Farmer Jim

njanvilman, Thank you for the information.

As of yesterday morning I didn't have any stake tools to show. I do now. I have looked locally for many years and ended up traveling 5 1/2 hours one-way, but I am glad I did. I don't know much about these or the original purposes.

This one is marked " Niagara M&T Buffalo NY"

It measures 41" long X 17 1/2" high     pd $140

Measures 42 1/2" long X  17 1/2" high X 2 1/2" wide

pd $160

7 3/4" L  X  12 1/4" H  X  3" W  pd $35

16 1/4" L  X  17H   pd $80

19" L  X 10" H  X1 5/8" W  pd  $50

19" L  X  9" H  X 7/8" W  pd $60

Sorry for the position of these, wanted them side by side.   What can you tell me about these?

The one sucker rod I found in my scrap is wrought iron.

American Pioneer Video has an upcoming video  Making A Hand-Forged Flint Lock with Mike Miller.  It has been taped and is awaiting editing.  I have several of the American Pioneer videos and while a picture may be worth a thousand words, their videos are worth a million.  We can watch what is done and then go to the forge and replicate with very little "learning curve."

I have read the Brumfield article(outstanding) and it was a basis for how I made mine. His are much better looking.

I developed my own style to fit my skills or lack thereof. I work alone so that also changes the approach. Brumfield forges his plate and pan. I forge braze the pan to the plate. I also do the frizzen a little differently but same end result.I cheat on the tumbler because it is so easy to make on a lathe versus making a special tool. The bridle is simple and the sear is not too bad. The main and frizzen spring are not too bad and the sear spring is simple but a pain due to its size.

Rockstar,

I can try to get some pictures for forging the hammer but it may not be for a week or two because I am quite busy at work.

It is funny. I have offered to provide info on lockmaking on the NMLRA site a few times and no one expressed an interest.I am not expert but probably better than anyone who has not done it.

While I am fascinated by the swages and "might" end up making them, based on correspondence I had with Mr. Brumfield they would have been used when making more than one copy of a particular style.  For most of us, we won't be mass producing and more likely will make a different type lock from one time to the next. However, there is a swage pictured in Vol V of the JHAT that would be very handy for cock/hammer forging.

The Journal of Historical Armsmaking Technology Vol I and Vol V have great info on lockmaking as it was done.  Volume I is 84 pages titled The Production of Flintlocks Used on Colonial American Rifles: Raw Materials, Tools, and Technology   by Gary Brumfield,  There are sections about each lock part and their construction, including 55 illustrations with photos of some of the swages used to make the parts.  Volume V has  a 23 pg chapter Cock Forging: A Study in Technology   by  Gary Brumfield    with 24 photos/drawings,    including swages used the forge the cock.

barrels are usually welded up from a 4" wide x 1/2" thick flat..

That was what the piece in the video appeared to be and that is the size I'd like to find. No idea where he got his, but it looked like it was a nice piece. The one tire I have that is wrought is that size, but it is weathered. The 1 1/2" stock at Wisc. Woodchuck is rod which would be 4.71" circumference, but I don't know how thick it would be if flattened out. Anyone know what thickness it would flatten to? It would work if I had a way to drill it. They show 1/4" X 3" bar as the biggest bar stock they have. Might be chasing a unicorn.

I had found the Wisconsin Woodchuck site, but saw that what they had was smaller than I need. Could I just use what is available from them and weld a couple pieces together?

I have watched a DVD put out by American Pioneer Video about forging muzzleloader barrels and in it they start with a real nice piece of wrought iron bar that looks fairly new. I have been told to get old wagon "tires", of which I have one that is wrought, but would like to track down something thicker. Is there any place I might get thick wide bar stock that is wrought?

I ended up tapping the lid off, just a very tight fit. Put a spacer where one was needed and oiled/reassembled. My boys have been using it since yesterday and all seems fine. Thanks.

Hello, I have been building a firepot and table for my Champion 400 blower and while discussing that with a local machinist yesterday I was offered and bought a Buffco blower and forge for $50. They were stored in a barn and don't appear to have seen much use. The blower has noise but spins freely so I am taking it apart to see if lubrication is the only issue. I loosened the crank set screw and removed the crank, removed the slotted screw in the center of the cover, removed the fan cover and would like to take the gear cover off.  It looks like it should just lift off, but it isn't budging. I would like to know if there is something I'm missing or if I need a bigger hammer. I would post a photo of how far the dissassembly has been done, but haven't found the guidelines  Thank you.

I have looked at the tables and firepots and see that using the pipe/manifold that I have would be counterproductive in trying to flatten it to make a table.  I am looking around to see if I have anything that will work.  If I use steel and not cast, is there a thickness I should use over another? The thicker the better? Thank you for the help.

The real question is how hard do you want to crank it.

That's why the good Lord made 14 and 16 year-old boys :D

I think that I am confusing the term firepot with forge.  I need a different set up so that I can connect the blower and have a fire.  With all the air leaks  in our current set-up my sons and I are frustrated and just want a new fire area.  I am curious about sizing it to be appropriate for our blower and our needs.  Currently we are just making knives and springs and other hardware for flintlock guns.  I would like to at some point learn to weld and be able to forge weld a rifle barrel from wrought iron. That project is down the road a ways. I would like to make a forge (I think is what I actually mean) that is sized right for the blower and allows for the previosly mentioned uses as well as for the future as we learn to make axes, swages and other tools. Thanks for your help.

Hello,  I have been using a Champion 400 blower and the typical shallow round firepot. The firepot has cracked and the blower pipe doesn't seal against the bottom of the fire pot. I have some pipe/manifold that is 3/8"T X 21"L X 20"D that I am considering splitting length-wise and making a new firepot from. Similar to one shown on pg 43 in Charles McRaven's "The Blacksmiths Craft."  So now my question, how large of a firepot can be used with this blower?