FredlyFX

I have a 75lb Common Sense #2 mechanical hammer. I call it the purple beast. It runs off a flat belt. I have created a stand that holds a 5 hp motor with a couple of jack shafts to slow things down. The dies are flat, with the bottom being about 4" x 5" and the top being about 2" x 5". I'm not completely comfortable using it yet. There is a lot more it can do than I can. I'm sure over time I will get much more use out of it. There are a lot of pics of me rebuilding it on my web site at http://fredlyfx.com/hammer.htm

I have sold quite a bit of my work on ebay, and bought even more stuff from it. My power hammer, 2 anvils, 2 post vices, and almost all my tongs and hammers were all eBay purchases. Having said that though, what others are saying about folks on ebay being cheap does mostly hold true. Most of what I sold was kilt pins. I usually just made them out of the small dropps from the ends of rods I was making other things out of. Smash the ends, wrap it around the horn, then add a small cross pin wrapped around one side. I can make them in about 3 minutes, and that includes twisting them when I do one out of square stock. I usually sold them for about 4 to 5 dollars. I made sure to put SCA in the listing title since that is pretty much the crowd I am aiming for. It was definetly not something to feed the familly on. However, when I took those exact same pins to the local ren faires I sold them for 10 to 20 to the other vendors who then marked them up as well. I quite bothering with eBay after a while. I would say try it. Don't make a bunch of anything. Just do one or two of several different things and see what sells. I do know the reall key is in the listing description and the category. Be sure you spell things correctly. Good luck FredlyFX http://fredlyfx.com

Yeah Sandpile, I have been building this relationship for a while. Even when I am in a hurry I take the time to stop and chat with the old guy whenever I buy anything. He is facinated by my forging. He has been a welder & fabricator all his life, but never did any forging. You were reading my mind. I was thinking tonight that I would make him something cool as a nice thank you. I've been playing with some cable trying to make some knives, and I will probably give him one.

This was the luckiest scrounge I have ever made. I was at my local welding supply 2 weeks ago and we were just shooting the breeze. I had talked to him several times about a wire feed welder, but it always came down to not being able to afford one. I almost bought a worn out former rental from him once, but couldn't even afford that. So, out of nowhere he says,

I love scrounging at yard sales. I seldom get out to the scrap yard because the closest one is about an hour drive from here, and from what I've heard tell I may mortage the house and go nuts if I ever go there. Here is a pic of my last great yard sale day. I picked up the air compressor for $300 at a yard sale. It's a 5hp Ingersol Rand with an 80 gal tank that worked great. I rented the trailer to get it home, and along the way stopped at another sale where a business that had repaired heavy trucks was closing down. I got the 2 tables and shelving unit and all kinds of other great stuff. Down inside the trailer is a whole pile of large U shapped shackle bolts used to bolt axles to springs, and a bunch of large pieces of brass that they had used to pound out bearings and things. I also got a nice 4 point lifting sling. I even got them to throw in a 5ft digging bar because it had a broken corner, and I had bought so much other stuff.

Hi everyone. My name is Fred Frontino, and I go by FredlyFX in everything I do on the net. Email, gaming, websites (fredlyfx.com) etc. I always use FredlyFX. I live in the small town of San Jacinto in beautiful Southern California. (84degrees on Christmas day yeah) I'm 43 and pretty much a newlywed still. I met the love of my life a few years ago at a Renaissance faire. We have been married 4 years in April. I've been working with metal most of my life in one way or another. I was the neighborhood bicycle repair shop, and then went on to Jr high & high school welding, metal shop and small engine repair classes. After spending 3 years in the Marines I got out and worked as a machinery mechanic at an orange packing house, then went on to numerous other jobs. I even had a handyman service for about 10 years. When I was 31 I went back to college and ended up getting into computers. My major is Public Administration, (I wanted to be a politician) but I kind of sidestepped into computers. I work now in the disabled students department at Mt. San Jacinto Community College. I train disabled students in the use of adaptive hardware & software. It's very rewarding, and it also pays for my expensive blacksmithing addiction. Years ago I did a lot of competitive target shooting, (IPSC, Modern Action, Cowboy Action) but now I spend all my free money on tools. I used to do a lot of live steel sword fighting at Renaissance faires. I got into blacksmithing to make & fix my armor mostly. I found I loved the smithing more than the fighting, so I ended up selling off most of my swords and armor, and just do the blacksmithing now. I love creating new things, and want to continue in this wonderful art as long as my body will allow me.