J W Bennett

Thats a different setup. Let us know how it works for you. Does the leg go down into/thru the tank?

In a former life I spent alot of time at the blue room and also the wooden keg. Youth is wasted on the young, I will try to make it to Jasonville tomorrow night. PM me an let me know how to find you.

John

Piglet,
I had to drill and tap both the blower and the forge. They both are tapped and push against the pipe mountin bracket that I fabricated. It has worked well for me so far. If you need more pictures PM me.

John

James,
which city, I'd like to go take a look.

John

I just finished putting a forge/blower together like that here is the thread with some pictures.
http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/new-forges-me-7971/

John

IRF,
The blades on this one are cast and are in real good shape.

John

One large cone mandrel, just 1 Santa really just 1.....

I like it, I really like it,

John

A friend at work that I have done both paid and free smithing for came into my office today and said he had a piece of junk in the back of his truck. Said it slid around and beat the truck bed up on the way to work and if I didn't want the rusted piece of junk he was going to throw it in the scrap bin rather than cart it home. I asked him what it was and he said he thought it was an old blower but he wasn't sure. It came from his late father-in-laws barn, He said it was locked up and wouldn't turn and rusted and the wood part of the handle was missing. Said if I didn't want I could toss it.
I went out at lunch and this is what I found. It banged around in the truck enough on the way into work that it busted up the mud dobber nest in side and the impeller would move about 1/2" when I put it in my truck. I got it home and dug out the mouse nest and now it turns free. I haven't put oil in it yet. I will do that tomorrow with any luck it will hold oil and not leak it back onto the floor. It is a Canedy Otto Royal Western Cheif H. I will have to make a stand for it in the near future.

John

I have a 1/4" plate of mild steel welded to a hardy shank for my shop anvil. for demo's I use the step. as far as cuts/marks on either I guess I'm sloppy.

John

I like the brands also. Do you have a better shot of the hooks?

John

M_Brothers,
Thank you for the clarifacation. Sometimes I am a little slow on the pick up. I sometimes have tunnel vision. Good Luck on your gig and your hammers. Post pics when yu get one completed (post pics of the gig also)

John

Okay, I'm gonna show my lack of knowledge here. Why do you need a welder to make a hammer. I'm not being smart maybe there's a technique I have not seen or heard of. I am genuinly curious.

John

Reb and Thomas, I don't think a regular christmas tree branch will hold them. I'm thinking of mistletoe in the twist and hanging from the mantle or the ceiling. Thanks for all the feed back. I am working on a bp for the russian rose napkin rings. When I get it done I will do one for these. Once again thanks for the feedback.

John

Just posted these in the gallery. I forged each of them from 4 peices of 1/4" square stock 10" long, forge welded twisted and drawn out. Pig tail scroll on one end and a long icecicle taper on the other end. 1" ball bearing inside. wire brushed and finished with boiled linseed oil. Let me know what you think.

John

Frosty,
Good work by a good man.

John

I don't know anything about the diamond back forges, Can you post some pictures and have you tried to contact the manufacturer?

Not much help,

John

This has nothing to do with blacksmithing but I was headed to breakfast this morning and caught the sun just coming up at the bridgeton bridge. It was about 27 degrees out and the mist was rising off of raccon creek. Took these pictures and just thought I would share.

John

My main forging station has a gas and a coal forge standing side by side. Then going around counterclockwise the power hammer, the 165# anvil, a 5" post vise with it's own stand, Swedge block with stand, small heavy layout table with another 5" post vise, 303# anvil and then a qeunch tank made from an old beer keg back next to the coal forge. The oil quench tank and the wood box with sand are tucked under the gas forge stand.everything is with in a step and a half ....close at hand. both anvils the layout table, the vise stand and both forges have lots of rails,brackets, pockets to hang hammers, hardies,tongs, swages and various other implements of destruction. I hate not having what I need handy when I finally decide to do something;) Also this is an arrangement that is very fluid depending on current needs.

John

Use them for awhile, think about what works and what doesn't. Take that knowledge and make another pair. Welcome to the world of smithing, you can never be good enough!

John

I have it, with Glenns permission I will send it to you on PDF,

John

The best discription of leaf making I have read is in the best of the bits, you start from the center and work your way out with the pein of the hammer. like anything it takes a few to understand the movement of the metal. You have to decide once you have done a few dozen what you like. I switch between chiseled veins and hammered viens on a regular basis depending on what I am doing.

John

Unicorn Forge,
There are blueprints on how to make blueprints. If you go to the top of this page and click on blueprints it will take you to the blueprint index. Take the time to look through them. Most are photo's and words not drawings. If I had to draw the ones I have done they probably wouldn't be there (I'm not a sketch artist).
If you look through them you will notice some are real short and some are real long. Take whatever time you need to describe what you are doing.
I have not submitted any recently becuse I don't see them getting posted anymore. They seem to have lost 300 or so. once I see them getting posted again I will start submitting them again. At the rate they say they are doing them every week it's no wonder they're behind. It would be great to get them posted and if there's anything I or we can do to help make that happen let us know Glenn. I know we are all thirsting for the knowledge contained in those un posted blueprints

John

Archie,
This past year A local farrier and I had the pleasure of teaching the local 4H blacksmithing program. I can honestly say it was as much a learning experience for me as it was them. They ask questions that I never asked myself, sometimes I had the answers sometimes I didn't. I did not "make up" answers if I didn't not know I would find the answer by the next meeting.
I did a forge welding demo for them and forged 3 chain links and welded them. The welds held but I wasn't happy with the quality of the 3 links. I started practacing forging and welding at least 3 chain links at every demo I do and then forging a fourth link and welding them to the main chain that I started with. The chain is now over 10' long. The only way to get better is to practice.
I teach basics and am still learning the basics, You know more than you think you do but not as much as you wish you knew. If you could learn it all then were would the challenge come from.
I have yet to be around other smiths and not learn something.

John

I'm with Rob, drill'em or punch'em, rivet'em and tune'em and see how they work. Then you'll know what to do to make the next pair even better.

John