Kevin W

Morning, guess I missed it first time around, but my shops in Stockton and your welcome to come by. PM me. We'll get you on the bay groups mailing list also. Kevin

A jigsaw will work nicely... 2in. Styrafoam under the copper, lots of clamps and a slow speed.

I'll second the petrol, I do it 1st thing in the morning while it is still cool , you'll probably be done b4 you see one. Burning isn't necess. to kill, but if you don't ... any little critters who come to investigate later might get knocked out also.

In a gen. discussion kinda way mine is kept much like the above, adding only that when I have that feeling I've wasted enough time I'll usualy give it a just little while longer . " Life is too serious to take so seriously. " - Groucho Marx In a business way I use a stopwatch for estimating multiples. A digital clock wired with the lights for smallish jobs ( at the end of the day it blinks how many hours I worked). And a calender for big jobs, marked as full days - 1/2 days - and off days.

And good job to you. I particularly like Galileo... if you look through a telescope from the big end do things appear to be upside down and small? And if so how would you know if a star was upside down, let alone prove it? If I continue this train of thought I will derail! A provocative piece both in artistry and craftsmanship. That's a clever bit of work with the beak and eyes too.

There is an art phrase, "fallacy of intent" which means that a work of art may have a very specific and narrow intended meaning, yet that work likely will have differient meanings to differient people. People cant help being human, probably best to just celebrate that, but no matter how hard I try....sometimes ...

Haaay, this is unfair, I need to get back to work! Thats a great job B. Nice hammer control on those petals. Roots!Tendralls!Wraps!Collars! 5coats with a brush! Back to work.

It is a nice console table, good proportions. I'm not supprised at the price you've mentioned though. Dont be amazed Be encouraged ! And yes, unless wealthy people wander through your driveway ~half of that $700 is yours... minus expenses, paperwork, finding folks who want to sell them, yadda yadda It is good looking though, and should you pursue the idea of selling them be shure to take the unpainted picture as an example of an alternative finish ( you might be supprized ).

Pole farmer, interesting, do the haploid saws survive the grit better, are they by nature sealed up tighter, or maby its just a good old saw. Its the rip cut (lengthwise) cut thats the thing.I've got sawing and cutting options in the shop, just nothing thats very well suited for that cut. I personally think you get a good tool 'for the money' from Grizzly. Like the look of that saw. Not familiar at all with the roll in saw, is that a band saw with a moving table? It looks like quality. That "good" saw looks more like a turn-key "business" to me and sawin' ain't ma job. ( Just don't have any customers that need 20' long this and thats) Poppycock!

Hey Frank, too funny, and hows it go ' my favorite thing about deadlines is that wooshing sound they make as they fly bye ' I hope to translate that German sign of yours b-4 I loose track of it compleatly. Macbruce, lookin like I'll use tubeing after all. A money thing for the customer ( it'll save my back some trouble too ). I just like the look of solid material especially as this table is getting a "Heat Patina" aka left in the forge too long. Scale makes a good anti-splatter. Jeremy, good to know, thanks. Oh well, thanks again for the input folks. Kevin

Thanks for the input folks, John, I've needed a porta band for a long time now and ,yes, the job would cover it. So long as the customer wants to pay for the solid material (the radi on tubing I'd like to steer them away from). Iron W., I've got the bottles and tip for the cutting but suspect it will take me nearly as long to clean up the cut as it would to saw it. Jeremy, as few as possible without jumping around and breaking , yes? Timothy, cut off wheels like to grab or glaze up on me, sometimes it me and other times its not. Thanks again, I'm guessing 30 min with my finger on the trigger would do one...... :unsure: Kevin

Really really dig it, nice little mechanism. It's a simple thing to make something difficult, but can be difficult to make something simple.

Hey All, Maby this is better suited for the weld/fab section... but,as I'm trying to price a table... Has any one out there used a port-a-band to cut a half lap joints in large mild steel ? Particularly in 2 1/2" solid, thats one cut @ 2 1/2" long and one @ 1 1/4". Any one care to venture a time estimate?? I don't own one, and can only immagine this would take longer than I'd guess, and use some blades. There are 18 such cuts to make so opportunity to shoot myself in the foot (a feeling I'm all too accustom to). I'm a one man shop, my sloppy 50lb LG would be problematic, treddle hamer- HA, saddly I've no press. Kevin

I've been working with a two horn classic ( cast in Caechoslovakia) almost daily for about 10 yrs. and its still looking good. The only dings on it are from the hammer, not cold mild steel. I Often cut 1/2" round at black heat on the edge. Couldn't say if this is representative of them still. Either somethings wrong with my eyes or I've gone green.

Hey neighbor, lots to learn here. Keep an eye out for the Bay Area Forge groops meet , maby I'll see you there.

I like roofing tar as a coating for underground posts, both wood and steel. I don't think it ever really degrades ... or dries, which could be a problem what with the pounding and the squishing and the hot stuff and all. I'm happy for ya D.D. !

Robust

I like green pine saplings, driven in green the wood grabs the file well.

Average error: 2.99 (lower is better) Time taken: 166.0 Not drinking (yet) but it did seem to help to let my eyes go a bit wonkey.

http://www.co.baldwin.al.us/Pageview.asp?edit_id=933 The blacksmith shop is finished and the group will be demonstrating there today, Hwy 225 in Stockton Alabama.

Hey Leslie, I,m afraid a couple of coats of of anything in gainsville outside would give you many a year, inside I use 3 coats of lacquer,outside 9. I like permalac from sculpt nouveau, (2hrs to recoat ),they make metal oil rub, and wax also. It's the humidity and the salt in the air. Most of my work goes within 15 miles of the gulf of Mexico and it makes a difference Even Inside. That oil rub will take a top coat of wax or lacquer so you might be able to get away with it if you hand them a little thingy of wax and a label on it that says ' put this on the bench in a month and do it again next year at this time'. Don't shortcut the finish, your work is too good for that. If it is clear it really isn't all that UV protected. Powder coat will chip and become a maintainance nightmare. Sorry maybe I'm venting. I do a sample for myself of exterior finishes and put them in the garden to watch them grow. Hot dip galv is probably the best way to go, I know, but look at what macbruce did with it and his steel patina. (don't know how to make a link). Again, nice work, look me up if you come up Gulf Shores way @ may tower forge.

Hey matto, Pic #2 , I see a great sinking form for your 'skid hammer'

Hey Matto, NICE. I know it can be done with copper and a hand held breaker. Can't remembr the artists name , but he blogged about making a monumental piece for the wall of a mall ( in Canada I think ) over at artmetal. The thing was huge, maby 30' tall and he spoke a lot about all the stuff he put on and in his boots as he was standing on the sheet . Is the breaker your talking about on the skid steer ? I could see driving up to a giant sand box with a half a sheet of mild steel on top of the sand and just going to town. Good fun.

My computer thinks it is smarter than me.

Mackbruce, Sweet! I guess what you used reacted with the sink. Was it a birch wood Casey? Those tinted permalac paints from sculpt nouveau look good on top of Galveston also. The picket look nice also. Kevin