Dan W

I've seen folks build a 2'x2' red brick coloum and put their box in that.

I use both pine and two part epoxy for wooden handles, and any of the knives I want a wooden handle on is full tang. Any good hardwood will work.. I personaly prefer ebony and osage osage orange.

Ace doesnt carry the black iron pipe anymore but Lowes does. Thats where I get all mine.

Lots of north Florida woods, full of wild blueberries and grapes.

This is a piece of art.

I'm 57 and my bones started aching before I started blacksmithing, but I do so enjoy this hobby.

I was 54 when I started after attending the beginners class at the JC campbell folks school in Brasstown NC. David Toucheronie was the instructor.

So I reckon at 57 I dont qualify as a kidsmith? :)

I doubt very seriously that anyone here designed this weapon, it is something out of the fantasy worlds some of these kids have a tendency to identify with. Dont misunderstand, I am a big fan of sword and sorcery and fantasy, I love JRR Tolkien and have read all the Conan adventure books, and this particular weapon looks exactly like what its designer intended it for. A 'cool' looking weapon to attract the countrys largest consumer base, our adolecents and teenagers. Lets just hope this young man comes thru this with as few emotional scars as possible.

I think its a great idea. I started my 7 year old out at an Alabama forge council meeting. He now has his own anvil, hammers, etc and he just turned 9 last month. We make things like turn screws, wall hooks for grandma and mom, and he even did a 1/4 square hook with twist for his girlfriend. He did a special presentation with picts of us at the forge for his cub scout pak. The pak leaders awarded him a special merit badge for blacksmithing which is not in the bear cub book. They made one up for him. Go with it as long as you can keep him intrested. There is no greater feeling in the world than to have a grand-son or daughter say 'I want to go spend a week with grandpa and grandma'

Dont look at as giving somrthing up but as taking a break. Do what you can when you can. Every thing comes in circles, you'll come back around to smithing when the time is right.

I'm not into selling and buying, I'd rather trade. As in 'I'll trade you this and that for those woodworking tools' or whatever. Hard cash sledom changes hands in our 1814 group. If I decided to just get out of blacksmithing all togeather, my cousin would get all my stuff. He's just getting started and my kids dont care about it.

My anvil would tell of once belonging to the Tallahassee/St. Marks railroad. Once the railroad was shut down the anvil was sold as scrap. It was bought by a young man who owned a small fleet of fishing boats and decided to do any metal repair work needed himself. The anvil was used mainly to make grappel anchors. It then passed on to one of the fishermans grandsons who used it for various things but never for its intended use, mainly as a handy hammering surface. This mans son inherited the anvil and stored it away in his garage for 25 years or more. The sons cousin decided to move back home after more than 45 years away.The cousin spotted the anivil rusting away in the garage while visiting one day and asked if he could have it and put it back into use as the cousin was a beginner blacksmith. The anvil now sits in the cousins forge and is being used as it was meant to be. This anvil is to be passed on to another cousin in order to keep it in the family. These two cousins are in the process of combining their forges and the anvil will be used by both.

How about a golf cart? I dont know what your finances are, but maybe you can get hold of an old electric golf cart and tow it with you to hammer ins etc... I dont know of any place that wouldnt let you use it if you explained your situation to them.

"If you can do it, it ain't braggin" Ty Cobb

Good going Chris. Keep it up.

We have a lot of whats called pygmy rattlers around here. About 6-8 inches long the xxxx things look just like pine or rotting bark. I've had two run ins with them in the last 8 months. I actually had one strike the toe of my shoe and have one fang hang up in the leather. Fortunately it didn't penetrate. But I did have to pull the xxxx thing off my shoe. The second time I reached to move a downed pine limb and had one actually strike my thumb nail and skid off. Scared the xxxx out of me. While not life threatening, they can cause the loss of a finger or toe or a fairly decent portion of soft tissue. Xxxx, if its poisonous and crawls, we probably have it in northern Florida.

Try old ferriers rasp. You can usualy pick them up at flea markets for about $1.00 or so.

I like 50's and 60's rock. Reckon its just the old xxxx syndrome.

Plastic buckets. Round 2' and over in one. Under 2' in another. Same with square and angle iron. Anything over about 5' stands upright in the corner.

I kinda figure it all depends on what kind of smithing you do. Is blacksmithing you primary source of income, are you a bladesmith, or artist, or are you like me, just a dodabber that enjoys beating hot iron/steel into something usable around a living history site or the home? I make no claim to being a professional blacksmith and have no desire to become one. I am retired military, I take my retirement very seriously and have a number of intrest. All of which my wife allows me to indulge shamelessly. My wife and I are currently in the process of moving into a pole barn converted into a living space. I plan on making the cabnet pulls, hinges, etc myself. I could care less about the metallurgy of the stuff I'm using. Do not misunderstand, I have the highest respect for those of you that sell your work or make your living this way and spend long, hot hours at the forge. This is just not my primary area of intrest. 1814 living history is and this is just one area of that history.

All the preceding is good practical advice. However, for those of us who suffer large muscle cramps after a hot day of sweating at the forge, or just plain working in the heat, its not only fluids that need replenished but electrolytes as well. If I know I'm going to really sweat I take three calcium-magnesium and Zinc tablets before I even start work and usualy two more before I go to bed. Your body will absorb what it needs and the rest will exit the body via the bladder. This will prevent the painful muscle cramps associated with electrolyte inbalance. As for 100% wool. That advice is also sound. The itching is not an allergy to wool, it because the wool has not been washed properly before its made into cloth. Manufactorers only wash wool three times before the weaving. Whats causing the itch is the dirt, grass stems etc thats left in the wool after the wash. Wool should be washed a minimum of 5 times before weaving into cloth or spinning into yarn. My wife has a degree in textiles, specificaly dark ages textiles. She also gets raw wool which we wash, spin and weave ourselves. 100% wool is cooler and more comfortable in both summer and winter than any synthetic. In fact any 100% material is, including cotton and linen. I wear her hand made wool products year around and we live in Florida. Wool will also keep you warm even if it gets wet. It acts like a divers wet suit. There is also the safety factor. I would rather have my clothes burn off me rather than melt into me as synthetic fibers are want to do. (Based on 14 years emergency room experience). 100% natural fibers are best and heat stroke can kill you

I live in Crawfordville Florida, about 20 miles south of Tallahassee. There are a number of smiths around here. Hope this helps

"Imagination is more important than knowledge" Einstein Every day above ground is a good day. ? "Any xxxx thing you want!" Me to my mom when she asked me "What am I gonna do?" the day she was diagnosed with cancer. Your name is not on my paycheck, my marriage license or my birth certificate so I really dont give a xxxx who your are or what you think. Me to any one who tries to give me a hard time. "Sell your xxxx bicycle!" Me to panhandler on a $250.00 mountain bike who approached me for a handout.

My forge is a copy of the one Time Lively uses. Best picts are on his site.