SmoothBore

The old "tractor" wrenches are quite desirable as collectables, ... and deserve to be displayed. I'd be reluctant to damage them. .

A Horse has a more-or-less round hoof, ... those are Mule Shoes. The "toe caulk" is very common on the shoes of all draft animals, ... and was not necessarily intended for ice or snow applications. The lack of "heel caulks" is also common on Mule Shoes, ... however, I've never seen shoes with that sort of tapered heels. Perhaps it was a variation that was favored by the Farrier, ... or a necessary "orthopedic" design, intended to meet the special needs of one particular animal, ... or perhaps they were indeed "reworked" into some sort of "staple". This last option seems unlikely to me, because you'd think worn out shoes would most likely be "re-tasked" into some other device, ... and the toe caulks on the pictured shoe are not worn out. It's also unusual to find several similar shoes in close proximity to each other, ... as they were typically "lost" individually, ... and tend to be widely scattered. When an animal died the shoes were often removed, but they would then be "saved" in one location.. Truly an intriguing mystery ! .

A garden variety 6^' x 48" belt sander, with the belt laid over in the horizontal position, seems to be a common solution.

Having established that flame cutting Tool Steel is a difficult, unrewarding proposition, ... I'll just offer some basic info. Proper Gas Pressure settings, seems to be the most common problem for beginners. #1 - Gas Pressure, ... To properly adjust the Gas Pressure, turn on the Acetylene, ... light the Torch, ... and then add enough Oxygen to the flame, so that it stops giving off a sooty smoke. ( Now that you have Gas flowing thru both Regulators, the adjustments that you are about to make, will remain constant when cutting. ) The Acetylene Regulator should now be adjusted in the range of 4 to 6 PSI. ( Turning up the Gas will NOT increase the heat, and will overwhelm the mixing capacity of the Tip. ) Now set the Oxygen pressure at 20 to 24 PSI. ( Once again, more pressure WILL NOT improve the performance of the Torch, ... and will make it increasingly difficult to maintain a proper flame. ) Having adjusted the Regulators, we can now adjust the Torch Flame. #2 - A Cutting Tip has several "Jets" that allow it to do 2 jobs, at once. There is a Center Jet, controlled by the "Trigger" or "Lever" on the Cutting Head, that directs the stream of Oxygen onto the pre-heated steel. ( There is a knob on the Cutting Head, that turns the Oxygen on and off, ... obviously, it needs to be turned on. ) The size of the Tip will determine the size of the Flame, ... but regardless of the size, you want to adjust the Gas mixture, so that the ring of Pre-Heat Jets that surround the center Cutting Jet, are burning at their most efficient setting. The 2 knobs on the Torch Body control the Pre-Heat Flame. Turn the Acetylene knob all the way on when you light the Torch. ( The Acetylene Regulator and the Tip size will control that part of the process. ) Now, as you dial open the Oxygen knob, the bright blue flame from the Pre-Heat Jets will become shorter, brighter, and increasingly more defined, ... until they reach a point where they are very distinct, individual "needles" of flame, shrouded in a sheath of pale blue flame, of about the same diameter as the Torch Tip. This is a properly adjusted "Cutting Flame", ... and will not blow out, when you pull the trigger on the Cutting Jet. Now we can cut steel. #3 - With your properly adjusted Torch is held at the point where the tips of the Pre-Heat Flame "needles" are just touching the edge of the steel at the point where you want to start your cut, ... heat the starting point until the steel begins to emit pale yellow "sparks". ( This is the carbon in the steel beginning to burn. ) As soon as the sparks start to appear, ... and holding the Torch perpendicular to the steel, ... it's time to pull the trigger. Watch the Cutting Jet blow thru the steel, ... and move it along the cut line as steadily, and quickly as you can, while maintaining a clean cut. Moving the Torch too slowly will cause the edges of the cut to melt, and flow back together, ( Bridge ) behind the cut. ( A certain amount of "Bridging" is inevitable, and is nothing to worry about. ) On thinner material, where the Pre-Heat process is melting too wide an area, it helps to angle the Torch so that you are, in essence, "pushing" the Cutting Jet out ahead of the Pre-Hear zone. By experimenting with Torch angles and speed, you will quickly become confident and proficient. .

Perhaps, ... before I was weaned, ... there was a time when I found whining and complaining, while making no visible effort at self sufficiency, ... to be appropriate behavior. But in the Culture in which I was raised, once you'd shed your "milk teeth", it was time to start taking some personal responsibility for your own situation. Certainly by Puberty, ... it was time to behave like an Adult. Sadly, it seems that "Adult" role models are in increasingly short supply. And the willingness of, what passes for "Government" :angry: , to misappropriate the rights and duties of Parents and Legal Guardians, ... and circumvent traditional Cultural constraints on Juvenile Behavior, ... has created an expanding group of Perpetual Children, ... with no desire or motivation to achieve maturity. ( It's not difficult to understand why the term "Nanny State" so clearly describes out current condition. ) While some might argue that this arrested development on the part of many younger folks is "not their fault", ... I would point out that it most certainly is THEIR PROBLEM. Yes, ... quite often, life's "NOT FAIR", ... but whining about it, just makes it worse. *********************************************** For many years, I worked in a Supervisory role, in the field of Manufacturing. In that environment, you encounter a steady stream of young, "entry level" employees. The difference in the performance of those young people who had completed a term of Military Service, compared to others who had completed a similar period of "Higher Education", ... was simply ASTOUNDING. To put it bluntly, ... a 22 year old College Graduate, is still a Child, ... and a former Soldier of the same chronological age, ... is an Adult. .

Yeah, ... they run their Pneumatic Laptops with a Diesel powered Compressor. .

A Purist ? ..... No. I'm a Pragmatist, ... and certainly a Traditionalist. And I believe Traditionally, ALL Blacksmiths had to be Pragmatists as well, ... for the very essence of their Craft is to take something, and EVOLVE it into something else, ... that was needed. .

That's certainly true for me ..... Basically, if I like and respect you, ... I'll take on your project, ... and do the very best job possible. But I don't have the necessary patience to putz around with junk, ... or for the folks who would ask me to spend my precious time repairing their junk, ... just so they can save a nickle. Now, ... I'd better elaborate on that ..... I patch up junk for people, all the time, ... and enjoy doing it. For example, ... if You bring me Grandpa's old ... "Widget" that You want to use, ... or preserve, ... I'll gladly repair, sharpen, straighten or weld it, ... and put a new handle in it, ... and just charge You for the handle. But don't bring me the same item to repair, ... so that You can bung it on Ebay ..... MY "attitude, disposition, and personality." will gladly accommodate the former, ... but rarely the latter. .

To me, this seems more like an opportunity for lighter, more ornate scroll-work, rather than a heavy-handed piece. Perhaps an equilateral triangle, of about 14 gauge steel strapping, with some chasing, damasking or stippling on the exposed surface, ... and some scroll, or vine & leaf at the corners, to retain the glass ? Soldered Copper and Brass, in a similar design, would age well, without damaging the flag.

While the sentiment of the piece was laudable, ... I too, was unimpressed with the imagery. Apparently, the modern trend in movie-making, ... as well as video's, ... is to light EVERY scene, as though it were taking place in a Dungeon. Perhaps this appeals to 14 year old Goth wannabe posers, ... and to the Hollywood crowd, who obviously suffer from acute arrested development, ... and single digit IQ's. But speaking for myself, ..... The sniveling, whining brats who inflict on the rest of us, their self-centered visions of doom and despair, ... should go ahead and hang themselves, ... and put all of us, out of THEIR misery. While the concept of "artistic license" might allow for the blurring of fact and fiction, ... it's dishonest and disrespectful to intentionally misrepresent any subject or situation. .

I dump mine regularly, ... but sometimes, it's still something of a Treasure Hunt. :D

Mine was too ! And your picture, with the old spoke wheel car in the background, pushes ALL my ancestral buttons. :D You see, ... my Great Grandfather was a Blacksmith, in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, ... and from about 1913, my Grandfather operated the first Auto Repair Shop in Quarryville, ... from his Dads Blacksmith Shop. And my Great Grandfather owned a spoke wheel REO Touring Car ..... What a great photo ! :) .

The traditional material for wooden spoke wheel hubs, ... in Elm or Gum, ... because the spiral nature of the grain in those woods, make them the least likely to split. Here in South-Central Pennsylvania, Black Gum is fairly common, and certainly has a reputation for being hard to split. So I'm on the lookout for a Black Gum stump, ... but in the meantime, a piece of Silver Maple has served me well for about 20 years now, ... even though it has a "check" in it, that's well over an inch wide. I trued the ends of that log up with a router as well, but found that it needed a shallow hollow on the bottom, and a bit of edge relief as well, to create the same kind of "3-point" base, that "Yetti" describes. On the top of the log section, I routed a pocket about 3/4" deep, in the shape of the Anvil base. My 177# Peter Wright sits so securely in that pocket, that I can grab it and "walk" it around the shop floor, to wherever it's most convenient at the moment, ... and the Anvil never moves a bit. I've heard of guys using caulk or construction adhesive on the bottom of an Anvil, to make it sit more solid, ... but personally feel no need for that. .

I was under the impression, ( but I've been wrong before ) that the blue/green ones were for "Chemical" applications, and the black ones were resistant to petroleum products.

AMEN. When I started out in the Engineering racket, the Company I worked for was using a "designer" :unsure: to build automated assembly machines, for use in building fractional horsepower electric motors. This guy's "methodology" involved building a "fast & dirty" facsimile of a process, ... and then spending the next 6 months, applying ill-conceived "patches", wherever a problem emerged. The end result was a ridiculously complex, nightmare, that was impossible to troubleshoot, or repair. That experience, ... ( repeated several times during my tenure with that Company ) ... instilled in me, a healthy respect for "elegantly simple" design. It's my opinion, that complex thought, tends to yield simple, effect designs. .

Interesting how this thread has brought out such a variety of views..... Obviously, some folks feel They are the center of the Universe, ... while others see themselves a Citizens of the Universe, ... and still others are more inclined to Observe the Universe. :mellow:

I think you're referring to "Proprietary Information", rather than basic trade-craft. In my experience, the type of questions that appear on this Forum, tend to be of a fundamental nature. Frankly, beginners asking questions, rarely know enough about the subject, to ask the kind of probing, insightful questions that would be necessary, in order to extract anyone's "Proprietary Information". .

I've never understood the guys who think they need to guard their knowledge, ... and I won't comment on why I think they do ...... Yes, ... information IS power, and you probably worked hard to acquire it ... but sharing it costs you nothing. You still possess that information, after you've shared it. I too believe that it's important to "earn" skills, ... and therefor place an appropriate value on them. But some people learn from study, ( Yes, ... I think reading these Forums is a type of study. ) ... while others can't quite grasp something, until they actually do it themselves. Both systems have value. I suspect that many of the Members on this Forum, who ask a lot of pretty basic questions, are younger guys, who don't have much "hands on" experience in ANY of the mechanical disciplines. I further suspect, that the lack of "Shop Experience" tends to make them uncertain, and a bit apprehensive, about undertaking even very simple tasks. The fact that they're interested enough to ask in the first place, is a very positive thing, ... and should always be encouraged. . .

There are a variety of "Cold Bluing" products, that are commonly used to "touch up" wear spots on rust blued guns. I'm sure this would be the simplest way to color your hilt. In using those products, it's important to thoroughly degrease the surfaces to be blued. A brand that I've used successfully, ... and would recommend to anyone, ... is "Birchwood Casey". .

I guess that Coal varies quite a bit, from place to place. The "Blacksmith's Coal" ( Bituminous ) that I get from a local Coal Yard, in Mechanicsburg, PA., ... hardly smokes at all. When I put "green" coal on the fire, I get the typical "sulfur smoke" for about a minute, and then, the fire is virtually smoke free. This doesn't strike me as being much of a problem, and I feel no need for any sort of chimney. Perhaps coal from other sources, has different characteristics, in regard to smoke. ..

Alternatively, ... by extending the Bridge Crane through the Shop wall, into a sunken Loading Dock area, the building can remain at a more modest height, and you NEVER need to risk lifting heavy items more than 1" off the floor. .

There are so many "convienience" items, that the list could be nearly endless. So instead, I'll just mention one or two that I feel are the most useful. An Overhead Crane, ... preferably a "Bridge Crane", is something that makes every job easier. Ana a large "Acorn" table under the crane, ... with a minimum of 14' of ceiling height. I currently use a 5 ton rolling Gantry, ... and it's a tremendous help, ... but is a bit cumbersome at times, while a Bridge Crane is never in the way ..... . Until you've worked in a Shop with a Bridge Crane that could reach anywhere on the Shop Floor, you just can't imagine how useful they are, ... and how versatile they make the rest of your equipment.

OK ..... the problem seems to be that the contour of the driveway interfers with the horizontal movement of the gates. So, don't swing them in a horizontal plane. Instead, rotate them upward, in a vertical plane, pivoting at the bottom of the gate, ... with an adjustable counter-weight, tuned so as to neutralize the weight.

What IS a "Blacksmith" ? Today, the term is bandied about quite freely, ... and is applied to anyone who works hot Iron or Steel. But traditionally, a "Journeyman" Blacksmith, was expected to posess and exhibit ALL the skills that are associated with the Trade. Many "Ornamental Ironworkers" are referred to as "Blacksmiths", ... even though they have no interest or experience in "Tool-making", or in the Fabrication of Mechanical devices. So basically, ... there is no single description, that adequately defines a Blacksmith. .

Well sure, ... it does that too. :P .