Candidquality

Sounds great. Good luck with the shop. And remember, it's never big enough. ;)

Nice knife, and welcome to the club. It appears that you've got a bit of knowledge to share with us. Might want to drop by the knife makers forum here and lend a hand when you get the chance. We also have quite a few other excellent knife makers here, so if you've a vexing problem, we might be able to lend you a hand. Good luck. Looking forward to seeing more of your knives.

Mine are currently on the floor as i'm in a new shop. Think about where you want them to be for easy reach. Then you also want the heads to be visible so you can switch out easily. It can actually help quite a bit to have a place for each hammer so you know when one goes missing. Either needs to hold the head on 2 places or the head in one place and the handle in a second place. Doesn't have to be exceptional, just functional. The best thing for you to do is to think up a few designs on your own BEFORE you look anywhere for an idea. Then, if you don't feel comfortable building an untested design, look up some other designs here in the blueprint section. Use the information you see there to adjust your design if you can now see flaws in it. otherwise, just build it and be happy.

Any new phone sold after 2003 can locate you to within 3 feet once you press" 911". This can also be turned on remotely by the police if needed. All it requires is for your phone to be on. Rare case where this will not work is when there is not more than one tower within range. Cell phone will hopefully work for me if it didn't get damaged when I do.

strange question but: Does anyone wash their working clothes with borax for it's fire retardant properties?

Name: The True Legend of St. Dunstan and the Devil
Author: Edward G. Flight
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
BY GEORGE CRUIKSHANK

One author's interpretation of the legends. Well worth the full read. part of the gutenburg project. full electronic copy linked below. copyright free. Small excerpt below. Very humorous and delves into the legality of the contract. The printed version has some nice plates with it, so you might want to ILL a copy if you can.


In days of yore, when saints were plenty,
(For each one now, you'd then find twenty,)
In Glaston's fruitful vale,
Saint Dunstan had his dwelling snug,
Warm as that inmate of a rug,
Named in no polished tale.

The holy man, when not employed
At prayers or meals, to work enjoyed
With anvil, forge, and sledge.
These he provided in his cell,
With saintly furniture as well;
So chroniclers allege.

The peaceful mattock, ploughshare, spade,
Sickle, and pruning-hook he made,
Eschewing martial labours.
Thus bees will rather honey bring,
Than hurtfully employ their sting
In warfare for their neighbours.

A cheerful saint too, oft would he
Mellow old Time with minstrelsy,--
But such as gave no scandal;
Than his was never harp more famed;
For Dunstan was the blacksmith named
Harmonious by Handel.

(cont'd) text only version
The True Legend of St. Dunstan and the Devil / Flight, Edward G.

full download including original plates available at:
The True Legend of St. Dunstan and the Devil by Edward G. Flight - Project Gutenberg

very nice piece.

Sorry had an old '53 merc that I learned the hard way with. Having to sand that baby down again in the spring burned it into my head. I figured you already knew.
Is there a reason you don't want to use a chemical stripper on it? last power hammer I did, used (so called)aircraft paint remover from the hardware store. Then took it to the local car wash(buddy owned) on a trailer and hosed it off there. Probably not allowed to do that anymore. But either way you're going to have to deal with toxic disposal. Even the blasting sand mixed with paint is a hazmat material.

I use an old plumbing tool that's made to flare the ends of copper tubing. one side is chamfered, the other is square. Has several sizes all in one short piece. Probably cost me $20 new. A few small modifications to hold it properly and a small plate under it for backup(though if mounted in a vise it easily holds the stock) and you're done.

You can purchase them and save yourself some time, but it's so easy to make your own in any size or length you need. And to me it's just a tad more satisfying to make one more part of the project myself. Your mileage may vary. And you may take exception on a larger project due to time, or reduce cost.

Very nicely done. And congratulate him again for this win.


Had me scratching my head for a minute trying to figure this one out. thanks for showing it to me. Nice trick I'll add to my arsenal.

Welcome to the fray Linda. Just cause you're married to him doesn't mean we'll hold it against ya . Glad to have you here. Hopefully we can lend you a hand or to when you need it.

Btw, name's James but most here just refer to me as CQ to keep the confusion down.

I didn't see anywhere that you fire grate was stainless. If you are unsure you might want to soak it overnight in vinegar to get any coatings off of it. I've seen galvanized and that gold looking coating(name escapes me currently) on the metal in computer boxes and would hate for even that much to get into your lungs. if it is stainless, then no worries.
bolts work well if they are stainless, others will melt pretty quickly(watch for coatings on these as well). Probably being over cautious. that said:
Looks great. Nice to see you after it so quickly. One bit of advice it to try something new every chance you get so you can see what you can come up with. I spend some of each day trying to re-invent the wheel. Just because I have the time to. Keeps things from getting dull.

Thank you Hofi. These are some beautiful pieces. Might have to get a passport finally just to some see a show of that caliber sometime. Thank you for the clarification of the work. Awaiting the pictures from the actual competition now. Thanks for taking the time to share them with us.

Congratulations to you and to Kheir. Looks like an interesting competition.

"stop and change"? by this do you mean stop working on the forge they were working on and let someone else forge, so a 3 hour limit on what was forged. or after 3 hours they were to go onto another project that another smith worked on. A collaborative effort. from the math it seems as if each had their own project.

Which piece is Kheir's in the gallery? For some reason I'm thinking it is the railing section.

And how were the leaves and stems attached in this rose? I can't quite see the detail

Tool Steel Service-Ground Flat Stock and Drill Rod Might have some but it's best if you contact them to find out. might want to look at their drops for sale section as well.

For those of us who don't make knives, is there any reason to use 1045 over 1060, or is it just for this specific style it was close to what was originally available?

Sounds great. Don't forget to take pictures along the way if you can.

Btw, you probably already know, but primer will not seal out the moisture by itself, so if you can, paint it at the same time, or leave it for the spring when it's not too cold. Hate to see it rust before you can get it all gussied up.

Some advice from 1873

THE ANVIL.
Next in importance to the forge-fire, is the anvil
of the smith. This is not only of interest as a tool
of the trade; but it ia also a particular object of our

inquiry, because the steeling of the anvil is a matter
of some importance. Anvils for heavy work are
generally square blocks of iron, with steel faces. In
many instances, however, it is merely a cast-iron
block, with chilled face. The common smith's
anvil is represented in fig. 7. It is made entirely of
wrought-iron, and the upper part, Fig 7
or face, is covered with hardened
steel. The making of an anvil is '
heavy work, as the whole of it is
performed by hand. Anvils vary
in weight from one hundred to over
five hundred pounds. For their manufacture, two
large fires are required. The principal portion, or
core, of the anvil

Welcome to the fold. Interesting group we've got here, so feel free to ask questions as someone here has already been through it and might save you a headache or two. Don't forge to check out the blueprints as there is some great information there.

Ok, where's the pictures of the great haul's you got? Stories? come on, and let us know.

Wonder how his pocket watch turned out

nice piece, thanks for finding it.

Sorry Duck. Praying for the best here.

What are some of the pitfalls for insurance coverage for demonstrations, or your shop? What are the must have's, the if i'd know I was paying for that I wouldn't have it's? I'm sure there is some variation state to state and country to country.

1. So how do you know what's a good price?
2. Should I be paying as much for my liability in a totally hand powered shop as someone with heavy industrial equipment?
3. What about adding a gasser?
4. What about getting natural gas piped in at greater than 2psi to run a forge?
5. What coverage is available for demonstrations?
6. What coverage should you have as a chapter of abana?
7. You have fire extinguishers, how many, how often to have them checked out. Does the local fire department do this, or do you have to pay a company to certify them?
8. Does it make sense to pay the company that gets paid to re-fill the tanks, to be the ones that make the decision of when they get paid?
9. What about customers going up stairs and falling?
10. Tripping in the parking lot?
11. Do you need to pay a lawyer to read of the fine print in your insurance policy?
12. Who covers you? your homeowners?
13. If your homeowners finds out you sell product from your home, does it mean you are not covered?
14. Does the insurance for the building you are in cover the building, or you, or your equipment?
15. If you are renting the building, what difference to coverage does this make?
16. Where do the friends with a 6 pack working on weekends fit in?
17. What about the public that comes to pick up an item?
18. What about those of you who aren't poor enough so you decide to hire an employee?



If you have a new question put a number on it and hopefully someone will use that number to respond. Multiple answers are allowed and actually preferred.


Just broke it up into numbers a it was getting a bit unwieldy. But you get the idea. I've seen a few of these answers in various places when reading, but though it might be a good idea to get it more consolidated. Even if you don't mind sharing the information the approx. cost of basic insurance in your area for blacksmithing. Just wanted to open this discussion so that I and others like me can get an idea of what to do before we make a mistake that can make us lose our hobby, or fledgling business. I would think that the largest concern would be for fire from an insurance company's standpoint. But most of us are probably more likely to drop something heavy on our foot than to not know how to control a fire or put it out should one start. So what do you think?

Edit: it was suggested that it would be a good idea to separate this by hobbiest, and home based business, to fulltime business. So, if you don't mind let us know which catagory your advice falls into. If we see enough information for each it might be worth breaking out into separate topics, but for now lets see what turns up.

How about one of you boys going to Quad State does a quick round of questions and let us know how they are handling insurance this year?

Just wanted something I could use that wasn't out there. I tell it like it is (candid) and I work in quality. Seemed to fit. My friends from childhood know me as Jimmy. Actual name is James Moran. Didn't want to be known as the "other" moran. So I use this for now. Feel free to call me Jim, James, Jimmy.

Might try a search for gasoline fueled cutting torch. I know they are used in disaster areas as it's usually easy to find more fuel. Supposed to completely oxidize the metal as it cuts. Never used one personally but I've heard good things from a few that have. Sorry I can't be of more help, but I d all my cutting with a chisel.

Get it hot, and hit it hard. Would be a good one to start with. check out the blueprint section for ideas and some great advice. Good luck and welcome to the group.