Dan C

Have you visited straightrazorplace.com? Not that you won't get your question answered on IFI, but as straight razors are all they do there's a wealth of information.

I'm amazed at the individual contributions that have been made to this site. Initially I'm sure I was one of the ones asking many of the same old tired questions until I became more adept at finding the answers that are already here. Reading thru IFI on similar topics, such as this one opened my eyes to effectively searching the forum. When on occasions I was told to check xxz section as it'd already been answered I appreciated that response as well, promising myself I'd search harder next time. Thank you for everyone's time that contributes to this forum.

Welcome to IFI. I'd love to see pictures of your work, especially the metal sculptures. It helps to see what others are doing, though I see so many cool things people have done on this site and rarely have time to actually make my own version.

I wish I was in the position to buy it as you're not too far from me and it looks like a nice one. Seems like anvils go pretty fast around here so $3 a lb should be a reasonable price. Are there any other tools that you're getting rid of?

so he got the axe...

What sort of liability are you at risk here? Would it be wise to have the person sign a disclaimer so you're not on the hook in case they do something stupid to themselves or someone else, and would such a disclaimer actually hold up? It's one thing to make an axe used to chopping wood, another to make one whose sole purpose is cleaving zombies...

Is the dual top similar in function to the ventilation pipe that was seen in the 2nd video, which was added to prevent buildup of excess wood gas and allow steam to escape? Is the inner lid smaller to fit the inner drum, then the outer lid with the larger hole clamped shut on the outer drum with both lids screwed together? That then forces any escaping gases to go thru the larger hold which is then sealed later by covering w/ sand?

It's beautiful, but you're leaving out a lot of information like what it's made of.

What process did you do to make the eye? The hawks I've made were slit punched then drifted. I'm assuming they're forged welded though seems like it could get tricky.

Thanks Ian! I happened on this video which helps clarify how it's working. As well as this one by the same guy.

Hi Ian, I had some questions about your retort. On the step above it would seem the outer drum keeps it's base though also has a 6" hole to accomodate the pipe and flange. For the fabricated inner drum you welded 1/4" plate to it and this is bolted to both the flange and the outer drum? Would something like this work also with a 55 and 30 gallon steel drums? What do you mean by "notch top lip to suit"? Dan

To me it's good to hear that not all American kids grow up coddled. As a kid my dad beat into our heads firearm safety and how to respect tools. Anytime he shot a deer he made a point of showing us the entry and then the exit wound to make sure we knew the damage a high powered rifle could do. I was allowed to use pretty much whatever tool the job needed, though I'm sure he was keeping an eye on us. I wasn't so much concerned with hurting myself back then as I was disappointing him and then not being allowed to use something. Probably safe to say my kids are the only ones in the neighborhood that know how to stick weld and have worked hot steel in a forge (though not my 7 yo).

considering it was made from a horseshoe, it was more of a letter opener, and a very nice one at that. On the other hand the shop knife I use for cutting leather holds a razor edge and is put well out of any child's reach

That's a sweet letter opener!

Welcome Skylar! I grew up in Austin, TX near Shoal Creek. As kids we'd dig for shark's teeth and later right were we'd dig a plesiosaur was discovered. Funny we'd walked all over it and never recognized it for what it was. http://missionmortgage.com/shoal-creek-plesiosaur-an-austin-gem Thomas I'd like to see pics of the rock hammer as well. From time to time I take my kids to the same spots I used to dig and teach them how to look for fossils.

I tried doing this method yesterday using a 55 and a 16 as the retort. http://www.holon.se/folke/carbon/simplechar/simplechar.shtml The result was mostly uncharred wood and hardly any charcoal, even after burning for probably 2 hrs, I'm assuming without the lid and stovepipe to heat & draw properly, the gases in the wood inside the retort never ignited. Maybe it works for smaller materials, but for a decent amount of charcoal for forging I'm putting it down as a failure. I will get another 55 gallon drum to follow the steps outlined here instead. Initially the plan was to make it as described in this thread, but found the lid that I had wouldn't fit so decided to give this a try.

Why not re-shape the jaws to fit what you need? Easy to do, heat the jaws, grab the stock you need them to hold and clamp down in your vise. Then adjust the reins. You probably knew how to do this, but might help someone new.

Well I'd rather get to put things to use, but collectors are doing us a valuable service preserving the heritage and keeping things out of the scrap yards which would be melted down and gone forever.

Do you weld Adam? You can work around it if you don't but I'd highly recommend learning if don't and get a chance. Recent threads on arc welding FYI

You got me drooling! Those are awesome!!!

How are you isolating the motor & board from metal dust and still allowing air flow for cooling, maybe just a shield?

Until you can find a decent anvil I'd use whatever heavy piece of steel you can get. This piece of RR track was my initial setup and served well for 5-6 months until I could find & afford a london pattern PW. I still find use it occasionally for the edges. I tried searching the Ames, IA craig's list to look for listings, didn't see any local, but there were some listed in the surrounding area that might work. One had a broken heel, but if it was close I'd grab it, clean it up, use it for now and try to sell for a profit when something else comes along.

I think the 16 and 55 would work, but yield would be less. Ian posted his retort which is 2 - 44 gallon drums. I may ping him directly as I don't follow everything he did, though reading & rereading it right now hoping it will make more sense. Like you say, cutting a 55 down maybe a better option, and it looks like his setup is more neighborhood friendly which is going to be a concern.

Well the search will continue, what they had were 55's and then some 16's they were using as trash cans. I talked them out of a 16 so at least I can give that a shot until I can find a 30. At least the price was right, free!

Beautiful work, it really flows!