David Einhorn

According to the Ordnance Manual 1863 it takes about one year per inch of thickness for wood such as oak to dry. Literature on oak wheel hubs suggest first peeling off the bark from tree sections/logs/chunks to prevent rotting, and then to drill a hole of sufficient size in the center of the wood from one side of the end to the other to reduce/prevent cracking as it dries. Also according to the Ordnance Manual, once the wood block has air cured, submerge for 2 weeks in a mixture of 50/50 linseed oil and turpentine.

Sounds good to me, congratulations!

I found this description on the Infernalnet, is this the product you are referring to? PLASTECH 85P 55# (STD)

Depends on the condition of the bellows, and what people are willing to pay for it.

Not sure how one would do that at the end of a pointed rod.

Actually it would be a canon gimlet to remove the primers from canon's vent, and not a vent pick, my bad. Period government specified CW gimlet, for use with field equipment, has tapered thread, with a flat spot just above the thread that increased the likelihood of the primer to clamp onto the gimlet. It might make a decent demonstration item if it can be made in less than 10 minutes. Anyone know a source for dies for tapered threads?

Does anyone know a way to **hand** cut tapered wood-screw type threads on the end of a ~1/4" rod, without using a mechanical thread-cutting machine? The rod would be about 10 or more inches long for demonstrating making a mid-1800s canon vent tool. Period correct method very much preferred. The threaded end of the rod *must* be tapered. Is there such a thing as a die for cutting tapered threads? If so where may I find one?

The longer steel takes to cool the softer it gets. The faster steel is cooled the harder it becomes.

From the pictures, I don't see any problems. If sparks coming from the tuyre then make sure that your air pipe and tuyre are clean. Personally I prefer a Champion 400 blower and I would fill in the holes between the stones in the firepot, but those things should not be causing any problems. Sometimes it takes a while to get the forge up to a good heat after starting the fire, are you sure that you have given it enough time? If none of the suggestions have worked for you, then perhaps you need to have someone come over and look at it.

Blue Prints here: BP0133 55 Forge | Blueprints 100-200 BP0115 5th Wheel Forge | Blueprints 100-200

Sure: 1) EBay 2) Blacksmith club meetings 3) Blacksmith event tailgating areas 4) People who buy and sell blacksmith equipment 5) Junk yards, flea markets, and antique malls 6) Classified and trade sections of blacksmithing web sites

You will find the information at: http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f43/belt-grinder-blueprints-3685/

The coal should not be sitting against the clinker-breaker. Sounds like you need something like this. BLACKSMITH COAL FORGE TUYERE NEW N/R 6" - eBay (item 250382337587 end time Mar-08-09 19:54:33 PDT) Or you could weld up a small grill to sit against the bottom of the firepot, or you could take an appropriately sized piece of steel and cut a slit in it and place that against the bottom of the firepot. Once your coal fire is built, coal is then only added from the sides, not the top or bottom.

The ABA Guild has posted a history: Blacksmith History, Part 1

I seem to remember reading that a block of iron heated in the forge was the traditional method.

The history of blacksmithing tends to be the history of technology, and the history of technology tends to be the history of war. Blacksmiths worked metal in forges and on anvils with hammer, tongs and other tools. While we can point you to the evolution of a blacksmith's tools, but his life, his work, and his role in society did not change all that much. He went to work, worked all day at the forge, went home, slept. One thing that I learned from three college degrees was to choose the topics of my papers based on how much information was available for a given topic, and how easy it was to acquire the information necessary to write a paper. Free advice.

From Wikipedia, "Quoits (koits, kwoits) (Pronunciation: "k-waits") is a traditional lawn game involving the throwing of a metal or rubber ring over a set distance to land over a pin (called a hob or mott) in the centre of a patch of clay. It is closely related to horseshoe pitching and the fairground game hoopla. The game's centre of popularity is in parts of the North East England countryside. The game is also popular in parts of the Scottish lowlands, Wales and the Wensleydale, Swaledale, Beck Hole and areas of Yorkshire, England." ;-)

If you lay a iron rod across the forge so that it is horizontal across the top of the firepot, that is usually about the center of your forge fire, perhaps a bit above the firepot, depends. The coal below the iron is removing the oxygen from the fire so that you have an oxygen neutral space where your iron is. The forge is not a barbecue, you are not roasting iron on top of a fire, and it is not a fondue pot, as you are not sticking the iron down into the pot to heat it. The iron is horizontal across the center of the fire. There should be about as much coal above the iron as below the bar you are heating. The rate and amount of coal burned is controlled by the amount of air and proper use of a water can. Sprinkle water outside of the firepot. Never pour water on a firepot, especially an iron firepot as that would crack the firepot! Using this method, a five gallon bucket of coal can last you all day. As the local club has banned the use of water in their forges, to save the firepots, I grieve the loss of the opportunity of club members to learn proper management of a coal fire. Let us all have a moment of silence for the loss. :-(

From what I can see from your photographs, your firepot looks fine. You should be able to raise the neutral spot in the fire to being level with the forge's table by adding coal until the center of the fire is level with the forge table. The height of the pile of coal and the amount of air will raise and lower the carbon and oxygen neutral spot of the fire.

I guess it depends how I am dressed at the moment. Do these pants make me look fat?

Looks great! Two questions: Is there a difference between the "idler valve" on the diamondback forge and the "shut-off" (plan old ball valve) valve that comes with a WhisperMomma forge? Also does the Diamondback have an igniter? I like having the ability of pushing a button rather than inserting burning paper.

Very very nice. How do you plan on mounting it on the wall?

Rob, There are several events coming up near where you live that have "tailgating" where people sell their surplus tools. If you want to supply yourself with tools you may be well advised to attend these events. These events include but not limited to: May 16-17 Blacksmithing days at the Carroll County Farm Museum, Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland April 18-19th Spring Fling of the Blacksmith Guild of the Potomac; http://www.bgop.org/2009-SF-regis.pdf

Very nice. How about a full-length feature next? ;-)

Without seeing a photograph, my guess is a rivet forge to heat rivets for the construction of buildings and bridges.