HWooldridge

Dang, I've only done a couple of these things so I must be somewhere between "youngster" and "oldster"... :shock:

I have been fortunate enough to have been given several items over the years - sometimes because it was just 'right place and right time' and sometimes in exchange for work instead of cash. Several years ago, I got a 500 gal propane tank when the company I worked for switched to electric forklifts, then they gave me a 3 ton gantry crane with hoist because it was too tall for one of the areas in the plant. Later, they gave away a couple of MIG's and a bunch of pipe fittings. Another company I worked for sold me two Bridgeport mills for $300 because they were extras and in the way. I sold one for $600 and kept the other. Although it has no digital readouts, it's in almost new condition despite being made in the '60's. On another occasion, I helped a fellow do some work on a large power hammer and he gave me some sheet metal working tools (a Beverly shear and a Niagara slip roll). Another fellow sold me a MIG with a bad contactor for $100 - I replaced the contactor for $40 and still have the welder. I haven't always done this well but it usually works out to a favorable conclusion... :wink:

Woodtick, Osage or Bois D'Arc is a large shrub/small tree that grows mostly in the south near moist areas. The Indians used it for bows and war clubs and the settlers used it for "live" fences - it is covered in thorns and almost impossible to get thru so the pioneers planted them in hedgerows to keep cattle in. The tree's fruit are big, grapefruit-sized green balls that are often seen in the woods and along river banks, which is how I usually spot them. I've also used ash for handles and it is plenty tough.

T-G, I confess I have never tried osage on a hammer - for no particular reason other than I keep hickory on hand. However, I do have a seasoned stave and may give it a try. I started using it on hawks based on a recommendation by another smith but it is hard to work when seasoned. I usually get a fresh grinding belt and sand them to shape.

I forge to shape, harden and temper, grind to a sharp edge, then sand blast and cold blue the head, followed by burnishing with steel wool and oiling. This approximates a lightly used appearance and is better than bare steel. You can also play with browning compounds and get some interesting colors that can resemble various finishes on muzzle loaders. I make handles from bois d'arc (osage orange) because I have access to it and it is xxxx for stout - almost impossible to break. Dixie Gun Works is a very good source and stand behind their product. In fact, my oldest hawk in my shop has one of their handles but it is not thrown - I only use it to chop. words edited by Moderator

I have two extinguishers in the shop - one is near the welding table and one is behind the gas forge. I also always keep the slack tub full. I am more fortunate than some with regard to lighting the shop on fire because I have an all metal building with no insulation and a dirt floor. There isn't too much that can burn besides my shop rags and they are in a metal trash can. My last shop was all wood and I accidentally lit the yard on fire one day, which could have been a disaster if it had touched off a wall. I put that one out with a garden hose.

I use 25 gallon tanks (100 lb) and a propane rated flexible hose that is about 8 feet long. The gas forge is on an old shopping cart and the tank is on a two wheel dolly. I can roll the forge around the tank and have access to work table, power hammer or either anvil. In use, I only crack the propane valve enough to let out fuel, which is about a 1/4 turn. The tank is always on the far side of the work so is somewhat protected but I suppose there is a chance the line could be punctured with a hot piece of steel. I have used this setup for about fifteen years with no mishaps so far (knock on wood).

All I can say is that y'all must do an awful lot of punching. :shock: I have used anti-sieze on occasion but never really needed anything more than some coal dust most of the time. I drill most holes anyway...

Sounds like you need to drill a hole similar to a ramrod hole in a ML rifle. Long drill bits are available or you can braze one to a piece of rod. A lathe with a hole in the headstock will make it easy but if you don't have access, it can be done with an electric hand drill. Just line it up and be careful.

With all this chimney and cap talk, I called up a buddy of mine who has installed commercial boilers for years (I used to help him as a pipefitter). He reminded me that some stacks have a "double" cap, i.e., the top cap is a slight cone, like the normal coolie hat configuration but there is a small inverted cone fastened to the underside of the large one. This acts as a disperser for the hot exhaust gas coming out and helps with flow. I hope this is clear but picture an 18 inch stack with a 3 foot diameter hat, made with 10-20 degrees slope per side and a 1 foot diameter cone fastened to the underside with perhaps 45 degrees per side. The centers of the cones are aligned with the middle of the stack. The exhaust hits the underside cone and flows smoothly out to the sides. My friend also said he usually made caps from 20-22 gauge stainless and they lasted forever. He recently replaced a boiler in an installation the two of us did 18 years ago and they re-used the old exhaust. This unit was running 24/7 at a Coca-Cola plant and had already been re-tubed once so it was in hard use.

On my chimney, I use a flat cap that is tilted a little toward the normal prevailing rain (which is from the West for us). I have a 12 inch stack, the cap is about 20" in diameter and about 10 inches above the end of the stack - secured by 3 legs. It doesn't keep all the rain out but most of it gets deflected unless there is a gale.

Well, folks, I think we should all treat our arms like major league pitchers - both activities require about the same amount of work. I usually don't have much arm trouble but if I experience swelling or pain, I use some ice wrapped in a wash towel and take a little scotch with my Aleve... Another thing I don't see mentioned is stretching. Keep your wrists limber and warm up by swinging a sledge or big hand hammer around your head for a while before you begin. Do some pushups and other light calisthenics every day - an arm is part of a larger machine and doesn't work in a vacuum. Nature is pretty logical about balance and proportion, which is why you don't see Schwarzenegger's biceps on Carrot Top's body. Your overall health and conditioning is important because a long day of forging is a good workout for the whole body.

I have a favorite that I made a few years ago and use every day. I did not want to mess with the handle since it worked fine but a friend convinced me to slim it down some. I bit my lip :shock: , put it on the belt grinder and sanded under the head and toward the end so it bells a little in the middle (something like a reverse hourglass shape). This gives me two places to catch if it tries to slide out of my grip. I also make my handles very slick so they don't wear holes in my hand. I sand to 240 grit, raise the grain repeatedly until it quits coming up then stain and finish with Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil gunstock finish. After that is dry, I burnish with steel wool. I do not like to leave my handles bare of all finish because my hands are usually wet with sweat and makes the wood stick to my skin.

Cover the posts so nothing shorts against them and put on a block of wood in a place where the temperature range doesn't fluctuate greatly.

Do you like it and how is the fire compared to a bottom blast? Have you welded with it? Inquiring minds want to know...

I will tell you the weirdest fire I ever saw. My first forge was a frame of angle iron with fire bricks on top. The pot sat in the middle and the sides were just 1x4's screwed to some tabs so the coal would stay off the floor. I used this forge for several years and always shut down the same way - let it cool, tear the coke out and then water it to death. I had been working all day, closed down normally and went home. Next day, went into the shop and smelled burned wood. Looked all over and finally found that all the boards were burned through in several places. Apparently, some coal dust stayed lit and the little cracks between the bricks fed enough air so that the fire marched right across the hearth until it hit the boards and then burned thru them. There was ash all over and on the floor. Sure glad I had a dirt and brick floor.

Ed, What I had in mind was to fabricate a side draft box and set it in the window. It could also be insulated at that time and flashed for drip-proofing. The duct would run up the outside of the wall and either cut straight thru the overhang or dogleg to clear the roof. The forge is then right up against the wall or nearly so. The only thing you have to get used to is that you have no room behind but I have seen a couple forges built this way and the smith was not having any trouble. My side draft chimney is only about a foot from the wall and you cannot walk behind the forge. I have some miscellaneous stuff stored there but the proximity to the wall is not a problem and it keeps the center of the shop clear so I can clutter it with other stuff. BTW - you probably already know this but use at least 12" round for the duct. 10" is marginal and anything smaller will smoke some. I had a buddy of mine make me a nearly 12" square duct from a piece of 4x8 galvanized and it worked quite well (until a storm took it off one day). He bent it on a brake and folded up the sides then made a seam where two corners met. Easy and fast for an HVAC guy to make.

Ed, My first shop had an overhead hood that was attached to a 12 inch round duct that made a 90 out the wall and then a 90 up. The horiz piece was 6 feet long and the vertical was 8 feet, which put it a foot or so over the peak of the roof. Although it was better than nothing, it still smoked a lot and I finally went to a straight stack. For your shop, I like Swamp Fox's idea of a window that you can set a side draft chimney in. It's very versatile if you decide to move something later. I just don't think you will like the performance of two bends in the chimney.

Don't know if you have tried one but those velcro arm bands for tennis elbow help a lot. After many years of regular hammer work with no problems, I went out one day after a 3 month layoff and promptly blew out those same forearm muscles. I let it heal a couple of weeks and started wearing an armband. After a couple months, I was able to remove the band and go back to normal use.

I briefly went thru Bealer's book and he indicates coal/coke was in general use by the time of the Civil War and that blowers started appearing by mid to late 1800's. Electric blowers were in use by 1890's. I have seen a couple of photos of Civil War era soldiers using bellows and coal but I don't think I have ever seen a picture of a blower from that period. As you stated, the other thing to consider is how common anything was until the technology eventually made its way out into the hinterlands. Even if coal and blowers were in existence, it is quite likely that charcoal and bellows were still in use in most places - especially the South since blockades would have stopped many commercially produced items. Jay Reakirt (who I think is now deceased) used to have an historically accurate traveling forge at Andersonville. Although he had an electric blower hidden in the wagon, the premise was that it used a bellows and he would pull the handle periodically to make it look real - I also believe that he used coal for fuel.