george m.

Dear Ted, Thanks. I will pursue that line of research. I tend to be a bit skeptical of anything that comes down in oral history, e.g. this X came across the plains in a covered wagon when actually it came on the Union Pacific when it was ordered from Sears, unless there is some period reference in a diary, newspaper, letter, etc.. Sometimes the oral history is spot on and sometimes it is skewed. Yours, George

Dear Ted, I have read a number of diaries and journals of 19th century Oregon Trail immigrants and haven't come across a mention of "prairie diamond" rings. Do you have a reference to a period mention of the practice? I'm not trying to sharp shoot or nit pick you. It sounds interesting and I'd like to know more about it and document it. Also, thanks for the advice. I have made a number of things for my late wife's medieval castle doll house and agree with your tips.

True, there are some people that are just plain jerks, unreasonable, or crazy but it doesn't cost you a nickel to try the nice approach. If it doesn't work you it hasn't cost you anything and if it does work you are home and dry. The problem is when you are a jerk, unreasonable, or crazy yourself. Unfortunately, I've known a few smiths who fall into one or more of those categories. When you have someone like Thomas' inspector sometimes a cup of coffee with a County Commissioner or City Council member will help.

Here is a tip I have learned as a local government attorney: If you get a jerk inspector who is giving you problems ask nicely for the section of the zoning/fire/building code they are relying upon. Then, go read it. Many municipalities and counties have it posted on their web site. If not, go into their office and read the hard copy. Also, read the pertinent parts of the definitions section. Make sure the language of the Code backs up what the inspector is saying. Too often I have seen inspectors push the limits of the Code too far or misunderstand it themselves. Also, if the language of the Ordinance or Resolution which adopts the Code just says, "The most recent edition of the X Code" there is a legal problem because that, in many states, is an improper delegation of the municipality's or county's authority to the organizations which write and publish the various codes. To be effective the adopting legislations should refer to a particular edition of X code. Even if you are in the right, don't be a jerk about it. That usually only makes the situation worse. I have found the "more in sorrow than in anger" approach to work reasonably well. Finally, it is always an excellent idea to talk with an attorney. Many do not charge for an initial consultation and sometimes their hourly rate is worth it.

Similarly, I tell folk who ask if I shoe horses is that all I know about horses is that one end kicks and the other end bites.

In response to the queries: It is 19 3/4 inches long. The stone is 6 inches in diameter. There are 3 sets of 30 tooth and 15 tooth wheels. If I recall how to calculate gear ratios that is only 16 to 1. That doesn't seem like much to me for that much weight and machinery. Of course it is reversible depending on which way you turn the handle. I agree that RR rail welds could be ground with this except that they weren't welding rails in 1885. It does seem to lend itself to grinding things on the ground. I wonder if it might have been used in either boiler making of ship building. How it ended up on a farm in NE Colorado is as big a mystery as the tool itself. Curiously, George M.

You cut your grass and find two anvils, a power hammer, and a post vise that you didn't know you had. You list a coal and/or scrap pile as an asset on your home owner's insurance. There's more often the smell of coal smoke than BBQ in your neighborhood. Blacksmithing contributes a significant amount of your income but you only have one or two (if that) forged items in your house. Your wife's favorite piece of jewelry is something you forged. or Your wife would rather you go to the shop than to Gerrods.

Dear All, I recently picked up this grinder at an auction. I have absolutely no idea how it was used. It is heavy enough (11 lbs.) that you can't really use it as a hand held device. There is a sort of peg or tab on the bottom of the frame, just behind the grinding wheel which might have gone into a slot on some sort of support but it looks a little fragile for something made of cast iron. There are remains of black paint and it originally had nice 19th century looking gold pin striping on the frame. There is no info regarding the manufacturer but there is a plate regarding patent information (May 18, 1885) and other countries in which it is patented. If nothing else, it has a cool gadget factor. Thanks, George M.

I have an old friend who always refers to an oxy-acetylene cutting torch as a "heat wrench." A solution to the erroneous idea of "that nut will never have to be removed." Loosely, George M.

I ususally use a 2 lb. 10 oz. (1306g) (includes the weight of the handle) rounding hammer which I've always known as a farrier's hammer. I picked it up years ago along with some other old tools for a few bucks at a ranch auction. If I'm whacking on anything bigger than about 3/8-1/2" I'll move up in size to around 3.5-4 pounds. Bigger than that I go to my treadle hammer or get my son as a striker. Impactingly, George M.

Dear Gerald, As an old City and County Attorney I can tell you that in many places all you need to do is get a home occupation permit or license. The key is how much impact (actual or perceived) that you are having on the neighborhood. If you are putting out clouds of coal smoke and jiggling everybody's dishes in a block radius with your power hammer you really are a nuisance and need to get your shop into a more appropriate location. If you're not being loud and smelly you can probably get right with the local authorities. Also, the local authorities are pretty good at distinguishing a righteous complaint from one which is generated by malice. They see a lot of both. The worst thing that you can do is cop an attitude with the inspector. Also, running your shop without any consideration of your neighbors is not a good way to get along with either them or the local government. If you act like a jerk you will probably be treated the same way. Finally, if you have a problem with the local government don't demand to know who complained. That is generally confidential so to minimize retribution. Probably the best thing to do is when you are really turning into a business from a hobby is to go into the local land use/zoning office and have a chat with them. That can head off a lot of future problems. Also staying under the radar is a good thing. Don't give the neighbors anything to complain about. You probably can't do much about the crazy neighbor who complains just to complain or has a grudge with you but you can avoid the real problems. Neighborly, George M.

Just remember that once you forge an iron meteorite you will lose the widmanstatten pattern that is diagnostic of meteorites. The knives, etc. that you may see with the pattern etched on the blade are made by stock removal and are not hardened or tempered. Crystally, George M.

I asked my wife what she'd think of an anvil beside the fireplace and she said that she thought it would go well with her spinning wheel and loom which are already there. Craftspeople should get together with craftspeople. They will understand each other's motivations. Fortunately, George M.

Good video. I had always thought that was how it was done but now I know. The smith is more of a man than I am. I'd never forge in shorts, no socks, and running shoes. He's a big boy, though, and if something bad happens be it on his head. Orientally, George M.

Dear Woody, I knew that ties were sleepers in British/Australian usage but I didn't know that a spike is a dog. Other RR terms that I am aware of are: switch = points engineer = driver fireman = driver's mate caboose = van boxcar = truck (?) ties = sleepers spike = dog Are there any others? Divergently, George M.

RR spikes range in size from about 7-8" for heavy traffic main lines down to a couple inches for gardern railways. It sounds like yours may be for a sidetrack or branch line. Also, 19th century RRs generally used smaller spikes than modern roads. They didn't need anything larger because engines and trains were not as heavy and didn't move as fast. Spikily, George M. PS Oddly enough, when folk come up to my booth and see RR spike knives they often say, "railroad tie." Even if they know the difference (and a surprising number do not) the word that automatically follows "railroad" is "tie." Odd.

Does anyone have any idea how she does the grooves in the leaves? An English wheel maybe? I see on her koi sculpture that she used the same technique on the fins and tail. Ignorantly, George M.

I've always thought that having the lid of an oil quench tank hinged is a good idea. Before you quench you prop the lid up to close to vertical and then if there is a flash fire you just have to tap the lid and it goes over exactly where it should go with no hassle or fumbling. Extinguishingly, George M.

Dear Gerald, I worked in the Alloy Bar Mill at the US Steel South Works in South Chicago in the early to mid-60s and had some experiences similar to yours. I do have to disagree about the EPA and OSHA though. US Steel and Inland Steel in E. Chicago, IN where I also worked were pretty safety concious even then. They didn't have much in the way of hearing protection though and I still have some high frequency damage as a result. Pre-EPA we would sometimes get orange snow in south Chicago because of the fall out from the mills. It was weird but sort of pretty once you got used to it. It can't have been very good to breath that kind of stuff, though. I suggest that a large contributor to the demise of the steel mills were the unions. The labor cost per ton got high enough that it was cheaper to import what was needed by industry. It's real easy to blame the bad old government for all kinds of woes but the reality is that things are almost always more complicated than that. There's something to be said to be done with industries which wore out and wore down men before they were 45 years old. There were old timers around who had known my father when he had worked there years before but a lot more got injured or worn out way too young. Un-nostalgically, George M.

I got into blacksmithing in the reverse order than many folk. An anvil and forge got me into blacksmithing. In 1978 I was working as a geologist in Riverton, WY and went to an antique auction. I picked up a 100# Vulcan anvil and a 22" Buffalo forge and blower for $25 each. I had always had a vague interest in blacksmithing and even in 1978 that was a good deal that I couldn't pass up. I had to rebuild the blower, it was covered in pine sap and there was an old mouse nest in the blower. I got some nasty old slaked coal and some books out of the library and started getting steel hot and hitting it with a hammer. The Weygers books and Charlie McRaven's "Country Blacksmithing" were a great help. I'm sure that I still do some things bass ackwards because I never had a chance to apprentice or even watch an experienced blacksmith. I'm envious of the new smiths of today who have videos and Youtube to guide them. Also, there are lots more opportunities for real instruction today than there were 35 years ago not to mention more and better printed references. Initially, George M.

I make a fair number of them, too. I ususally use garage door springs. There are some interesting eastern European ones on ebay. There is an interesting display of various styles of firesteels used in N. America at the Museum of the Fur Trade near Chadron, NE. If I can figure out how to get a photo of the display off my old computer and on to my lap top I'll try to post it here. There are also illustrations of Spanish style ones in a book on SW Spanish Colonial Ironwork co-authored by our own Frank Turley. I always give away a piece of flint with each firesteel because it is no fun if you can't play with it right away. That's like getting half of a pair of tongs. Strikingly, George M.

I charge based on $40US/hour and can turn out basic RR spike hooks in 10-15 minutes. One advantage of leaving the shaft of the spike straight and drilling or punching holes for nail or screws is that the wedge end of the spike can be seen. I'd suggest playing with some techniques like twists or making the end of a spike into a leaf or drawing out the end of the spike and twisting it into sort of a grape vine spiral. Make a few and show them to your client. If he likes them, great. If he wants something plainer that is OK too because you'll eventually sell them. By making a few of various types you'll get along the learning curve and get a better feel of what you can do in a quarter hour or so. I don't think that it is fair to charge the customer for my learning curve time. Once the curve flattens out do you know what an appropriate time/piece and price is. Timely, George M.

Dear John, When you said, "I think it is a lot easier to conceal a poor skill level under the guise of art as opposed to a perceived blacksmith job." You said a mouthful. I have seen some fairly low skill smiths do some very attractive things because they have the eye for "art" and I have seen some hugely talented smiths make some really ugly and awkward things. Of the smiths and their work featured in "The Anvil's Ring" I respond positively to only about a quarter or a third of the works illustrated. The rest, IMO, often fall into two schools of blacksmith art. They are either of the "explosion in the spaghetti factory" school or of the "I have a big power hammer and you don't " school. I am kind of saddened when I see something which took a huge amount of skill and work but the end result is pretty disappointing. The discussion gets into the whole craft vs. art dispute. A lot of folk smarter and more talented than I am have not been able to agree on that one. This is, of course, just my personal take. I am proud to call myself a craftsman but as a friend once told me, "George, you don't have enough personality problems to be an artist." I also cannot make some of the pretentious art-talk/critic BS come out of my mouth without breaking up. I've tried and haven't been able to do it. I'd have to practice in front of the mirror for some time to be able to do it. Good luck. There are no easy answers. As long as it remains fun for me that is about all that I am really concerned about. Craftily but not artsy, George M.

Dear Frank, That story demonstrates how small states like Vermont or Wyoming work as opposed to large states. In small states it is not uncommon to know the high state officers personally (the Governor of Wyoming was in my law school class and we are on first name basis) and even if you don't have a direct acquaintance there is probably only 1 degree of separation. In Oregon or California or even New Mexico or Colorado I'm not sure how well that approach would work unless you were wired politically. Intimately, George M.

Dear Fe, Make sure that you are OK with the local zoning as well as any air quality issues. You don't want to get set up and going and then get shut down because you have estabished a commerical use in a residential zone or some other violation. You may have to get a permit for a home occupation if you are working out of your garage or a shop in your backyard. Since I've been a local government attorney these last 25 years, besides being a blacksmith, I have plenty of experience in issues like this and know that the average smith can easily get wrapped around the axle on these sorts of issues. Legally, George M.