thingmaker3

Certainly you may.

...work on my phone...

A blacksmith and an engineer walk into a bar...

I second Glen's comments re the touch factor. Few things ameleorate my owm depression so easily as teaching or learning the craft. In a world where depression is so frequently diagnosed, we need a lot more of this kind of thing we do - and the venues to share.

Okay, Gerald, how big IS your hammer? :o

We had a co-worker some years back, a very big fellow, who managed to tighten1/2-13 nuts onto 1/2-20 bolts. They're still in place, despite our best efforts. My preference is for spring-type lock washers.

I found a more eloquently phrased version of what I said above: http://phoenixhammer.com/anvile.htm All of this simply means a bigger anvil is a better anvil. But we already knew that. :P

Mechanical efficiency drops as the ratio of hammer mass to anvil mass goes up. There's a knee in the curve around 2 or 5 percent. No risk to breaking the anvil body - just an engineering curiosity. Do be careful with sledges on the heel or horn, of course.

That is a truly awesome idea! She'll always know she has her Daddy's heart!!

If it were me, I'd use a jeweler's saw to flush off the ends after twisting & bending, then hard-solder on a couple silver disks. What's another $10 or $20 on top of what you've already got? (If you've never used hard-solder, practice on all-brass test pieces first. You've got a couple hundred degrees farenheight leeway.) I don't think twisting the ends until they come off would make a very aesthetic piece. I'm not sure there would be any structural advantage there either.

Weed dragon might work if preceded with snow shovel...

I am reminded of Geronimo Bayard, from whom I had my first proper lessons. He would best have been described as "wiry." Perhaps even "small." He could still make that steel change shape RIGHT NOW when he wanted to! I'll be taking in Darryl Nelson's demo tomorrow. He's not Hulk Hogan either - but he can move metal!

This is a really exciting idea you've come up with! This could be used to demostrate (some of) the basic forging techiniques at venues which won't allow fire. Thank you!!

:) Last time I checked, there was exactly 1/12 fpi... My books say 100 to 300 fpm for steel, depending on type of steel and type of blade. The charts get a little complicated...

One could also try slicing deeper-try to get beyond the skin hardened by the ash-quench. Or just anneal it as has been suggested. :)

Put hydrophilic grains, sewn into a cloth tube, soaking in water for a few minutes. Then wear across the back of the neck. Works for about 45 minutes in my summer climate.

Non-magneic is not hot enough to austenitize H13. Get a kiln or get another steel. (And yes, I know "Famous Smith" uses non-magnetic. It still isn't hot enough.)

Bravo, Mr. P.! Bravo! :)

Would a cape chisel help?

The word "ethical" was used in the original question. If we cause harm, we may be accused of being unethical. If we cause no harm, we might claim we are not unethical. Harm can, of course, be in the eye of the beholder.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. They're more clear and complete than a monosyllabic.

Now that I understand how it works, I'm impressed with it. User can set the bottle for a slow pour, allowing a red to oxidize. Nice!

There are many parts of this I don't understand. Can you elucidate?

Water can be used to isolate heat in a workpiece. Very handy to have a "Tennessee valve." (Can w/ one hole near the top)

Rule of thumb (you know the caveat) is 60% of melting point in Kelvin or Rankine.