Ten Hammers

Ralph, thanks. Extremely well said.

I have produced 2 archways (gates, whatever you wish to call them). One for a cemetery and one for a country church. I was asked to copy (pattern after anyway) some stuff that a fabrication/welding shop had done in the area. I tool measurements and came up with what I considered tasteful finished goods. The arches were rolled on a tire roller at some Amish friends buggy shop. This is 1 1/4" 15 ga tubing. Arches were tuned (cold) on the step of the anvil and tweaked a little to get them exact. Legs were cut and migged. Entire affair (arch and legs) was bolted together. Scrolls were bent from 3/16 x 1. Cold. Jigs built in my shop (forged). Lettering and accoutriments hand plasma cut (by me in my shop). Customers are both happy and I'm happy. Pictures on request.

Steve (Ten Hammers) O'Grady
Bloomfield, Iowa USA

BTW, if it ain't been mentioned yet " Squattin Dog forge " would be good. This occurred to me as I was on the deck watchin our resident kill dog (Harley) do his deed.

Bingo. Thanks for the website. No luck there but I always like to see old tractor stuff. got a ton of friends with old tractors. Several with hit and miss motors as well but so far nobody knows about this one. Thanks again for the help.

OK, fair enough. I wasn't really too specific.

#1 What kind of oil in the crankcase ?

#2 When you start, how much fuel to prime in the petcock ?

#3 The oiler reservoir (clear glass) has 2 places for the oil to go (one to the crankcase and the other one goes in below the carb intake). Importance of these by priority in sight guage ?

#4 Have been told that the old owner used an electric motor (pully was apparently attached to one of the flywheels).. Is this a common occurance? If so, tips on starting please.

#5 Unleaded fuel runs this machine OK (lead additive needed) ?

Sorry to sound like a neophite but I seem to be the one that's gonna have to get this thing rolling. I can make repairs and trace wiring, fix loose soldered joints etc. but I am pretty much in the dark otherwise. I've run Maytags and other old small engines. this one is new to me. Thanks

http://www.rustyiron.com/engines/stable/bessemer.html

If this ends up double posted, sorry. If you folks have any information on these engines I would appreciate it, Thanks.

I loved devilin' Jim about bein " Mister Wilson " and he (I think) loved replying to me as " Dennis " from time to time. Jim Wilson was a mans man and a true Patriot. He had a heart of gold and I knew him in ways (personal) that some don't. We shared common stuff with our kids. Not only was he a man of faith, he was a man or profound faith. Faith without works is dead and I will say that Jim worked his faith to the end. I believe that he is with our Maker and I hope to meet him there someday.

Ten

I have some pics posted on the Gallery. One shows me in what I will call period clothes. Kromer stiff billed welding hat and also a shirt that I bought at Wal-Mart (black long sleeved with 3 buttons at the neck - somilar in nature to the shirts in your post Strine). I hate to shop for clothes but sometimes you hit a good deal.

Strine, yes, thanks for the pics. I was recently asked to do some work for the local Historical Society. We have a barn that was hauled in from the country and also a Church. In it's original location (beside the 2 former mentioned) is a house that was the residence of a founding member of our community (Doctor). It is run by volunteers and I had never been inside of it. Was taken up there by a volunteer and asked to make a stand for an antique (child) mannequin. While in the house I was truely taken back in time. Sincerely hope that you may get the option to see this place you posted become restored. Mebbe there is some money someplace to make things like this happen (and also some vollie labor as well). Being in old places like these gives me a perspective on life that I need. We all will leave things behind eventually and hope that someone will be the caretaker of them.

Ten

http://www.anvilfire.com/

I smithed for roughly 15 years prior to gettin the 'net. When I was looking around, I found this place (anvilfire ). Beyond doubt, it alone has helped me more than I will ever know. I have smiths stop by the shop that I have met on the Pub. I have travelled to other smiths shops (that I met on the pub). Junior Strasil taught me more in 2 days than I learned in several years putzin around by myself. I regularly phone folks that I talk to on the pub. I have purchased equipment from pub folks. All this said, a very close second to this resource is of course Glenns site here (only because it came later in the sceme of things for me).

I read Holstroms book " Practical Blacksmithing" many times in my early years and I also had several mentors (most of whom have passed away now). I wish to credit Bill Printy http://ironandlace.com/ for helping me more than he will ever know. I also have travelled a few times to events of UMBA but not enough I'm afraid. I should take more time to get out.

I frequently burn galvanized off of tubing. I sometimes weld it too. This stuff is nasty. I use a hood and also a fan to blow the air out of the shop too. This isn't to say that Jim didn't do these things. I'm just lucky most of the time. I have had this stuff he has and it ain't no picnic. Be well Jim and get well.

Steve(Ten Hammers) O'Grady

Never doubt the power of prayer. Also don't think that just because I don't post that I'm not praying. Glad to hear of the good results.

Steve

I use acetelyne to weld most days in the shop. Butt joints mostly and if you have the joints right, no filler necessary. This is on lighter stuff
( < 1/4" ). Mig and acetelyne are intertwined for me. Both setups are within a couple feet from each other. I use whatever is needed for the situation. Cheap junk rod (Forney) is just like cheap junk wire (Forney). I use Harris E70-S6 mig wire and the same stuff for rod. Forney wire (stuff I get here anyway) plugs the rollers and the liner. It also makes inferior gas welds. I use .023 wire in the mig. This can also be used for really light ( I mean like gas welding # 14 non plated brace wire or other light stuff) filler rod. Just trigger some wire out and clip it. No flux is necessary for any of my acetelyne welding. The parent metal will cause you problems. Modern steel we get is manurealloy and who knows what is in it. MIG's fine normally but fusion welding with the torch likes fairly good steel. I gas weld through scale just fine normally. This isn't something that has overhead lift requirements. It IS production candlework. I have confidence in my welds. Candlework can be scary if you think about it. Drunk operator of the candle carries the holder to the outhouse and handle breaks, droppin the (lit) candle on some dry fuel source and bingo liability problem. I have confidence in my welds with acetelyne. If it really requires, I MIG and then finish up the weld with gas. TIG makes this unnecessary and TIG is the ticket really. I haven't made the investment just yet. Actually, all 3 (MIG, TIG and acetelyne) would make my business money. For now I'm getting along just fine with the MIG and gas welding. YMMV.

Well, my last name is O'Grady and the shop name is Leprechaun Forge. Pretty simple for me I guess. Remember, the Good Lord gave us Whiskey, Beer and spirits so that the Irish might not rule the world. :)

OK folks, business changes from year to year. Couple years ago we had CHEAP steel comparitively speaking. Couple that trend (with it's associated effects) together with the fuel/energy costs we're seeing and things change a lot.

I just recently got another box of sanding belts (farm store, they order from Grainger). This has worked out in the past for me in that the farm store orders a bunch from Grainger and gets good break in price. I MIGHT end up paying a little more not much. this last box had pretty severe increase PLUS freight. Gringer had an increase and the store now charges freight on everything.

I still buy steel from this place (in that the company that has been delivering to the shop started to hose me with sub standard stuff and then argue about it). What this boils down to is I paid (6-8 months ago) $4.05 for 2 x 48 belts (Norton Norzon). Earlier this week, the same belts were $6.25 PLUS FREIGHT. It all rolls downhill and we must pass it along or eat it. This is not a doomsday thing, just a wakeup (for myself). ACE, True Value and others WILL make money.

Lets just look at the past 5-10 years. What you built in your shop sold for one price (for the sake of arguement). Today, lets look at the same item(s). Your labor staying the same. Add 30-50% increase in steel costs. Consumables (torch tips, grinder bits etc. including coal/LP) for the shop have gone up a bunch in some cases. The price of your clothing has gone up. Your shop expenses (like ins., taxes and maint. ) have gone up. Add to this the extra $12-15.00 per tank we are paying for road fuel. If your products are still selling for the same price then it's simple. You losing money. Whatever the market will stand is what you should sell for. Whatever you are comfortable with earning is your business.

This , however , is the crux of the matter. As the COSTS of our materials/consumables/expenses for shop increase, the margin we charge also must increase or we are back pedalling. Everyone has some idea of how they want to mark their products/services and this is their business. My opinion is that we must stay on top of things with a vengence. I guarantee you that the corporations that we buy from are.

We can't control what imports will do to the market (except to say that they will try to kill us). The quality of our products and services speak for themselves. This said, we can't rest on our laurels (or I can't). As years go by, it all stacks up. Successful businesses keep track of the little things and adjust accordingly or perish. We must do the same.

Ed, if you have any more material/equipment handling to do I might suggest you invest in a small pile of 3/4" pipe (sched 40). Stuff rolls easily (sometimes extremely easily) on pipe and sure solves lotta problems. Even light bar stock placed on the wood bases (like 1/8 x 2) will give you less rolling resistance for the pipe and moves heavy stuff pretty easily. You just got to pay attention and not get distracted. I agree that a vehicle of some sort used as an anchor to pull from works well too. Walk like an Egyptian...:)

http://www.kromercap.com/StyleA.htm

BTW, the cap I speak of is model A 250

Ed, I bought some plain old black pants at the store (black jean material). I then removed the back pockets with a razor blade, and the belt loops. The local Mennonite store sells suspenders that button to the pants (you'll have to buy the buttons and sew them on). My period shirt was made by a lady that does that sort of stuff (she builds tents and such too). My headwear is just a plain old black cap sold at the welding supplier (Kromer). These are good caps. Grab a couple and keep one clean, one in the wash. They look period for a smith and I've had no complaints. My nickels worth.

At a recent Civil War re-enactment, myself and a gunsmith (camped beside each other) were the " Living History" for roughly 450-500 school kids. Busload after busload. Had a blast. One young lady (about 8-9 years old) asked me " gosh mister, did you really fight in the Civil War ? "

Exceptional work Strine. Absolutely beautiful.

Ed, lets hope you get back to feeling good again. Prayers your way

Ten

Bob, thanks for the link. I'm still somewhat confused about Bessemer after reading it but I think I'll now have the motivation to look further.

Regards,

Ten

Steve, I use a Kodak cx6200. wife got it for safety prize last year so waddn't terribly expensive. not a lotta bells and whistles but no big deal to me on that. I'm happy with it. I try to keep lithium batteries for it but you got to sign for them these days. They seem to last quite a while.

Just my humble opinion. I always keep the battery clean and I usually keep the terminals/cable ends immersed in some kind of grease (white lithium in a tube works) to effect di-electric (read non corroside atmoshpere) properties. If (which it seldom happens) I have a battery that needs stored for period of time I just keep it clean in a warmer place like the basement. Trickle chargers are pretty cheap but I don't own one. Really should use one on the mower battery.

H Wooldridge, I would have never done this to a handle either until I visited Junior Strasil's shop. He made me a 3# straight pein that day. I bounced a few of his hammers on his anvil and they were absolutely the most lively hammers I had ever had my hands on. I have since had him make me 2 more hammers and am hoping to get a few more in the future. I have modified my commercial handles (for a large part) to the same thinned way you described. Absolutely amazing and the xtra spot in the center is awful handy for peck work sometimes.