SmoothBore

Of course I would, ... and do, ... try to save a buck whenever I can. It gets a little complicated, because, as I see it, there are several issues in question. If it was just about the weight, I wouldn't hesitate to haul a stable, well secured load, that was right up to my legal maximum. I sometimes load and haul old farm tractors, by pulling them up ramps, with a chain come-a-long. This is a simple, safe way to load that sort of equipment, because they are on wheels, ... can be steered, ... there is no danger of them sliding sideways, or otherwise losing control of them, ... and once on the road, there is little danger of them coming "adrift" under "Emergency" braking conditions. But loading a slab of Grey Iron, of equal weight, would present a much more difficult problem, ... and have the potential to do a lot more damage/injury, if something should go wrong. ( I've seen chains break, ... load binders break, ... truck and trailer axles break, ... tires explode, ... and all sorts of other, unforeseen situations turn a seemingly simple job, into a catastrophe. ) I too would love to have that platen in my shop, ... and if there was no other way to get it, I would move it myself. My point, is that you won't save as much as you think by moving it yourself, ... and the risks you assume by doing so, are high. In my opinion, this is a time where it's more prudent to pay a Professional ( with adequate liability insurance ) to do this job, and look at the TOTAL cost of the project, rather than playing "bean counter", and trying to break it down into "Capital Expenditures", and "Overhead Costs". It's that "Bean Counter" mentality, ... favored by "Business School" graduates, ... that's done so much to destroy America's Manufacturing base. ********************************************************************************************* Phil, My rigging cost on that job is probably a little misleading, because the Rigger is an old friend, who I used to hire on a fairly regular basis, in my official capacity as "Plant Engineer" of a Manufacturing Company. Over the years, I've helped him out with Electrical problems, and he's moved several machines into my current shop. I'm sure he gave me a good deal, ... but I'm equally sure that he can't afford to give his services away. The bottom line is, that whatever the cost, when he moves a machine, he arrives with the equipment, and knowledge, to do a safe, seamless job. And that's worth quite a bit. .

You guys are scaring me to death ! Trailers, ... ramps, ... REALLY ! I hope you mean a low-boy of at least 10,000# capacity. For those who aren't familiar with trailer specs, the GVW rating on a trailer includes the weight of the trailer. As an example, my 7,000# GVW trailer, weighs 2,300# EMPTY, and the load range "D" tires are rated for 1,750# each. That leaves me a MAXIMUM cargo weight, of 4,700#. Sure, you might "get away" with overloading a trailer, and exceeding your vehicle's towing capacity, ... But why on Earth would you take the chance ? Just a few months ago, I used a first class Rigger, with a Rollback, to move a 16" x 30" Monarch Lathe. It was about a 100 mile round trip. He winched the lathe onto the truck off a ground level floor, and deposited it back to ground level in my shop without breaking a sweat. ( Having the right equipment, ... and knowing how to use it, ... is absolutely PRICELESS. ) The whole job took about 3 hours, ... and he charged me $250. You would spend that much to rent a trailer, and put gas in your tow vehicle. Quite often, ... " Discretion is the better part of Valor ". .

I can't imagine why anyone would intentionally screw up a 1 story shop, with unnecessary posts, when "clear span" trusses are available out to 60' or more. I'm forever kicking myself for stopping the wall height at 10'4" when another $400 would have gotten me 3 more courses of block, yielding an extra 2' of height. Rather than a bridge Crane, ( which would be a terrific thing to have ) ... I use a rolling Gantry in my shop, and would be lost without it. Another thing that I wish I had done, ... is span the shop with a couple of "I" beams, equipped with Beam Trucks and Chain Hoists. .

"Killed" = "Deoxidized"

I'm sure other people would tell you my shop is pretty messy. And it is, ..... but as long as I can find what I want, when I want it, ... then the shop is still functional, ... and the dirt is just a "cosmetic" thing. I am pretty adamant about putting tools back in their assigned place, .... and have little patience for "treasure hunts" when I need a tool. ( Hear that, Dad ? ) ( My Dad is 79, and still very active, ... but he "forgets" to return things to their assigned place. If this seems like a typical result of aging, you need to know that he's been that way for as long as I can remember. ) . .

I recently visited a Smith in Southern Pennsylvania, who had 4 Fire Extinguisher "bells" of various lengths, hanging by his door. they were hanging close enough together that you just brushed your fingers over them, and they "tinkled" against each other. It was a very nice example of creative recycling. .

Those kind of adds make me very suspicious that the seller is playing a game with the prices. Nobody knows who the "bidders" actually are, ... or how many more of those "valuable" antiques the seller will list for sale, once a price has been established. "CAVEAT EMPTOR" .

Very effective "no snag" sinkers can be made, using a spoon for a mold. Teaspoons yield sinkers in the 1/2 ounce to 1 ounce range. Bigger spoons make bigger sinkers. The flat, "teardrop" shape works well in mud, rocky or sandy bottoms, ... and won't "roll" in a swift current, the way most "store bought" designs will. .

Yep, ... Mineral Oil is the best choice. .

When I was a boy, ( half a century ago ) there was a little junkyard down the road, where the owner did body work on cars and trucks. I've often seen him shrink a dent out of a body panel, by heating a circle around the dent with a rosebud, and then quickly cooling it, with an air hose. Obviously, it takes some practice to get a feel for this process, ... but it is possible, and it's better then hammering more stress into the piece. .

A 3/4" conduit bender will normally yield a 6" radius bend. A "Ridgid" brand "tri-stand" has a somewhat sharper radius bender cast into the top of the tripod, ... that works just fine for bending rigid conduit, ... or "black iron" pipe. Stick a piece of 1/2" re-bar in the pipe, to a depth just short of the bend, if you want to concentrate the bend, and avoid "springing" the straight portion of the pipe. Or alternatively, a larger diameter pipe, slipped over the length being bent, will have the same affect. .

Here, in the lower Susquehanna Valley, of South-Central Pennsylvania, there are several wood fired Iron Furnaces still in existence. The early settlers found the basic ingredients for Iron production were here, in suitable quantities to justify building large, naturally aspirated smelting furnaces. Iron Ore, Limestone, and lots of Wood, were the only essential requirements. If you google "Codorus Furnace" you will find a lot of basic information on early Iron production, as-well-as a couple of YouTube type amateur videos of the furnace. ( Unlike some of the other early Iron Furnaces in the area, due to the proximity to the Codorus Creek, Codorus Furnace was "blown" by a large bellows, that was powered by a water wheel. ) Many of the early house and barn foundations around the area, are built from the local "Ironstone" ( ore ) ... and it's commonplace to see rust streaks running down those stone walls, from the iron-rich ore. .

All automotive exhaust valves are forged from a stainless steel alloy. ( Can't remember which one. ) Intake valves are not always made from stainless steel, ... and all automotive valves are likely to have a .100" thick "wafer" of 4140 welded on the stem end, as a wear surface, ... and some also have a layer of "Stellite".hard surface weld, applied to the seat area. Still, as long as you're aware of these "inclusions", scrapped engine valves are a good source of high quality, malleable material. .

Sadly, "inclusions" have always been with us. But the increased proportion of "recycled" material, combined with the nonexistent quality standards for imported steel, has certainly downgraded the overall quality of currently available material. Get used to it ..... .

A very strong, free-standing "pavilion" can be assembled, using inexpensive surplus steel pallet racking. Rather than setting "poles", the base of the pallet racking "uprights" can be bolted to railroad ties, or other timbers, laying flat on the ground. Two parallel rows of racking, with differing height top rails, can then be spanned with "rafters", to make a simple roof, with as much overhang as you find practical. ( Snow and Wind loads are the determining factors. ) For a bigger Smithy, requiring longer spans between the racking, ... fabricated roof trusses can be used to create a traditional "peaked" roof, that, depending on the pitch, and top chord dimensions of the truss, can give you overhangs of 6' or more. ( I have a 5' overhang on the side of my shop where the overhead doors are located, and find it to be a very useful feature. ) The small, free-standing "Plantation Style" Smithy's, were usually constructed with a roof that was supported by the 4 corner posts, and had a 2' to 3' overhangs on all 4 sides of their "hip" style roof. They usually had a low "knee wall" running from corner post, to corner post, on 3 sides, with the opening on the "downwind" side. The low wall offered a lot of protection, while still allowing long work-pieces, to be easily accommodated. I suspect a useful variation on that design could be built, incorporating "concession stand" style drop-down doors, hinged at the top, that would have all the advantages of an open-air Smithy, ... and the security, protection from weather, and privacy, of a closed shed.

Historically, the practice of firing coins from a shotgun, is quite common. I suspect that a penny, fired into soft ground, ... would deform in a similar fashion, ... without leaving any "tool marks".

What you describe, is a very common phenomenon with diaphragm type gas regulators. The regulator's job, is to meter the gas, at a preset pressure, ... and any downstream valve, should only be used to adjust the volume of gas flowing to the burner, .. not as a shut-off valve. When you close a valve, downstream from the regulator, you inhibit it's function, ... of metering the gas, ... by eliminating the necessary pressure differential. Pressure accumulation in the line, between the regulator and the downstream valve, is an undesirable, and potentially dangerous condition. The correct practice, is to always turn the gas off upstream from the regulator, and preferably, at the source. With bottled gasses, the plumbing found downstream from the regulator, is very likely NOT rated for the pressure, that's available on the upstream side, ... and the regulator is NOT an adequate safety device, to prevent an over-pressure condition, in that downstream plumbing. .

Traditionally, horsehide is the material of choice, for heat and spark resistant aprons and gloves. I made myself a leather aron that's knee length, and fits close around the neck, so that a welding helmet overlaps it, in that critical area, just under the chin. It sheds sparks like a suit of armor. The pockets for a 6" scale, "Sharpie" marker and Soapstone, are on the inside, ... about where a shirt pocket would be, and are angled towards the arm openings, for easy access. Yes, ... I am fussy about my aprons. I also use conventional style Denim Shop Aprons, ... but insist that the pockets be attached only along the top edge of the pocket, ... so they will hang vertically when you bend over. Having to bend over again, to pick up something that fell out of my apron pocket, ... just burns my biscuits. .

I'd beware of Piston Rings. They're often made from various Inconel, Monel, or Stellite Alloys. The "oil" in the shocks, and forks, is very likely a synthetic blend, rather than a petroleum product. A motorcycle frame is most likely 4130 or 4140 "moly" steel. Unless it's that aforementioned Harley, ... in which case, it's just Pig Iron. .

Me too. ..... from sometime around 1963 or 1964.

From around 1900 to the 1930's, my Great-Grandfather had a Smithy in Quarryville, Pennsylvania. Along with general repairs and modification of farm equipment, he made specialized tools for the Slate quarrying and cutting business, in the "Peach Bottom" area. Growing up, in the early 60's, tools that he'd made were still in daily use, ... and were among my Grandfather's most prized possessions. But that was the extent of my direct relationship with Blacksmithing, in my early years. By the late 60's, there were still a few "seasonal" or "part-time" Smithy's scattered around Southern York County, but the one in West York was the last "full-time" working Blacksmith in the area. Sometime in the early 70's, that last Smithy closed, and the equipment was Auctioned off. ( Around 1970, York was a heavy manufacturing center, and all the Factories had well equipped Maintenance Departments, with Welding, Fabrication and Machining capabilities. I think this contributed to the decline of the Blacksmith business, in this area. Everybody "knew" someone, that had access to a repair facility of some sort. Today, .. 40 years later, .. this is no longer the case. ) In the early 1980's I was Supervising a Custom Machining and Fabrication Shop, when a "regular" customer brought in a fabricated hand tool, ( for planting tree seedlings ) with a forged blade. He wanted a quote on several hundred, ... but nobody could duplicate the blade design, in a reasonably economical fashion. The customer said "the old Smith in West York always made them, on his Power Hammer". Shortly thereafter, I accidentally learned who had bought that Power Hammer, when the West York Smithy was sold off. The new owner was willing to heat and hammer out the tapered portion, if I'd furnish the blade blanks. This impressed upon me, the realization that, if the old equipment was preserved, the skills to operate it, could be re-learned. In the 1990's I was working as a Manufacturing Engineer and Tool Designer, for a Company that operated several ACME Forge Presses, in the 500 to 1,000 ton range. Induction Heaters and 10 second cycle times were the rule in that environment, ... but basically, the process is not much different from that performed in a Coal Forge, with a Hammer and Anvil. Today, my "hobby shop", ... the "SmoothBore Smithy" ... has an 8 or 9 month backlog of unsolicited projects for friends and neighbors, ... while most of my "personal" projects are STILL on the "back burner". The primary change that I've seen occur in Blacksmithing, over my lifetime, is in the nature of the work itself. while machinery design and repair declined to the point of near extinction, ( primarily due to economic reasons ) ... "ornamental" iron work, and "artisan" type items have seen an increase in demand. Here, in South-Central Pennsylvania, the needs of the Amish and Mennonite Communities have done much to keep "traditional" Blacksmithing from disappearing completely, ... but they too, are subject to the economic realities of "hand-made" versus "mass produced" goods. .

Sounds like a lot of work, to make an "apple" into an "orange". Particularly when older "tour" buses are readily available, ... cheap, ... and already have the storage and head room that you desire. Just because you can build something yourself, doesn't always mean that you should. .

For an "all species" solution, I recommend a generous application of .22 long rifle shot shells. :D

You've gotta love the dependable nature of Gravity. :D

From a functional perspective, ... making the "point" too sharp, and thinly tapered, ... will have a tendency to split the wood. The point should crush some of the wood fibers, ... not wedge them apart. A "cut" nail, or a flat "masonry" nail, would be a good example to follow. Back when Dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, an old time Cabinet Maker taught me the trick of blunting the point of a nail, to prevent splitting the wood. This is particularly useful, when nailing into old, dry, hard wood. .