metalmangeler

   Frosty I was thinking for myself, most of my items to sell need to be easy to transport, and display without taking so much room as to crowd out other items.

making stuff for myself means I don't have to worry so much about the price point either.

I am thinking I may need to make a kennel, I have only been using airline crates. This is pretty nice. Great idea.

Thanks. Hope it exceeds your expectations.

Look like useful knives to me, I would think most people would like them.

We do a number of shows each year, a couple of things that might shorten the learning curve. start a box of items that you will likely need at shows, here many require a fire extingusher, then I would add some tape the reciept book, a little wire, as time goes on you will develope your own box. the most important thing is being at the right show, since there were booths that did not make sales at this show I would plan on doing a different show that weekend next year. Prescout shows that you are interested in to see if they have a large flow of traffic or a flow of the special type customer you are looking for, remember your time is your most precious asset, try to use it wisely.

   Congratulations on making a sale at what I think may have been a poor show, ("to little foot traffic") good job.

I am very interested in the following details, air pressure, cylinder size, air consumption, (especially cycling) how it hits compared to a bull.

Very nice knives. I like my cutting edge back closer to my hand, I think this gives me better control and more leverage. Just my thought, but I really like these knives.

I like it.

you might want to see if there are any videos of the new guys, then you might have a better idea.

I use H13 or S7 on my punches that see lots of use. The mid carbon punches work ok, but you need to use them more skillfully, you need to keep from over heating them, by removing them from the stock you are punching sooner so that they do not over heat. The tempering temps for the mid carbon might be around 500f, on H13 it will be around 1000f.

Pretty hard to get people who use tools to guess a price when the working parts are not shown much.

I am surprised that Frosty has not put anything here. After all some of the rest of us are only speculating as to the hazards of using this tool, or have only 2nd hand experince.

working in a gas forge tends to make me like longer reins I like light reins as well as they have more spring to absorb shock rather than imparting it into my hands.

I think it is worth remembering that for people who look at horse feet from the perspective of shoeing them see the toe up, if you are just a bystander watching a horse leave or you are driveing a carriage, you see the heels up.

I would use a solid steel anvil even if it were a bit lighter you should get better results than from tube or such even if it is filled.

normally I make mine about 26" long, I make sets so I want all the tools on a stand to match. having different sizes with you helps sales.

If you do talk to someone you want to describe yourself as an artist or hobbiest not a manufacturer or such. :)

The immidiate likely problem is that as you forge the top and bottom to weld the center the sides are being moved away from the weld. You could better do this weld in a top and bottom v swedge. I expect it would still be easier to just weld a stack. It might be good to walk before you run.

Looks like I rained on this parade. An idea might be that I think you could get some from the transportation museum, at the art on fire, likely we could make something from them there.

As noted not really that suitable for what you are using it for, however it really should be good for another smithing project so get what will work for your twists and you will have an inventory of stock for the other projects that need 3/8 sq. If we had unlimited funds these problems would not bug us so much, but I sure try to not get more worked up than nessisary over stuff like this.

I have one of those, I did rework the handle. I used to use it hard, the handles would break fairly often, I reworked the eye (enlarged it with a mandrel). I expect it will be a while before you will need to make the eye larger.

I always thought that a cross pien was a pretty popular smithing hammer. I don't use one that much but when it is the right hammer it is the right hammer. on the drawing the far side in spreading that is the side that most of us have more trouble with so you fit right in to the normal. Practice, and tuning the stock so that you can hit on the near side should help. your holding hand might be on the wrong side of you for this manuver. I personally did not know that there was an abundance of legally available railroad spikes in the area.

I would think along the lines of a very short throw helve with a solid anvil under the blow but the top of the stroke not hitting the top side of my bowl.

In the drawing of the proposed purpose built hammer above. I think your support is way to far from the blow. This would put a lot of stress on your machine. If you can not support your blow with a direct collomn you would want to be as close as possible, so that you don't have a long lever you are pounding on.

So just over $40 per bag, I paid that a number of years ago when I thought I needed some coal. Like in the 1990's been a lot of inflation since then, seems like those who are inclined to use coal might want to jump on this since you did the work lining it up.