Dan W

I am always on the lookout for another hammer, but in my defence I've gotten really picky over the last year and I wont buy just anything.

I dont know about a power hammer, but I do know you can use it as a press and you can leave it horizontal, you dont even have to stand it up.

I did all my gifts on the forge this year. All the wives get heart hooks, all the men get steak turners and all the kids get marshmellow/hotdog forks. This year I'm keeping it simple, next year I'll get a little more detailed.

Religious I'm not, spiritual I am. I think there is a difference between the two but I just cant seem to put into words when I try to describe it to other folks. I think you have hit upon it. When your making something for a friend and your talking to God, you have put a little piece of your own soul into the work and that is a gift beyond compare, and your friends recgonize that. I have made things and set them aside for months without a second thought, then all of the sudden I have met someone and just know that the thing I made months ago was for them and I was just holding it untill they showed up. And these are folks that I've only met once and will probably never see again. I have long ago given up trying to explain this and now just accept it. Thank you for this insight

I'm still working on single edged knives and leather sheaths. Good job. Think about applying your wood carving skills to your knife handles and carve sheath and handle to match. Definitely a seller.

It has been said that a lot of potentialy good blacksmiths have been ruined after they made thier first knife. Dont know who said it, but it does ring true in some cases.

Any marketing plans for the future? On a slightly smaller scale this anvil would be perfect for portability while doing demos.

A great place to dumpster dive is other blacksmiths scrap piles. I am fortunate enough to live in an area with a lot of backyard smiths and we make it a habit of scrounging thru each others scrap heaps on a regular basis.

Exactly what is metal spinning? I am not familiar with this technique.

1. Fire 2. Something to bang with 3. Something to bang on 4. Something to bang Take a look at some of the blacksmith set ups in most of the third world countries. These guys are absolute genuses at working with almost nothing.

Someday I hope to be that good. Excellent work IMHO

I work inside . My shop has two sides and a roof and my anvil and forge are set just inside of one of the 'doors', I prefer a little shade so I can see the color of the iron. Living in northern Florida I dont do a lot of iron work during the summer, I concentrate on my leather and woodworking stuff. This is the perfect time of year for us. I'm in the forge at least an hour every day during the fall and winter months.

This is something I've been wanting to learn for a long time. I have access to some 5 inch tram car rail spikes and want to use them for just this project. Espicaly the Celtic cross. Good work

I'm looking for anything published on the subject of firesteels or strikers as used in a flint and steel kit. I'm looking mainly for patterns and styles used in different eras and locations around the world.

Fasten the soup cans close to where your belt grinder is and just loop the unused or used belts if you save them over the can. You can sort by size, grit, etc.. this way.

I'd go with the spud wrench idea. I have a number of them on hand and have used them for bickerns, drifts and small ones for ring sizers.

According to my uncle, my great grand-father used 2-3 inch chunks of seasoned hardwoods in his forge. He was by no means a professional blacksmith, but had a few shrimp boats in FLorida and did most of his own reairs. He also made his own grappel anchors out of scrap iron so apparently he could get the heat up to welding temps. I have used chunks of hardwoods also and have had real good results so far.

I do some leather working and I enjoy making small boxes. I'm also growing three different types of gourds and want to try my hand at carving and decorating those.

For edged or pointed tools I fill a five gallon bucket half full or fine sand then pour a few quarts of used motor oil into that. Mix well. I just stick my pointed tools into the sand and there they stay until I need them. I use this method for all my yard tools also. Shovels, axes, etc.. After use, just plunge the tool used into the oil soaked sand a few times and your tool is now clean and protected. For my hammers I just grab a handful of the oily sand and rub the head of the hammer with it. Cleans and protects. I also keep a small bucket of the oily sand around for any knives I might be working on. Just stick the knife into the sand until your ready to go back to it.

Try JB Weld. Its a two part epoxy type adhesive and I find it works well on almost anything. Not good for some plastics.

Dang, never thought of that. I guess I'll find out the first time I try to do something with one. Live N learn

Good luck today. Ask a friend last friday what her ferrier did with his old hoof rasp. 'throws them away' she said. 'tell him I'll take them off his hands and use them in my forge' I say. This evening my wife who works at the local ACE hardware store brought me a box of 10 used horse hoof rasp that our friend dropped off and tells me this is just what the man had in the back of his truck and there will be a few more coming as soon as the man cleans his shop. Lots of knives, hawks atc... there.

I use coal, charcoal and seasoned hardwood chunks if I cant get anything else.

!!@*%#^%$#-explitive deleted. Used pretty much all over the country during any number of blacksmithing operations From hitting your thumb with a hammer, to having the tip burn off your high carbon blade because you lost concentration for one moment.

Just because I carry a 15# anvil, one hammer, one set of tongs, a one gallon quench bucket,a file,a wire brush and two hardy tools in an ammo can in my truck tool box and have been known to forge with hardwood chunks when I cant find anything else DOES NOT mean I am a BS-aholic. Does it???