jeremy k

From the picture, it looks like you need to hone the edge on a sharpening stone buy hand, it's very easily done for a sharp edge.

Mount bar on frame and adjust weight back and forth for pressure adjustment. Depends on the saw if it's blade heavy your weight should slide rear of pivot to help counter the blade side weight. A small cylinder is also just as easy to mount

Eric, the easiest is to make a weighted slide, to adjust the pressure on the blade.

Dave, you are correct, in that more than a blunt tip will cause problems, also it's easy to get the body behind the blunt tip to long also. Try keeping the body under the blunt tip, pre shape approximately 1-1/2 times the thickness of the bar. Use this as a starting point and adjust the length after you make a few and see how that goes.

Why not just purchase some, I now shipping to Canada is an issue but you'd probably have to ship the ingredients anyway, would it not be easier to go with a commercial mix that is tried and true, it's really not that expensive for what you get out of it.???? Just asking.

Dave, glad your having some luck, keep practicing, like most forgings - once you get to the 75 pc mark, you end up fairly consistent and things start looking the same when you compare side by side.

Speaking of those pesky wire wheel wires - Ive always wire wheeled in the middle of the shop (36x54) and one day after a large railing job - while opening the sliding door that is insulated with 2" foam board - I noticed these little partially rusted wires stuck in the foam, They were from wire wheeling the railing - All over the door (16ft wide slider) - so they went thru the air 15ft or more to hit and stick in the foam insulation - I just looked at that and said to myself - WOW!!!! - found them stuck in a sweatshirt I wear doing that days after being done with projects - they do get everywere. I try to do a full look over on clothes before leaving the shop - as I have also found them in the house and even still stuck in my flesh.

Brick, controls can be run from both sides - depending on what LG Power hammer I need to use. Forge controls are designed to resemble a blacksmith/wheelwright "traveler".

Mount it on a stand like other swage blocks, so it can lay flat or on edge, depends on how you make the stand.

lukerec, I have one exactly like that, but not so worn so as to have the "v" shape cut in it, it's been sitting outside the shop for about 4 years now. I haven't had a use for it yet.

Hummmm. Underwater forging.....never thought of that.

Gerald, that is a very clean looking tomahawk.

Quilbilly, that measurement can change depending on stock size your working - The general starting point is explained in the info below. As per page 196 of Richard R. Kern's book - The Little Giant Powerhammer.

How do you determine these are from the narrow timeline of 1850-1860? Nails of all sizes, and possibly an axel type re-enforcement plate?

Don't know why that is so tough - the Coke opener on my kitchen counter has the same bolt hole dimensions, just make one that fits the bolt holes he has. Rubber or plastic washers will take up any slight curve that the panel has for mounting - easy peasy. Although this could have been an engineered "In" dimension so openers could be mounted easily - designers throw in some weird quirks sometimes for good reasons.