Nick

I wouldn't be suprised if they slapped up a reccomendation by one IPH, author of "The Comprehensive Bladesmith".

Maybe a filecutter's hammer?

I went from an electric blower to a hand crank, I may be in the minority but for the most part I prefer the hand crank. I feel I have more control of the airflow, plus it's free and doesn't have to be plugged in! I have it set up for my left hand, and I am right handed.

In the summer I like to bring a jug of iced water or lemonade into the shop. It gets pretty warm in the shop, even when there's a breeze.

Most things I make go up for sale, or I make for myself and end up selling anyway. However, the things my wife tells me we need for the house do not get sold.

A complete harness usually doesn't take a year to make for an experienced or advanced armourer. It could take a couple months or more depending on the style, number of pieces, extent of decoration, etc. I've made several different parts of armour, though I've never made a full suit. Definitly check out the Armour Archive, lots of information there and some of the best armourers around hang out there, too.

If I have to use a hold-down for something long I use a weighted chain.

I'm still planning the shop I want to build when I'm done with graduate school, and just how big to make the thing is something I keep coming back to. It got me thinking, what are the dimensions of other smiths' shops? Is it too small, or do you have more room than you need? (This is rather a matter of opinion based on what you do, of course. A jeweler needs less space than an architectural blacksmith.) My own shop, currently, is about 15' by 20', in a barn with another bay about that size which I use to store most of my scrap pile and coal.

What about the tools we make ourselves, which probably make up a good number of those punches, chisels, and tongs?

That's a great little cabinet!

So, how do they work? I've always wanted to know, is it a coil spring or a cam and leaf spring? How about the triggering mechanism? Some Italian stilletoes have a little hole near the pivot, but not all automatics I've seen have this. And the saftey, usually a little slide button, it seems like it must slide over the tip of the blade to hold it down. There's a fair bit of mechanism in a small space.

I've got a bucket under my forge for ash, gets dumped in an ash pile off the side of my forge when it's full. I dump my quench tank (water) every spring or so out front, but that's more to collect the things that have fallen to the bottom, otherwise I just refresh the water as neccessary. Other than that, there's not much else.

Cannedy Otto Royal Excellent condition after cleaning gearbox, no stand $40 at auction, 2004

I'd also suggest Kingsley North, they have a wide range of supplies and I've always had good dealings with them.

Both my and my wife's wedding band I made out of a piece of .999 silver which had special significance to us. Mine is fairly heavy, but her's is quite fine, and there's been no problem with deformation. Scratching, yes, they're no longer a mirror polish. But it is much softer, and I only used my jewelry setup while making them. They were forged and soldered, using a microtorch for heat.

Some things, especially ones I've done many times, I'll not plan at all. Sometimes things I've never done I'll do off the cuff as a sort of initial experiment. Large and complex projects, I'll plan out the design in detail, but I don't always hold myself to it. I almost completely redesigned the frame and elements of one complex project while I was making it, as I thought of a better solution which hadn't occurred to me until I started. I guess the whole thing is very fluid. In terms of proccess, I have a standard way I lay things out, especially for very structured and repetitive tasks like making nails or arrowheads, or raising where I need maximum effeciency each heat. I've worked out these 'plans' in the course of doing them, and once I hit on something that works very well I rarely deviate from it, unless for special circumstances or another idea. Cheers, Nick

I wear 'em all the time. Have all different kinds, too (traditional, casual, greatkilt, Utilikilt, etc). Long time member of X Marks the Scot online, as well.

Wow, that's looking great. That's a fantastic looking tang. Is the fuller ground or forged in?

This was a little surreal, but quite interesting. YouTube - Spike Jones - Blacksmith Song

Okay, that brightened my day. One of my anvil stands is fabricated from 3" thick planks of mahogany. Don't know about its grain, but it weighs almost as much as the anvil sitting on it.

I just watched the video again, any idea why the central pipe was split in half? It doesn't look like the rings were forge welded to each other, just held together by the flages from the central pipe. Is that right, or am I completely off base?

It's to bad they didn't make a breech block for it. I'd love to see it in action.

That's one heck of a hardy tool! Amazing video. I'd like to see what they do for the chamber, if they made one at all.

The folder I made was almost entirely forged, with only some cleanup on the grinder. But then, it was a friction folder, so I guess the toloerances were a bit more forgiving.

My wife's Aunt Jean is sick and in the hospital. She's in need of a lung transplant and is off the list until they figure out what's wrong. We would appreciate any thoughts and prayers for her recovery. With thanks, Nick