Ric Furrer

I tried to get a tour of that forging operation in Berkley....no dice. I'd like to though. I heard a rumor of a much larger press in Russia....

How did this project go? If not yet then I suggest using a gas forge set at the forging temp...saves much in mistakes till you get a feel for the material. If not then darken the shop and go to red. I suggest having a test bar every time you go to work and play with it first ..each day you forge...to get a feel. I like 655 bronze....forges well, welds well with TIG and has good color. Ric

I second some of the suggestions: Elevate the crucible about three inches above the in of the heat...get it out of the major reaction zone of the fuel air. Coat the metal with refractory cement to lengthen its life or use thicker low carbon steel/cast iron vessel place dry charcoal inside the crucible to consume O2 present I would creep up on the temp rather than overshoot by so much and try to keep a reducing flame...let off on the blower a bit. Ric

I climbed Maslow's hierarchy of needs once...got scared of the drop and climbed back down. John, I have been thinking quite a bit lately about how many projects I will be able to complete ......may stop taking commissions to work on the few hundred things I feel I need to do. Ric

Find NOMMA member close to you and ask to speak with them. I like to brace the bottom of the swinging member on the ground and use a stainless ball pivot rather than a lower hinge. Hinges like to fail....a 5/8" stainless ball will pivot for an astounding number of years. Add grease zirks on pivot areas. If you go light on stock then use cross bracing in the design and it is common to build the longer gates out of true so when they sag under their own weight they sag back into true. There was a series of articles from one of Samuel Yellin's main workers....they were published in "The Anvil's Ring" maybe 20 years ago. There was very good info in them. Ric

Yep, what Owen said. Start small and do a few then go larger. Other than technique and taking time you need to build confidence. A good portion of forge welding is belief. Ric

I know one Alaskan smith who pulled an anvil and rather complete tool kit from the mud at a mining operation. The owner of the land said he could have anything he wanted....but leave the gold. Ric

70, Cutler's anvil. Never seen one outside Europe nor for sale (save the style Grant made). Good to see. Ric

Had class scheduled that weekend...I'll do a better job of scheduling next year. SOFA is always a good time. Ric

All good ideas. I assume you have sorted out the waiver of liability (just a piece of paper in the end, but needed these days) and insurance to cover classes. Ric

Titanium is not all that scratch resistant. Titanium oxide or titanium nitride...yes. Ric

I melt steel in coke....just got a ton from the "L-Brand" guy in Georgia for this purpose. Melted three four pound charges the other day for a class. Coke can easily melt aluminum, bronze and with time...steel...given enough air. Ric

MMMM..AR (G)....voulous Ric

about 0.5%...if you check the bins at the event you will find many business cards and brochures there. However, If you look at web traffic (assuming you have a website) you will see a large blip the evenings of the event and for a few days after and another about four-8 days out when folk clean out the wallet or pitch the event literature. Ric

Sounds a bit brutal Larry...sorry to hear. Moving does have a large cost with large tooling...and a not too small cost otherwise.

Larry, You are not alone in that boat. I had the luck of working for a shop in Florida where I went Hobby to paid employee for three years. I probably cost them money the first six months to maybe a year....last year there they made up and then some. Mostly due to the work contracted, but some to my increase in skills. When I opened under my own sign it was nothing for the first five years of note and only recently...some 24 years into the craft.... that I have seen some light. I keep overhead very low and rarely get into work I can not do...though scheduling is always an issue getting work out on time. Maybe its time to seek a new area with home/work on the same land and develop a product line less diverse than your current work. This would cut insurance and lease down to your current fuel costs and running natural gas has chopped my fuel bill by loads vs propane. I would think a change of region could cut set costs by 70%....can you take any clientele or product with you in a move or is it strictly regional in business? You could move down the street me.....I would not mind. As to the stress....can't help much there. Seems to come when uninvited. 3k hours a year is high for not much in return save stress. I'm sure Ian has some wisdom to impart....he has been through it all and has a keen mind. I suggest sitting down with financial advisor, small business mentor or a good friend who will bounce the truth back to you. Some metaphorical burials are dumped on us and others have us holding the shovel....either way getting out from under it is the goal. Ric

Forgot Take care of your body...joint pain and chest pain and "being a man bout it" will work you out of the ability to do work. Hoists, roller carts, pivot supports, power tools, smart use of jigs and swages will save you time and wear on your body (and your work may even be better for the use). I am very tool dependent..larger power hammers (all relative of course), presses, swages, jigs etc. Wait for the steel to be hot as it is more superplastic and the yield strength decreases with heat...so it moves easier. Many things one CAN do in one heat, but the last 20 power hammer blows or ten hand hammer blows are less effective then grabbing the next bar that is hot...so I stick it back in and let it wait its next turn. Small number of heats is important for efficiency, but if you are using tooling you are already more efficient so do what is easier on your body....there are usually very few replacement parts for your flesh, but an endless supply of tools...yes even honored and hallowed anvils and power hammers are replaceable, nay consumable, tools. off the soap box. Ric

The jump from the two pocket hobby (seed money in one and sold product money in the other) is a far cry from business. There are some on this list who run multi employee businesses as a forge shop and I both envy and shed a tear from them. I liked my time working in a group on large projects, but also like the solace of my one-man operation on more easy to manage projects.cliental I do a huge amount of R&D on steel and techniques and tooling which deeply cuts into "profit" as most of the time it a sucking hole. I reagin some of that with unique product from that R&D and also teaching the odd techniques to those who care to spend a week here in the shop. The insurance for teaching and mental burden of keeping four-six folk safe in the shop is a drain from the pocket and the sanity. So far it has proofed out well. I live and work on the same property. For ten years I ran the business while being Mr. Mom..now the boys are in school so I get my days..well, most of them anyway. I'd like to say that I time all the work well and do office stuff during down time and all runs smoothly, but this is simply a illusion. Daylight is time for office calls, forge work and answering emails from a cliental which expects immediate responses..the younger crowd at least. I have dropped architectural work almost entirely...well architectural work has more or less dropped me since construction in my area is down and few call for ironwork. I am focusing on all that I can do and after a year or so do an analysis of where the best direction/profit is and the focus on offshoots of that. I encourage smiths to get a product line so they can get efficient at a "thing" and be known for a "thing" and then do the other work which comes from being "known". Trying to be a jack-of-all is a sure way to be really good at nothing. Also...overhead may be ten times for you what it is for me...that is driven by many factors...location the most likely. Keep track of major and minor items you use. Buy in bulk for sales if you can, keep a limited inventory as it is taxed, have a good accountant and sit with them at least twice a year, PAY YOUR TAXES, FIND OUT WHAT TAXES YOU HAVE TO PAY so an odd one does not jump out later. Charge for your work....all of it. Ric

I must say you are by far the most well written 15 year old I have yet come across. Most I correspond with can not string together more than a noun/verb nor avoid texting shorthand. As to the hammer selection for your rebuild/shop use. I believe the two are separate issues. One is a class project and the other is a yet to be determined application of force for work that is not defined. For the school: I suggest something closer to a 50 weight mechanical hammer with many moving parts and cute mechanisms (not a little giant or mayer) which can be located and rebuilt and be of interest to the mechanically inclined. For you: I suggest getting any hammer in the 100 pound or more range and set it in your shop for stress relief when you are at college and visit home. Odds are you will be smitten with other things when at college and if you really have a craving for using larger tools there are shops that you can visit or intern at and get your fill. Often the paths we walk early are not ones we complete later. Best to acquire tools that have a life after interest wains. Ric

Wonderful. Ric

John, Things will never be quite the same ever again. Ric

Good find. I hope the setup and eventual move goes flawlessly. I thought that the 6B Nazel was set up for one man use as an option. At least I am aware of one. Ric

I believe the BPM of the 1k is 120....twice a second. Ric

All things being equal I would rather have a 300-400 ton friction screw press for the work I'm likely to be making in the near future. This hammer was reworked for air by its last owner who lovingly cared for her the past 15 years. He ran it off a 125cfm gas trailer compressor and then into a large storage tank..then to the tank seen in the photo which is set near the hammer. Given that my shop is green and purple and this hammer is green I am thinking something in the nature of "The Hulk" Thomas, but battering ram is more appropriate. Ian I am doing well thank you. I have also been working with more smiths this year both in classes I host and co-operative work. It seems that my ideas of sole authorship have been holding me back and I will be consciously changing that mind set to incorporate more outside ideas and hands. Patrick, I am not sure when I'll have it up. My wife thinks I should sell it on and focus on tooling specific to my current work. I can not say it is a poor argument...she may be correct. Ric

I am just taking possession of this functioning 1,000 weight hammer. I have the top portion now and the sow block and dies. Anvil and frame coming soon. It was converted to air years ago and the owner was looking to get it to a good home. Photos of what I have and how it looked prior to taking it apart for transport. I have a video of it running several months ago and will upload that to my youtube site soon. More later, Ric