HWooldridge

Thomas, You guys be careful and stay hunkered down. My wife's brother is in Vinton as one of the emergency team workers and we are waiting to hear from him. My other sister-in-law and her kin are in Mobile - she stayed to continue broadcasting messages on the local radio. Lots of people will be affected, even though it looks like most evacuated this time. Let us know how it goes...Hollis

Conflict resolution - I just went through a class on using deadly force and the instructor mentioned that there are three egos: the child, the parent and the adult. The child is only interested in the self, without regard for anyone else. The parent is only interested in being obeyed, no matter the cost. The adult is interested in both sides walking away satisfied or a win-win situation. Sounds like you are dealing with a combination of both child and parent; she is only thinking about herself and wants you to do as you are told. The adult would approach her in a non-threatening way to discuss the situation. War is the last thing you want, it only results in lots of casualties. You might think the last man standing is the "winner" but that ain't how it works in real life. Another suggestion is not to make the conversation initially centered on the blacksmithing. You have to get friendly with her before you can just toss it out there - otherwise, she'll know she's being worked and will get even more anti-social. You'll have to figure out where her fear lies - is she worried about the house catching on fire, is she a tree-hugger and simply hates smoke, etc? I think it's unlikely she doesn't want you to have fun - the problem is elsewhere. Once she is on friendly terms, you can do most anything and get away with it...she may even drop the complaint and the fine disappears. Good luck.

Sulfurized cutting oil and non salted lard are good on steel, WD40 works well on aluminum (so does water with a little soap) as mentioned, the important thing is to keep the bit cool but feed at a sufficient speed to load the cutting edges so they'll cut properly. It's quite surprising how fast a sharp bit will drill a hole in most metals.

My neck is already swellin'...

I googled "native trees of Jamaica" and the top site listed 6 species of trees. One was lignum vitae and one was mahogany - both are dense hardwoods that would probably make decent charcoal. However, I'd do like matt87 suggested and ask the locals what they use for making charcoal.

Why would Bernzomatic market a blower?

It's now probably been 20 years or so, but I ran an ad in the local small town papers that simply said, "Wanted blacksmithing equipment". I received a lot of calls and some were not worth wasting breath to discuss but I did get some gems. I traded a pair of anvils from a guy who collected them, like cbl4823, for a .22 pistol. He wanted a self defense gun for his daughter, so I got a 200 lb Fisher and a 180 lb Mousehole in the deal. He had about 10 more at his house and actually preferred to keep the ones that were the most worn. I obtained a few prizes in that effort - one was a new condition Tiger 300 blower, which I have used at demos for the years I've owned it. None of the equipment was very expensive and in some cases free for the hauling. You just have to put the word out and keep your ears to the ground - it also helps to have the coin immediately available if you need it.

Not sure what commentary you are seeking. Your tools look quite usable and the setup is basically personal preference and comfort. Beyond that, you are only limited to your imagination...good luck getting consolidated.

Yes, there are a bunch of blacksmiths in this area - and some make knives. For example, Johnny Stout is a fabulous knife maker and lives in New Braunfels near me. Ck out his website: Johnny Stout - Custom Knifemaker Centaur Forge is in New Braunfels and has almost the same stock as the main store in Wisconsin if you need equipment. In addition, Texas Knifemakers Supply in Houston has items specifically related to that craft.

If you mean 'indexing' as in a turret on a lathe, then I'd say it's a lot of work unless you are into production. You also might potentially have a problem with tools being off-center from the ram but that can be worked out of the design if considered ahead of construction. Grant Sarver uses electrically powered flypresses to make his tongs and other tools so he'd be a good one to ask about the benefits of such a device. However, it's my guess that most people leave the press alone and focus on quick change tooling.

Yeah, I have not yet found a good cure for that. A couple of things that help: 1) "V" the end of the spring so the weld penetration gets all the way to the center. 2) Make sure there are no sharp spots (notches) or lumps sticking up above the top of the die. These act as stress risers and can cause a crack to form. Depending on how big the swage is, you can also add a little piece of square or angle stock next to the spring end to allow more weld metal surface area. This can cut down on having all the force applied right at the very end of the spring. Good luck - maybe someone else has found a permanent fix for this and I'd also like to hear it.

I also have all types but typically make the "bolt" style in standard sizes then adjust them as needed for weird shapes. For example, I have a pair that was set to 7/8 square but will suffice for 3/4 sq without heating and resetting - but they will not hold 1" safely without resetting. I will also sometimes tack a longer bar onto a piece, do all the required hot work then use a zip wheel to cut the tacks, followed by grinding the remnants. I don't do knife work so a little added material here and there usually does no harm. Flat jaw tongs are almost useless for most work and can be dangerous, especially under a power hammer. That's also a good way to find out how well your tongs fit, as one bad hit with a PH will send the workpiece flying if the fit is poor. Most of my tongs are based on what I first heard called "Poz" or Pozniak tongs - after the gentleman who demo'd them some years ago. The two halves are laid out facing opposite directions on a piece of flat bar, usually 1/4x1 or 3/8x1. The bar is then split so the reins are cut on the natural taper of crossing the bar from one side to the other. If done properly, this drops two pieces that are almost netshape other than forging the jaws and making the final tweaks. I normally use a 5/16 rivet and set it so both heads match. I always make tongs from mild steel (A36) because I do occasionally quench them from a red temp and have broken a couple pair that were higher carbon.

Yes - I put quick disconnects on mine and added 35 more feet to the stinger and 20 feet to the ground. IIRC, the stock leads are #1 so I used the next larger size (#0) but it might be #2 and #1, I just can't recall as it was about 25 years ago. Welder works just fine and has never overheated. I built a couple pole barns and two trailers with it over the years. I've always thought it one of the best buys for the money on a SMAW machine.

Rust is iron oxide and protects the base metal from rusting any further until the moisture starts it to flaking and exposing fresh material. In addition, wrought iron ages better than most other ferric based materials because the slag inclusions inhibit active rust. The Haybudden is a great anvil and a good score for the price. I'd probably sell the Mousehole and work on the HB exclusively.

IIRC, Hofi's chimneys are simply a piece of square duct going to the side and tying outside to the ductwork (he probably has a picture somewhere on this site). Simple yet effective and no smoke shelf. BP1048 Side Draft Chimney

I think he meant "curve" - i.e. weld it to a base so it doesn't pull out of position.

It certainly won't hurt but I have seen arguments pro and con whether there is much benefit. It is supposed to roll the cooler smoke and allow circulation to always push exhaust up the chimney. I do not have a smoke shelf but do have 4 firebricks at the mouth of the smokebox (which is sheet metal). Those bricks heat up and help the draw when the blast is idle. When the blast is going, the radiant heat is enough to easily make the gases go up most chimneys. BTW, nice forge - you did a good job.

This is a classic Champion 400 rivet forge. They made a boatload of them for the structural iron industry to allow hot riveting before welding became the standard. The regular grate is a plate with three or four lengthwise slots and no clinker breaker. Different models of blowers from all manufacturers held oil while others used grease. It's pretty much common sense to look at what you have and make a good decision. Many will hold oil to a certain level and not drip much. Others will hold oil at rest but the gear action will make them leak. As noted, the C400 works fine with grease in the main bearings and a few drops of oil; the latter primarily protects the brass gear and steel worm that drives the fan. Stainless steel makes a good grate due to its corrosion resistance but it is unlikely to affect clinker formation. The main contributor to clinker comes from impurities in the fuel with excessive blast a secondary cause. I've mentioned elsewhere that I believe that a few slots are superior to holes in a grate but it's probably best that everyone experiment and learn what works best for them.

I would also try higher heat but some wrought iron is red short so it splits at most any temp. A lot of wagon rims were made from the cheaper stuff since it was considered sacrificial - sort of like a modern tire; the assumption was that it WILL wear out with enough miles.

I've seen shards fly on more than one occasion. The most dramatic was while I was sharpening sweeps for an old farmer. I was almost done when he asked if he could do the last one. It took several heats and when he was finally satisfied, he quenched the edge of the sweep from an orange color and then pulled it out to look at. The stress from being forged and quenched too hot was more than the material could take and it fractured violently into 3-4 pieces, one of which hit the farmer in the leg of his coveralls and cut him like a razor. We spent ten minutes trying to get the blood to stop and he eventually drove himself to the ER for stitches. On another occasion, I struck a punch that I had been using all day long on hot work and a sliver came off and bracketed my eye, striking my cheek and forehead. I was wearing a small pair of safety glasses but the piece hit where the glasses didn't cover. "Mythbusters" says these breaks can't happen, but they haven't spent years in a shop. It is a serious issue and safety gear should always be worn while working.

I've had several blowers with weights added to the fans so it must have been common practice at the factory. Never paid much attention but IIRC, all were small solid rivets made from what looked like lead or maybe tin. Perhaps they used rotary balancers or something similar to set the fan and shaft to detect the out of balance side.

The industry quit using colors sometime in the 1970's or so and went to the EXXXX nomenclature. There is an AWS publication that may list the old system - I think it is AWS 5.1-81 but an earlier edition may be more helpful. I have "Modern Welding" in the 1980 edition and it only has the EXXXX listings.

tra

TP; my primary source is personal experience in a one man shop plus I might also add that not every smith had a helper. It's much easier for me to crank with the left hand to rest the hammer arm and it has been my observation over the years that most other individual smiths do the same - but of course, it's personal preference and shops with multiple employees can/could do as they pleased. I have noted most of the shop setups in "Practical Blacksmithing" by Richardson and other sources show forge/blower on the left and anvil a quarter turn to the right, rather than the reverse. However, there is no written rule that I am aware of stating one way or the other is correct. IMHO, it just feels right to put the forge/blower to the left of a right handed smith but then, I also like blondes better than brunettes... It's akin to the question of "why" of anvils have the horn pointing to the left for RH smiths. Some say that is the only way to do it and give their reasons - others say the reverse method is correct - the ongoing discussions make for an interesting life. BTW, I'm right handed and have the horn pointing to the right...:-)

The hammer arm gets a real workout with a lot of hammering so I believe a tradition developed to work the blast with the offside arm to give the other one a rest. If you worked at it steadily for 10-12 hour days, the difference would be noticeable.