SmoothBore

Heating the head of a bolt or screw to a dull red, and quenching in oil, will yield a durable flat black finish. .

For what it's worth ..... Horror Freight has the screw type strut spring compressors, ... for $15.99. --------------------------------- The first time I changed out a set of McPherson Struts, ( around 1980 ) I tried to use a pair of chain binders to compress the spring. Would up with a neat round dent, shaped just like the end of the spring, in the fender of my Dad's car. Live and learn ..... I made a set of compressors from some "all thread" and angle iron, in order to finish the job. I still have them, ... and use them every decade or so ..... .

In this case, I'm not sure the term "balance" truly expresses the mechanics of the issue. ( And I'm not really sure I can accurately express the differences, either. ) The Dog's Head is best employed in delivering short, controlled blows, ... originating more in the wrist, than the elbow. The angle of the handle, as well as it's dramatically lower center of gravity, makes it "feel" more like an extension of your fist. .

Traditionally, blacksmiths aprons were made from Horsehide, ... but I'm not sure where you'd find that. Currently, I'm using a knee-length apron, made from a piece of Upholstery Leather, ... probably Cowhide. It protects like a suit of armor, ... but is a bit warm, some days. .

Here's the thing that everyone should understand about blowers ..... It's not necessary to vary the speed of the motor, in order to vary the volume of the blower. By using a gate valve, or a damper, on the EXHAUST side of the blower, you can control the volume of air, without overloading the motor. You will notice, as you close off the discharge of air, the motor RPM's will INCREASE, and the amperage will reduce. This is because the load on the motor has been reduced. The only time reducing the exhaust air volume can present a problem, is in the case of a blower that relies on the intake air flowing over the motor, for cooling. In that case, a diverter gate in the exhaust, is your best option, ... but the motor will always be moving it's maximum CFM, and drawing the full amount of power required to do so. .

Yeah. Not everyone was raised "old school", ... but for those with adequate cognizance, the passage of time sorts it out. My GrandMa would have "adjusted" that attitude, before he was out of diapers. .

I've got a neighbor that drives a Garbage Truck, ... who is always bringing me stuff he picks up along his route. A lot of it is useful, and I appreciate getting it, ... but some is just truly weird junk. The point being, ... if HE doesn't know what to do with it, ... how-the-heck are YOU supposed to know ? .

They look like tines off a rototiller. Generally speaking, any "blade" that was intended to engage the earth, needs to resist impact and abrasion. Even without knowing the actual metallurgy, you can still assume they would serve well as "chopping" or "digging" tools. When fooling around with that sort of thing, I like to leave it "soft", and use it for a while, before worrying about tempering. Some years ago, I experimented with making "English" style "Billhooks", from old lawnmower blades, ... and came to appreciate how handy they are. Now, there's always one rattling around in the junk that "lives" in the back of my Gator. .

I'd consider bolting it to a couple of 2' long, pressure treated 4x4's, ... and then, if necessary, driving 18" steel pins through holes in the ends of the 4x4's, into the ground. This makes a VERY stable mount. .

Well, it's not really a "spring". What you're actually relying on, is the "memory" that's present in all steel. Mild steel works well in this application, because it's less likely to harden or fatigue from repeated flexing, and should it deform over time, it's easily reshaped. .

For a long time, I've been intrigued by the Blacksmiths that "specialized" in making and maintaining the tools and equipment associated with one particular type of work. A Blacksmith supporting a logging operation, required a very different set of skills, than one working in an Armory, or aboard a Whaling Ship, or a Coal Mine, or building a Railroad. .

Knock out the handle, and run a length of "dog" chain through the hole. Tell him it's an ancient Irish lucky charm, to be worn around the neck. .

The use to which wrought iron was originally put, is also an indication of quality. Bridges, Marine Fittings, Rolling Stock and Farm Machinery got the best material, while Fences and Ornamental Ironwork didn't require the same quality. .

I'm in the same boat as a lot of you older guys. With no "heir apparent", I really have no idea what will become of my "toys". That being said, ... I think it's incumbent on me to resolve this issue in my lifetime, rather than dump it onto others. Some tough decisions await ..... .

The only correct answer, ... is because you want to. I'm waaay past justifying what I do, to "Shallow Hal, and his silly Pals". The World has ALWAYS been bung-full of idiots, ... so why expect otherwise ? To me, they're about as troublesome, ... as a cloudy day ..... .

The thing I find interesting, is the large percentage of "new" ideas, that are actually reincarnations of earlier designs. Emerging technologies and materials, often "solve" the problems that caused the initial failure of these early inventions. As an example, ... belt-drive motorcycles. Much less maintenance than a roller chain, ... and much lighter and cheaper than a shaft drive. But the original leather belts were a failure. .

A stump will make a good, quiet stand ..... .

I thought I did, ... but apparently my poor communication skills have again raised their ugly head. An Intake valve, in an internal combustion engine, is a fairly extreme example, of a part with widely disparate diameters, ... and the distortion of the valve stem, also occurs after forging, ... during the annealing process. The photo posted above, ... by John McPherson ... is NOT the type of Thread Roller I was referencing. A RECIPROCATING, FLAT DIE Thread Roller, presses the part between 2 FLAT PLATES ... ( not rollers ) ... that are moving in opposite directions. When actually rolling threads, the flat dies have a series of "Vee" shaped grooves, that form the threads, ... but when used as a "straightener", the dies are smooth, ... with one very shallow diagonal groove. The shallow diagonal groove serves to "pull" the part down into the die, as it rolls the small diameter between the dies. This downward force causes the larger diameter of the part to be drawn down against the top of the dies, ... which "squares" it, in relation to the smaller diameter. Hopefully, that's a little clearer, ... but again, a look at a video of the process, would be useful. .

When working in the Auto Parts Business, that was an ever-present problem, with forging Automotive valves. Rather than fight that losing battle, ... we just straightened them afterwards, ... by rolling them between flat plates, in a reciprocating "Thread Rolling" machine. That process can be as simple, ... or complex, ... as you choose to make it. If you GOOGLE "thread rolling" videos, you can get a perspective on how this might work. Good Luck. .

The last 2 sets I had, ... were bought by guys who wanted to mount them on the buckets of front-end loaders. I'd rather see them "re-purposed" in that fashion, ... than just cut them up for the material. It's a fine thing, to turn "junk" into something useful, ... but less so, to destroy something useful, in order to make something else. If no other material was available, ... it would be different, ... but the $200 you can get for a pair of forks, will buy you a piece of steel that's even more suitable for your intended use. .

OK, ... personally, ... I like to use a "Great Ole Bigun", ... or else a "Big Ole Goodun". .

That could very well be ..... .

Since you're just crossing your yard, ... direct burial cable is a MUCH better choice than overhead wire. An overhead service is an on-going maintenance and safety issue. As-long-as there's no other buried utilities in the way, ... rent a "Ditch Witch" and solve the problem forever. Or cover the roof with Solar Panels, ... and get your power directly from the cosmos. .

The "eye" in the second picture appears to me, to have been Arc welded. .

Often, we think we know "when" a particular tool, ... or process, ... or type of material came into use, ... and will use that, as a way of "dating" an object. But the "thing" about making those kind of assumptions, ... is that we rarely have an insight into when it became "accepted", ... or readily available. A couple of my interests, are Firearms, ... and Farm Tractors. The earliest Tractors, ( the ones we use to establish a "date" when that technology came into use ) ... were huge, expensive and quite rare "curiosities". They existed for at least a generation, before smaller more "successful" models came into widespread use. Did it take decades for the technology that created the massive "Wallace Bear", to evolve into something like the John Deere "B" ? Of course not, ... but it took that long for the "old" generation's natural skepticism for an unproven product, to be supplanted by their children's willingness to go a different route. And the evolution of Firearms saw similar situations. The Civil War exposed an entire generation of Americans to Firearms innovations that had been developing since the 1830's. ( Metallic Cartridges, repeating Rifles, and Revolvers. ) And the decade following the War saw huge leaps forward in Firearms technology, as-well-as their universal acceptance in the marketplace. I have no reason to think the evolution of Blacksmithing, followed any different pattern. GrandPa Farmer, ... or GrandPa Blacksmith, ... controlled the money, and made the decisions about how things were done. And although the "new" thing might look good "on paper", ... they were slow to adopt change. The prevailing Apprenticeship system, also did much to perpetuate the "old ways", ... at the expense of emerging innovations. So, ... the fact that so-and-so invented "something" in a particular year, really meant little, in regard to when that practice came into widespread use. My GrandPa shaved with a straight razor, until the day he died, ... even though the electric razor ( in his Dresser Drawer ) had been around for 50 years. .