Charles R. Stevens

I think most of us would be medicated, some of us are....

But the roring flames are so much more exiting ;-)

Move your comfy chair and computer to a place between the fridge and the bathroom.... Welcome to the addiction,

One might also look at ball joints and their smaller relitives at the ends of the stearing linkages, carful tho, as they are self locking tapers.

I also find less ash with pine. And 2x cut offs are easy to come by. Ad a cheep powerighter saw from harbor freight and your golden. I am lazy, and i must say that the "live fire method" that Glenn described at the begining of the thead is by far my faverite. Tho i prefer my cut offs at 1 1/2", dosnt mater if its 2x4, 4x4 or 1x stock. Plywood and OSB works as well (might not be so healthy)

I think what your seeing are on treadle hammers as aposed to helve hammers. And in reality you dont need a heavy truck spring on a helve. The spring is there because somthing has to give. If the mechanism is built to just kis the anvil all is good untile you inteoduce a peice of steel, and i there isnt a spring to provide some give, somthing breaks. You should see what happens to a punch press when that hapens, thing small bomb, compleat with shrapnel. So the spring gives when the hammer hits the workpeice, so the drive traincan make its compleat cycle. Not realy nesisary when your leg provides the power. On a note, two light of a spring and you can reach a point of resinence, and the hammer will flote, wile two heavy a spring and the hammer will stall, and the weekest link in the mechanism will fail.

Road graders and snow plows are two different animals. I must admit the inset heavy wall, perhaps with a half inch square around the top and inset in a nice stump would be a nice way to have the modern conviniance of hardy tools and the look of somthing ironage

I hans a smallish no name cast anvil with a steel face. Came to be sands heal, coned TJ in to cleaning up the heal and choping off the horn (I know blasphamh) but she makes a dandy little block anvil. I'm gathering parts for a post anvil to go with her for turning.

Proper fiting pants and suspenders, lol. I know when my back acts up that helps a lot!. My doc said he could "cure" about hald of all back pain with that perscription. When mine goes complratly sideways i use a cane to get up out of chaires and to negotiate stairs. Theere are some rather sugjestive exersizes that realy help keep the back doctor away as well.

Hammer eyes are taperd from both ends, so they have a slight hour glass cross seection. Most ads ive seen are taperd from the top. Depending on how much meat ther is around the eye you certainly can forge your drift very close then seat it in the eye. I have pretty good luck just selectively quenching (just a sprincle fom the water can so as not to crack it) and forge away. Most hammers have fullers between the eye and head, so it's fairly easy to stay clear of the eye. Fullersand sidesets also help where a wild blow might undo all your work

As a farrier and a smith i work bothe sides of the anvile, i stand next the the heal or horn as much as i stand facing the anvil, heck, i move, and change stance a lot, lol must be the ADD

My thought was. Some one mis transcribed the report, lol I was coffee deprived and just copied the numbers. My memory told me 400-600 F but I didn't trust it this morning

Take insulation to heart. Be it a foot of earth or ore 3 1/2" of fiberglass. If you do not insulate the rood and walls, the sun will heat up the material and it will in turn radiate heat down on you. In the humid regions, their is a reason they built on raised foundations. Parasol roof and rap around porches help to. Maximize the shade and air flow

If you can't copy Tommmas' and you always forge a point on a relativity large section and bend the bar. Say a piece of 2" square, a foot long, bend 90 and forge to a relatively square corner. Then point and draw each end, say a foot or so. One end square the other round. This will approximate a bickern that any Iron Age smith would recognize and be proud of. By cutting of the web and just using the top of the rail you cab do much the same thing

I don't think 1045 will even reach Rh 60 in water, maybe super quench honestly you can't differentially temper in the oven any way. Quench in water and put a hot drift in the eye and quench when you just get color. Done bit of reading to refresh the memory, oil quench is going to give you about Rh 55 water just over 60. And temper at 400-450c this assuming you want an old school hard faced hammer 600c if you want softer. I'd still differentially temper personally.

Mulberry is used by the mongols for bows. Good bow woods aren't always good tool handle woods, but good tool handle woods are often good bow woods. I have mulberry and pecan splits under my bench.

TJ is a special process welder and fabricator for the oil and gas industry. I've been impressed as .... With his skill and tenacity. I think wheel have to scrounge up some 250 gallon totes for the quench. When he gets that far. I'm trying to talk him in to double horsing hid project... But alas he is hardheaded. He aut to fit in here just fine

Doubt she would be interested in a half crazy farrier in Oklahoma, lol. You ow that woman more than a nice dinner

Old files. Old chisels, old drill bits

Dose she have a sister...

Mac, how much would you gain if you angled the twear down, say 22.5 deg?

Lol, Tommas it's a compliment. Doers make a lot more mistakes than talkers

I envy you Tommas

Lol, nice to be able to learn from Tommas' mistakes.

Remember, as Steve and rich point out in the knife class, start your. Edge bevel very steep and then more acute with sack pass. This avoids the forming of a fish mouth and resulting cold shunt. Same trick you use in pointing a rod. I think you'll find the rounding hammer oor ballpoint will be your friend on this job