Charles R. Stevens

Nice, can you post a pocture, Frank? Nice to have a wahon parts sorce Its still listed with the OBBB

Frances, yes sir I agree, but for a hobiest especialy one just starting out the learning proses has its own value. Forging often warps a peice of stock you want strait and true. As for the fact that it takes a bit of experiance (and self control) to forge s-7, h-13 or other tool steals. Its real easy to get impariant and pull it out of the fire and try and forg it to cold, or if you do get it hot enugh (and dont just make a sparkler out of it) you have to school your self to stop forging before it gets to cool. All beginer mistakes that are easy to make. And if you make them you still end up with a broken tool, time, fuel and material costs. I admit all the time and effort put into a hand or anvil tool makes good, new tool steel cheap (like the difference between pine and oak furniture) but the learning curve has its own value. All that said, I have, and do make or buy tools of S-7 and H-13 but i dont shut down the shop and drive 60 miles to get a peice everytime I need a tool either, spring (leif or coil) axles, torsian bars, sucker rods, railspikes, rail cut offs and rebar (just to name a few) has all been presed into service when needed. And some have lasted years, some failed before the lob was done. But it beat the 3 hours, and 5 gallons of fuel to get.

Corigated and architecual steel rooves are great, durable, shed snow and look good, just nor all than good as a shade structure and they tend to drip condinsation in the cooler weather. Their is a prodict that is a thin sheat of foam with mylar on it (same as some of the windshield sunscreans) that is comonly uesed here on horse barns and such to provent condensation and reflect the radiant heat from the roof deck. Just take a themomiter into your atic on a warm day.

Charles, lol. Takes me less than 15 min. To reach pizza hut wit DB and a cart. The issue with the roof is the sun will heat it up to, say 140-50 deg. So now you have a peice of hot tin radiating heat dowm on you, its the same thing that makes tents with out a fly so misrably hot. Like a tent, adding a fly (or a cealing, insulation even the mylare bubble rap) makes a big difference. A 4x100' role of r11 steal building insulation costs about $100

Google hardy tools, and look at whats out there. Lots of insperation

I have a 70# JHM that I use on the truck, it has a very flat horn. Good for squaeing the toe and turning the branches on rear shoes. You have to stay way out on the tip third to turn the branches on a front. More work than its worth on a draft shoe. Thats where the joreneman pays its way. As it is the shop anvil, it sees most of the traditinal forging. Tho i do have a collection of hevy chunks of steel that i use, including rail, bull pins, and even a cast and steel anvil that had a broken heal that i had TJ cut the horn off of (yes blasphemy).

The only thing with the journyman and the shaper is they are "turning" or "scrolling" anvils. Meaning they have nig heals and horns and a little bitty waist (yes kindof like a pinup ;-) so strap them down good and learn to forge over the waist. I use one as my shop anvil. Some times tooling is a bear, as you want to get out ofer the sweet spot for heavy work, you ofset your hardy tools some times

I'm tech challenged, last person you want computer advice from, lol. I have noticed a tendency for smart phone pictures to come out waunky. If you turn the phone upside down or sideways to get a better shot the pick will post that way, wile your phone will show it right side up. A little birdie told me that some new software was being installed, and some folks have had photo uploading issues. Give Glenn and Andrew a little bit and I bet they will sort it out.

I grew up in Cave Creek, unless things have greatly changed Cactus Shadows high was good to me. With the Carefree property tax base and the more affordable Cave Creek addresses it was counfortably funded and the teachers I had, left a legacy of exelent new teachers there. And as Frank points out, Pieh tool has a shop there.

Hello VW, i live 40 miles south of OKC. Might I suggest providing some kind of roof insulation, at least a ceiling with ventilation between it and the roof. Even with a 10-12" ceiling radiant heat from the sun beating down on the shop this summer will be unpleasant to say the least. Other than that I say it looks great! Give the screenings time, water and foot traffic will make for a nice hard, but re workable floor. Moving stumps, adjusting working heights etc are much easier.

You have a llimited window of time to eddit a post. If you miss that window you have to go to Glenn, hat in hand. Same with the upsidedown pictures.

Well, as it hangs up side down you must be an aussie ;-) Looks great to me, what dose your better half think? After all thats all that realy maters

Rob, how hor dose it need to get? Cant think of many gas burners that get hot enugh that are that need that big of a hole. Metalergical charcoal would be my bet, again with a grate in the bottom. But I have been wrong once or twice ;-)

I have a basket of pottery shards, colected not a hundred yards from where I grew up in Cave Creek (arizona) not sure of the age or tribe. I do know that it was 2 1/2 miles to reliable water (new river) but if you new where to look, ground water was with in 100' and the bends in the washes were dependable to have water with in 3' of the serface. Desert rat, you learn to find water if you live and play in the dessert

Thank you Frank, at least some one apretiates me ;-) there arnt any ports except the exaust. I guess you could heat it over that. I agree that it is of a different design, but Im pretty shure thats what it is. Tho with a second grate you could fire small ceramic peices

Looks good to me, the only way to judge the isability is to use them. You can always remove the hilts and reheat treat if they dont hold an edge long enught. So the test is to cut a ripe tomato. Even witht the butcher. Now lets see how you get on with an onion (a sharp nighf wont make you cry near as much). So now use them bith for a week (keep them clean and dry as corosian will dull them faster than cutting nails) test them on a tomato every week and see how long they stay sharp.

Ah, thats what is missing from cheistmas around here! Luminaries and strings of dried chilies!! So lets see the chillies, TP

Thank you SJS, well put. We have a member that deals in work related injuries, and i hooe he chimes in. But it is rather amazing what the math guyscan model. I find that with experience and a heavier hammer i tend to take more deliberate strikes. Much less if ant tedacy to strike the anvil than when i was pumping away like a rabid chinchilla. But i don't see that it hurts and it may indeed help

I would normalize it and go. One, the thin edge will get the hardness drawn and two its a lot easier on you hammer when you slip up

Well said. Ausfire

Please present your vetted evidence, Artist. Otherwise it seems a very dogmatic statement are you realy saying that sinse they dont subscribe to your school of thought they dont know what they are talking about? Artist apply describes the work you have presented here, so your skills at the forge are not under attack.

You are to well loved to not poke a bit of fun at, master Frost.

I do appreciate sarcasm, but when it thinly veils a personal attack, you are just begging the moderators to step in. What has you so deffensive?

Hey now, who are you accusing of being creative?!

Beam me up, did you read what you typed? Sounded like a blanket condemnation of all who even occasinaly taped the anvil. What did you meen to say?