Heelerau

ausfire, you have my sympathies, " old man drought" is a dreadful character. Funny when we get a normal wet run of years, the last 3 or four, its dry in the east, when you blokes get rain, we are in drought. I hope it breaks sooner than later. I have been messing about making a few hoof picks for the local feed store, good practice and it pays for the charcoal. Plenty of hay over here, hopefully we will send more as needed.

Update, the chaps called on just after I posted to say they won't now be over for another 3 or 4 weeks, twice they have begged off, its just a small cash job, but because the weather has been so wet, the building companies they sub to keep calling on them to pour on the weekend as they are well behind on their schedules, big pours of more than 25m3 . I am a bit peeved but understand, so a little more patience on my part. Will post photos when it finally does happen.

Gentlemen, have done a bit more to the smithy, hood over the window, guttering and downpipes, a rectangular iron tank on a stand, holds about a yard and half cubed of rain water. This coming Saturday morning at 0730 I am having the floor of the smithy' s stoop concreted. I have packed down a lot of rubble as fill, there will be at least 4 to 5" of concrete, so no trouble tying up a horse to be shod. Will post pictures next week. We are having a nice wet winter and have had a couple of short sessions making hoof picks, and a herb knife Cheers Heelerau

I finished this little herb knife for the War Office a few days ago. I forged it out of an old file and used a piece of fruit wood as a handle. The War Office kindly turned my great whetstone to allow me to make an initial working edge, which I then finished off on an oilstone. I have left the blade fairly hard. It is pretty roughly finished, but a functional tool. She is ver pleased with it which is the main thing.

We have just started Summer down under, so may have to wait till the opening rains next year before I start the forge again. I do not go hunting with my muzzle loading rifle for the same reason of not starting fires. I to have enjoyed reading about what you are doing with your shop. All that latent potential just sitting there !!! Cheers Gordon

Gentlemen, end of my holidays, and David finished off the lead flashing, linking the stoop to the smithy, we also stuck on a lucky horseshoe. The final job will be to concrete the floor under the stoop.

I am going to have a crack at one of these in a day or two, wet rags and a 1.5mm cutting disc, I will let you know how many discs I use !!

Gentlemen, nearly finished, still have to flash the stoop where it joins the smithy, and sheet metal flashing down each side of the stoop. Roof now all screwed down, gutters on, and hood on over the window. Just the right amount of stygian darkness in the smithy, Hephaestus would be best pleased. Last thing now is to concrete in the floor of the stoop and put up a hitching rail for the nags.

Mate if you do get over we are only 40 minutes from the city centre so you had better come and stay. Cheers gordon

The Pasty Pom, he is a roof leader from Bedfordshire. David will lead flash where the verandah roof joins the wall, he has already leaded in the forge chimney. He is quite keen on shooting muzzle loaders and is learning to ride, might even team rope one day. Nobody drinks Fosters down under !! We do have plenty of good beer, don't worry, I just got a taste for Millers on the rodeo circuit years ago, and it stacks up quite well against our own beers. I brew my own Coopers which is from my home state of South Australia. That is a great suggestion about my hoof picks doubling as bottle openers !! We will in due course set a concrete floor down under the stoop, I am also fitting a donated window into the shop opposite where the vice is. Thanks for the interest

Gentlemen, I am now on holidays and have been with the help of my potential son in law, putting up the front stoop on the smithy, we finished all the timberwork today, and will tomorrow order up the roofing iron. I reused old verandah posts from our old house, and old jarrah rafters. A few Millers Draught afterwards !!

I may pay a visit from down under, I reckon Barkerville and Williamsburg will be on my bucket list !!

That looks a nice place to work, I assume a pioneer village? I did the same thing re staples to hold my anvil still on a wandoo stump. Cheers Gordon

Gents, fired up the forge yesterday, had a few mates drop around, one worked the bellows for me, and also held the tongs while I cut a length of file with a cold chisel, then made a nice attempt at a herb cutting knife, also two hoof picks which a farrier mate swiped as the one I had made for his wife who is a riding instructor had been pinched by one of her students !! Hoof picks are something that you cannot buy a decent example of from feed or saddlery stores and can be made out of old horseshoes !! we then sat around and told lies over a few beers so consider the Gidgegannup Forge christened !!

Sodamac, ditto, my shop was about 35 years in the coming, I aquired a forge 30years ago had it repaird at work for a carton of cider, converted an old leanto using bridge timbers etc total cost about $80 bucks A cash for assorted bolts, the rest all salvage! You will just maybe need to knock up a hood and flue and a hitching rail outside !! Great use of your network and great having some good mates to help !! Cheers Heelerau

I meant to include my mate holding the Bess barrel part way through the cleaning process with molasses !

I have used a weak molasses and water solution to clean up a Brown Bess barrel and lock, rust just washed off, good thing about it, does not attack sound metal. I have also cleaned up various axe heads and the like. A good rinse and spray with wd40 as they flash rust quick after rinsing. Don't put any pot metal or aluminum as it will destroy those metals

They are mill balls, I have some to and am pleased to have looked at this thread. I will mount at least one of mine on a stake so it will fit my anvil hardy hole/

Mate, saw that on the ALR, it is a real neat job !!

Just as a matter of interest which power hammer do you prefer to use? That one you made looks ver interesting. Your shop has come up really well !!

I am hoping to get a mongosling ( I assume a baby mongoose ). I drilled and drove in bridge spikes, which were reclaimed from the bridge timber though the posts each end into the timbers. I have since covered in the holes from the inside using sheet tin and copper clouts that were given to me. We used to have mongooses keeping verging down in the East End Markets in South Australia back in the 1920's, they are only in zoos now down under. Pity about the king brown and tiger snakes.

Just quickly, as I guess this has been done to death, is borax from the hardware store, Bunnings here in Western Australia ok for welding flux, or am I best getting it from a Blacksmith Supplier? cheers

I do agree Thomas and will find some black board paint. Thanks all for the interest !! cheers from down under !!

Mate, I bent a 4 inch flap at 90" at the top to close that area off. I fired it up yesterday and did a couple of small jobs, it draws beautifully just a little occasional smoke from some minor gaps that mastic will sort out.

I finished up firing up the forge, knocked up a hoof pick and made a couple of staples to finish locking the anvil on the block, At this point the size of the stump is not a problem, but if it does become one, a tough up with the Stihl should sort that out !! Funnily enough the War Office is pretty excited about the smithy as well, I have been talking of putting in one for donkeys years, must not rush !!!