Dan W

Minceyjs, I've been using a forge like yours for about three years now. I burn charcoal and use a hair dryer for a blower and have had no problem.
A cheap source of metal I found is our local flea market. I pick up a lot of old files, read knives and fire steels,
Good luck

There is a reason great men are called "Great"
Wish I had been there.

Fourteen years working military emergency rooms, I am familiar with rust rings in eyes, along with ice picks, wood slivers, and various other objects that dont belong anywhere in the bady let alone the eye.

Having someone knowledable on hand in the area of the store I'm shopping in, and someone adult enough to tell me "I dont have that answer, but lets go ask someone who has".
On an internet forum. An administrator that listens to complaints/ideas and lets the members know as far in advance as possible if one part of the web site is going down for whatever reason.
Bear in mind that all members of an internet forum are not neccessarily adults and will complain about the smallest thing. The administrator should be able to tell the difference.

A knife making friend of mine uses peanut oil.

This place is like a drug. I have to visit at least once a day just see whats going on.
You know its bad when you have accumulated so much scrap iron you need to sort thru it just to see what you have.

Not a real problem for me as I'm a hobbyist also.
I can always do leather work or dab a little into the woodwork. Right now I'm trying my hand at schrimshaw in between playing on the forge of course.

Nice job. What was the source of the stock?
90% of my blades are stock removal from old sawmill blades except for my oyster knives. I make a lot of those for folks around here. (North Florida)

My small gas forge heats my shop just fine. Of course I do live in Florida, albet north Florida.
The coldest day I've ever forged in was 50+ F and in half an hour I'm down to shirt sleeves.

A few jigs would be nice. Mainly S hook and Heart.
I do a lot of those.

Visited the site that Leo33 linked to.
I was more facinated with the arrow head extractor than the arrow heads.

I've heard that word before.
It got up into the 80's F today, its still 70+ right now and might get down into the 50's during the night.
We might have to throw an extra blanket on the bed.
I love living in Florida.

I'v seen this once before and always wanted to do one.
Either picts of the back or the pieces laid out before assembly would greatly help.
Fine work

For future reference. You can get pewter from Track of the Wolf muzzle loading site. I've done business with these folks for years and highly reccommend them.

I always cover my anvil with a old oily rag after using it. Just throw the rag over it and put a hammer on it to keep it from blowing away.
Here in Florida we have a problem with humidity and we only live a mile from the beach so we get some pretty salty winds at times also.

How about a forged letter opener? I've seen some nice ones on Google image

Hammers, pliers, and files. I have more of each of these than I'll ever use.
I just cant seem to pass up an odd shaped file, or set of pliers or a funny looking hammer.
Just today, I picked up an antique bronze tack hammer at an estate sale. I now own five tack hammers.

I really like this. Its would be perfect for our 1814 Living History group.
This could be used anywhere you set up camp.
Thanks

Nice job. What kind of wood is the handle?

I generaly get all I want from another blacksmith friend of mine.
I am however on the lookout for tram car spikes. They look exactly like RR spikes but are smaller 3-5 inches long. I got hold of four of these at a flea market awhile back and have been hoarding them for special projects.
As for the glass insulators. The early railroad men, 1800's, used to travel with literly kegs full of glass insulators to replace those that the plains indians stole to knap into arrow points. There are some knappers around today that make some beautiful points out these things.
It is reported that Ishi said "the two greatest things that the white man ever invented was glass and glue"

Around here in Florida, its called being thrifty.

USAF Medical Services Specialist; Air Evac tech; IDMT (Independent Duty Medical Technician)
Enlisted July 1971 retired Oct 91
Fourteen years in military Emergency Rooms, four years on remote duty assignments, one year ASF (AeroMedical Staging Facility) and one year weekends and holidays off clinic duty.
Phillipines ASF
Lackland AFB Tx ASF
Ramstein AB Germany ER & Flight surgeons office
Andrews AFB Wash DC ER
Ie Shima AAF Station Japan IDMT
Aviano Italy ER
RAF Sculthorpe U.K IDMT
Sheppard AFB Tx ER
Erhach Turkey IDMT
Maxwell AFB Alabama ER
I am now hiding in Crawfordville Florida

Check out the John C. Cambell Folk School in Brasstown N. Carolina. I took the beginner course there and paid under $500.00 for five days of instruction. I used the camp ground and only ate breakfast and dinner in the cafeteria. I had the added benefit of meeting Elmer Rouche and visiting his shop. He lives about two miles from the school, and one Jeff Mohr who often teaches there lives 2.5 miles from my house and has an open forge at his place every wednesday.

My two angle grinders. A 4 1/2 inch and a 7 inch. I use one of these at least once in every project.
I also have an antique French blacksmiths hammer that I'm right fond of.

My first thought is to use a splitting wedge and modify it for a small hammer at least.