chyancarrek

Yep - what Frank said . . .

Sigh . . . Once in a while, you get to see something that just makes your day. Thanks Michael!

Hang in there Scott - We're all pulling for you and your mom!!

Hey Dodge - Just saw this thread. I went through the same thing with my folks so I know how you're feeling - Kudos for being there for your mom! When it's appropriate to their condition, getting someone outta the hospital and back into their own surroundings can work wonders for recovery. You and your mom are on top of the list here and we wish you the best!! Neil & Lauren

Hey Dave, There's things that you just can't ( won't , shouldn't ) compete with - 6 dollar pulls at Bigbox are one of them - if the pulls had been part of an overall iron-makeover where you had really marketed the fact that they were being hand made as part of the original sales bid, you could run your price up to where you can make a profit. Just let your client know that there's no way you can make them for anywhere near that amount and stick with the bigger ticket items that you can keep a good margin on.

Nicely done Michael & Martin! I always seem to end up making forks as part of a set.

I did five years as an interpretive smith at Ft Vancouver - (a rebuilt Hudson's Bay Company outpost) Luckily we had a million-plus artifact inventory to choose from to try and determine forging technique by direct examination. Even though this is a company that has an unbroken chain of records going back hundreds of years, and there were reams of info on what was made, quantity in stock, what to charge for them, where they were shipped, who bought them etc., there was virtually no written record of "how-to" regarding blacksmithing. The company however did make sure it had very accurate record of how much material and time a smith should spend on each item so as to keep predictable margin on each product. It was a situation where masters and journeymen were hired, specs and requirements were given but techniques and methods were transferred only within the walls of the smith's shop amongst the workers. Even in a perfect record keeping environment, smithing techniques never seemed to make their way to paper.

Back at ya Jimmy! And a big Happy Thanksgiving to the whole IFI family!

Nicely done!

The history of the fan is definitely one of those things you just take for granted. Thanks for asking the question TM3 - and to you Frank for a great little piece of history!

I had such a hard time getting my head around the concept that I think I bent my Lunar Wane Shaft . . . .

Polar Bear in a whiteout . . . Unfortunately, my browser is only showing me a blank white block when I go to enlarge the pic . . .

Mike, Sounds like you and the wife made a night of "Putting On The Ritz" . . . Glad to hear you had a "Super Duper" time . . . . Happy Anniversary! We just watched the movie again for the first time in years - I'd forgotten how hilarious it was!

Oh, silly fellow . . . tis just a start . . .. . . Nice job on the hammer and I second Bob, some pics or vid of the other moving parts please . . .

Thanks for that Jake . . . Been a LONG time since I read that one in entirety.

Sweet score Jonathan! Looks like a great start - Now get it set up and get to pounding iron - and taking pictures, so we can see how you got it all arranged.

Nicely done Bryce! Thanks for sharing it.

You said it beautifully the first time Bob . . . no need to explain yourself . . . .

Sounds like somebody got lockjaw and just couldn't let go - wonder if there was any bidder's remorse later that day . . .

Kevin, What an outstanding story! The idea that the note got stuck to some bulletin board and then was acted upon as intended 15 years later definitely falls into the "meant to be" category!! Just goes to show - "ya don't know if ya don't ask". Pics of the vise and block any time soon?

Just got home from raising a glass to the USMC's 235th birthday with one of my favorite people - A 30 year Marine who had a lot of influence on my younger years. So a heartfelt thanks to all of you folks here who have served (and are serving) in the United States Marine Corps!

What a great place to start Jacob! I've got a friend of mine who worked out of something quite a bit smaller than that (altho a bit taller). He had a gangbuster business making tongs working 6 or 8 hrs a day so yours should suit well for a hobby shop. Take pics as you go and keep us up to date!

Welcome Zig! Hey, post those pics you mentioned - we love pictures here!!

Or that even though they don't have a clue what it is, they sure do know that it's VERY RARE!

I second that Thomas. Glenn's house - Glenn's rules . . . If that doesn't sit well with some of you, try this at the next social gathering you're invited to: Start a loud and disruptive political argument with one of the guests - when the host asks you to stop, try and drum up support by shouting and berating folks about it in the middle of the room . . . come back and let us know how that worked out for ya. Give it some thought - A little social maturity goes a long way . . . I've been knocking around forum sites since they were called BBS's (remember that o' so lovely modem squeal as it was connecting?) and while a lot of things have changed since then, one thing hasn't and that's individuals who want to turn things about to reflect their own POV no matter how disconnected from the intended subject matter of the site. The only solution to that is good admin moderation. IFI really is one of better run sites I've been on. It's had it's share of problems both technical and managerial but it's always come back the stronger for it's missteps. The only thing that's surprised me in this whole sad affair is that it didn't get nipped in the bud from the git-go. Thanks for all your hard work Glenn and team - I hope you guys can get this squared-away without too much more trouble!