Gobae

It was originally set at knuckle height. However, since I have a dirt floor in my shop a divot has worn away where I typically stand and it's now almost wrist height. Basically, the goal with anvil height is to have it tall enough that you're not hurting your back and low enough that you're not wasting swing energy nor having the hammer head end at an odd/uncomfortable angle at the end of the swing arc.

Finding used editions is often next to impossible, and the original publisher rarely (if ever) does a reprint. So, quite frankly, with books like these (out of print archaeological reports/texts), I request them through Inter-Library Loan and then photocopy them.

Yes, somewhat ($20/hr instead of the usual $30). Our typical shop layout is not conducive to more than 2 students simultaneously. This means we have setup/rearrange time to take into account; which negates much of the savings a student might expect from a "group course".

Exactly. Whether I'm forging a candelabra or forging a student's mind, I treat it as all the same.

:confused: A first kit is always a good idea, but a big one? In 15 years of teaching we've only had 5 students get hurt; all minor first deg burns.

Our teaching rate is based right off of our shop rate. Our shop projects are based on $30/hr+(210%*materials, consumables, etc); therefore our teaching fee is also $30/hr. This way you know right off the bat that you won't be losing money by using your production time for teaching because they're equal.

Well done! What a fortuitous event!

This particular "Ringgriffmesser" (ring gripped knife) is from the Manching Oppidum (or Hillfort) in Bavaria. This Celtic hillfort was occupied from roughly 450BCE - 100CE. The cropped archaeological sketch is from a scan I made out of "Werkzeug und Ger

That's very similar to the forge they have at the Lock 3 "yard" on the Erie canal. That particular forge was not only gas but was aspirated with compressed air that was regulated with a valve.

I think there is a difference between being "elite" and "elitist". While the dictionary definitions are going to be similar, the difference in the connotation is that of arrogance. Someone who is "elite" is at the top of their game, someone who is "elitist" may be at the top of their field but they're also at the top of the arrogance scale. As a whole I've never met a more sharing, teaching, helping group of enthusiasts and professionals. Compare that to professional jewelers/silversmiths who always seem to be paranoid that you'll steal some "secret" technique or design.

Excellent post. I have long considered making one myself from a steel 55 gal drum. Couple of questions: My wife's silversmithing tumbler has an octagon interior to help scoop up the medium (and items) so that they are impacted by the medium more effectively. Is the interior smooth or did you include small paddles or other fixtures to do something similar? What medium are you using? (Black beauty, steel shot, ceramic shot, etc) Another thing I've done with her tumbler when I use it on small steel items (such as horseshoe nail rings) is to have a tumbler drum loaded with lightly oiled sawdust for a final high polish that lightly coats the items so they don't rust while awaiting sale.

Haha, wow that's a leap in logic. No, I wasn't implying that at all. The alphabetical list is "alright" but, most people probably need to search on proximity so a state listing is probably the most effective. Since the list is that big it should really be a database so it can be sorted and searched on by any criteria. A little php/sql coding and you could have a fillable form for entries and another one for searching. Alternately, there may be googlemaps api tools that could take it even further and allow searching based on mile radius from your home. Just some thoughts.

Of course given that, that list is 11 pages of unsorted listings combined with chit chat it's probably more effective to ask.

Here's one that I made. It's based off of LaTene era Celtic metalworking styles.

You need to know the context of the term where it's being used because it has changed. Wrought iron has a "grain like wood" caused by linear slag inclusions. Modern steels have "grain like sand" caused from their crystalline structure. I'm not going to answer the whole "compressed by forging" and "directional forging" questions. The compression issue (aka "edge packing") is a huge debate and I don't know enough metallurgy to give an definitive answer on the other.

"Cheating" is based on what rules you set for yourself. The rules I have for myself when making historical reproductions is much stricter than those I have when I'm making something for home use or for sale to the general public. In general the "rules" blacksmiths give themselves can vary from one extreme to the other. All the way from using only iron that you mine yourself, smelt yourself, using historic techniques/tools all the way to using so many modern techniques, tools and materials that you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between what they're doing from that of a machinist or welder.

Where on the tenon? The shoulder or the shaft proper, or the end? Each area can have different causes and cures. But regardless of the specifics, I would definitely suggest making yourself a "monkey tool" to help with the shouldering. A monkey tool is essentially a chunk of metal with a hole drilled in it (the size of the tenon shaft) that can be hammered down the shaft. This will square up the shoulder and the shaft.

Garnsey's coal is hit or miss as far as size goes. Sometimes it's suitable, sometimes it's got chunks in it nearly as big as your fist. A little further east in Cambridge is Davis Coal. I've had decent results with their coal. Not too many people know they exist, so they were kind enough to donate all the coal we used at our demos at the Schaghticoke and Altamont Fairs to get more exposure. Davis Coal 949 Turnpike Road, Cambridge, NY 12816 518-677-2722 Contact: Laverne or Sandra Davis

You got it!

Five minutes. Did you really think you'd get a full half hour for free you ****************! Oh, you wanted an argument? That's down the hall; this is abuse. Opps better add a smiley in case someone isn't familiar with Python. :)

Not scolding really. It just seemed like a silly statement given the questions he was asking. But if you want to be scolded, I can do that for free. :)

Soft coal (bituminous) is a sedimentary rock that contains lots of volatiles as well as impurities. It burns fast, hot, and can be coked. Hard coal (anthracite) is a metamorphic rock that contains less volatiles and less impurities. It burns hot, but steady and cannot be coked. Chances are pretty good that whoever your local coal supplier is sells only hard coal, because that's most commonly used in home stoves/furnaces.

Hehe, really?! 99% of his questions don't make any difference where he is; the process of making coke doesn't change depending on where you live. The only question that might require us to know where he lives is But the typical answer to that is: coal will almost always be cheaper since coke needs to be processed first. (Unless he lives near a smelter/founder; someplace that imports tons of it).

Kinda. Actually you get coke by getting softcoal hot without enough oxygen for it to burn outright. In this state the softcoal's impurities will boil/burn away leaving behind a pumice-like substance of nearly pure carbon; that's coke. If you notice the coke formation actually happens outside the heart of the fire. It's a process that's a lot like turning wood into charcoal.

Hear! Hear! Well said! I couldn't agree more on all your points.