ironrosefarms

The oil should float on top of the water in the collection tank, so if you have a drain on the bottom of the tank or you can siphon from the bottom to remove the water, being careful to stop before you get to the oil. There is also products that are designed to absorb oil off of water, these can be purchased through companies like newpig.com . Hope that helps in some fashion... James

I followed a link I missed the first time I scanned through a earlier spear thread... and found a much better picture that shows me some good detail of the making of the socket in how it transitions from blade to socket. Still wouldn't mind input however. One challenge I can see is I do not own a mandril... Yet James

Ok, here I am just restarting in my smithing and I have been asked to make a few Roman Spears. It doesn't look all that hard in shape and such but since I have never done anything simular I thought I would ask for some suggestions. Here is the picture that the guy has sent me. I have thought about using some old mower blades for the stock? The bottom of the spear is wrapped around to allow for the wood handle to insert. Suggestions, recommendations, considerations and any other tions you can think of will be much appreciated. James

Jayco, your a genius! It's not a grinder now it is a implement to show off your next amazing smithed art piece! Here is how it would work... First the drill has to be variable speed, second it needs a lock on or some handy electrical or duct tape will do to hold the trigger... Second secure the entire apparatus with the grinding disk laying flat and pointed upward. lay the new smithed art piece on the wheel and start the drill on the lowest possible speed. Waaa Laaaa you now have a turn table so your admirers can see the entire piece front and back! James

Bravo! I just have to wonder did you take notes on me when I first started? I have a few books that are not nearly as good at describing these issues as what you have offered to us here. Thank you CivilWar! James

The first thing I forged was a S hook. The reeinactor smith I ended up learning from handed me the hammer and talked me through drawing out the metal, squaring the middle, twisting the square section, curling the tips over and then finally making the S curves. Very basic, very addicting! As for where that S hook is today? I don't rightly know, it was sold as fast as it came out of the quench tub to a Japanese lady who was visiting the US... could be half way around the world?

Crappie . . . . j

When I was about 6 years old I sat in the pick up and watched as my dad and a couple other guys clean out my great grandpa's garage of all the "junk" metal. My great grandpa had worked as a blacksmith for a couple local mines doing all sorts of repairs of tools, chain, carts, hitches, wagons, rails, and what ever else. I have one picture of him several years after he had retired, sitting in his big overstuffed arm chair with a cigar hanging out his mouth and a long handled 5 pound sledge being held straight out level from his shoulder, he passed away a couple months later which was about 3 years before I was born. So I never seen him use the tools or hear his stories but watching my dad and three other big guys struggle while putting his old anvil into the back of my dad's truck and being told by my great grandmother that my great grandpa had moved it by himself when he brought it home was an awesome picture in a young lad's mind. I have no idea how much that old anvil weighed was but I remember it was about 3 foot long on top and that when the pointy end poked dad in the gut it makes him cuss. I also will never forget the answer I got when I asked if I could have some of those old tools... "It's nothing but old worthless junk son" Advance a few years, I and my wife was standing talking to a reenactor smith and after sharing my story with him, he offered me the hammer. I took ahold and that was my first day of learning the basics of this addicting craft. I worked at that village for several years until the man I was working with was pressured into allowing 5-6 young boys all in at once to learn how to beat on metal. They all only had one thought and that was to make a knife or sword. This in itself wouldn't be a bad thing but the shop was crowded with two people working make it 7 or 8 and it wasn't do-able... the second time a piece of hot metal came swinging and burnt my arm and caught my shirt afire I knew it was time to move on and make room for others. I had continued doing some work for a few reenactors from a couple different time periods and outfitting a new cabin with some custom cooking and fireplace items, a couple festivals and such. Mostly just just worked as I found the time. 2 years ago I was hit on my motorcycle by an SUV. Kept me from working metal (and a lot of other things) until just recently... So now I am once again working myself up to being able to work at the forge again. My wife ever encouraging me to smith, she has requested a bathroom makeover, including iron towel bars and TP roll holder etc... James

I don't see how the french drain would work. The spring raises the ground water level severely. Three years ago I was auguring out post holes and the water would surface so fast that it would literally run for days, the good news is I didn't have to haul water to mix the concrete. When they put in our new septic when we first moved in they came back to finish back filling the fingers to find the collection tank had floated out of the ground over night (it had been completely buried)... So the clay stays wet wet nearly all year. I kind of like the building being tucked away, wife thinks by making it visible that it might bring customers... I'd have to sell an awful lot of work to pay for a new building and we don't live on a main road... The only real big advantage to building new is the possibility of electricity... with the barn it would cost a lot to string enough wire to get juice, probably 2-3 poles and a gob of wire... What is your thoughts on removing a portion of the floor in the barn then installing a vapor barrier then gravel and sand then brick? If you have concrete or brick or a floor of that nature how do you install your leg vice? I've always worked on dirt or gravel??? markb, actually I almost did rob the cradle... she was 16 when we started dating, I was 18. High School sweet hearts, got her to stroll down the isle 3 years later... (now if your good at ciphering you can figure perty close how old I am...)

Lord of the Rings in the Two Towers shows foundery work and some hammer work as well. Short but very cool scene... Copyrighted photos removed. Please post a direct link to the photo instead of copying and posting copyrighted material.

Irnsrgn, your a man after my own heart! I always have my 5wr vise grips on me. I have two sets, one for daily use (back side marred from being used as an impromptu hammer many times) The second set is newer and has been used as a hammer much less, it also has the new added "feature" on the thumb screw of a hex key hole (haven't found a good use for this "feature" yet? It is not uncommon to be sitting in church and someone comes and asks to borrow my vice grips. I used to carry screw drivers but my pockets just didn't hold up... That is why on my key ring is a 4way screw driver and my infamous P38 can opener, between those two I have removed or installed many a screw phillip or standard. When I had my motorcycle wreck the nurse cut my jeans off of me and as she picked up the sliced jeans they fell out of her hand cause she wasn't expecting them to weigh so much. It is a good thing I am limited to pockets and belt loops... if guys used purses I'd have an entire tool bag and probably some emergency rations as well!

I'm not worried about the wood walls, the floor though is a concern. It would never support large equipment and after going in there today I am concerned about the bounce I get walking across the floor. I really don't like white rock for a floor (it is what is in my garage) I find that any metal that makes contact for any period of time becomes highly corroded. We also got some nasty straight line winds today and I see I now need to get some more tin for the roof as 4 sheets are MIA. What do you mean by a french drain? I thought about putting a perimeter drain in but to run the drain pipe out would be more than 400 feet to get it out and away. Cost is a consideration and minimal is probably going to be the key. I thought about removing 1/4 or 1/2 of the floor and putting in a vapor barrier then build it up. Thought about laying brick in and around the work area, I may have a source for more free brick but the idea of having to level the bricks every so often doesn't excite me a whole lot. I currently have enough brick on hand to build the forge and plan to build a sheet metal hood to reduce the weight and foundation requirements that would be needed in this nasty clay. Another thing that is of concern is windows, the barn has one window but it looks out into the small lean to on the side (currently metal storage and not big enough to work in30'X6") So I am trying to decide if I want to put windows in the side for light and ventilation. My bride (16 years last week:)) asked what I was typing so I said I was wanting to get my shop put together and was asking some other smiths there opinion. She said she would like me to build a shop out front of or beside our garage. If I did this I would probably be looking at a pole barn construction of smaller size, cost being the determining factor. I would still have the same type of issues with the floor. The possibility of electricity would be better in the future though... Heck she got my brain spinnig in two directions at once now... James

It reminds me of the time I seen a blower in the back of a scrap metal truck going down the highway. I was on my motorcycle and like a nut finally got the guy to pull over. As he got out of the truck he kept telling me he didn't have any cash... I said I would give him $5 for the old blower in the back of his truck. He had no clue what I wanted. So I walked back and yanked it out. The guy was really confused as to why I wanted that "junk" but was happy to get the $5. I climbed on my bike lay ed a cloth on the tank in front of me and put my treasure between my legs for the 15 miles to get home. Once home I found it to be a nice champion. It was froze and wouldn't move so I put it in a bucket of Kerosene for a couple nights. When I pulled it out and opened up the casing I found a nest with 6 mice that died by drinking to much kerosene. The mouse waste had eaten the tin blades up and caused them to rust and bind to the casing. Once I cleaned it out I removed all the old tin blades and hand cut then riveted new blades on. Took a few times assembling and disassembling to get all the blades trimmed to not rub anyplace but I dearly love that blower. The gears were in great shape and and a few new brass washers is all it needed. I have it reserved for my permanent forge. Thinking back I'm still glad one of those mice didn't decide to make a jump for it off the bike... I definitely would not have been ready for such an event! James

I know exactly what you mean stonetrooper. As a kid while the other guys was running all over the neighborhood I would seek out the "old" folks and either help them with some task or better yet just sit and talk. I guess that is why I get along with my father in law so well. He is 90 years old (30 years older than my parents and my wife is younger than I) and a wealth of information and great stories. I have tried to record him as he talks about his life but he gets nervous and clams up, so now I just try and jot down what I can remember after he's nodded off for a nap (often in the middle of a story). I would probably buy the stuck blower, just because it would cause me to think of who it came from... but who needs a reason to buy tools?

Thanks for the welcome guys. I think I found a new home here. I find the atmosphere here to be very helpful. I am really impressed with how this bunch of smiths is willing to help fellow smiths and wanna be's regardless of their experience or style. I applaude the folks here for just being plain good folk. As for the scouts, I've been a scout or scouter for 30 years now and I look back and remember the time and effort that was given by many others to allow me to experience the adventure called scouting. I personally could never repay someone like my old scout master, so I do the next best thing and that is to give of myself to boy's today just as he did for me when I was a lad. James

Now that I am back to being able to smith, I have also been bitten again by the bug to put together a real shop. Upto now I drag everything out, then drag everything back away... what a drag! I have a 20'X30' wooden barn that has only been used for storage for longer than we have lived here. The prior owners never cleaned it out, and I have only half got it done in 7 years (priorities?) There is some obvious problems with this structure in being used as a smithy and I would appreciate some other folks to give me their thoughts. So here is some details. Wooden structure (Tulip Poplar?) 20'X30' 9' from floor to rafters. Wooden floor (big concern) The ground below the wooden floor is clay and due to a natural spring in the area it tends to stay very wet. No insulation, Tin roof One sliding door 8' wide 7' tall No electricity (not a huge deal most of the time, but it would be nice) If I decide to go with it, all the stored "stuff" will go except for the blacksmithing stuff that I have stored in there already. So fire away, let me know what you think...

Since I had not smithed for about 2 years my youngest son doesn't remember dad beating on the anvil. The day after my first fire I went and dug through the cold fire bed and flipped the shiny almost bronze with streaks of blue and blacks colored clinkers out into the driveway. Well my 3 year old scooped them up and declared he found GOLD! Good ole mom now has 10 "gold" nuggets sitting on the nightstand by our bed. So, I have now learned that a great way to determine if it is a clinker is if a three year old boy see's it at treasure. James

Two pocket knives, small pair of vise grips, no coins, wallet, a nut (don't know what it came off of?) mechanical pencil, pen, mechanical grease marker, note paper with the beginnings of a project including measurements. Oh and a hole! James

One of the things I have encountered is the Walmart issue. "I can get a flower hanger like that at Walmart for $8.99" The fact is I have $10 in just the metal for my shepherds pole with no time or anything else worked into the price... This is the one that Erks me. When someone says that their buddy makes something cheaper than I, that really isn't an issue. I simply tell them, "Oh good, I wouldn't want to take your business away from someone you call a friend, I'm glad I didnt' tempt you to be untrue" Then I simply go back to work. The fact is I am sincere in this statement and really don't wish to take away someone elses customer. James

I have been away from my forge for 2 years due to a motorcycle accident. Now it is time to get the hammer back in hand and begin trying to remember what I think I knew. In the past couple weeks I have done a couple real small projects and my body just isn't impressed with the idea of smithing. So I am having to take it a bit slower than I would like. My interest in smithing came when I was very young. My great grandfather was a smith by profession, and although he passed away before I was born his equipment sat unused in his garage until I was about 6 years old. That is when I sat in my dads truck and watched him load all great gradpa's tools into the back of the truck and proceeded to the scrap yard. I know there was at least 5 anvils, post vises, tongues of every type and sort. The only thing that was kept was a few hammers. I did obtain one of these hammers and it is by far my favorite. As for my smithing, I started out working in an early 1800 village with a gentleman who helped me with the basics and yet allowed me to make enough mistakes to keep myself frustrated with me and not him. My mentor has since past away but I and about 5 others that I know of carry on his teachings in some fashion. I still forge with coal. Currently I am using a portable ratchet forge that was in bad shape when I had found it... I worked it over and it works great but I am also in the process of gathering the goods for a more permanent forge as I try and finally set up my shop. It gets very old draggin things out and then dragging them back away. Besides my love of smithing, we also operate a small scale farm where we raise most of our own meat and much of our own vegetables. I also tinker with leather work, carpentry, and many other areas interest. As part of my rehab from the wreck I even learned to crochet... I am also the scoutmaster for the Boy Scout Troop here in our small town. I was trying to locate a different smithing site via google when I stumbled across iforgeiron. I am very impressed with the way posts are answered and the helpful nature of those involved. I look forward to participating here and there in this community of smiths. James