Hayden H

If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for all of it?

I guess I'll go with charcoal, coal smoke does really screw with my asthma when theres no wind, and I can make charcoal with the neighbors oak trimmings. Plus charcoal won't be out of the norm for my neighborhoods air

https://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/ThingsToDo/ArtCommunity/BlacksmithShop/tabid/250/Default.aspx Ummm.... go to the Grapveine website, his page should be on there under things to do.

Kennedale Texas, just west of Dallas, I think I'll buy it by the ton that way I have enough to last awhile, but at 7-8 mpg paying for gas, I think I'll buy the cheapest I can find

I'm gonna try corn for kicks, (I can get corn for $0.10 a lb) I'll look into getting some from the power plant first, I've got family hauling hay across Texas so they'de pick up a decent amount for me if I payed the gas to haul it home

And corn as a substitute for coal? Does it burn extremely fast?

Theres a blacksmith shop in Grapevine, he'd probably sell you some coal, if not search Houston Area Blacksmiths Association, go to the "coal bin" page, you can buy a 2,000 bulk sack of forge coke at Walton Terminals. (In Houston, its the cheapest I've found)

I'm almost out of coal. The only place withing 200+ miles of me that has coal is the power plant, its extremly soft bituminous coal. Should I go out there and talk to the silo master, or order it by the bag from Centaur? (My areas north central Texas 76384)

AAAHH!!! I wished I'd seen this yesterday! My uncles hauled hay to east of Baton Rouge! I have no idea how theyd'v loaded it, but I'd forced em to bring it home to me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wq0r9KA1So I'm thinking about making a jig for my power hammer. KInda like the one in GearHartIronWerks youtube page. It'd be perfect to make tongs, and sell em until I get all my L.G. parts ordered

I've got family in the oil field, so I get the tag ends of stuff if I want it, I'm not to worried about hydrogen in an open forging area, I'm worried about H2S (hydrogen sulfide gas) impegnated rods. It's a slow painful death, that I absolutely do not want to endure

Will 5/8, or 1/2 sucker rod be good to make tongs out of? I can get random peices of sucker rod cheaper than I can get bar stock

I've got family friends that have lived in my area for 75+ years, I have heard of 1 smithy, and someone else said, it washed down the river last time there was a gulley washer., I don't know that for sure, but I do know, when I come across smithing stuff its either somewhere I don't wanna go, or its at the "crazy old man on the hill". Either way, I usually ask, but most of the time the answers the same, "Sent it to the scrap yard last week"

Alright, that explains why a decent amount of oil is on everything in the hammers vicinity

I'm gonna talk to my county judge, and see if I can forge a gun. But I bet if I do, the P.D. have to have officers stand in, "to insure the proper destruction of a weapon."

The filled the oil cups up, they held oil overnight, when I engaged the clutch, and turned it manually, the oil ran out of the front oil port in the shaft, not the back. How do I get it to hold oil? Dissasemble, and pack around the front main bearing assembly? Or just let the oil flow through, until I can re-pour the babbott?

I know I'll for sure be ordering the whole toggle arm assembly from Sid, the machine shop quoted me $250 a peice minumum. (I honestly don't understand why they're that expensive, they make flails for mills that are extremely close to the toggle shape, for $85) The crank pin, is welded onto the cross head, but I think I can break those welds relatively easy. I'll order pitmans, ram, toggle assembly, cross head, and the crank pin. And the video. Still can't find another L.G. owner in my vicinity.

Little Giant rebuild classes, Nebraska City, Nebraskas, almost 10 hours away from me. I think I'll go with the vid

I've emailed a guy from Alva Oklahoma, a few people referred me to him for blacksmithing stuff awhile back, but I got on the Salt Fork Artist Blacksmith Association, and the tailgate section said his health had deteriorated and he sold out. (Said he had numerous hammers and parts for hammers). I don't know why the North Texas Blacksmtihs Association is called North Texas Blacksmiths Assoc. It's nowhere near north Texas, if anything its Central Texas. All the meetings are roughly 4-5 hours away, but next summer I'll be free to go wherever I please. So my travels will extend across Texas, and I'll go to Quad State. (I hope)

If, and when I do decide to rebuild it, I'll need some help. So I gotta find another L.G. owner thats got an idea of how to dis-assemble it. And Hallsvilles near Trophy Club right?

A jigger? That like 1/2 a finger? (alocohol/cheap chemical measurement)

It's in my possession, the guy said if it works it works, if not oh well. He basically told me whenever you get around to it, you can pay me.(I won't head back to that part of the world to October, if he calls and wants the cash it'll be in his account within an hour) He wasn't to particular about it, he just wanted the big thing out of his way.

Do you know how much one of these would cost?

And I believe the toggle arms, and ram aren't the original parts that came on it, the toggle arms still have some green paint on them, as does the ram, but the frames blue-grey. The toggle and ram have to be replaced (toggles are welded and brazed, dies welded into the ram) The guy I'm buying it from wants $1,500, but I think thats a little stiff, considering te parts it needs replaced. It works perfectly the way it sits, but I wanna be able to change dies, and new toggle arms for my own safety

No, my hammer was sold new in March 17, 1943, it has an old Baldor on it, Keri/Sid emailed me that it was sold in Lubbock Tx "not equipped with a motor out of the factory." I took it to the electric mtotr guys in town, and I asked if he could fix it, He said, "Fix it? Why heck! It'll probably last another 70 years as it is, just put grease in the grease cups, wire it right, and she'll keep on going strong."