Charles R. Stevens

Well, as storm paterns are driven by heat energy, I think I'd get prepared for more cold and snow, not to mention mor 'naters come spring.

There are advantages and disadvantages to every hammer. I think Brian was trying to make the heads preporsinantly larger for the weight, and provide more serface contact for the head. It fits his style of forging very well. I tend to use a few different hammers, depending as much on the task at hand, anvil I am working on and my mood. But most smiths have a faverit, that fits their style (or their style fits?)

Not the best image, but if you straiten the axe back out, you could have this. '> Anyway, I bet you can find steel, and you have already shone you can get it hot and forge it, time to make the tools.

Most of what I know I have learned from other smithes here or looking at archilogical texts as well as smithing texts and persanal experience.helps to be a melee weapon and hand tool nerd So Ii pass your prais along ;-) Now as to steel and tools, I assume that cars and trucks exist in your part of the world., stearing linkage on light and heavy trucks, torsion bars, sway bars, axles and springs are all steels that make servicible tools and some make good blades. Torsian bars are heavy spring stock, as are the heavy leaves from over the road trackters (big rigs) and make nice stock for slit and drift axes, wile mid raped and welded to a thiner spring insert works well to (most automotive spring has cromium and it dosnt like to weld to its self) it gets a bit tricky to do a split and weld eye, as the crome/moly steels dont weld tothem selves well, so a peice of mild split at both ends, one with a spring edge welded in and the other pole welded. African/ bronze era style axes lend them selves to leaf spring, as your basicaly making a tanged chisel.no welding, or drifting. As to the drift, forge that axle to shape, need a sliter? Ise that spring, leaf is already half way shaped. Other sorces of salvaged steel, old axe heads, old picks, old agricoltural tools... Cant think of any were you cant find those.

Small mouth for a percheron, tho big for light horses. The ones I work with isualy take a 6" snaffel. Ive seen some reproduction 14centiry saddles, interesting technolagy.

Galvanic action on copper and carbon steel make horses salivate. Some folks believe this makes for a better bit. I'm not a big fan of A36 as you don't know exactly what it is, but then again I don't hesitate to make eating utensils out of it. No sense using anything medium or high carbon for the bit. The the rings or cheek pieces can be stainless or carbon steel as you see fit. Lots of ways to skin this cat, but as horses have different mouth widths I recommend using joinery to make curb bits, as it makes it much easier to forge the bit, separate from the cheeks, so you can cut the bit down, untile it is the right width before riveting the tenons. You can also make up different port heights, bit thickness and width. Also you can make up cheek pieces for different lengths. Tho some designs of cheek pieces have scrolling that allows you to adjust them. As to snaffle bits, If it has leverage cheek pieces i recommend a lose bar across the bottom to prevent fools from pulling back with both hands and pinching the horses jaw, potentially breaking the horses jaw.

Around here there are only degrees of bad driving, to go along with badly maintained and designed roads. I'm glad that at least that you have not frozen yourself.

So that makes things pretty straif forward. Tho not all O1 is created equal.

I'm afraid in OK most any thing exept HVAC parts (an oly because they were stealing the coper coils from churches) are easy to scrap, even running cars with iut a title, metal check has been bad about that in the past. Many yard have taken it on themselves, as not to be enable the theves. They are diditaly photographing the material, seller and vehicle tag. I applaud that and only do buisnes with such yards.

If it wasnt mild steal it would make a nice oloo, looks very nice regardles. It will be a beutiful decoration none the less. To basic metal axes, eyed and tanged. Groved and wraped is much more of a stome thing. A tanged axe is just a big chisel mounted in the end of a branch with an aproriat nob (usualy a fork) if you turn the blace 90% and mount it in the end of the forked branch you have an ads, if you take the same blade and mount it in the end of a longer stick you have a sod cutter. An eyed axe can be either slit and drift, rap and weld, or split and weld (spit the back of the stock and form the eye, forgewelding the pole, seen on some viking axes) at this point you have two choices, a round eye or the clasic axe eye. The round eue is either taper one way like a pick head or drifted both ways as a hamer head. The clasic is usualy drifted both. The round lends it s self to found branches and no spliting if you need to rehandle in the feild and the pick type eye wont fly off. Wile the clasic "D" shaped eye lends its self well to either of the welded heads (tho split and drifted "D" shaped eyes are in the historical record) the "D" saves some work with spliting out handles from logs, and i think this is why some of the hamers and axes that are split and drifted maintained this eye. Tyoicaly these heads are drifted from both sides and retained by a wedge, but one sides drifting is posible.

Yep, Dodge. Around here it think its the same idiots every year. They just change brands of suv. Let me give you all a clue, it isn't the trucks fault you are an idiot, 4 wheel drive, with or without chains isn't proof against ice and snow, it just improves your chances of getting out of the ditch when you screw up. Absolutely no help when you go off at 70 and end up upside down. I exempt those of you from the deep south and southwestern deserts of the US and of course or tropical state, and territories. As for the rest of the world, you are exempt to, only your countrymen have the right to condemn your driving (tho you Italians still scare me).

Look up the swichboard for the state goverment, they will put you in touch with the state geologest, a local historian or archeologist can also point you in the right direction. But don't forget that flint and other knappable/strikable stones were trade goods, and may be scarce in AZ. I remember a lot of sandstome and valcanic rock, but if I remember The west side of black mountain in cave creek is eithe slate or shale.

It apears that the avalability and price of two cylinders was the desiding factor in the two ram desighn. In the smaller rams, forklift tilt rams come to mind. As being 11/2" or so. As you don need a lot of stroke.

So take her shopping, or buy yourself some hot pink boxers, ;-) And might i recommend toilet paper? Keep it and a few other essentials in a coffee can. I hesitate to mentian the fact that undiluted antifreeze is flammable, and a role of toilet paper makes an excellent wick, under no circumstances should you try this in your car. Much of the advice for your car applies to your home as well. Power outages suck, all the more so when the heat goes out. (Note, electric can openers suck)

Lol, well i must say that looks suspisiusly like it fits into a slot and pocket.

Ivan, you might consider adding a good bug net come spring. The bightin' buzzy things are fierce up that way

Jerry, you and Deb would feel right at home in my truck, lol. Both under boxes have survival and recovery gear, lol. Cab has some behind the seats. Might I add, despite uncle sam and the grain industry fat is your friend, at nearly 400 Calories an oz. fat free has no place in your 72 hour kit. Tie a Bright colored flag (bra?, sorry Sandy has some day glow ones ;-) tied to the antenna or to a stick can save your but, think snow bank, snow plow and blizzard. Even after the storm is over they might not find you until things start to thaw. And the snow insulates the car, this is a good thing. For those of us not up north, your sweats really suck as outer wear, but cheap tyvek coveralls and booties can make them in to good base layers. Sorry Frosty, just gave the the kids the same lecture (this year makes , oh the 5th or 6th time) and you are seriously stimulating the old brain pan.

This is true Frances, and as a cheep SOB I do. But like ball peins there are some advantages to doing it that way (the two commercial ones I have are round stock fullered and the eye cheek not drawn Of corse You know that, lol

E-mail them to the addmin with a link to your thread. Glenn really is a good guy, but as its Him and his son and a few moderators keeping things going I try not to abuse the privilege. Remember, "please and thank you" ;-)

The more theivin' I hear about the more I like my dog. She is of the belief you should stay on your side if the fence. And as its a felony to trespass on a horse facility, her teeth marks will serve well as an Id.

That so sounds like my mother, lol. But she dosnt care much for it if its much above that point either, ;-)

They may give you the us steel code, euro code, asian or south african designations, so if its not a "tool steel" code don't discard until you check it out. Not a knife guy per say but steel designations are getting complicated as most of it is coming to us from offshore.

To ad to Master Frosts advice, for those o us that did not grow up in the cold, do not work so hard you sweat, the moisture in your clothes will do you in when you stop working. Below the Mason/ Dickson you may well be stick with synthetic or cotton long-handles, cotton is better in the shop, but don't sweat! If you are cold standing around, your probably dressed about right. As to shoes, break out your overboots as they will give you an extra layer. Its common to use moccasins with felt liners up north when its dry cold and overboots with liners (not boots) when its wet, but your over boots, a pair of dress socks (or the wife's nylons) and a pair of your socks. And your regular shoos in your overboots. Your socks and shoes will get wet from your sweat. Change them. The 90% figure comes from normally dressed folks at room temp, not nude. But a hat will help keep your hands and feet warmer (and your thinking clearer) as your body will restrict blood flow to the extremities (hands, feet and head) to keep the core temp. I may have grew up in The desert but i attended mountain warfare school in the alps during the coldest winter on record (at the time) and frost nipped my hands and feet in GraffansveirGermany. Been their done that. Sub zero wind chills this morning hear in OK. Bring in the yappers so they don't freeze. One note of advice, cut back the caffein and stay hydrated, it will get you in trouble in the cold to.

Never said the man wasn't smart, lol.

If it doesn't end up on e-bay it may end up here as a "can you identify" They need to offer 10,000 for the crackheads hands