Dale M.

Hmm.... Was just considering a design for opening larger twist off caps, like found on Gatoraid and apple and other fruit juice bottles.... Anybody got a idea? Dale

Thing FrozenForge nails it... Dale

You could make a "synthetic stump" by cutting, gluing, screwing or bolting together cut lengths of dimensional lumber...I know hot the same a traditional stump, but just as effective.... Just a thought.... http://images.lmgtfy.com/?q=anvil+stand Dale

Frosty is miffed at me ( re : the put up or shut remark) because I told someone that if they were happy in their own little world to not bother posting if comments were negative towards others ideas and subject matter, my only interest is for myself and others trying to expand their worlds... Or something to that sort (see original post for accuracy)... IF person chooses not to come back, its his/her decision not the decision of the collective....Its his/her loss for not being able to contribute/benefit, not ours, we will just find the information another way it just may take a little longer.... Seems each day something new is added, that is what this is all about... Dale

Think Australia is a little far to commute, but good concept.... Dale

Simple wall hook or any bent shaped mangled piece of iron with "character".... Paper weights, letter openers from railroad spike(careful here with countries paranoia), business card holders, hoof picks made from 1/2 horse shoe, puzzles set made from small rods https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&hl=en&authuser=0&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=666&q=metal+ring+puzzles&oq=metal+ring+puzzles&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i5.889.6190.0.6519.18.17.0.1.1.0.176.2661.0j17.17.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.img.-JSGZVaHuco Dale

Plastic wire ties (smallest size) same color as chandelier arms.... BLACK? IF you back off about 10 feet and close one eye, you will never see them... Dale

WELL.... Look what came up in another post/thread....... http://www.abana.org/resources/education/chf.shtml This is pretty close to what I am trying to find or accomplish...... Could a lot of these "lessons" be uses as a accreditation program.... Just when some say its over or concept is not needed or a reality.... A new chapter has begun.... Think I will be downloading a lot of these documents..... Also ... http://www.abana.org/resources/education/journeyman/index.shtml Master resource page.... http://www.abana.org/resources/education/index.shtml Dale

In real estate they say its all about "location, location, location"... In our physical world its all about "practice, practice, practice"... IF you don't mangle some metal and make some mistakes you do not "learn"... When its to dark to work at forge, read a lot, even if by candle light.... Dale

You will also find that no matter what end of the piece you pick up, it will be the hot end....Never quite figured that one opu All the above points apply.... Only thing I never figured out was why what ever end of piece of metal I pick up is always the hot end.... Dale

Check e-bray... One selle has 120 for $85 and another 100 for $55..... If you only need a few take walk along some railroad right of way... BE COOL.... IT may be considered trespass and theft if you are on railroad property with spikes in your possession.... And be careful trains are actually QUIET as they approach, stay clear of tracks.... Dale IFI does not condone theft. do NOT steal them

I am liking the idea of using a disk.... Its sort of a intuitive step up from a brake drum forge.... Idea of using disk has floated through my gray matter, will have to watch for a disk for my next effort.... Also would like to see forge alight.... Dale

This helps.... Dale

YES!!! And how can anybody master a lever from rank apprenticeship to master if the is not some sort of process to follow..... And I did not tell anybody to "shut" up... My comment was if you do not have anything positive to offer, why even comment.... Blacksmithing may be dieing trade, but there is much to be learned by someone that has never worked in this field...I'm 68 years old and never got past high school... But never have I shunned the learning process, and it just seems to me there should be some some sort of recognition to insure you know how to crawl before you try to walk... IF it were as easy and unimportant as some people think ..OK I'm a Master Blacksmith.... It's up to you to prove my "credentials" are bogus... IF there is not any need to have a "skills" requirement along the way, then any group like ABANA or CBA are just another "old boys" club and they is not much point in joining other than bragging rights about as important to the rest of world as "I belong the Lane Rats Bowling Team"... And If I probably will never attend one of their events, whats the point in joining.... Dale

What may be unimportant to you is not really of interest to the rest of us, IF you don't have anything positive, why bother wasting your time with negative comments... If you are happy in your little world stay there, please don't bother the rest of us trying to expand our worlds.... Dale

I looked at the gate hook as a final test and though what a joke....I can cold from that in about 10 minutes in a vice and a few basic tools..... It a nothing piece and does not need any skill to complete.... MY group as I mentioned earlier has a book with about 18 different steps, and each one teaches a process.... It's not the completing of a gate hook at the end of the training..... Its about what processes one needs to learn about tool making (punches and tongs) and techniques to shape metals.... The many and varied projects or steps to get to this is the knowledge base I am searching for and wish to see.... Many books have may projects and sketches and I guess I could proceed on my own and be self taught, but it may take some time to convince my peers... IF I can record or validate I have actually learned these processes, hence a curriculum and a check off list then it sort of proves my accomplishments.... All I am really asking is if there are any groups out there has has a curriculum for achieving a level if it is in electronic format if I can have a copy.... IT would be nice if there was a overall course of study so to speak sponsored by ABANA or some other organization so the was some sort of consistency in what what we need to learn or try to teach others.... This should be so elemental I can not believe there is not anything out there ... Dale

At least one person gets "it"....... Dale

Yes we have local group the meets every 2nd Saturday of the month.... I do participate in this group...This is the group I want to update the certification book for, to a electronic version.... Dale

I found this but it seems woefully inadequate for level 1 certification... Seems more like a outline of what a level one certification should contain or a guide to what a level 1 certification (curriculum) should be developed around ...... http://www.calsmith.org/resources/education/level-i/ Current "book" for our group has 18 different steps and is a lot more complex in making items for level 1 than the what is found in CBA content for Level 1... Dale

I know there was some discussion on site about who endows the title of master blacksmith in US.... BUT this query is far below that... Does anyone have any listing or references of entry level (rank apprentice) list of things one must make to receive initial accreditation.... I know each group in many different area have their own standards of what one must accomplish, and I am looking to compare what my group has compared to others... MY group as a old binder full of lists and sketches and it seem to be the possession of out expert blacksmith....I am hoping to update his binder into electronic version by scanning in his documentation and sketches, but would also like to see what other groups have or require to achieve at least first level acceptance... So far most GOOGLE searches have turned up zilch... But maybe I am using the wrong terminology in search strings... Dale

A classic for sure in many ways.... Dale

Some time back there was a show on US television of a sword maker that actually took black sand (iron ore found in river bottoms) and through repeated heating in forge and working at anvil the clumps/limps created in the forge eventually turned into a steel bar.... His process, as he claimed dated back to early Chinese techniques that produced some of the earliest swords (kitanas), dating back to around 1600 ( I believe - may be wrong date here)....I'm sure he added many other ingredients (carbon) to increase the strength of the metals, but the first pieces he was working with looked like the rusty metal piles one finds under grinding wheels or brake turning equipment is automotive repair shop..... The end result was a kitana that was probable pretty close or better than the early Chinese ones.... He claimed his processes were the same as the early Chinese from forming the first clumps of iron to the finished sword.... I think if you can once get the iron base materials separated from the waste, you may be on to something.... Early metal smiths pretty much only had heat to work with and probably were not into crucibles and such at first so maybe getting iron extracted from the impurities maybe a challenge, once you have a workable, malleable piece of metal you can do most anything from there.... Essentially you will be just forge welding iron dust/pebbles into a metal bar.... Dale

And then today I cranked the blower for almost two hours as the resident black smith and his apprentice did demos for school children at our local museum and we then got to work at forge for a hour or so after demo... Surely would not what to crank blower all day... Dale

"FIre ball" rests on air column and coal/coke bed, not directly on metal of fire-pot.... Dale

Umm... Another website give it a temperature of about 3,500°f.....