Dave51B

 When you say "very small split crosses"... How small are you talking? I've made a bunch out of 1/8" square key stock for ear rings. There are a few tricks involved, but very doable. Any questions?         Life is Good                    Dave

 OSB, I will be at Tipton IBA conference tomorrow ....5-3-17.... Drive the few miles north and look me up. I will be the tall guy with whiskers and the black IBA hat. Sounds like you have some preconceived notions that need addressing. I look forward to meeting ya.....                   Life is Good                   Dave  

 Sometimes, I'm not sure if I'm playing with a full deck......                      Dave              

9 hours ago, Glenn said:

We had one fellow actually build a shop on the balcony of his apartment. It was not at ground level either.

 Thanks Glen, You caught me thinking inside the box again.......               Dave

 I can't imagine anyone on this site that will say it is not feasible.....unless your in a high rise apartment. Got a backyard?       Dave

OSB, look up the IBA (Indiana Blacksmithing Association) website. Once there you will find the information for the 37th Annual Conference in Tipton, In. at the 4-H fairgrounds. It is on June 2nd, 3rd and 4th. It will be well worth your time to drive the few miles up there.              Life is Good                 Dave

 Hey Kit, just a heads up......take some cash with ya . Yer gonna find some stuff that needs to go home with you....just sayin'. I plan on going Friday just to help you out, so you won't have to haul so much.                     Dave

 Nice.....I'm thinking, for what I do.....if one of the 8 sides was flat, I could sell my anvil and clear out a bunch of tooling. If only the cone was solid and no through hole. That may not be a problem, but I'd sure like to have one to find out. Thanks for posting Judson.             Life is Good                Dave

 Lionel......If that woman decides to leave you, let me know....lol        Just kidding, great woman and great score. You better make her something real nice.          Life is Good                    Dave

8 hours ago, Steve Sells said:

I detect someone using my name in vain ?

 Well Steve, I hope not in vain.....but as an inspiration?  Don't worry. I won't say I found you better in person than you seem here on these pages sometimes.  Thomas is right, Saturday would be best, but I will probably go Friday. I have a tractor event on Saturday.          Life is Good                     Dave 

Kit, get yer tail over to Tipton for the IBA Conference on June 2, 3rd or 4th. Do what ever you have to do...just get there. You will get yer eyes opened by more smiths than you can shake a stick at.....And if yer lucky like I was, you may get to meet up with IFI's own famous Steve Sells.               Life is Good                Dave

 I always hated those ramps...to heavy to begin with......and he wants to make them longer (heavier)? Is this on a dovetail trailer? Tell him to get off his wallet and buy a tilt top......lol                Dave

 Welcome fellow Hoosier.  As Steve said, there a several smiths in the area. I suggest you check out the IBA website. There is a bunch of stuff coming up. Somewhere on this site there are links to Blacksmith videos, that would be worth looking into. For one, check out John Bennett, he was IBA  blacksmith of the year last year. Actually, I will be visiting his group at Rockville fairgrounds in the morning @9:00 AM for their monthly meeting. Abit of a drive for you, bit might be worth checking out. Welcome to the craft...Life is Good.......                       Dave               (not a knife maker)

 Very nice.....Did you put your touch mark on there somewhere? I'm pretty sure momma will be carrying that in her hand bag to show it off . Well done.....                Life is Good                 Dave

 I looked at it till my eyes glazed over.......I don't see a thing

Abby, I probably won't be able to help with the steel type, but I am a retired hoe operator. What size hoe do you have? Are you thinking of a single ripper tooth? Just a bit more info should help.          Dave

10 minutes ago, SmoothBore said:

In my experience, the "log skidder" is called a "log grab",

 Hey Soothbore, while we're nit-pickin'....I have always called those "log tongs"       Life is Good                  Dave 

 Glen......You must have a really small touchmark....  For me, one of the best ways to tell if my "good enough" is good enough. Is making trade items to exchange at our clubs meetings. Sometimes, your item gets picked first, sometimes last, and sometimes I take my own so no one else will have to take it. The comparison with my fellow smiths work is invaluable to me.        Life is Good     Dave 

35 minutes ago, beech said:

Yes.

 Dang it.....I got there about 12:30....I had been to Oden to pick up some coal. I saw a few younger guys working, it didn't even cross my feeble mind to ask about you. Sorry bout that........               Dave

6 hours ago, beech said:

I forged my first "for sure" weld.

 Was this at Rockville?       Dave

 Some farm equipment is regional by nature......and the type of grain in the field would make a difference in the equipment used.....were you in a rice paddy or a wheat field...milo perhaps maybe flax.......a little more info would be helpful ......ds 

 Thomas, are you saying he built it backwards for himself? Seems to me if you crank the blower with your left hand you would have your back to the fire. Doesn't make sense to me ......but hey... I'm abit odd anyway. It's all good.                   Dave 

 Thanks for that last pic......now I understand why you built it backwards.            Life is Good             Dave

 MB.....We all have to start somewhere. Looks like the only way you can go is up. Kudos to the wife for use of the hairdryer. Yeah you should cut back on the air. Give us a general location, and maybe you could get an invite over for a few tips. If your close by me I say come on over.            Life is Good                    Dave 

 Hey Russell...good to see ya. Do you know how much she weighs? My A&H anvil #32086 weighs 100lbs. She is a bit noisy, even with chain tie downs and a couple of magnets stuck to her. But I do like that thin heel.

 That anvil will serve you well for years to come. As stated, try to hook up with a local group if you can. Maybe just to watch others work, perhaps you will see something that touches your creative nerve and help lead you into a direction of creativity.

            Life is Good                           Dave