Charles R. Stevens

Ww, we realy aren't picking on you, but we are trying to save you from a liability issue. There are any number of us here that could creat a plan to do what you want safely, as could you if you do your home work. But it wont save your butt it court. It strikes me that you are yound, under 25? Give your brain time to finish maturing, and you'll start to under stand us old men. A wife and child helps curtail risk taking.

Must say, Glenn if the tree had Jerry in such fit it wouldnt have even got one lick in. Lol.

Its not as much a case of wether the materials are a alabe, or that you can concoct somthing as safe and efective as manufactured, certified equipment. It the fact that if somthing goes wrong, and despite all precarions it can. Even if in acuality it ist your fault. Say a gasoline spill wile your working the problem is, if there are regulations, and industry standards (even if they are out dated and un safe. Lawers, judges and jurys arnt weldors. They are ither lawers, and they will jump on the rules, or they are average peaple that will imagine them selves as the injored party. So, as advised look at what osha, your state, and your town have to say. Then talk to your insurance agent. It would realy suck if you do everyting by the book, and come to find out the insurance company has a special procedure they want fallwed. So they refuse to cover you. And it could be as simple as you werent wearing the specified foot gear.

Building a bending jig would help, and id use somthing with some carbon. I belive Dempsey sugjested putting the gap in the midle of the bottom leg. And to hang it with somthing organic.

If you disconect the heating elements, you greatly reduce the watage. Curently i use a sewing machine foot switch, but when it dies i belive i will change over to a lighting dimmer (wall mount) and a old style flore board starter swich. This gives me a deadmans switch as well. One might waint a perale cercut that will alow you to bypas the foot switch for long first heats and production runs.

Id place the cut out 18" from one end, and on the center line. I like a 30" square forge, with a 30" table beside it. This places the fire pot iin a place were you can work efficently.

Oops,' i ment 30"

I like a forge area of 32" square with a 32" square table right beside it for tools, stock parts, exetra

Just choke up on the hammer handle. Then when you need a big wack, just use the full handle.

Hammer handles are pretty easy to cut. And reshape with a rasp. I like the longer handle, reshaped so i can chose my hand placemenr. I can always choke up on the handle or i can lengthen the handle The first thing i do after buying a hammer or rehanging one, i reshape the handle ( i make a rounded rectangle) then cup the hammer head and cut the handle off where it reaches the inside of the elbow.

I use a propain forge in my day job (farrier) but i use a solid fuel (charcoal) for general work. Gas forges tend to heat large sections of the peice wile a solid fuel forge is easier to manage for isolated heats.besides scrap wood is abundant.

It may have been a splitting wedge, but if you dress it (smith the face) and put a 1 -2" radius on the pein it should make a fine 8# strait pein.

Don't know about any one else, I don't pick on any one I don't like, not worth the effort.

Yes sir, they tended to get used up, and unlike the cast units, leaving them to the weather rots them pretty fast. Fill it with sand or dirt to keep from burning it up. Claying it would be ideal, but then it's not near as portable.

To ad to Frosty's list, try tightening the stuck fasener, don't try and twist it off, just try and get just a fraction of a degre. Also hitting the fasener, again don't hit it so hard you deform the head or crack the cast iron body. Now, last my screw drivers, especially standard (flat) bladed ones come in a whole lot of sizes, get one that fits the slot well, even if you have to modify the screwdriver. , sometimes you have to clean up the slot, using a healers file or a fine tool The hacksaw or two. Don't get crazy here. Lastly, a bit of Valve leaping compound might just give the screw driver the extra grip it needs. It her toos and tricks, if you can find a bit that fits well, a 1/4" air or electric impact might get it loose, but be real carful, that goes for hand held impact drivers as well (used for getting stubern screws out of old car doors)

If you go to the long riders guild, and look for the research link, they have US Calv blueprints, to include that forge, the kit included a small anvil and a small machinests vice

Mud dobbers like to nest in them, and the gear case probbably requires oil to splash lube the gears. I'm a fan of ATF and solvent (just about any thing from desile to zippo lighter fluid (naphtha), and marvil mistery oil for long sokes. It's best if you can get her disassembled, and cleaned. Replacing any gaskets alongs the way. Now I'm an old mechanic not a hand cranked blower repair man, there are guys on hear that know these things inside and out.

I second the "frosty fan club" tho, not for Tommas' reasons.

Jury's still out on frosty ;-)

As long as the Misses is happy your in good shape...

Or spend the 20$ to order a genuine nepolise kirk But we're blacksmiths ;-)

Remember to anneal tha copper between blows

Righthanded. Cross dominate. But after working as a mechanic and riding and driving I use my left in conjunction. My sparing partner in highschool was a lefty so I learned to fight either way.

The idea of roofing over the container is a good one. Coming from a hot sunny climat, a parasol roof to shade the container would keep it much cooler. The sun beating down on steel, and heating it up to well over air temp, and then radiating down on you in the shop is not fun. For those of you using carports, seriously think about insulatin the roof. You can buy 4' roles of insulation for abot a $ a foot from steal building suppliers. But if you leave it exposed birds will tear it up for nesting. Either cover with tin, wood or hardware cloth.

Sounds like storm crow is the happy man. Congratulations