Waylon63

Howdy. Earlier in the year I saw posted on Craigslist a "mobil Blacksmith shop" listed somewhere in Claifornia. The shop was built on, I believe, a 16 ft trailer. It had wooden sides that dropped down for demonstrating,and also doubled for displays, jacks on the corners for stabilizing and leveling. I believe it had a wooden roof. If any of you know the whereabouts or owner of this trailer is I would greatly appreciate any information. I live in Oklahoma and would like pictures of the trailer and would like to build one. Thank you for your time.Dave

1) Name: David Knight 2) Location: Inola< Oklahoma 3) What type blacksmithing do you do, what do you make.:What do you need? 4) How and when did you get started in blacksmithing? I started in High School. 1981 but have been more earnest 10 years ago about 2003 5) What object or thing did you use as your first anvil? my first anvil was an 80# tractor weight 6) Tell us about your first forge, hole in the ground, camp fire, brake drum, stacked bricks,: first forge and still using today after a couple of modifications. 1/2 car tire rim with 1/4" plate welded to the bottom 7) Who assisted you or encouraged you in the craft? My Dad, he always said if someone else can do a lot, you can do a little. 8) What event changed your attitude about blacksmithing? 9) What tool has changed or made your life easier in the shop? it seems like everything I have acquired since the anvil, forge, and hammer. Probably the London pattern anvil.( just a 150 vulcan) 10) What advice would you give those starting out in blacksmithing? talk to everyone you can ask questions, and listen to the answers 11) What advice would you give those already involved in blacksmithing? Teach when you can. 12) What are some of the interesting things that have happened to you in your life as a blacksmith. All of the people I have met and inspires i.e. 2 young boys that went home after they saw me demo, built a forge and made a knife and brought it to show me the next year at the same venue.

They sell (or used to sell) wrenches with the hard bend like that as a "distributor wrench"

Hey guys I realize this digresses from the topic a bit. I am also a Paramedic, and have been for 18 years. I have taught a course called "Basic Disaster Life Support" under the National Disaster Life Support Foundation. One of the topics is radiation. The attached is an example of some of the things we get from our neighbors to the south. http://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/accidents/juarez.htm Dave

lets try this again, it may have put the "by Bill Epps" in the URL http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/ SoCal Dave is right it is on AnvilFire and #100. I think it is better to split the one end 2/3's and 1/3. Then split the 2/3 side in half, using that portion (the 2/3) for the wings and the 1/3rd portion for the tail. you can do this with a band saw or hacksaw. Then heat the piece in the forge and bend either side out, and let it cool or normalize. (if you quench it will harden and be more difficult to split) then split the 2/3rds side in half. I use the same process when I make dutch oven lid lifters, 1/3rd for the hook and 2/3rds split in half for the "stabilizers". Happy Hammering. Dave

This is the one I learned how to make. with a little refining of the head, I think its what you want. http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/ This was done by Bill Epps.

I am a volunteer fire fighter. We had a "neighbor" ( he lived about three miles away) 2 summers ago was welding outside on a windy day. He was kicking the ends of the rods under a trailer he was welding on. It started a fire that burned 4 miles yes FOUR Miles long and a half mile wide before 4 fire departments were able to stop it. It crossed 2 section lines. Fortunately there were no structures lost. We set a "back fire" and setup our fire streams on wide fog/spray to stop it. The flames were as high as the power lines and it sounded like a freight train as it came across the prarie.

When I am doing Demos and someone asks about shoing horses I say "I'm sorry I dont shoe horses but I Shoo chickens!!! Shoo Shoo Shoo" that usuall gets some pretty good laughs after the inquisitive " Shoe Chickens" looks. Then I explain the difference between Farriers and Blacksmiths.

I have repaired my first post vice using Scaffolding levelers. I cut the origional screw off from the handle and re welded the leveler screw to the old handle. I laid a bead of nickle rod over the cast iron on the handlethen welded the screw with 7018. it has held for about 10 years now. I cut the female threads offwith a bandsaw ground the "nut" down to fit inside the cast iron "box" and re welded in the same manner. since my "box" was enclosed it limited the length of "male" screw I could use and had to cut the length a couple of times. Some of the levelers or scaffold jacks are aluminum so make sure you get the steel ones.

Hi Eddie. I'm in ne OK. I have a couple of tong clips/tong rings I use occasionally. Mostly on smaller pieces. One of the drawbacks I see is the tongs getting hot leaving them on while heating the piece. They're very handy though. most of the time I too forge pieces long enough tongs are not necessasary. Also have you ben to Your Dr. lately? there are some "complaints" we have that are side effects of some major medical problems. I have recently been diagnosed with Diabetes. My feet being sore or feeling like my sock is rolled up in my boot. is due to peripheral neuropathy, the trigger finger I've experienced is a side effect as well. I hope this helps.

Hi Nick, I'm near Tulsa Ok. the Jacobs chuck is the type of chuck you find on a regular drill, the one you use the Key to tighten. The drill bits a lot of the post drills used had a 1/2 inch shank and then stepped to the size of the hole you were going to drill i.e. 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 3/4.... get the idea. i have seen links on this site about the conversion (http://www.beautifuliron.com/thepost.htm) this link has a lot of information that should help.

I'm not sure where i got the idea, I know off one of the 'smithin' sites. I dont have pics right now, but will try to post some. My portable vice stand is a 2'x3' tread plate sheet with a 4" square tube welded towards one end, with a plate welded on top to bolt to. The tube is the height of the mounting yoke of the vice. As long as I am standing on the plate the vice cant be pushed over and I can put as much force on the vice as I can the vice mounted to the post in the ground.

Hey folks I found this ad about the Bailey's #3, #4, and #5. it does some explaining. http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/1467/4661.pdf

I've been smithing for about 12 years with a 150 # vulcan and its been quite serviceable. It doesnt have the "Ring" like they say bur then again My hearing is not any worse than it was and haven't spent hours trying to quiet it down. It has good rebound and that's what counts. it should last for another hundred years.

Thanks Guys that "piece" would make vice #4 if I were to try to use it as a "vice". I have a 5" mounted to a RR tie in the smithy, and a 3 " mounted to a 4" square tube welded to a 2'x3' flat plate I take on the road and another 5" just loose i have plans for mounting in my secondary forging area. A friend that runs an auction had bought This and told me about it, said it had an "Indian Head" cast into it, I bought it sight unseen. I've got another scaffold jack Screw and Nut, I can use to replace the missing parts, and I could forge a yoke to mount it to a post and a flat spring to open it.