than they would a dog xxxx. I know that the man who bought from me is a good decent tool loving man and when and if he sells it will be to another decent tool loving man. Plan ahead with your tools and then they won't be communing with the weeds, bugs and covered with bird poop like most of the monuments created in honor of famous generals.

Prayers for his family, may God grant them strength and peace during this trying time, Jerry

That looks pretty nice but I no longer have a vehicle with a hitch on it.

Handy looking little knife! Nice shape too.

Ian beat me to it with the pulp paper egg cartons but that would be a dandy use of them for making brickets, sometimes you can scrounge up the big egg flats that hold 2 dozen eggs. And yeah that much flour and it would smell like you were burning the toast. I think you should switch over to propane, hotter fire and faster too. Nice little furnace you got there but go bigger and go round if you switch to propane. PM me and maybe we can get together sometime as I live in the Phoenix metro area too.

WOW! Those are some hot looking table legs and they work very well with the machined brass of the port and glass, very nice contrast between the black of the steel and polished bright brass. You done good, very good indeed!

We're always trying to kill off ants but they are really a very beneficial little critter, just look at how the aerate the soil, much better at it than I am. I don't mind them as long as they stay out of the house and don't kill my baby tortoise or box turtles when they are hatching. And, yes, I do realize that some species are invasive, destructive and are just not right for the local environs where they have taken up residence and that they do pose risk to livestock, native species and humans.(Sorta like Africanized Bees)

You can purchase bronze casting shot which is the easy way to do it, don't buy an ingot, it will be to cumbersome for small scale casting. I bought a couple of ingots when I first started out and man does it take forever to cut of a chunk small enough to fit into a small crucible, at that time I didn't know about casting shot. When you use wood for fuel what you are actually doing is turning it into charcoal as you burn it, it is therefore more efficient to do that before you start the melting process. Therefore learn to do this before you start the melt, get plans for making your own charcoal retort, it will make your melt go a lot faster and produce a much hotter heat. You need to get a heat of about 3,000 degrees around the crucible to reach a melt temperature of 1,900F and a really good pouring temperature of 2,150F and for that that you need a good supply of charcoal on hand even for a small melt. You just don't want to get your metal to the slushy stage and get no further because you are constantly feeding food to the fire and can't make it past that stage, to get there you need charcoal which will burn hotter than just plain wood. The ancients figured this out, you don't need to, you just need to follow their example.

I didn't know there was still a call for slate hammers, are they still making slate roofs? Nice looking hammers and with them being painted red they won't be easy to loose will they?