Bottomgottem

New acquisition from this past weekend. Our first real anvil! Appears to be a Peter Wright.

Even bad blacksmiths never run out of four letter words. Case in point... fart

I am the machine shop supervisor in a factory that makes roller bearings. Really big ones. Most of our races and rollers are made of 52100. These are typically through hardened. Many, if not all, of our tapered bearings are made of 3310 and 4320, and case hardened to a depth of around .100". I have a pretty limitless supply of 52100 scrap, and can attest to the fact that it is difficult to work with. You will want to anneal any rollers or balls that you have scavenged.

"The farmer in the DALE"

But you can smell it a MILE away.

It was my FEET.

soap. Preferably Lava.

That ol' COOT?!

I am a bass guitarist. This used to be my profession; now it's a paying hobby. You gotta love hobbies that pay for themselves. Anyway, often groups will introduce the band members during the performance. One night, the singer was introducing the band, and when he got to me, he said, "...and on the bottom, we got 'em. Bass in your face." For the non-musical, being on the bottom refers to the bassist's function of providing the low frequency tones that make guitarists and singers more tolerable. ;>) So, for some reason, from that night on, musicians in the area have called me Bottomgottem. That's the story.

Your pictures tell a great story. You've done a heck of a job so far. I hope that the metal isn't too far gone. Did your grandfather build the forge? It looks like an old boiler.

Dutch oven stand! Brilliant!!!

I know a musician who can juggle three drum sticks and play the drums at the same time. I think that the hammer guy has him beat.

Don A: I called Grace Fuel in Asheville, NC. Their prices as of 08/02/07 were $10.60 per 50 lb. bag or about $248/ton. (I know that the math doesn't exactly work out between those two numbers, but that's what the lady told me.) If you buy it by the truck load, they can weigh the truck before and after. They do not ship. Heading on in to Asheville is a little farther for you as opposed to stopping at Kayne & Son in Candler, but the price may make the trip less painful.

Most definitely art! Very nice.

Thanks, everyone.