Charles R. Stevens

Spanky, are you talking about the woven stainless covered hose? Or the all metal stuff? My gas forge lives on the back of a truck, and the rubber hose is 10 years old

Bow makers paint the ends, rough them out and.make a box (chimney) to dry them in. By placing a light bulb in the base the warm dry air dries them quickly but safely. Not to contradict the wisdoms of letting the wood season naturally, I'd be tempted to split it in to blanks, paint the ends and stack it in the attic in a criss cross pattern so it gets plenty of circulation

I like the cut lines. I don't see. The need for more than dirt

1/8" isnt a lot honestly id wait untile i had it fully welded before i tried to straiten it. If you have heavy welding to do, and can arainge it over the crown, even with 2" you just might get most of it out

They aren't that brite. They will sell them for scrap. Copper nails and adhesive.

Also, note that the material is rather expensive, and high on the theiving list. What ever rought you go, secure the caps well. Simply installing them snug isnt going to fly. Some methhead will steel them, and get $.5 for them

Esemann, round here you would point it at him, and calmly say "bottom third" Look up castrating cattle to get the referance...

Scale is the only finish she needs, lol.

The clasic is still a peice of leather and jewlers ruge.

Candid, a 2 part borax to 1 part boric acid mix, works well as a fire retardant, insectiside and wood preservitive. Infact the use of antifreeze greatly improves the latter use. Borax is a mild costic, so the use of boric acid balances it

We're backsmiths, crazy is in the job description

No, you either need to have multiple dies, each more sever than the last. Aneiling between forming operations or you need to forge it hot in one die. And I'm not 100% that you wouldnt need two operations. Your looking at some serius stretching and srinking operations, and even pure copper will work harden. I would expect to screw up 3 sets of dies and 30 or 40 blankes befor i got the dies right. Other folks that have more experiance with sheet and forging dies could get it in one set of dies and a dozen blanks, or they would expect to have a dozen dies and 200 blankes.

Another meathod was to weld it on from one side, but i would think that is more aplicable to broad axes and adses

I would imagine that the copper is probbably worked hot. As i would think other wise multiple forming/anealing opperations would be recuired

To add to Tommas' coments, the technich yiur describing is (or was) the prefere method for "resteeling" an axe.

First trick is to relize you must be just wider than the tractor wheals. I can get pictures of the one i have (5' or 1.6m class 1 three point hitch) that i can use as an example second is to use where resiatant steels for the cutting edges. Old heavy truck spring can be used, as can the flange of old rail

If i read the situation correctly, Angiolino. You cant find a source in your part of the world. Again knowing where that is would be helpful. Never know we might just have your local distributor as a member. One would think that 25-35mm bar for the axle, with matching bearings for wheels, a 50mm heavy wall handle 2m long, possibly tapered (weld in a piece that fits inside) so the handle end is closer to 35-40mm to fit your hands better. You cam make multi steps if your hands are small. Handle length is dependent on your weight. Im over 1.8m and 90kg. If your'e 1.5m and 50kg your going to need a smaller diameter (at your end) longer handle. Don't set the foot angle to steep as you need to be able to comfortably reach the end of handle to apply your weight. A short cross bar is also helpful some times. A 100mm foot, a 2m handle and a 150kg operator equals 3000kg. As your only lifting one end at a time, and your foot isn't going to be that long, or you so light, you should be good.

Wish i wast half way across the contry, i alwas can find time to pitch a hand, or scrounge materials, just rairly cash. I certainly will pray for you

Well, at this point the only things I have to add may be veiwed as political. And frankly I respect Glenn, our host, and Steve and the ofher moderators to much to skirt that line.

"Nail driver" comes to mind ;-)

My thought is, at the price of hard facing, the replaceable parts option might be best, the resucle the uses parts. Might good tooling

Proving a point? Is that a bad motive, master Frost? You proved the point you ended your previus post with. By stringing together the skills you have masterd in to sequence, you made a very servicible tool first try.

Recycle the used tines, we're blacksmiths, thats what we do ;-)

Dont forget to breath ;-) 7 years from now youll be passing on your flustration managment skills to some on else.

The air tank that glen is refering to is called a cheata bottle. An 11 galon air tank with a 2" ball valve mounted in the side. Remove the valve from the valve stim, and use a large diamater air hose, atleast 5/8". Beating the trad with a hammer will some times bump the side wall out enough. Grease some times works as dose dish soap and indead there is a runbery tar like rooffing cement used, usualy on damaged beads. The classic method, and NOT recommended, i repeat Not recomended, is to squirt a little starting fluid in and toss in a match. Two much and the resulting explosian will damage the tire, you, bystanders ect.