BT

Looks like a butcher to me.

The 111 should be the weight. A15830 would be the serial number. According to Anvils in America, serial numbers 12001 thru 20000 were produced in the year 1900. The "A" is just a prefix.

I used to do demos for the local cub scouts day camp. This camp was set up with 1 hour activities for 7 groups of 10 to 15 scouts each. The groups would rotate from station to station for a one hour session. For each of my sessions, I would make something that the troop could use for camping and that I could easily make in each session along with the lecture. Usually something like a tripod set with a couple of S hooks, or some cooking utensils, fire starters, etc. As these were younger kids, my sessions were just demo and lecture, but the kids were always very interested. They were usually fascinated by the fire and the plasticity of the hot steel. I always gave whatever I made to the troop leaders, NEVER to one of the kids. I learned that the hard way when I gave a fire starter to one of the kids after I finished it. I had 14 others demanding one also .

DonS I like your subtle sense of humor with the Oliver 66 colors and decals on the treadle hammer.

Track of the Wolf and Dixie Gun Works also carry a variety of hawk handles.

Go to B&S Massey Stock List and look at items 8 thru 14 for some pictures of motorized drop hammers.

Deer camp is more about tradition, comraderie and great food for us. The hunting is secondary. Don't get me wrong, taking a nice deer is our goal, just not absolutely necessary for a successful deer camp. We currently have three generations of our family hunting together and sharing camp. I could take a deer just about any evening in my back yard, but it just wouldn't be the same.

I used my tire bender last Saturday to roll a half dozen 32 inch diameter rings out of tubing for a friend. He is making some portable deer stands that hang on the side of a tree. These rings form the base of the stand. Almost forgot, I also forged some larding needles out of 3/16 round stainless for another customer that wanted something to pull bacon strips through deer roasts.

I agree with Jymm, try to get a tack weld first without turning the piece. The thin scarf of the wrap on the bottom should reach welding heat about the same time as the carbon steel insert and allow a light "tack". Then quickly reflux and back to the fire. You can then rotate the piece as much as you need to to get all sides up to welding heat. I usually take several welding heats on an axe or tomahawk head to complete the weld.

I don't keep food sources in my shop either. The mice bring their food with them :-). If I don't keep the bait packets out, I find caches of acorns, seeds, etc. stashed in all sorts of inconvenient places - belt guards, blower housings, engine air cleaner housings, etc.

Since my shop is located in a heavily wooded area, I keep the D-con bait packets out year around. The bait packets pretty well keep the mouse population under control for me.

This site has some references to the U.S. government furnishing blacksmiths to the Osage Indians as part of treaty terms. Indian History, Part 3

One of the greatest things I have found for us "over 40" types that need reading glasses is the safety glasses with the built in bifocal magnifier. I buy them in several different magnifications and use them based on what I'm doing at the time (weaker magnification when working at the anvil and the work is farther away, and stronger magnification when working on something close). I have no connection with this site, but here is an example of the type I am talking about V2 Bifocal Readers .

Welcome Bobb Whereabouts in mid Mo are you located? There are several of us from the mid MO area on here from time to time.

Woody, nice work on your grandfather's part. My grandfather wasn't a blacksmith, but his brother was ;-)

If I just need short pieces of the coil, I usually just cut the length that I need from the coil with a cutting torch and then heat and straighten the shorter pieces on the anvil.

Postman mentions Hill anvils very briefly in AIA in the section titled English Anvils. He says that he recorded three with "Hill Burmingham" stamped on the side opposite the weight markings. He also states that he believes that Hill was the manufacturer. Just my opinion, but from the picture of the one that he shows in the book, it looks generically like many of the other mid 19th century English anvils. As far as I know, these were all wrought iron, steel faced anvils.

oljoe Funny story. I have a few gigging stories too, but I won't admit to these on a public forum. :-) Seriously though, gigging is a great time, especially when you can follow it up with a fish fry on a gravel bar. Nothing like deepfried fresh fish and potatoes. I WILL admit to having consumed a Bud or two while frying fish after a night on the river.

Welcome Breechplug. I build a few muzzleloaders myself :-) Here are a couple links to some that I have built. The first link has quite a few pics so it takes a while to load. http://home.earthlink.net/~tappel/bernard/riflepics.htm http://home.earthlink.net/~tappel/bernard/hvforge/pistol.htm

Welcome from another BAM member.

Hillbillysmith My current favorite deer camp memory is when my four old grandson spent his first night and day in our deer hunting cabin during the firearms season last year. Counted himself to sleep at night and then the next morning ordered grandpa's special deer camp pancakes for breakfast.

Ten The shafts and handle sockets are mild steel. The tines are forged from old pitchforks and rehardened in oil and tempered to a purple.

September 15 is the opening day of gigging season in Missouri. Always results in some orders for new fish gigs. The results of my weekend project . . .

Doc I'm not sure I would try to heat treat a lawnmower blade if I was going to put it back on the mower and use it. If you get it wrong you have a potential bomb rotating at somewhere near 3300 rpm. Just my opinion though :-)

For forge blowers, it seems that no one ever mentions old vacuum cleaners. They are cheap, you can easily hook up the exhaust side to your forge, and you can hook them up with a rheostat, like a light dimmer switch or fan control switch to make them variable speed. I keep several old ones in the shop just as spares in case I have trouble with my old Buffalo electric.