Thomas Dean

Howdy from East Texas!! and welcome to IFI! Sounds like you are getting off to a good start on gathering up your 'toys'! Check out the blueprint section for plans on building a forge. (Glenn will probably chime in and give the BP# hehe) As for buying your next 'new' wire machine let me recommend going Blue...that's to say buy a Miller machine. I've been in the metal trade (welder/frabricator) since '73 and IMHO Miller makes the best wire machine on the market. Check your local trade schools, high schools, you may pick up a good used one for a song...you do sing don't you?!? Anyway, good luck and if you have a question there is someone here that can give you an answer! Shoot, we'll give you an answer even if you don't ask! hehe

OH! and CONGRATS on the new blacksmith apprentice due in April! (that's a GOOD month for b-day's )

Ed Thomas thanks for the info to Rick's site.

Nice job on the site too BTW. So Rick, you being a TEXAS boy where do you hail from? I'm just out of Longview, 120mi. east of Dallas and 60mi west of Shreveport, LA.

Howdy from EAST TEXAS! Glad you came aboard. 'Tis a great site and look forward to you shareing your knowledge! Welcome.

Howdy from East Texas! and WELCOME aboard! would like to see some pics of you and "your" shop sometime. I saw a small clip about the John Deere HS a few weeks back on RFD-TV. Just enough to interested....andyway, welcome

Howdy form East TEXAS!! YAHOO!!! Glad you made it aboard and are learning a fun but challenging art! I have been working metal since '73 but ENJOYING the forging end for about 4-5 yrs. I'm 52 and still learning, hope to keep learning til I die and this is a good place to learn. Welcome.

Congrats Mr. Hofi on a well deserved HONOR! Any one that works with kids is special to me. Well done.

If this is cast steel you may be able to weld a face on it. I have a friend that welded a piece of grader blade on his wore out Hay Budden and it is a great anvil now. Not real sure how he did it tho....:(

Thank you for all the encouragement! My son has seen Colton for a total of 2.5hrs now. (Colton was born Aug.05) BUT things are starting to look better. GOD is TOTALLY in control!

Just a note on the gouging route...If you go this way be sure to grind all the gouged area as there will be carbon deposits that will cause HARD spots in the weld causing premature cracking. My$.02 worth.

Thanks irnsrgn!

Ten Hammers, I bought a pair of elephant hide boots 20 years ago. Was told then that they could not get any more, elephants were being put on the 'protected' list. The boots look like the were bought yesterday. Have had them resoled at least twice. I need to have them stretched some but have been told you can't stretch elephant...

Colton Rae arrived one week ago today, 6# 8oz, 19" healthy with LARGE lungs! :)The situation is not good as the mother is not allowing much contact, we've seen him 2times this week. We called to see if we could see him this evening before we head home tomorrow, no answer,no return call. It has been that way for the last 2 months. NOT a pretty situation. Please pray for GOD's will.

On a happier note...I was able to attend the SWABA meeting today, (missed you Thomas P) and won the 'Blacksmith's Cookbook" by Francis Whitaker. What's so special about this particular copy is that it was given, to the gentleman donating the book(Joe Whiton),personally by Mr. Whitaker, signed and dated "To Joe Whiton from The Iron Man {'F'inside a diamond, Mr. Whitaker's touchmark} ABANA Flagstaff 1986". Did any of ya'll hear me SHOUT! Had a great time with this bunch and enjoyed the demonstations. Actually, Thomas, kinda glad you weren't there as that would have lessened my chances of getting this book! hehe. did miss ya tho.

Gone to bed, got 800 miles looking at me tomorrow.

Yes!, the other dave, pictures would be nice. I sent you a note via "privite message" with my email addy. But if you wanted or can post them here there maybe someone else needing to see this setup. Thanks!

Brian C. My prayeres are for your son, you and all your family. May he return home safely! GOD BLESS AMERICA! and all those who serve her.

I may be able to get an old Ridged threading machine that we have replaced. Am wondering what the max would be for twisting steel. It has the automatic jaws which quick holding pipe so it was replaced with a new machine with the manual clamp jaws. I'm thinking I can make an adapter to hold different size sq. stock and then possible make the twists cold, depending on the size of course. Any ideas as to what size I will be able to twist cold? Am I CRAZY or is this a workable idea? Thanks for your thoughts and ideas.

Welcome from East Texas! You will enjoy this site, good choice. Help us all by chiming in when you can. It's how we all learn. Welcome aboard.

Howdy from EAST Texas! Glad you could make it aboard. My Tae Kwon Do instructor was from Taiwan, moving to the States when he was 10. He doesn't know squat about blacksmithing but is AWESOME in the martial arts!

Look forward to see some of your work when you get to "heatn & beatn". Once again, Welcome.

I bought the 'U.S. Steel buildings' shop that is 30'x40', too small! hehe. Friends from church helped me put it up and we all had a fun time doing it. I made each one an item once I got the forge up and running and they were very pleased. The only problem is there is no place to hang a chain fall or hoist as there are no trusses/beams. Will have to make an 'A'frame. I framed up the 2 end walls and put regular tin on the back wall and the front wall looks like a building from the late 1800's early 1900's, the old storefront look. I have 12'W x 11'T double doors on each end wall and 3' service doors. the bid doors are like barn doors, open both or 1. Dirt work and slab cost more than the building! I've been in it for approx 4yrs. now.

cheftjcook, HOW COOL!! Wife and I live on 60 acres of East Texas pine and hardwood, (takes less than an hr to mow the yard, rest is trees!) Closest neighbors are about a 1/4 mile on either side. So I really don't have too many complaints! hehe. I do have a little buddy from church (9yrs old) that will ask nearly every Sunday if he can "come out to my shop and do some blacksmithing". I keep telling just whenever you want come on! (He comes from a very stable family and really doen't need the mentoring like your little friend.) I would talk to the Mom and let her know that you are in no way trying to "move in on her job" but if you enjoy the kid let he come! They all need some good adult mentoring and it sounds like you are up to the task! Thanks for sharing you story...

Didn't mean to sound preachy...

Archie Zietman, Good plan and a steak turner is fairly easy to do. I made a split cross last summer for a friend that raises bees, got close to 1 1/2 pounds of bees wax! That stuff is over $13 for a # in the hobby stores!

THANKS primtechsmith! Man I was thinking I needed to make a pair of these bookends but your explanation for them excludes me! Saving me some time and material! I guess I can spend that time making something else now. Whew! I have purchased about 8-10 new blacksmithing books in the past couple of years and haven't read all of them yet! So, does that mean when I do finish them I will need bookends then?! Wondering minds need to know.

Howdy Mac, and welcome to the group! I am a welder also, been at it since '73, maybe one day I'll get good at it. You being in OKC you are close to some fantastic smiths; Bill & Diana Davis, Gerald Franklin, Larry Mills, & Sweany. There are a bunch more but I think these are the closest to you. Check out the Saltfork Craftsmen Assoc., there is a meeting most every weekend of the month in your state. If you ever get to the Longview, TX area give me a call!

Howdy Uncle Levi! #1 Tom Clark's 'Ozark School of Blacksmithing' in Potosi, Mo is an excellent school. I attended in May of '05. $670 Mon.-Fri. 2 meals p/day and room. #2 Robb Gunter's school in Moriarty, NM. M-F $800-900 room and meals extra IIRC. Frank Turley's school in Santa Fe, NM. $2500 for 2 weeks, meals and food extra. Have a friend that attended Turley's school and he spoke highly of it. Tom has a max of 10 students (that many forges) but usually limits it to 8. Tsur Sadan, the instructor, will stay and do demo's after class if students want to stay. You can also stay a 'play in the fire' if so inclined til LATE!

There is no particular order of these, I just listed as they came to mind. Do a Google search on these and as mentioned in above post check out the ABANA site. Good luck and have fun!

Dennis, I don't think I would repaint the anvil, just 'get the red out' and let it do what it wants to. A light oily rag used to whipe it down once in a while and the beauty will look more natural. IMO My reasoning for not repainting, it will not elliminate the problem, just change the color. If painted, any time you use the side, such as making a bend, the paint will burn giving off fumes you don't want to smell, albeit they may not be harmfull, they still STINK!

Funny how that works, not seeing something until you show the world! then everybody thinks, "Man, how does he work in that mess!" At least that's the way it is with my shop. My sister-in-law saw it once last year and commented on the "arrangement" but "if you know where everything is...." Made me feel sorta bad...NAAAAW!

On the problem with the vent pipe. Check with some local businesses and see if they would like to donate some funds. (the worst they could say is 'No') You could do like I did. I used 18ga., got a local sheetmetal shop to shear, roll, and tack up. I did the welding myself. Built a sidedraft and attached the pipe to it, ran out the side of my shop and up. Has such a good draw it will pull the fire off a match, and I get NO smoke in the shop, even with all the doors open. (2 11'wide x 12'tall doors on each end of shop) Good luck and keep us posted.

ApprenticeMan, you are right. Sorry if I offended, was not my intention. I will refrain from any mention of ethnic background in future posts. Once agian, sorry. But he sure did do some nice work! :)

1st, 60yrs ago AIN'T ALL THAT LONG AGO!!! 1946!?! That's even after WW2 not to mention the depression! So getting the shop to that era should be easy. I'm thinking more like the late 1800's early 1900's would better fit this shop. Also, the visitors may be thinking more in this era. I volunteer in a circa 1860's shop in Dallas, TX at times and EVERYTHING modern is in a back area, totally hidden from the public. They don't want to see that kind of stuff, they can go to any shop and see electric grinders and the like. Let them ENJOY the experience of seeing a TRUELY OLD SHOP. They will walk away with a greater appreciation of what you are doing and what our forefathers did 'way back when'.

Thanks for sharing! Hope I didn't sound too negative, but like rthibeau said, "you asked. :)" And please keep us posted on the progress. Would like to see how it ends up!