chyancarrek

Nicely done Spike, very well executed! Great job of handling the "honey-do's" - I'm sure the wife loved em'!

When I worked as an interpretive smith at the Ft Vancouver National Historic site they had concerns that the suspended coal smoke in the shop was having a negative impact (4 coal forges with in-flue exhaust fans) so they had a testing outfit come in and we all wore air monitors for a few days - When the results came in we were way below the minimums across the spectrum of "tested-for" gasses and particulates - The testing company's biggest concern were the 4 slack tubs - a perfect breeding environment for Legionaire's disease The only noticeable effect I've ever had from coal smoke is the ever present case o' black-booger and a voice that ends up like Barry White's after a few days of coal forging! All that being said - ventilate - ventilate - ventilate! It's a pretty easy and straight up solution!

Hey Russell, I'm liking that Yanmar more and more with every pic you send! Your use of sending it into the shop to do the heavy lifting is a real attractive one. My shop is 30' x 48' but it's too populated to get my forklift in there to grab the big stuff when I need to. I'm down at the GF's place in Tigard right now but when I get back tomorrow I'll shoot a couple pics of the plumbing arrangement on my forklift. It has a separate valve and control arm for the side shift and what appears to be quick-connect hose ends, hard-fastened to the mast. I was thinking that it would be nice to make a log splitter for it but I just have no idea if the capacities of the lift's system meet the need or how to go about rigging it up.

Hey PF, Yeah, my handle here is a little long-winded . . . it's pronounced "shun carruk" it means "home by the stone". It's the name of my shop because I live on top of a rock ridge near Mt St Helens. My given name is Neil. Thanks for the tip on the website - I'll check them out. I've got a 1962 Hyster forklift that has a 1980 Cascade mast on it thats plumbed for a side shift and I thought it'd be nice to make up a few hydraulic goodies but I just don't know enough about it to get started. One o' these days in my mythical spare time I'll get going on it. Looking at your shop, I'd say it's about as nice a place to spend the Winter months as anybody would want!

Hey PF Fun retrofit on the Yanmar! I've got an old Bolens riding mower that I'm currently working on converting to a mobile wheellbarrow - it'll be a nice alternative for when the full size tractor is too much gun for the job. I'm enjoying the exchange between yourself and Fe-wood. Hydraulics are like mystical magic for me, I just can't get my head around it. So when two guys who know what they're talking about start chatting, I'm all ears.

Welcome PF! Man, did you come to the right place - Sounds like you got the perfect frame o' mind to fit right in here. There's excellent information here (the site just went thru a major upgrade and some features are still being worked on) and a great bunch of folk. So, what's that little crawler rig that's in the pics? It looks like a Dingo (or some such) that's had a small backhoe grafted on to it. Check out the NWBA as well - There's a conference coming up in April and we're scattered all over the PacNW. Enjoy! Neil

Oops! - sorry Iain, my last posting was in response to yours not Mark's! That's what I get for just glancing at names as I'm "scrolling by"

Thanks Mark! That was a shot I took back in '2000 for some advertising work that I did for the biz. I got my Trenton years ago from Jerry Cullberson at Old Cedar Forge in Allyn Wa. It was my first "big" anvil and it's now my main workhorse. The fir round is from a tree that I lost in a windstorm from my place in Vancouver Wa back in '96. Well worn or not, your anvil looks ready to work!

Let's see now . . . A 400 lbs. PW in almost perfect condition and a new puppy? That's what I call living in high clover! Congrats Ian! Enjoy them both!

My 200 lb. Trenton Never have looked for numbers or stamps so I don't know it's age.

Great work Beth! Love the detail - ok, now it's time to start posting more of your work!

Hey Welder, You're definitely on the list here!! Keep your chin up best as you can and I hope things turn around for you soon!!

Mark, Nike campus in Beaverton it was. - During my 9 years at Swooshtown, the folks and environment there were a great contributer to how I approach my foray into the world of smithing. It's funny that you quote Gretzky - Given the nature of Nike and how sports are it's corporate culture, I'm not a sports guy at all ( I have no idea when this year's Super Bowl will be played or who's playing in it). I worked there for 5 years before I realized Wayne Gretzky was a hockey player and not a member of the Portland Trailblazers basketball team . . .. Your quote is right on the money for this thread - Take the shot, otherwise, what's the point? While it's become a cliche', there's a lot o' validity to "Just Do It" in terms of setting your sights on something and not letting your fears or the obstacles stand in the way of your vision. I was at Nike from '90 - '99 - When did your friend work there? Battleground is 15 mi. to the South of me and is the nearest "large" town to my place.

Outstanding Michael! Set up a video camera to catch the kids trying to give that swing a go!

Thanks for all the great perspectives guys! Before I settled on blacksmithing, foundry work and furniture making I too worked in the corporate sector - I used to teach designers how to use computers creatively for an o' so famous footwear maker. I loved working for them - a great big pool of creative folk across the spectrum but it wasn't "filling the soul" helping someone else realize their dream. When I struck off on my own, I made two decisions - first, go it alone, no employees, no investors. Second, own everything outright - no debt, no rent, no one has a hand in it but me. I bought and paid for my house, property, shop and equipment up front then started chasing down business. It was great from the git-go and times were good but as the work started drying up, it was those decisions that made it possible to stay standing. While smithing may not be paying all the bills right now, I'm free to chase any buck I see blowing down the street to make ends meet. Whether it's landscaping, illustration work, database building, ditch digging, fence mending, house repair and cleaning, etc ( yep, I've done them all in the last year) my shop and all of it's equipment sit intact ready to go at a moments notice for paying work or just a creative whim. It sure as h*ll may not be easy or always enjoyable but you work it. Grant and the others are right - If you want to make it through tomorrow, stop worrying about today and do what needs to be done, whatever that may be.

Falconer, While he may in some small way, be helping to preserve a vertical legacy of the past, he's in a larger sense, denying that equipment an opportunity to participate in "future history". Blacksmithing undergoes an ongoing transformation as it moves through the generations and it's the new participants who take up the banner and assure that "living history" continues and survives. By isolating large volumes of equipment that would otherwise be in the hands of those participants, his collection under-serves our craft. Mr Moore has every right to spend his money and time any way he sees fit, and from your description, seems a fine fellow - as I stated earlier, I only hope that he's also using his position as a resource which will help our craft move into the future.

Anvil ring here for Jay. Fare thee well!

I'm hoping Fred makes some of his collection available on an ongoing basis or helps other folk find tools they need. While the collection is impressive, sure seems a shame to see so many anvils and other equipment just playing a supporting role in a stack.

Thanks guys! Fe- yeah, I'm with ya! I love putting metal and wood together. The combo just brings out the best in both materials. Grant - The sofa table was an early season piece (before Thanksgiving). That shot was taken in the client's front yard, one of those immaculately tended sub-division lots. It was a beautiful sunny day with temps in the high 50's. It's an El Nino year here so the entire Winter except for one extended cold spell has been way above normal temp-wise. This time last year, I had 8" of snow on the ground and didn't have bare grass until mid Feb. The Pac NW is a real mixed bag year to year for weather.

Larry, I work for a sculptor who has a large number of public placements ( Google James Lee Hansen) 60 years ago he built his own foundry and does all the work from concept to placement for the exact reasons you state. He believes "I need to own every point of the physicality of the work - not just the vision" At 84 y/o he still works in his studio every day living up to that standard. Do you know anyone who has the knack and willingness to assist you with the prep of drawings and other presentation materials? That might be a good collaborative solution to building a package that effectively communicates the concepts to a committee Michael is absolutely right, it's all about perseverance and having a thick enough skin to keep trying.

Here's a few of what kept me going over the winter. Pic quality isn't the greatest - I've been a bit lax with the ol' staged product photography lately The sleighs and bud vases sold well around Christmas as did the BBQ sets. The copper bowl and stand were for a client in Israel who wanted a "contemplation piece" (aka a candle holder ) All in all it was a decent holiday season for sales.

Not too many of the scrap yards around here (Sw Wa - Portland Or) sell to individuals any more. Unload and go - NO scrounging! Luckily I've been collecting scrap for so long that I've got plenty of fellas who give me a heads-up when they have the good stuff . . .

I always save my shop clean up for the first thing in the morning. I use the clean up time to just putter around putting things away, sweeping up then lining up tools and materials I need for the day's work. It makes a great warmup for coming up to pace and "getting in the mood" for forging.

My condolences on your loss Jimmy & Mary. Be at peace!

Thomas, your brother is on the list! All my best wishes for his speedy recovery!