Ed Thomas

JimG: Yeah, I realized that was there after I posted these. I made them up on the spot after the lost anvil reference. Oh, well... back the regularly scheduled Poll: "Just how messy a boy ARE you??" :o

Jr: I think we could probably paraphrase the Jeff Foxworthy lines that made him famous.... If you've ever -- [fill in the blank] -- you might be a blacksmith. If you've ever lost your anvil and the stump it was on -- and tried to locate it by calling out its name -- you might be a blacksmith. If you've ever burned your woodwhacker buddy's hunk of flawless Koa wood as fuel for forge-welding -- you might be a blacksmith. If you've ever burned a 1/2" hole in your forearm and didn't notice till the smoke from your flaming shirt blinded you -- you might be a blacksmith. And so on. Oops. Dan, sorry for hijacking this perfectly good thread. My shop is in... er... flux... so to speak. I'll get back to work now... :shock:

Glenn: They were so purty, I didn't know what to say. Glad you thought of the right words. Does that mean that "Store-boughten" is a compliment to welders??? It is clear that Junior is a valuable resource here by these shots, that's for sure!

Glenn: It's probably worth mentioning that BGOP only accepts the first 300 reservations. The facilities just can't handle any more than that, plus staff. So it is unlikely that there is any more room for this year's event, though it can't hurt to try. In any case, drop-in attendance is just plain out. I watched some pretty indignant people escorted off last year including a very huffy elderly lady. In some ways it is a shame more people can't go because it's such a wonderful event, but on the other hand, it's size is part of the charm.

...ummm... do you have any more categories???? :oops: :oops: :oops:

Hollis: EXCELLENT! I never thought of that and it makes perfect sense. I fabricated a cone cap (chinaman hat) before and watched the smoke. It sure seemed like more baffle than its benefit warranted. I'll try that next time. I'm aiming at ALL stainless for anything metal outside the shop.

Dan, I presume you are making the handle out of wood? If so, to take Hollis's recommendation a step further.... Drill a hole in a piece of wood FIRST. Then you'll know where both ends of the hole are. Carve the handle based on the holes. Otherwise, you will have a devil of a time coming out centered without a lathe or boring machine. Even on a lathe, this is the best way to go. Also as Hollis recommends, you can braze (or weld) a drill bit to a piece of round steel to make a LONG drill bit. Just make sure the new shaft is smaller diameter than the drill bit or it will bind in the hole. I've used this technique on steel, too.

Anybody else from this board gonna be there this year?

Stephan: That is VERY interesting. I never heard any follow-up on that discussion before and your comments make a lot of sense. I'm sure this is valuable to far more people than me! John Larson: Thanks. Without any adult supervision, that design was pretty much my plan because I'd seen it at Bob Kidd's shop years ago and it looked simple and effective. However, I was a wide-eyed neophyte then, and was completely absorbed in the demos by Bob and Peter Ross. I didn't study how good that exhause layout really was, and it's the only one I ever saw personally like it. My interest is that you can put the chimney outside the shop and not have to do any cutting or fitting of the roof. My plan was to build a block/tile-lined 12" chimney and run 10" flue horizontally to it as you described. Maybe I should make a run up to your shop one of these days. There is more than this to learn there, I'm sure! Hollis: No matter what chimney I put up, I suspect I'll follow that general capping plan. Thanks. Rain rain rain. Can't put the roof on in this weather!

Ten Hammers: Thanks. (One of those forehead slapping motions) I knew exactly what you meant as soon as you described it. I was sitting here thinking of my post hole digger and well-digging... and couldn't place the pipe anywhere on any of it. We used elevators and blowers, but I don't remember using any auger elevators, though I have seen them. Initially, I don't plan on a ceiling or insulation. I've been working in a pole barn for years, where only one small section is (loosely) enclosed and floored. Just getting out of the wind will be a MAJOR luxury... never mind the space. I had to borrow to do most of this, and I only took enough to get a shell up. Everything else will have to be pay as I go. So you might say, if the shop earns its keep, then it gets to be warm. :mrgreen:

Me? Just a shirt sleeve... and a dog. "Hey, Ed... you might want to put out your dog." "I mean OUT, not outside!" oops. :shock: But my favorite story I've heard so far was by Doug Hendrickson. He described a demo he was doing while wearing a ragged T-shirt. He was using a torch to heat his piece and knew his shirt was on fire but didn't want to break the flow. Spectators were yelling to him and he just ignored them... and as he finished heating and applied the finish... he tore off his flaming shirt in one motion with a flourish, used the smoking tattered remains to buff the finish on. "...and that's how we do things in MY shop."

Ten Hammers: Thanks. That is very helpful. I had no problem following what you were describing. The space between trusses is 2', which should be plenty of gap. Not sure what auger pipe is, though. Is that a liner used when well digging? JimG: I expect you are right. However, I recall a discussion quite awhile ago on Keenjunk, to the effect that precipitation almost never comes straight down... it almost always arrives at an angle. That was the principle behind having an outer, wider chimney welded on the top of the external flue. The rain, hitting at an angle would arrive at the inside lip of the flue extension, and just slide down and out the open bottom of the extension... never even touching the real flue. It sounded reasonable to me, but that solution would mean additional area susceptible to leaks, not less. Also, another advantage of the wide outer sleeve was that it left the exhaust completely unobstructed. I know I departed a good bit from what you were saying. I just meant that the cover would have to be pretty big to cover enough roof to help... and then it could be an exhaust obstruction. That being said... if I use a metal outer flue, I'll probably follow your advice on the cap. :)

JimG: I'll check on some roof exhaust options. A good friend has already done his with a commercial package and is happy with it. But it was at a pretty stiff cost and he only had to go a fraction of the height I'm facing. Stephan P: I checked with my brother (he's doing most of the construction -- I just do as I'm told) and he seemed to think it would be just as easy to install the roof and then cut the penetration if I decide to go that route. You are kind in your choice of adjectives to describe my behavior in housing animals, hay, torching and forgework all in the same homebuilt pole barn. I had to get rid of the horses when I quit work to do forging and goofing full time, so it hasn't been QUITE the fire hazard it once was. But the 4' concrete knee wall was mostly because I'm tired of having to be SO worried all the time. SGensh: Thanks. The bank was there first. I do hope to avoid the auxiliary exhausting fan. I never like the noise they make either, in the shops I visit that have them. Hollis: I am going to look into your design suggestion. It is sort of a hybrid solution that might be the ticket. As you say... I don't need to go behind the forge... I haven't done that for years. John Larson: I didn't think of that, but you are right! Of course now I'll have to put a weathervane on top of it... hmmm.... this could take awhile... Steve K & Stephan P: Thanks. I've got more to think about now, obviously. I appreciate it.

Bruce, before the board crash, you had asked a similar question... an alternative to tar. Did you have any luck? I just bought some neverseize... or something like that... I'll have to go look at the can... at a tailgate to try out. I realize you're usually working bigger punching than most of us. Been too busy in construction to forge lately. I got a local co-op opening in two weeks and no inventory!

Bruce: If I weren't in such a danged hurry to get back up and running, I'd do exactly that. I'd hoped to build the shop from stone, since rock is free and plentiful all around me... but realized that when I'd be done at 120 years old, I probably would be too near retirement to use it much. I haven't ruled out a stone forge, but it will have to wait. I like working stone. NOW you guys recommend the window! Note that I already placed them toward the sides of the end wall... not in the middle for the very express purpose of putting a chimney there. Hollis, the side draft sounds good to me, except that I don't see how to incorporate that so far above the forge. One way to use the pair of 45

Dave of the Other: I like that idea... side draft directly to a T... but that is impossible because the forge floor is 4' below the outside ground. You solution is good because it sort of eliminates one of the 90

Anvillian: I was busy juggling pictures when you posted and missed yours as I submitted. As I imagince things, there will be an inside flue for some distance... probably at least 6' to 8' inside.

Thanks, Glenn and T-Gold. I'm not quite sure how to incorporate a 45

The shell of my new shop is nearing completion... we'll probably start on the standing seam roof later this coming week(using the tools we made!). I now have to actually think about setting up the forge. I do not want to go through the roof. The forge will be against the end wall and I expect to put the chimney on the outside, extending above the roof line. The chimney will have to be over 20' high. Sooo.... I'm interested in recommendations. The current direction of my line of thinking is standard block chimney with standard flue liner, with a 'T' for the forge duct. It means two right angles, but should still draw if its big enough. I'll post pictures of what I'm facing soon (if we can still do that).