racer3j

I won't do this unless the nominees are described- why they deserve something very special and significant. And, any youngster can nominate him/her self- this is no time for humility. LET ME SAY THAT SOME JAWS WILL DROP WHEN THE GIFT IS REVEALED. SO GET IN HERE AND SELL. IF YOU KNOW A QUALIFYING KID WHO IS NOT ON HERE, GET THE KID ON WITH PARENT PERMISSION.SO FAR, I AIN'T COUNTIN' JUST NAMIN'!!! START OVER AND DO IT UP RIGHT, Dad Burn it(Gabby Hayes). JIST OLE' LEFTY

I have a gift in mind for a young smith. It must be a youngster who does more than hand Dad a hammer- a teenager who is already spending significant free time trying to learn. The idea is NOT to give an adult another shop asset. Because of shipping expense, the smith should be in the lower 48,though exceptional circumstances would extend that to Alaska or Canada. It is sad that I have to add this-- but, I don't need to know the address/location or exact age or name-it can all be completed through another adult member. The gift is substantial so I hope that this would be a youngster who is making do, but doing so enthusiastically- "deserving", I guess you could say. It would be fun to see nomination type posts describing why the youngster is deserving. Each applicant or nominee would be assigned a number known only to the assisting member or Glenn. At this coming Tuesday evening at 8:00PM Central by my watch, the applications or nominations will be closed. I will then randomly select a number from the pool from 1 to whatever- after selection, I would need approval from parent or guardian. I would like to see nominations or direct application by the youngster through Glenn, maybe Bruce G. would help out(COPY AND PASTE TO THE THREAD). Mike T.( Glenn-PM me? ) DOES THIS SOUND LIKE FUN FOR THE WEEKEND-PLUS? THIS IS SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO DO WITH GLENN'S APPROVAL-IF HE APPROVES, WE WILL GET STARTED,OR STARTED WITH HIS MODIFICATIONS

Because I was only using their(infinitystamps) clip art, there was no set-up fee. But every stamp would have been the $140.mt

I would definitely be interested. Mike t.

Will you rent him out to provide lessons? That is excellent for for a beginner. Looks like he is blessed with "the touch."mt

"You break it--- we'll fix it or break it worse- after all we are hitting it with a big hammer."

I am on the Mississippi River side of Iowa-Chicage is about 185 miles away. I need coke. I am working on my skillet forge . I want coke because my neighbors houses and garages are typical in the city spacing- 25 feet away each side. luckily they are young couples on each side and occasionally having an "old timer" around is fun for them. I am sure they think I am that " Nice but crazy old guy on the block-you know, the one with the three cute silly dogs. He is polite and doesn't beat on things when we are around too much." Coal smoke might break up the party.mt

Right now I have 4 twenty pound tanks of propane. When two are empty, that is usually my cue to get them filled. I have gotten down to one-yes, I grill a lot.mt

Thank you Mr. Hofi. That was a nice "backdoor" way of answering a question I had asked earlier- Does Mr. Hofi use a handle glue that dampens vibration? I see that the answer is, yes.mt

I have a bunch of Starrett annealed O1 for knives. I have it in 1/8th,3/16th and 1/4 and in several widths. Hard to get better start up material than that. I am a rookie, but Glen S. has worked with me to do tongs for that material. I have maybe 25-30 pounds of O1. I want to concentrate on shaping it- without top quality tongs, it would be floppin' around like a gill-hooked muskie in a round bottom canoe. I will learn tongs, starting with the nice laser cut blanks and then from sctatch. Mike T.

What he said. This would be an interesting fight for a blacksmith lawyer. The issue would be whether Mr. Hofi's design elements were sufficiently unique to allow the above to kick in.mt

With all deference to the man making my huge 4 pound hammer, I quietly suggest that really, Mr. Hofi's name should not be used to market a hammer of similar shape, even if there is any possibility that Mr. Hofi did not develop it from scratch( having read with an open mind all I could find about the Hofi Hammer, there are design elements to which he can legitimately lay claim). Whew-- I don't think he has become as generic as "coke" , or "kleenex". If you roll up to an eatery and ask for a coke, you will get whatever brown cola they sell. No lawsuits- for Coke it is good news-bad news. I doubt that the seller is familiar with the ins and outs of trademarking so I sure would not feel right labeling him as unethical. However, this is a case where Mr. H. can complain. I went to the three BP's by H. and saw that his glue refers to "flex". SO, is there a shock cushioning connection? With both rotator cuffs on the ragged edge, I want that shock control. I have actually been practicing Mr. Hofi's grip and stroke on a chunk of non-critical hardened steel and it sure makes a difference in how much of a stinger I get. So, if the joint is conventional, then I may beg Tom Clark to see what he can do to rehandle the Hofi head.mt

I was going to edit but no one would see that. I think you are safe. It is the mason with whom I share a similar build, "hair" color and beard- and the ever present jeans and a "T" shirt. I have not yet progressed to the suspenders-braces , but they are in the house here- and it may just be pride.Mike T

I really appreciate the cushioned handle mounting on my Big Blu. Does the real Hofi I am getting use that? I would like to think so with Mr. Hofi being wise to injury, but maybe he focuses only on the ergonomics.mt

Great work- and if someone photoshopped me into the picture, no one would know the difference.Maybe that is the bad news. And, I'll just take the moment to thank you for all of the good advice you provide.Mike T.

But, the idea of tigging a pole barn has given me a headache from which I may never recover.Jist Ole' Lefty

You may be trying to weld thick material with too small a tip orifice. That keeps the torch in one place for too long trying to get the puddle in the parent metal and overheating the tip. When the tip gets that hot, it supports internal self combustion. You might just get first quality O rings and change them out. It does more sound like my first guess. BY THE WAY- if you ever hear a screeching squalling sound- you must shut down the tank valves- or if you are out in a field and no one else is around, you can run like heck for 150 yards, drop prone and watch the calamity.jol

The quote from Infinity is $140. About 1/2" "square" Iowa border outline with "inside" the border. Maybe those fellows who have bought a touchmark punch can comment. I assume that there is a setup charge in there, but maybe not since it is all their clipart. Just Ole' Lefty

If the shank is a tight fit you are setting up the possibility of saying goodbye to your anvil heel. The shoulder is the key.

You can put a very small propane burner in the second stage of the chimney. Yep,an afterburner. Its vertical position needs to be where the smoke still is hot enough to re-ignite with the little bit of help. The burner can be very small. This suggestion is "your health" related. It does take away from "old timey", though. Just Ole' Lefty

Clean up of notched logs for cabin building- I ended up with a few and that was all I could come up with. Just Ole' Lefty

Pat-What are you planning on welding? I think they are used when hazardous off -gases are released but the welds MUST be done. If flux fumes are hurting you, then a woodworkers(compact and affordable and likely will fit under hood) respirator system with different cartridges may suffice. For mig, tig and even sometimes torch, drafts hurt the weld. Then, maybe I am just ignorant on this.jol

Glenn's Double 55 may offer you a solution. If you are using a chimney, building a taller one with a "smoke ignition chamber" might help.Check the latest posts on the 55.jol

Thank you from one who is truly computer challenged. My mark quote request to infinity is based on their clip art. The state of Iowa border outline with NTT in their "unicorn " font. I suggested an image size of 3/8" by 1/2"- Iowa is kind of a rectangle. My little company is "New Traditions Tool & Finish." Lefty

I have just requested(email late last night) a quote from "infinity stamp." When this topic was discussed last time, I spoke with a rep by phone. They know what a smith needs for punching steel in heat ranges. Just Ole' Mike