SmoothBore

Funny what Parents perceive as "dangerous". I ran Farm Machinery, drove Cars, Pick-ups and big "Straight" Trucks, Jumped Horses and had free access to the Gun Cabinet, ... before I was 10, ... but had to wait until I was 18, to buy my first Motorcycle. Mom and Dad thought they were too dangerous ..... .

I was driving Farm Tractors at age 6. And had my Nephew driving a Forklift, ... in an empty Warehouse, ... before he was 5. ( He has Cerebral Palsy now, and is confined to a wheelchair, ... and I'm xxxxxx glad to have given Him some "Real World" experiences, before that happened. ) It all depends on the Kid. If you treat a Child like a fool, ... He'll sure act like a fool, ... but it doesn't have to be that way. By far, the most dangerous Forklift Operator I've ever seen, was in his 20's ..... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Children DESPERATELY need exposure to REALITY. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here in SE Pennsylvania, we have "Old Order" Amish and Mennonite Families, ... whose Children are routinely exposed to all manner of "Work Environments". Over a period of 20 years, I employed dozens of those Children in Food Vending Operations, in some of the local Farmers Markets. They make the best possible Employees, ... and require little supervision. .

And there's where it gets a bit "sticky" ..... Those extremely weight-conscious, shipboard Blacksmiths, could never carry "specialized" tooling, ... or waste material and fuel, in the fashion we see in the video. While much of a Ships Ironwork was made "ashore", and therefore not limited by the strict "economies" imposed on shipboard operations, ... Whaleboats in particular, were "expendable", ... and subject to routine repair and replacement, during a Voyage. I suspect the two-piece "design" of the Oar Lock in the video is correct, ... but have reservations about the "authenticity" of the techniques employed in it's production. .

Well shoot, ... how could they justify the "authentic, period correct reproduction" pricing, ... if they didn't treat it like it was Ye Olde Rocket Science ..... .

The good folks at Fiskars have furnished me with "wrong handed" scissors, for over 30 years. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Old Oven Racks and Commercial Refrigerator Racks, are a good source for useful sized Stainless round stock. .

That's good advice. The "color" you see, is only an indication of the temperature on the surface of the piece. The other advice given above, ... ( ie: start with material as close to the finished size as possible ) ... is equally sound. With experience, you'll come to understand that many of the things that you can do, ... are not necessarily the things that you should do. .

Just penned a scholarly treatise on the subject of "specialized tools", ... only to have it vanish into the vast maw of .................... It's becoming tiresome .......... .

Well then, be afraid, ... be very afraid ..... Over 30 years ago, ( to facilitate the Forging of Automotive Valves ) ... I designed and built cam driven, "Walking Beam" type, "Pick & Place Devices" ... ( simple robots ) ... to transfer hot slugs, from induction heaters, into 2-stage Forging Dies, ... transfer the partially formed Forgings from the 1st Die Station ( the "Onion" ), ... to the 2nd Die Station ( the "Coining Die" ), ... and deliver the finished Forgings into an Annealing Furnace. Thereby transforming the Job of "Forge Press Operator" ( 500 to 1,000 ton ) ... from a miserably hot, smokey, loud, dangerous occupation, ... into one that conforms to current OSHA guidelines. In all likelihood, the Valves in your Motor Vehicle, were Forged in this manner. .

During a career as a Manufacturing Engineer, ... spent predominantly designing and building "automation" systems ( robots ) ... from time-to-time I'd run into a situation that required forming, bending, shaping or otherwise "Forging" custom made parts. And it never left my mind, that there were things that could not be made, on the fanciest CNC machines. AND, all my life I'd heard tales about a Great-Grandfather ( Pap ) who'd had a Smithy, ... and some of "Pap's" hand-made tools were still prized possessions, throughout the family. So, ... when ill-health made "early retirement" a reality, ... I built a Forge, and started learning to work hot steel. .

Looking at it from another perspective ..... ANY product that was popular enough to be a commercially viable product of mass production, ... had to have FIRST been "custom" made, to prove it's utility. Looking back, We see this all the time, ... where many useful "Custom" made specialty products, fell by the wayside, ... when they were NOT in great enough demand, to be commercially viable. .

Cow Bells, ... Goat Bells, ... Wind Chimes ..... .

Picked up one at a Flea Market, ... that's made from 1 3/8" solid round bar. It must be VERY, VERY Old, ... since it's obviously intended for Butchering Mastodons. .

Yes, ... of course, ... and no doubt. Surely, in this age, a Blacksmith is a true Renaissance Man ..... Renaissance Man : "An outstandingly versatile, well-rounded person." The expression alludes to such Renaissance figures as Leonardo da Vinci, who performed brilliantly in many different fields. .

FYI for those who are unfamiliar with the rendering process ..... Lard is rendered from pork fat, by slowly heating, ... ( if it starts to smoke, back off the heat a bit ) ... and occasionally stirring the chunks of fat, ... usually in a large cast iron "Butcher Kettle", ... but can be done in any size batch, and pot. Some of the Lard will just melt out of the fat, ... and can be "skimmed" off at any point, ... but most will remain suspended in the connective tissue of the fat. When the chunks of fat turn Golden Brown, the rendering is complete. The balance of the Lard can then be extracted, by skimming off the floating chunks of Golden Brown fat, and pressing them, to squeeze out the residual Lard. ( A "Lard Press/Sausage Stuffer" is the traditional means of pressing out the Lard, ... but just about ANY system of squeezing the hot chunks of fat, will work. ) That which remains after pressing, are called "Cracklin's", ... and are absolutely delicious when eaten while still warm from the Lard Press, ... or at a later date, mixed into Scrambled Eggs, or Pancake Batter. The thing to remember about delicious, warm, fresh squeezed Cracklin's, ... is that they will have the same effect on your digestive tract, as a dose of Mineral Oil. Unless you're troubled by chronic Constipation, ... I recommend moderation. --------------------------------------------------------------- A Kettle of rendering Lard, is essentially a deep fat fryer, ... and is the perfect place to cook up the odd bit of lean pork, ... otherwise intended for the Sausage grinder. Such tidbits are the just reward, for the hot, monotonous job of Stirring the Kettle, ... and should NEVER be shared with kibitzers and onlookers. .

Molasses Cookies, or Chocolate Chip, or Oatmeal Cookies, ... made with Lard, and still warm from the oven... are most assuredly, a Religious Experience. .

Once you've seen your 60th Birthday, ... that's not as much of an issue as it used to be ..... .

Here in "Pennsylvania Dutch Country" getting Lard is not a problem. Getting the beloved Patrish to use it, ... is the problem ..... .

To we aficionados of the SmoothBore ... and particularly the "High-Grade" creations of John Moses Browning, ... Liege, and the neighboring town of Herstal, Belgium, ... are revered, in much the same way that Muslims cherish Mecca. The classic Browning "flagship" model over-under Shotgun, ... the venerable "Superposed", ... is still built, one-at-a-time, by the Browning Custom Shop, in Liege, Belgium. And another bit of SmoothBore trivia ..... The last production model Browning over-under Shotguns to carry the coveted "Made in Belgium" barrel stamping, ... were sold in the US as the "Liege" and "Grand Liege" models. While 1975 was the last year those models were imported into the US market, ... they are STILL sold Worldwide, ... by "Fabrique Nationale" ( FN ) of Herstal, Belgium. That's right, ... a product that's existed in it's current form for over 50 years, ... and is still recognized as being among the finest in the World. .

One more thought about homemade cookies ..... When other Shortenings began to replace Lard, ... they just haven't been the same. .

Several years ago, in an Antique Tractor Forum, ... I floated an "informed" THEORY, ... ( but still, just a THEORY ) ... about the intended use of some obscure aftermarket parts, made by a local company. And I stated unequivocally in that Forum, that it was just a THEORY, ... based on the Historical evidence. ( The Grandson of the original owner of that Company, manages it today, ... and He's not sure about the intended use of those particular parts, ... but we've discussed it extensively, ... and have arrived at a consensus THEORY. ) In the ensuing years, ... on 3 separate occasions, ... in discussions on other Antique Tractor Forums, ... I've had my original THEORY quoted back at me, ... as absolute FACT. Which tells me all I need to know, about the veracity of Internet based "research". .

When you're just getting interested, ... you really don't have the knowledge and experience to truly KNOW what tools you need, ... or how you prefer them to function. I advocate using "store bought" tools, ... of proven design utility, ... until you become experienced enough to custom design your own. .

AMEN. I hear ya. .

But I just saw the guy on TV, ( you know, the one that rides the mule ) ... hammer out a Katana in about 3 minutes, ( using a rock for an Anvil ) ... and then use it to hunt, kill and butcher a Buffalo ..... Why do all you OLD guys always act like this stuff is so hard ..... .

When I made the Branding Iron for the "Lone Saguaro" outfit, it was specified that it be suitable for use on everything from GrandKids and Jack Russells, ... to Rattlesnakes. No complaints, ... so far ..... .

It's been my observation, that Women are, ... by several levels of magnitude, ... MORE competitive than Men. No, ... they don't always attempt to compete with Men, ... but their interactions with other Women, are endlessly competitive.