Milt

Gene...Sorry to read the sad news. My thoughts and condolances are with you. Milt

Jr.. best wishes for Cookie's quick recovery. Milt

My sister-in-law recently found out she has breast cancer and treatment starts soon. If you have an extra thought or prayer availble, please give one for her quick successful recovery. Thank you. Milt

When we heated with a woodstove, I tried throwing potato peelings in a fire ... supposed to help break up creosote,(Maybe the moisture helps?) but I'm not sure it really worked. As for stain, not sure what to use. As others said, solvent may just drive stain deeper into brickwork. ?????

How would a light coat of bees wax work on the handles? Bees wax seems to get somewhat tacky when warm and may not slip as much as other coatings ..may be worth a try??? I had not noticed this has already been suggested.

Dimag .. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Get well soon so you can get back to banging on iron! Milt

Get a free catalog from Lindsay Books .... Lindsay's Technical Books Many neat & odd reprints ...some on blacksmithing,,,lots of odd stuff too. I think the one Irnsurgeon suggested is available there too. Milt

Dawn ... Sorry to hear about Ralph's passing, many of us will miss him on IForge and at the Pub. My thoughts are with you and your family and wish you well. Milt

Archie -- Clay is a natural earthen material. There are specific clay minerals and there are clay-sized sediment particles. Both are very fine-grained, and are slippery when wet. Traditional kitty litter is one type of clay material that is used to absorb moisture. Some clays are used as filler in fine paper and also in some foods. Others are used to make pottery & china. Thus, clays vary and not all clays are alike. You want a clay that will hold it's form when heated to a high heat and not crack. A fire clay from a place that sells fireplace building products or potter's kiln lining products. These are clays with high refractory properties that can stand high heat. An alternative is to experiment with local clay soils -- like my yard -- and hope to find one that works, at least for awhile. Hope this gibberish helps some. For specific detail, check a library dictionary or geological dictionary. There are textbooks that just discuss clays if you want to go overboard. Good luck.

I just learned about Paw Paw's passing tonight. Much has been said about him. I never met him face-to-face, but wish I had. On-line he was ever helpful and encourging others and we all will miss him. I'll not forget to ring my anvil for him, though later than the rest. Milt