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Thanks a lot guys, worked like a charm. I still need to change out the terminal block and get things covered up on the motor and it should be good. Russell

Here's what I have.

Thanks Aaron, but it's not. It's some goofy looking arrangement with a separate on and off button. I agree about the short. I need to replace the terminal block because it disintegrates a little more every time i mess with it. I just wanted to be sure about the type of switch more than anything. Russell

I have a Central Machinery table top drill press and the switch died a few days back. I decided I could use a house hold type light switch to replace it. What i have rigged now turns the motor on when i plug it in, but I when i turn off the switch I also turn off the breaker! I'm not too electrically inclined, will this type switch work? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Russell

I found some coal at Callahan's in Austin. 50lbs for $25.00. Not sure what type, but its in real small pieces. Callahan's General Store 501 US Highway 183 S Austin, TX 78741 (512) 385-3452

What 48 willys said. If you have a 4 inch grinder there dry blades for them meant for tile, or that's what i use them for. I would would imagine you could use them on brick, just don't rush it. Oh, and not just the mask, safety glasses too.

No problem, I appreciate the heads up. It's hard to tell with some of it. Everything looked the same. I tried to figure out what it could and if would be made with a galvanized coat. There is also a cross link bar to a car or small truck that looks it could be galvanized too, but I fairly certain it's not. Thanks again guys.

Thanks Thomas. Goldthwaite is just up the road from us. My wife grew up in Breckenridge. I get to go back to pick up the culverts this weekend and look over more of the scrap as well.

My wife and I got an invitation from friends who purchased the property next to them to pick up some concrete culverts that turned into another invitation to look thru some scrap metal. I got about a wheel barrow full and really didn't hit it all. There was a post vise buried in concrete that I was told wasn't up for grabs. Oh well. I did get a nice bit that's almost 2ft long. A lot of the metal looks like it's galvanized so I didn't take it. Do you guys know if they galvanized plow parts. There are a couple in the attached pics. Russell

Picked up a Lancaster #40 forge blower and a 5" post vice at an antique show today. I got the blower for $60.00 because it would barely move, but I was able to get everything free and it's moving.

Thanks Frosty. I think I'll be using one of them as an upsetting block on the floor. Jury is still out on the other one for now.

Sorry about that. In an earlier reply someone mentioned making a swage block out of one the drops. Not having machining equipment, I was thinking of my grinder to creat shapes in it and was looking for some alternate method or maybe I'm just crazy and should leave well enough alone. :)

I have a different question for you guys. If I were to attemp to create various shapes without the help of say a milling machine how would you go about it? I have a 4" grinder any other suggestions? Russell

Thanks for the heads up on welding them together. I hadn't really thought about hard they would be to do and I'm not what you call good at it either. I think using one for a swage block of sorts sounds like a good idea, I also like the idea of using one on the floor for upsetting as well. I really appreciate all the input. Russell

The stuff I picked up was ala Comal Ironworks/scrap yard.;)

Sounds like a plan. I do have a few pieces that are more than 2ft long. I could just kick myself for not getting more of it. They had piles of it laying around. There was guy walking around with a monster cutting torch chopping it up into smaller chunks.

That's another great idea. Sure beats having to pick one up and set it on a stand. I couldn't figure out why i was having a hard time picking them up or even just sliding one around until i got out the scale and figured out they weighed 120 a piece. :o

That's a good idea about swage block. Maybe I could use one as another anvil and carve on the other one to create different shapes. Would any you weld them together?

Thanks, I did try to apply flux, but only to the outside. The other problem i have is keeping it all together without falling into individual pieces. I tried welding the ends, but my arc welder just wants to melt everything which was sorta what I wanted. Did you take the temper out it before welding? Russell

My 150# Hay Budden. My wife and brother got it for my birthday. Gotta like birthday gifts like that. :D

I have these two drops that weigh about 120lbs a piece and I was looking for suggestions on either welding or some other way of fastening them together to make another surface for an anvil. I was also wondering if you guys thought I should (temper?) the surface that ends up being the top. I'm really not sure how hard they are only that they really heavy for being as small as they are. Pictures attached. Again open to suggestions and ideas. Russell

Since I haven't posted in several weeks I thought I would ask about some sections of steel cable i picked up a while back. I know it's fairly hard, a hack saw would only scratch it. I'm guessing after working with a section of it today I should probably anneal it before trying to work it. It also seems to be magnetic too since it was picking up filings after cutting off a chunk with the chop saw. There are 7 strands .200" in diameter each. I was hoping to make some handles out of and perhaps a knife at some point. Any ideas or suggestions would be great. Russell

Thanks, I would appreciate that greatly.

Wow! that's a really nice set-up you have there. I'll have to post a pic of mine whe I get it to that point. My choke plate appears to be in about the same place. I really don't anticpate it being a problem to get to right point, I just need the time to do it. I had to put up square bales this weekend for the critters and I'm really allergic hay, so it wipes me out for the rest of the day. I should get to it this weekend for sure. One other question. Did you put just one coat of ITC? Our home computer died so I don't have Jay's intructions in front of me.

I haven't really had time to try adjusting more. I did get the forge lined and ITC coating appliled this weekend. I'm hoping to do a little more trial and error on the burner before I try to cure the ITC. Do you guys have any close up pics of your burners? I wanted to see how close the chokes were. I have mine set-up like his instructions at the moment.