Charles R. Stevens

Here, here master Dodge.

Its a question of the chicken or the egg.

Nope, no all newbies are stupid, infact most aren't. Ignorant is another mater all together. Ignorance is just a lack of knowledge.

Glenn your a lovable old brat

Still partial to a sling. No need to source "bands" and frankly ant weapon the romans had surgical tools to remove the bullets is just hard to improve on. But i still admire the work pit into your sling shots

Good question TP.

Most of that depends on two factors, hoby vs profetinal and your skill level. If your a pro the time to make tools may be beter spent at the forge on paying gigs, as well as the all importaint tax right off (uncle sam whants you to spread the wealth) now at some point skill becomes a factor, forging tongs and other tools (or reforging them) improves your skills for other projects, and as your skills progress you get faster at forging tools (and selling them) And the last thing is ther is les pride in a bought tool, the tool maker cant tailer it to your style and needs, and I hate re working tools. Some things you have to make your self, as you cant buy a new chisel worth a dang (to soft, and not profiled right)

I do know its a heck of a lot easer on my body to take a tap than try and stop a hammer blow mid swing, all I have to do is slow the blow. Secondly that bit of a pause betweem forging, corecting and plannishing is valuable. If your so good that you can "plan" your corections wile taking a heat, hats off to you. But for a us meer humans, we need half a heartbeat to colect our thoughts. Thou I admit that I strike at a slower pace now than when I started, and get more work done to boot..

I think it is a habit, grown from the rhythm of hammer blows. We have an instict for rhythm (even those of us who cant cary a toon in a bucket) I see it most often (and I tend to do it my self) when contimplating corrections to be made as the heat fades and befor planishing begins. I would be willing to wager thet many of you who "dont waist the energy" do it occasinaly wile foccused on how to finish up a heat, tho many take it to an extream, probbably in imulation of othersmiths when they were starting out and not understanding that its not a necisary part o smithing, just a byproduct of rhythm, habit and thinking of somthing other than your hammer.

Nice user knife

Looks like a 10". My go to Is a 12" that predates me by two wars and a police action... But I would be tempted to trade up ;-)

Careful there Dodge, you and Sgt. Yates are well on your way to becoming Chermugions. Lol

And peaple wander why we say hat Chiefs run the Navy, Gunnies, the Marries, Techs the Air Forse and Sergents the Army. No stress there.

Thank you Jimmy, much appretiated.

That you are , LS. I apretiate every prarer and good thought.

Playing in the mud acually works well, especialy if you are trying to figure out what will work with your air supply. A 6" deep, 12" across fire pot isnt going to work well with a hand pumped mattress inflator, wile a 3 1/2" by 6" pot works very well.

Thank you Jim.

Tradisinaly 3 pointed hooks (like a big trebble fishin hook) were used as harness and tack hooks, but a 4 pointed hook has a lot of uses

Thank you Sgt. Yeats, I have always imagined it is much like the act of forging a chisel (a tool a carpenters son would be all to familiar). On must first select the raw materials, then heat and forge them to a usuable shape (rather tramatic from the steels point of veiw). Then again in to the fire to be quenched and made hard. As wee are now to hard and britle to be of any use we must be gently heated to temper that hardness. Now to be grount, handled and sharpend and lovingly used untile ise and resharpining has made us again unfit for use. Again we find areself adrift with out a handle, thrown once again in to the fire to be remade in to a finer, more refined chisel...

Any time Sgt. one old grunt another

If you use a shingling hatchet to start you have a fair proximity of a hungarian shepherd's walking stick, there Dodge

Sgt, your human as are we all. Been there done that. Feel free to IM me if you ever need a friendly ear.

Mt, looks like you have mised about as many as I have.

Folks like them, and they are fun and easy to make, thanks L.

Thank you Claton