HWooldridge

Epay 220251156489 - not mine. Looks pretty solid even with the sow block issues.

Can be several things. If the rollers are set too tight, they'll flat spot the wire and make it kink. However, it's most likely that your liner is dirty (I'm assuming the machine is not brand new). Another possibility is that the entry point for the liner is not lined up with the rollers - either up and down or side to side, which can cause the wire to kink. The wrong size liner can also be a problem or the wire speed might be turned up too high for the size wire you are using. I usually pull my liner out periodically and wash with acetone then dip in a good mineral oil. This will give the liner some slickness so the wire will push more easily. Good luck on fixing your problem.

All of my firepots are sitting on the lower set of lips so the gap on the sides is visible and then are clayed so the uppermost set of lips is flush with that lining. The clay also gently slopes downward so it is flush with the lower lips. That way, the fuel is always packed into the sides of the fire. Very little fuel is in front or behind - so a trough is created to provide 9-10 inches of heat.

That's going to be some smelly smoke...phewww! We have gecko lizards laying eggs in my coal bin by the hundreds. I try not to break them when I have to go shoveling but some seasons there are simply so many that I break a few.

All nice but I like #2 the best. Looks like an old French-style scalping knife from the early 1800's.

I adjust gibs on mechanical hammers the same way regardless of brand by tightening them until the ram sticks and then backing off to where a piece of regular notebook or printer paper will just slip between the parts for a running tolerance of about .005 or so, which is fine for ram ways. Of course, this assumes all is square and not tapered, which is highly unlikely.

Borax based fluxes will occasionally leach out at a later date as a whitish residue on the work but other than that, it works fine for welding.

EZ-Weld is a proprietary flux compound sold by Anti-Borax. It has iron filings and some other chemicals - none of which are very exotic. However, for the price of a can, I find it better to buy than try to make my own as it works well for the intended purpose.

This design is a fairly easy stamping - which was available at least as early as the 1830's. They probably weren't using progressive dies and coil feeders but they could have easily blanked the circles out of sheet from a rolling mill and finished them under a drop hammer with a male upper and female die. Depending on the draft, you might need a stripper mechanism to remove them - or maybe not... Not sure about stacking several since that would generate slightly different patterns within the stack of parts. I think it would be pretty fast to do one at a time if it can be done in a single hit.

It depends. If I have time, I'll donate and/or sell everything. If not, my survivors are instructed to sell it as none of my grown sons are interested in following my steps. That in itself does not bother me at all since I've encouraged them to follow their own Way - not mine. My tools are merely extensions of my hands and they should go to other people who will use them wisely after I'm gone and not to sit idle, collecting rust.

Nice anvil you got there, Jymm (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)...

There is one in the restored blacksmith shop in New Braunfels. Sadly, we did not have power inside the shop so never tried to fix the hammer but it appears complete and could probably be returned to working shape.

I feel for you, friend...been there and done that on lots of stuff. Many years ago, I was building a headache rack for the truck and accidentally put a piece in backwards, then completely welded it before I noticed what had happened. I yanked the piece out of the vise and threw it across the shop, where it went right through the window. Of course, then I had to fix both the rack and the window. You are smarter than most folks when you know to put it down and come back later...

The slag has little insulating ability. It is there simply to prevent the molten metal from taking on harmful gases from the atmosphere so by the time you stop and chip, it has already done its job. Better to preheat the weldment if chill hardening is an issue.

I would think about simply adding an idler that takes up the slack. Viewed from the side, your belt would then assume a "V" shape rather than be triangular. This saves building a gigantic frame. In addition, I'd also leave the belt width alone as I think splitting will be more trouble than it's worth. Make all the pulleys 7 inches wide (or whatever your widest width is) and let the smaller belts run where they will.

You can also roll up a piece of sheet metal. Play around with a piece of paper and you'll figure the pattern out quicker than I can explain it - then transfer it to the material. Flatten the small end for a short distance, drill and rivet to a handle.

The first one I made was from a very high carbon drive shaft off a piece of farm equipment (probably 1080 or similar - I know because I quenched a small piece and it would get glass hard). The nice thing was that scrap was 1-1/2" square and ideal for a hammer head. After forging, I let it air cool and never heat treated it. Over time, it mushroomed very slightly and would dent just a little if I hit the corner of the anvil - but it never broke anything and held together for many years. I finally gave it to my son as a gift and made another for me that was hardened and tempered. I use that one today and do not plan to change again since it should last the rest of my career.

I would stick to mild steel for reproductions - no need to fight the higher carbon in a mower blade (unless that's all you have for stock). On the other hand, you could roll the width of the blade into the spear socket, then weld the rest together for the blade.

If I'm not mistaken, this design of blower is directional so it moves air best in one direction only. You'll figure it out in short order once it's back together and working. It is also a very good size for the normal 11x14 pot or thereabouts.

I don't like to center the pot in the table (side to side). Since I'm right handed, there is more space on the right for tools and such and puts the pot to the left, which makes it closer to my side draft chimney.

That is a pretty elegant solution. Nice work.

Leave it alone - shows the honest character of the previous smiths and their work. Also makes a good conversation starter for demo's as most everyone will walk up and ask what happened, then you tell the pick story...

Very nice - I like to see well designed and executed ironwork for the fireplace since it is so central to the room.

I'm too old now (50) but could walk around the shop with my 250 lb anvil in my arms while in my mid 30's. It was stupid to do but I was weight lifting at the time and still thought I was ten foot tall and bullet proof......it's much better to use two people or a hoist. Any heavy or out of position lifting can blow your back, which can cripple a person for life as some folks have already learned. (However, I still say keep the bigger anvil and figure out a way to transport it - a 70 lb anvil can blow your back as easily as a big one and may not be as good to work on.)

I'm in the same boat - my 250 was never a piece of cake but I could hook my arms under each end and walk off with it. I don't even try anymore because I don't want my back blown anymore than it is. That being said, I'd keep the heavier anvil and figure out a good way to move it. Two wheel dolly comes to my mind with a portable block for a stand. You will likely regret going to the smaller anvil at some point in the future but that's just my opinion.