george m.

Dear Lodestone, Just a suggestion: If you make a Mark II version I would suggest some design element suggesting magnetism or north seeking, a North Arrow perhaps or magnetic field lines or the pole star or some combination of such or similar elements. Everybody and their dog uses an anvil as a design element. Also, what is a "CNC?" Some sort of milling machine or cutter? Suggestively, George M.

Dear Frank, In answer to your hypothetical question: yes. Tartly, George

Dear John, I think that your suggestion is about 50+ years too late. Just about everything marine is diesel now, even in the more remote areas of the world, There isn't a coal infrastructure left rxcept for electrical generation. Anachronistically, George M.

While most modern railroad equipment uses coil springs the old steam engines used leaf springs. The size of this spring suggests to me something pretty heavy, like steam engines. Leafily, George M.

Dear All, I think the reason that some people are uncomfortable with someone having a large number of anvils (or any other type of tool) is that there is a fundamental difference between tools and other things some people may collect like coins or stamps or china widgets. The difference is that an anvil can be used by someone else and meet the reason of why it was created. If it is not in use it is not achieving the purpose for which it was manufactured. This is different than, say, a painting or other work of art. The owner or collector will be getting the effect of what the artist was trying to accomplish. The large collection of unused anvils is more like the paintings which are just put in a vault for investment purposes and not displayed. As an object both an unused anvil and an unviewed painting is somehow incomplete. Utilitarianly, George M.

Could make a killer wind chime but it might only work in hurricane/tornado areas or Wyoming. Windily, George M.

I have a 15th century knife with a touchmark. I can't really identify what it is but is a distinct struck in mark. Also, silver proof marks go back, IIRC, to the 16th-17th century. Distinctively, George M.

Even if you go ahead with the December sale (and I agree with others that you should do it very reluctantly if at all) make sure that you post photos here or a link to the auctioneer's web site. There are enough folk here (including myself) who are within a day's drive of Oklahoma and, depending on what will be sold, would think about driving down for it. Acquisitively, George M.

Dear Satisfurnace and others, As I sort of remembered from my geologist days it is tough to tell whether a particular coal will be a good coking coal just from the normal physical characteristics. It has a lot to do with how it reacts physically when it is coking. Some coals disintegrate (bad) and some become more plastic (good). In general, though, a good coking coal has about 25% volatile matter, low sulfur (prob. less than 1%), is usually a low to medium volatile bituminous coal, and has a free swelling index of less than 4. I found one old reference which stated that a good smithing coal was less than 1% sulfur, less than 7% ash, greater than 70% carbon, and less than 12% water. Experimentation is the key. If you are having to buy it at a fairly high price and if you live near neighbors you might think of just buying coke itself. I have used it as my primary fuel for years. The main down side is that you have to keep some air blast to it all the time or it goes out within 5-10 minutes. Coal will continue to burn on its own. If you are using an electric blower you can leave it on a low level but if you are using a crank blower or bellows you have to keep at it and eat your lunch off the anvil. Carboniferously, George M.

Dear 781, Actually, I believe the binder in charcoal briquettes is actually corn starch. Still crappy forge fuel, though. Not the best for grilling either. Real men (and women) barbeque on real charcoal. I agree that on Cyprus charcoal is probably the more practical fuel. If coal is used what is wanted is a good coking coal since you are actually burning coal rather than raw/green coal. I'll check my old geology references for the characteristics of coking coal and post later. Santisfurnace, which part of Cyprus are you on, Greek or Turk? Availability of coal/coke may be different depending on which side of the line you are on. Dissatisfiedly, George M.

Dear rthibeau, Purple doesn't become a blacksmith color until a couple of days after you have whacked yourself, then progressing to green and yellow. ;-) Contusively, George M.

I use the anglo-saxon rune for the letter G. Think a capital X with 4 additional strokes in the left and right angles of the X forming two adjacent diamonds to the left and right of the central crossing of the X. Choose something distinctive but fairly simple. Your conjoined initials done with a letter stamp set would work until you come up with something else. Distinctively, George M.

Just as a SWAG (Scientific Wild xxx Guess, more accurate than a WAG) I would say that it came off of a steam locomotive or something similar. Heavily, George M.

Dear Frosty, I'm surprised that you can't get stove pipe caps any more in Alaska. Both hardware/lumberyards in our small town in NE Colorado carry them, both galvanized and black iron. The big box places might be more problematic. I share your regret about steel gold pans. We use ours more often for making BIG apple pies that separating out the heavy mineral suite but they still serve a useful purpose. General chimney questio to everyone: Isn't there such a thing a too large a diameter or too tall a chimney? I envision a chimney where the hot gases eventually cool and no longer rise causing the smoke at the bottom to back up into the shop. I imagine that there is a maximum height and diameter for any given source of smoke. Draftily, George M.

Correction: Edwards shear, not Beverly. GM

I THINK beverly shears may have come from the factory in green (mine is uniform rust color but I wouldn't mind restoring it someday). Greenly, George M.

As someone who has some expertise in explosives from my time in the military and in mining the idea of shooting anvils gets into my probably not area. I might watch someone else from a distance but the chances of something going bad seems too high to me. Also, I'm with the folk above who consider this anvil abuse. The ones in the video didn't seem that bad. Also, someone with that many anvils who isn't using them is closely approaching the definition of a hoarder and may have OCD issues. I would like to go to his estate sale though. Shooting anvils does have a long tradition though. There are accounts of the immigrants on the Oregon Trail in the 1840s shooting an anvil to celebrate the 4th of July. If I had hauled an anvil 800 miles in a wagon I don't think I would be very keen about shooting it into the air and risking it being damaged. Grounded, George M.

I agree with the auction advice. It may depend on where you are. Auctions in suburban/urban areas may attract fewer folk who are interested in anvils, etc.. My experience in recent years at auctions in rural NE Colorado is that there are always a few folk who will bid fairly aggressively on anvils. If I see an auction announcement that lists an anvil or a forge, etc. I usually call the auctioneer and ask some questions about size, condition, etc.. Sometimes I get good info, sometimes not. I got into blacksmithing when I bought a 100# vulcan anvil and a forge for $25 each at an auction in Riverton, WY in 1978. Probably the most life changing purchase I've ever made and one of the best deals. Acquisively, George M.

Dear SR, Yes, you were probably using "boiled" linseed oil. As far as I know that has been the usual commercial product for many years. Also, remember that linseed oil drying is an exothermic process which generates heat. If the heat cannot escape, as in a pile of wadded up rags, the heat can reach the point of ignition. That is why we used to be taught about "spontaneous combustion" of "oily rags" when the fireman came to school to talk about fire safety. The oil that they were talking about was linseed oil, not petroleum derived oils. If I'm throwing out linseed oil soaked rags I always spread them out on the edge of the trash can overnight to allow them to dry. Spontaneously, George M. PS My wife, the fiber person, just told me that the name comes from "linen seed" oil because it is flax seed oil. Flax is the plant that linen comes from. So, if for some reason you wanted un-"boiled" inseed oil you could go down to the organic market and buy flax seed oil.

I have found that higher carbon steel such as a straightened coil spring gives a more musical/richer tone than one of the same size made from mild steel. Also, never hang a triangle from the end. No ring at all. Always hang it by one of the interior angles. To actually tune a triangle to a particular note probably would take some serious experimentation with any particular type and diameter of steel. It would probably come out something like for an A flat of X size and type of steel you need 13.23 inches while for an A sharp you need 12.78 inches. I'm sure that musical instrument manufacturers worked this out long ago. Triangularly, George M.

Aha! Now I understand (sort of). I had always thought the thing you actually put the keys onto was the "key ring." The photo shows the forged work being attached to the same ring as what I might call a "fob." Most of them still look too big to go into someone's pocket but would be handy for finding in a purse, drawer, or shelf. I'll have to look for some of the actual commercial rings the next time I'm near a Hobby Lobby or Michael's (the major chain craft stores in Colorado) and attach them to the ironwork. Illuminated, George M.

Just out of curiosity, what did you charge for them? Capitalisticly, George M.

When selling something made from scrap I find that folk like to know where it came from. Telling someone who is looking at a RR spike knife that it started life on the Union Pacific or the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (I know it dates me but I still think of them as the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, the Great Northern, and the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe) increases their interest. It deepens the story of the item. Also, a reasonable number of folk ask where I get my steel. They seem to think it cool that I use other things and also many don't know that there are places you can go to buy new steel. I realize that there are lots of things I don't know much about but I am sometimes surprised at the basic things that some people don't know. I have to wonder how they are let out without adult supervision. I recently had a man (I would guess college educated by his dress and speech) who admitted that he didn't know the difference between a RR spike and a RR tie and how RR tracks were put together. Maybe its because I grew up around railroads but that seemed a hole in basic knowledge of the world and how it works. I guess I follow Robert Heinlien/Lazarus Long that a person should know as much as possible about as many things as possible and be competent in as many areas as possible. And don't get me started on people's basic ignorance of history. Broadly, George M.

Dear Learning, I'm assuming that you didn't try to harden (intentionally of unintentionally) your knife. That is you didn't quench it while it was at red color or higher. If you did, reheat it to about medium red and let it cool in the air. Then, your file ought to bite. If that is not the case, you're going to have to use at least a bench grinder. Because grinding wheels are curved it is hard to get a good final finish. I'd suggest doing the best you can with the grinder and then using progressively finer files and emery paper. Before I got a belt grinder I would put a belt or orgital sander upside down in my vise. Worked OK but a little scary with the belt sander. It would be real easy to slip and sand off a part of yourself that you didn't want to lose. Wear good gloves. RR spikes are fairly low carbon and won't harden much if you don't use something like super quench (look it up). If you want to try to harden it I suggest that you wait until you have removed all of your forging marks but still have fairly course filing/grinding marks. Heat it to a medium red heat high in the fire with a slow air flow because that will produce less scale. Then quench it in water. Use the sander or a sanding block with emery paper to get it as fine as you care to. Good luck. Finishingly, George M. PS You can sometimes get a good effect just by removing the scale with a wire wheel and leaving the forging marks.

Dear Adirondacker, My first forge (which is still in use) which I bought in 1978 had the same "clay before using" cast into the pan. I put fire clay in the pan sloping from the edge of the pan to the tuyere. It was a huge hassle. The clay fused with the clinkers and was a mess. I removed it and have used the forge without it for the last 34 years with no problems. I've had to replace the tuyere grate twice and probably will again within the next year or so. I started a thread about this a month or so ago. You may want to look it up. The gist of some of the replies was that the manufacturers put that in to reduce warranty claims but that it really doesn't make much difference unless you are building HUGE fires. The only part of the pan that gets hot for me is the tuyere area. I don't see what good clay would do more than a couple of inches back from the edge of the tuyere grate. Not following directions, George M.