SmoothBore

A piece of 3/4" pipe, schedule XXS, would be a close approximation of a muzzle loader barrel. That should be about 1.050" OD ... and .434" ID. .

I Silver Braze all my own bands, with 55% Silver-Solder and a Flouride-Free flux, ... using the 20 degree scarf technique seen above, and a propane "Plumbers" torch. Propane torch barely furnishes enough heat to make the Silver flow, ... with no chance of overheating the steel. In over 40 years, never had a joint fail. There's a good "YouTube" video, showing the technique, ... and a simple to make fixture, that makes it all go slick & easy. .

That's a "Drilling" hammer. .

Many hand tools have a "right-hand bias". I've noticed this phenomenon most clearly, as it relates to shovels, axes, sledge hammers and pitchforks. None of those tools were ever made to suit me. . .

Yeah, me too. As I was reading the above posts, I kept thinking about anvil orientation. My "go to" anvil, is a #177 Peter Wright, mounted on a white oak stump. It's surprisingly easy to grab the anvil at both ends, and simply "walk" or rotate it into whatever presentation I find most useful, for any given job. I honestly don't have a "preference", in that regard. Having never used a hand-cranked blower, I just don't know if that would make any difference. .

It's important to remember, that shameless self-promotion has always been with us, ... and therefore, can also be considered "traditional". .

When you heat a piece of mild steel, and hit it with a hammer, ... it moves. When you do the same to Stainless, ... it laughs. .

Like most, the farm where I was raised, was littered with derelict equipment. As a very young boy, one of my favorite "tools" was a hack saw. I have a clear memory of how difficult it was to saw the head off a carriage bolt, in a rotting old horse-drawn manure spreader. And how, when I finally got the bolt out of the wood, it had an unusual "grainy" appearance. I'm sure, that was my first ever experience with wrought-iron. Couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 at the time.

Many years ago, I helped a friend remove a "bulk" molasses tank from a feed mill. In the bottom of the tank, we discovered a 10 inch "Craftsman" adjustable wrench. The molasses had removed every bit of the chrome from the wrench. We had no way of knowing how long the wrench had been in the tank, but it appeared to be a fairly "modern" pattern.

Well, you know, ... it's TV. And it's best if you remember that TV was created specifically to sell you things. Not to entertain, ... And certainly not to educate. Sure, it would be great if it were authentic, accurate, factual and all that, ... but it's not. But that didn't stop you from laughing, when the Anvil landed on Wile E. Coyotes head, ... or Bugs Bunny outwitted Elmer Fudd, ... again. And in this case, as well, I think it's essential to ... Consider the Source. .

My great-grandfather operated the "Lightfoot" grist mill, on the Robinson River in Culpepper County, Virginia. Some of my earliest memories are of playing around that mill, and I clearly recall the abundance of "no smoking" signs, warning about the dangers of dust explosions. As a child, the idea of dust "exploding" seemed far-fetched, but the adults took it very seriously. Flash-Forward to the late 1970's ..... A "dry" bearing, supporting the end of a large diameter shaft in a printing machine, has pounded itself into a pile of dust in the bottom of the side cover of the machine. The side cover was about 6' square and 18" deep, fabricated from 1/4 inch steel plate. My crew had removed the cover to replace the bearing, and the decision was made to cut a service window into the cover, to facilitate future lubrication of that "problem" bearing. ( Poorly designed, imported junk machine. ) We hauled the cover over to the shop, and, because the cover was so heavy and clumsy to handle, we left it, standing upright on the "Towmotor" forks, and cut the "service window" with an Acetylene torch. All went well, and before long, the flame cutting was done, leaving lots of sparks, smoldering in the pile of powdered steel bearing. No problems, ... No hazards, ... Just another job. Until the cover slipped, and fell, ... hollow side down, ... onto the floor. At that point, the pile of "powdered" bearing, and smoldering sparks from the torch, combined with a sufficient amount of air, in a confined space, ... and ... K A B O O M ! That 500-600 pound cover, instantly "levitated" to about waist high. Forever dispelling any doubts I may have had, in regard to the potential power, ... and the likelihood, ... of dust explosions. Unintended consequences of that sort, are the primary reason I disapprove of dust collection systems in general, ... and particularly on grinders. .

I just noticed this spelling / semantic error, ... and I've missed my "window of opportunity" for editing the original text. While bending and forging steel might well be considered a "vice", ... In this particular instance, I was actually referring to a "vise". ---------------------------------------------- In explanation, ... I often use "Dragon" software when posting my drivel, ... and that wily old reptile loves to "stick it to me." with little glitches of that sort. In that sense, ... and paraphrasing Forrest Gump's Momma, ... "Dragon, is like a box of chocolates, ... you never know what you're going to get". .

In years past, "portable" or "traveling" forges were fairly common. In the military, both Artillery and Calvary units were allotted "forge wagons" as a standard part of their equipment. Somewhere, I saw a list of everything that a Calvary unit carried on their "traveling forge". The "standard" anvil, that was specified for their use under those conditions, was a #100 London pattern. Obviously, the primary role of those forges, was to support the work of the farriers, ... and to maintain harness and tack. While I'm sure a larger Anvil might have been desirable, that still gives you an idea of the scope of the work that was successfully undertaken on that size anvil. Then, as now, the military did not lack for manpower, and if a heavier Anvil had been deemed necessary, ... that's what they would have used. .

The way I do it, you don't need longer angles. I also just add my "pipe ring" to one of the pins. But what I use is just a ring, about 2 inches long, cut from the end of a piece of pipe. When you drop the ring over one of the pins, it doesn't need to be centered or "bushed", ... the inner edge of the ring rests against the pin. Then, you just slide the pins ( with the ring over one of them ) to accommodate the diameter of the stock you're bending, and lock the vice down at that point. The pipe ring forms and eccentric circle, relative to the location of the pins. Now, you place your material in the gap between the pins ( with the ring over one of them ) and then bend the material right around the pipe ring. While it's a little bit difficult to explain, ... The process is actually childishly simple. .

I use that style as well. I would add, that by using slices of pipe to generate the required " ID " you're not limited to the width of the jaws on your vise. My adjustable "bending fork / jig", uses 1" round bar welded to the angles, and I then drop whatever size collar I need over one of the 1" pins, and then set the remaining gap, to the size of the stock being bent. I bend a lot of oversize chain links in this fashion, ( 2 1/2" to 6" ID ) and use them to repair "off-road" tractor and log-skidder chains. Simple and effective. .

For what it's worth ..... Back in the 70's, there was an aftermarket company selling motorcycle handlebar grips, with a pentagonal cross section. The premise, was that the flats on the grip coincided with the distance from one knuckle to the next, ... thereby creating a very natural shape. And they worked surprisingly well in off-road applications, providing good control without fatigue. I've modified several handles, on heavier hammers, ( 4 to 4.5 lb. ) to reflect that shape, ... and like the control it provides. I thought the orientation of the pentagonal handle shape, to that of the head, might pose a problem when reversing the head, but in practice, it works very well either way.

For many years, what's known as "technical writing", made up a portion of my day-to-day responsibilities. In doing that, you quickly come to understand, that English-speaking people tend to include many superficial words and phrases in their vernacular. The above quote is just such a sentence. Eliminate the last three words, and the message remains unchanged.

Depends,... what kind of dog is it ? .

A long time ago, I used to race motorcycles, and always wore the best helmet that the good folks at "Bell" could furnish. During those years, inexpensive helmets of "Oriental" origin came onto the market, and some of my fellow racers were quite happy to save a few bucks on those "helmet like objects", even though they lacked the "Snell Foundation" certification. Even at that tender age, I was aware of the futility of arguing with idiots, ... so my standard response when questioned about spending "all that money" on a certified helmet, was always, ... "I'm sure you know better than me, what your head's worth." And, more recently, no less an expert than the estimable Ron White, has observed, ... "You can't fix stupid". I've worn glasses since age 5, and can't count the times that they've saved me from injury. But, that being said, ... I'm not always diligent about using protective gear in a "proactive" fashion. Obviously, there are certain jobs and operations that are so notoriously hazardous, that the proper protective gear is a no-brainer. But generally, I hate wearing gloves, ... and rarely use them when grinding or welding. And I have the scars to prove it. So, while I'm a big advocate of using appropriate PPE, ... I'm not exactly the "poster boy". .

Anvils were traditionally fired on St. Clement's Day, honoring Pope Clement I, the patron saint of blacksmiths and metalworkers. .

Yes, certainly ... and you'd better consider the phase of the moon, as well. Also, never attempt to temper a blade, ... when your dog's in heat, ... or the fish are biting. .

Factories can be downright amusing places to work. I spent a lot of years as a Manufacturing Engineer, with the supervision of Plant Maintenance Personnel, as a substantial part of my responsibilities. Some "veteran" machine operators were absolutely gifted in their ability to "blow smoke" up their Supervisors shorts. Your typical morning. "Production Meeting" would always have one or two laughably ridiculous explanations, presented as justification for productivity shortfalls. Sometimes, it was truly amazing just how embarrassingly naive, a recently graduated Ivy League "Supervisor" could be. Some of them learned a few things, and became effective managers, ... the rest went into Sales. .

I'm not sure I fully understand the question, but I do recognize that not everyone has the same point of reference. My maternal Grandfather was the kindliest of Southern Gentlemen, who doted on his Grandkids. But he was from an era when young people were EXPECTED to behave like miniature adults. I have no interest in discussing the right or wrong of that attitude, and would only add, that it's been my experience that people tend to aspire to expectations. In our "entitlement" culture, it's my opinion, that large portions of the population are "expected" to be useless, worthless, failures. A self-fulfilling prophecy. Whereas, in years past, the expectation was that you were intelligent and capable enough to perform at a high level of competency. And, lacking the option of comfortable, blameless ineptitude, ... that expectation of competency, served to establish a standard of behavior. When commenting on the "retrograde" nature, of the results obtained by increased numbers of unskilled workers with lamentably short attention spans, ... GrandDad was, of course, making a joke. But like much "observational" humor, it was funny, ... because it's true. .

Growing up, I had a pair of cousins, and the three of us were all born within a five-month period. So we were sort of like triplets. We all liked to help my grandfather around the farm, but he was somewhat doubtful as to how much "help" we brought to any job. He was fond of saying, "When you've got one kid, you get one kid's worth of work". "With two kids, you get about a half-a kid's worth of work". "And with three or more, ... you're better off doing it yourself".

For what it's worth, ..... and it's not worth much. Like everything else in life, there are "rules" about the color of horses. A "Chestnut" horse, never has any black markings or "points". While a "Bay" horse, always has black markings. Therefore, it is categorically impossible to have a "Chestnut Bay". .