Charles R. Stevens

Something with heavy base, as I'm not font of the trash coming out of the typical wannabe's car I turn to classical, clasic or ethnic percussion.

As to my self, I would do the basic forging in round stock, if using steel spring steel would be my choice, once the basic handle profile is forged with round stock, flatten it. That meaning forging the handle with a top and bottom fuller, and fullering the transition the the shaft, then flatten it, switch to flat tongs and draw out the shaft. Like the others steel may be to heavy, unless made in very thin profiles. "Action wood" for bow making would be a thought in my book. It's a wood, fiberglass composit. Then again TI or work hardens aluminum. If this is intended as a safty tool, I would certainly read the knife section, and other posts as to testing. Bad enugh if she ever uses them on another person, triply so if it failes in use.

Can you imagine what frosty would go to a snow blower? But this is more my speed,

Old sewing machine foot petal reostate. Dead mans switch and reostate in one.

Files and stones (grind and flat have been around a long time. No dishonor in using them. "Forge thick, grind thin is an old maxim. Moddern heat treat ovens alow forging thin and grinding thinner. Obviusly our ancestors wouldn't want to turn more expensive metal in to fillings and grinding dust than nessisary.

Hempha, the idea of making multiple prototypes, using the diffent methods you can think of shows the rich additude. (Adaptive text strikes again, but "Rich additude works just as well as "right additude") The examples you have shown being forged use flack stock, that creates a diffent effect. As to welding on the socket. Forge welding wouldn't be consider a cheat.

Mr. Bochanskie, my high shool teacher, lost an eye splitting wood one summer. As he had one brown eye and blue. Imagine our surprise when he showed up the next fall with two brown ones ( one glass). Needless to say he didn't have much trouble keeping safety glasses on our faces.

Thank her for me.

Yep, should see what compressed air can do to you.

DSW, you must have kids, sounds like the sadistic things I used to do to my kids. Broke two daughters of back talking, mostly...

Not my idea, I think it was Thommas that turned me on to it.

Handled struck tools. So you use the unskilled labor as a powerhammer. Less likely to strike your anvil.

NS, I can see that beeing a bad move.

TH, at some point when your skill platos try teaching. Seeing things from a beginners eyes causes you to reavaluate how you do things, especially shines a light on your bad habits. As to being included in the likes of Rich, Tommas and DSW. I'm flatterd, as I look to them for new information and technic

I'll have to put it on my to see list. I would love to comment further, but as its political, Glenn would certainly smack me upside the runnin lights ;-) and I'd deserve it.

Rich, you certainly one of the folks on my list. If its a thread your learning from, I probably need more experience to fallow it. I remember starting at the shoeing school. One of the instructors was a artistic blacksmith that had come to the school a few years earlier. For the first month it was exiting to watch him forge a set of shoes (infact the MFC brand of shoes is based on hand made shoes he forged) but he was so fast and efficient you couldn't learn a thing, as you just didn't understand enough of what was going on to see it. After 6 weeks you still watched him, but now you could catch the neuances of what he was doing. All he ever did in his own practice was handmade shoes, on a London patern, no turning cams, clip horns or other farrier cheats. Some of you folks are like that, I can usually fallow what is being discussed but other times I'm off on a few days I research and lab work. Thanks for your contributions, and thanks to the people you have learned from.

Home show most of us do things that aren't the safest, but for the most part because of our experience we do just fine. Most folks on IFI err on the side of caution, when it comes to what the in uninitiated may read, and possibly misinterpret. I for one wouldn't advise crawling into a stall with an enraged horse. But it's something I do on a farly regular bassis. As I've gotten older I'v added a bull vest and helmet to my equipment, but it's a good way to get killed if you don't have tens of thousands of hours of experience. You sir certainly have the experience to make an informed decision as to the level of risk you take in your own shop. As Rich says, your shop, your rules. It's the guys with 0- 9,999 hours shop time we wory about.

Ok, I haven't found the link to the retort I'm looking for. Hear is a link to a free PDF of what I think is the best wood stove building book going. Efficient = clean. I'm still trying to find the link.

You may consider an indirect fired retort. It would work like a wood stove (infact the heat sorce can very well be a wood stove) I've seen one built with a double barrel wood stove kit. With a 30 gallon inserted in the upper barel to act as an oven. The advantage of this kind if set up, the "exhaust" is plumed back to the fire box, where it is burnt. Let me do some hunting and see if I can find the info I have. We are looking at two basic things, a clean affordable heat sorce and a I in to distill the wood. Since we aren't interested in recovering the wood tar, resin or turpentine, the exast is burnt by the heat sorce. And again if its set up to burn clean (yea, that's a relitivly turm). You can always throw in a rack and call it an oven ;-)

Thank you sir, I know I have no need for a larger knife. Seems like the 2 inches closest to the hilt, and the tip are all that seem to get dull.

Apple seed grind, that would be similar to a properly ground axe? Slightly convex sides correct? Yep, BF I figure I need a pry bar with an edge. As to a drop point, is that like a Kbar or a chef kife? Yes, frosty I've looked at ascape tools. And as, strictly a extradition tool, the large mountain rescue escape tools would work well. But I need a bit more versitility in a tool.

You certainly have my prayers

Thanks Steve.

Now Frank, why did you have to go and post that! Home sick and hungry.

My forum and Internet search skills suck, as I've expressed before. So at hazard of looking like an idiot, I ask your indulgence. In utility type fixed blades, of aproximently 4", what are the strongest designs? Particularly tips. In my day job I need a knife that that can cut rope and tac in an emergency, or be turned to any other rough service.